As with any medical treatment some couples may experience complications. One of the most prevalent is multiple births. The number of quality embryos kept and then matured to fetus status and birth is in the final analysis made by the couple themselves.
It's not an easy decision to make -- and it's a decision most couples don't have a lot of experience in making. If too many babies are conceived, the couple does have the option, as we stated earlier of removing one or more of them Called multfetal pregnancy reduction, this may improve the chances that those fetuses still in the mother will survive.
Another possible complication of these treatments is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, or OHSS for short. A woman's ovaries, if over stimulated, may enlarge causing her bloating and pain. While treatment is seldom necessary for the mild to moderate symptoms, the actual pregnancy may delay the woman's recovery.
In rare instances, fluid accumulates in the woman's abdominal area as well as the chest. This causes abdominal swelling as well as shortness of breath.
But there are other problems that can arise from this fluid accumulation as well. This includes a depleted volume of blood and a low blood pressure. In some severe cases, emergency treatment is necessary.
The younger the woman undergoing this treatment, the greater the odds are that she'll experience this complications. Additionally, women with polycystic ovary syndrome also find themselves at a greater risk of OHSS.
Every invasive procedure carries with it the risk of excessive bleeding or acquisition of an infection. This can be said for any of the ART techniques as well.
Some research reveals that there may be an increased risk of birth defects when couples conceive through an ART procedure. Currently, there is not enough research confirming this. This piece of information needs to be in the front of your mind while you're weighing your treatment options.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
20.So just how successful is GIFT? – Infertility Niche Business
Approximately 35 percent of the couples who use this procedure actually get pregnant and 27 percent of the couples experience a live pregnancy
Couples are drawn to this particular technique because it allows them to deliver a baby as close to natural means as possible.
Some women prefer GIFT for the sole reason that it allows for the fertilization of the egg inside their bodies, instead of in a "cold, sterile lab."
As with any procedure, there are some disadvantages to it. One of them is the more invasive nature of the technique compared to IVF. GIFT also possesses a greater risk of multiple births, which in turn can create pregnancy complications -- some of which may be serious.
Babies produced in this manner in general have a lower birth weight than those conceived through other techniques. But not only that, there seems to be a greater risk of the baby being born with some type of birth defect.
Used in men with spinal cord injuries an ART procedure called electric or
vibratory stimulation has been very effective for some couples. The electric stimulation helps to facilitate the ejaculation in order to obtain the necessary semen.
Another method of retrieving sperm from the male is called surgical sperm aspiration. This technique actually removes sperm from an area of the man's reproductive system, such as the vas deferens, testicle or the epididymis. In this way the sperm is retrieved should the ejaculatory duct be blocked.
Remember the phrase artificial insemination?
Well, it's now called Intrauterine insemination!
Confused? Many couples are. However confused you may appear initially, it's worth your time and effort to take a look at IUI -- intrauterine insemination.
It's by no means a new technique. But did you realize that it's been an option for couples since the 1940s. Who knew?
IUI can be a very effective treatment option for certain couples. It's especially effective when the female partner is younger than 41. If you have any of the following problems though, this procedure isn't a viable treatment:
Ovarian failure (either natural or premature menopause)
Severe male infertility
Blockages of the fallopian tube
Severe endometriosis
IUI, in fact, is usually the treatment of choice for infertility that has no apparent cause. But it has also proved to be a godsend for those couples in which the woman is suffering with endometriosis or other problems with ovulation as well as infertility caused by the disorders of the cervix.
IUI may also be used if the infertility has been determined to be on the part of the male.
According to many medical specialists, Insemination is a logical treatment to use in the initial stages of infertility therapy. Used for a maximum of four months on women who are ovulating -- that is producing and releasing an egg every month, it can be used longer in some special incidences.
A woman with polycystic ovaries (PCOS) for example or is currently taking drugs to stimulate ovulation, though, may find that IUI therapy lasts for longer than this recommended length of time.
Now that I've prepared you for IUI, you're naturally curious to what's actually involved in the process. And that's reasonable.
Your first step in the IUI technique is taking medication that stimulates the development of more than one egg. The insemination is then timed to coincide with your ovulation or the release of your eggs.
The male partner produces a semen specimen either at home or in the office through masturbation following a minimum two day period of abstinence from ejaculation.
This sample is then "washed" in the laboratory. You'll hear this part of the technique referred to as either sperm processing or sperm washing. In this portion, the sperm separates from the other parts of the semen so it can be concentrated into a small volume. Sperm washing is performed through a variety of media and techniques. It doesn’t take long, at most 60 minutes.
The vagina is prepared for entry and the cervical area is gently cleansed. This is portion of the procedure may vary from individual to individual. Your doctor may choose to place the sperm in your cervix, in which case, this procedure is technically an intracervical insemination or an ICI.
If he instead places it farther up in the uterine cavity, then it's technically called an intrauterine insemination. In either version, he'll use a sterile, flexible catheter to accomplishment the placement of sperm.
And the last option used in Assisted Reproductive technology is called assisted hatching. Even though it sounds as if it's something performed in a chicken coop, it's a treatment for infertility that gets relatively good results. The technique assists with the implantation of the embryo into the lining of the uterus.
Couples are drawn to this particular technique because it allows them to deliver a baby as close to natural means as possible.
Some women prefer GIFT for the sole reason that it allows for the fertilization of the egg inside their bodies, instead of in a "cold, sterile lab."
As with any procedure, there are some disadvantages to it. One of them is the more invasive nature of the technique compared to IVF. GIFT also possesses a greater risk of multiple births, which in turn can create pregnancy complications -- some of which may be serious.
Babies produced in this manner in general have a lower birth weight than those conceived through other techniques. But not only that, there seems to be a greater risk of the baby being born with some type of birth defect.
Used in men with spinal cord injuries an ART procedure called electric or
vibratory stimulation has been very effective for some couples. The electric stimulation helps to facilitate the ejaculation in order to obtain the necessary semen.
Another method of retrieving sperm from the male is called surgical sperm aspiration. This technique actually removes sperm from an area of the man's reproductive system, such as the vas deferens, testicle or the epididymis. In this way the sperm is retrieved should the ejaculatory duct be blocked.
Remember the phrase artificial insemination?
Well, it's now called Intrauterine insemination!
Confused? Many couples are. However confused you may appear initially, it's worth your time and effort to take a look at IUI -- intrauterine insemination.
It's by no means a new technique. But did you realize that it's been an option for couples since the 1940s. Who knew?
IUI can be a very effective treatment option for certain couples. It's especially effective when the female partner is younger than 41. If you have any of the following problems though, this procedure isn't a viable treatment:
Ovarian failure (either natural or premature menopause)
Severe male infertility
Blockages of the fallopian tube
Severe endometriosis
IUI, in fact, is usually the treatment of choice for infertility that has no apparent cause. But it has also proved to be a godsend for those couples in which the woman is suffering with endometriosis or other problems with ovulation as well as infertility caused by the disorders of the cervix.
IUI may also be used if the infertility has been determined to be on the part of the male.
According to many medical specialists, Insemination is a logical treatment to use in the initial stages of infertility therapy. Used for a maximum of four months on women who are ovulating -- that is producing and releasing an egg every month, it can be used longer in some special incidences.
A woman with polycystic ovaries (PCOS) for example or is currently taking drugs to stimulate ovulation, though, may find that IUI therapy lasts for longer than this recommended length of time.
Now that I've prepared you for IUI, you're naturally curious to what's actually involved in the process. And that's reasonable.
Your first step in the IUI technique is taking medication that stimulates the development of more than one egg. The insemination is then timed to coincide with your ovulation or the release of your eggs.
The male partner produces a semen specimen either at home or in the office through masturbation following a minimum two day period of abstinence from ejaculation.
This sample is then "washed" in the laboratory. You'll hear this part of the technique referred to as either sperm processing or sperm washing. In this portion, the sperm separates from the other parts of the semen so it can be concentrated into a small volume. Sperm washing is performed through a variety of media and techniques. It doesn’t take long, at most 60 minutes.
The vagina is prepared for entry and the cervical area is gently cleansed. This is portion of the procedure may vary from individual to individual. Your doctor may choose to place the sperm in your cervix, in which case, this procedure is technically an intracervical insemination or an ICI.
If he instead places it farther up in the uterine cavity, then it's technically called an intrauterine insemination. In either version, he'll use a sterile, flexible catheter to accomplishment the placement of sperm.
And the last option used in Assisted Reproductive technology is called assisted hatching. Even though it sounds as if it's something performed in a chicken coop, it's a treatment for infertility that gets relatively good results. The technique assists with the implantation of the embryo into the lining of the uterus.
19.The gift of GIFT – Infertility Niche Business
Isn't that an appropriately named procedure -- GIFT? Of course you know it's an acronym. And wouldn't you know its real name leaves most of us in the dark: Gamete intrafallopian transfer.
Yeah, now that's romantic. Well, it might not sound romantic, but the gift of GIFT has allowed many couples to experience, ultimately, the gift of a biological child of their own.
This procedure resembles IVF very closely. But where IVF fertilizes a woman's egg outside of her body, this technique allows the egg to become fertilized in her fallopian tubes.
Let me explain. Both the male and female germ cells -- or gametes-- are injected into the woman's fallopian tubes specifically for fertilization. In a man, a gamete is the sperm. A woman's game is the eggs, or ova.
Specifically, health professionals stimulate the female eggs using various medications. Then they're collected using a process called aspiration. From here, three or four of the eggs are combined with no less than 200,000 sperm inside a catheter and then transferred inside the fallopian tubes of the woman using a surgical procedure called a laparoscopy.
GIFT is classified as a more invasive procedure than IVF because it does make use of the surgical procedure. It's most useful when ovulatory disorders or cervical problems lie at the core of the couple's infertility problem.
But it's also a very useful procedure if the male is experiencing a low sperm count.
You've probably already have guessed that the success of this procedure depends upon the health of the woman's fallopian tubes. If your tubes are blocked, this would not be the appropriate treatment.
But many females experiencing endometriosis find this to be successful for them.
Yeah, now that's romantic. Well, it might not sound romantic, but the gift of GIFT has allowed many couples to experience, ultimately, the gift of a biological child of their own.
This procedure resembles IVF very closely. But where IVF fertilizes a woman's egg outside of her body, this technique allows the egg to become fertilized in her fallopian tubes.
Let me explain. Both the male and female germ cells -- or gametes-- are injected into the woman's fallopian tubes specifically for fertilization. In a man, a gamete is the sperm. A woman's game is the eggs, or ova.
Specifically, health professionals stimulate the female eggs using various medications. Then they're collected using a process called aspiration. From here, three or four of the eggs are combined with no less than 200,000 sperm inside a catheter and then transferred inside the fallopian tubes of the woman using a surgical procedure called a laparoscopy.
GIFT is classified as a more invasive procedure than IVF because it does make use of the surgical procedure. It's most useful when ovulatory disorders or cervical problems lie at the core of the couple's infertility problem.
But it's also a very useful procedure if the male is experiencing a low sperm count.
You've probably already have guessed that the success of this procedure depends upon the health of the woman's fallopian tubes. If your tubes are blocked, this would not be the appropriate treatment.
But many females experiencing endometriosis find this to be successful for them.
18.When IVF is most useful – Infertility Niche Business
This procedure is often recommended when both fallopian tubes are blocked. It's also used in the presence of endometriosis, cervical factor infertility, and various disorders which disruption regular ovulation.
A doctor may also recommend this procedure when the cause of fertility can't be established or when the infertility is caused by some disorder of the male.
The only disadvantage to this treatment is the increased risk of multiple births. And it only goes to reason since there is more than one fertilized egg being implanted into the female partner. IVF requires quite a bit of monitoring as well, in the form of frequent blood tests and daily hormone injections.
ICSI, or Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (now you see why it's been shortened to ICSI), is another form of ART. In this one, a single sperm is injected directly into an egg for the purpose of fertilization.
Once the egg is fertilized then the IVF process is used. Especially effective in couples who have tried all the other standard treatments, ICSI it's also extremely helpful for those situations in which the man's concentration of sperm is low.
A doctor may also recommend this procedure when the cause of fertility can't be established or when the infertility is caused by some disorder of the male.
The only disadvantage to this treatment is the increased risk of multiple births. And it only goes to reason since there is more than one fertilized egg being implanted into the female partner. IVF requires quite a bit of monitoring as well, in the form of frequent blood tests and daily hormone injections.
ICSI, or Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (now you see why it's been shortened to ICSI), is another form of ART. In this one, a single sperm is injected directly into an egg for the purpose of fertilization.
Once the egg is fertilized then the IVF process is used. Especially effective in couples who have tried all the other standard treatments, ICSI it's also extremely helpful for those situations in which the man's concentration of sperm is low.
17.In vitro fertilization -- IVF – Infertility Niche Business
Fast Facts: IVF
IVF is most popular with women younger than age 35 who aren't experiencing problems with their partners' sperm.
Using IVF may help a woman avoid surgery on her fallopian tubes. IVF, in fact, has reduced the need for this surgery by nearly 50 percent.
About 63 percent of women using IVF give birth to single babies; 32 percent of births are twins and 5 percent are triplets -- or more.
Safety? Despite previous studies which found that children conceived through the IVF method possed a slightly increased risk of genetic disorders, the most recent research shows otherwise.
Nearly 1,000 children, conceived through this process, in five European countries were monitored, from birth to their fifth birthday. They were every bit as healthy as children conceived naturally, the study showed.
Assisted reproductive technology takes many forms, depending on the specific needs and situations of the couples involved. One of the most popular of these is in vitro fertilization or IVF for short. It's not only one of the most popular treatment for infertility, it's also recognized worldwide as the established therapy for this condition.
Considering its popularity, you may be surprised to learn that less than five percent of the infertile couples use this procedure.
If you and your partner are considering this procedure, you'll discover that the first step is the administration of hormones designed to stimulate your ovaries into producing several eggs.
Once the eggs have been produced then a surgeon inserts a needle through the vagina and on into the ovaries in order to retrieve the eggs as well as the fluid the eggs in which the eggs are residing.
While you've not give a general anesthetic for this portion of IVF, you may
What If . . . IVF Doesn't Work for Me?
And this does happen at times. There is always the possibility that you go through this prolonged -- and emotionally exhausting procedure -- only to discover that for some reason, you really aren't pregnant.
You have a huge emotional investment in this process. Don't be embarrassed or ashamed of being emotionally overcome if this doesn't work.
Now what? You confront and manage the emotional aspect of this procedure. Having a baby means too much to you to just sweep the failure under the rug.
It's very likely that you told very few except your very closest family members and your most trusted friends. And that's to be expected.
But now that means you're facing one of the most emotionally draining moments of your life with very few people to lean on.
Consider joining a support group. With the marvelous technology of the internet you have the choice of joining a group like this whether you can find one in your area to physically attend or not.
Sometimes even the "cyber-support" of others who have gone through what you have or are going through it now, can be of great value to you.
I've included some resources in Appendix II of this book that may help you in locating either a local group or an online support group.
You may also want to ask your doctor for the names of any well-qualified counselors you and your partner may visit.
be given a sedating medication of some kind.
Testing occurs to insure that eggs are indeed within the fluid.
At the same time, the male partner provides the laboratory with a semen sample. He's requested to refrain from sex for several days prior to his giving this sample. The sperm, then, are separated from the semen itself.
Now, is the moment you've been waiting for. The sperm are combined with the eggs in a laboratory dish. This is the part of the procedure from which we get its name: in vitro fertilization. The "in vitro" part of the name refers to a process (and technically any process) which occurs in a laboratory outside a living creature.
Surprisingly, it takes only 18 hours to know if the sperm has fertilized the eggs and if they have begun the process of growing as embryos. If the sperm "have done their job" then the eggs are incubated. Laboratory staff then carefully monitors the progress for the following two to three days.
After that, the doctor transfers what are now referred to as embryos from the laboratory dish into your uterus. He or she does this by going through the cervix using a catheter. For an hour after this occurs, you need to stay in a resting position.
For the two weeks which follow, you'll be given more hormones. If the implantation takes hold, the eggs actually attach themselves to the uterine wall and continue to grow.
You'll be given a pregnancy test, to confirm that indeed that everything is on course. And yes, it'll show loud and clear that you are indeed pregnant. Congratulations!
IVF is most popular with women younger than age 35 who aren't experiencing problems with their partners' sperm.
Using IVF may help a woman avoid surgery on her fallopian tubes. IVF, in fact, has reduced the need for this surgery by nearly 50 percent.
About 63 percent of women using IVF give birth to single babies; 32 percent of births are twins and 5 percent are triplets -- or more.
Safety? Despite previous studies which found that children conceived through the IVF method possed a slightly increased risk of genetic disorders, the most recent research shows otherwise.
Nearly 1,000 children, conceived through this process, in five European countries were monitored, from birth to their fifth birthday. They were every bit as healthy as children conceived naturally, the study showed.
Assisted reproductive technology takes many forms, depending on the specific needs and situations of the couples involved. One of the most popular of these is in vitro fertilization or IVF for short. It's not only one of the most popular treatment for infertility, it's also recognized worldwide as the established therapy for this condition.
Considering its popularity, you may be surprised to learn that less than five percent of the infertile couples use this procedure.
If you and your partner are considering this procedure, you'll discover that the first step is the administration of hormones designed to stimulate your ovaries into producing several eggs.
Once the eggs have been produced then a surgeon inserts a needle through the vagina and on into the ovaries in order to retrieve the eggs as well as the fluid the eggs in which the eggs are residing.
While you've not give a general anesthetic for this portion of IVF, you may
What If . . . IVF Doesn't Work for Me?
And this does happen at times. There is always the possibility that you go through this prolonged -- and emotionally exhausting procedure -- only to discover that for some reason, you really aren't pregnant.
You have a huge emotional investment in this process. Don't be embarrassed or ashamed of being emotionally overcome if this doesn't work.
Now what? You confront and manage the emotional aspect of this procedure. Having a baby means too much to you to just sweep the failure under the rug.
It's very likely that you told very few except your very closest family members and your most trusted friends. And that's to be expected.
But now that means you're facing one of the most emotionally draining moments of your life with very few people to lean on.
Consider joining a support group. With the marvelous technology of the internet you have the choice of joining a group like this whether you can find one in your area to physically attend or not.
Sometimes even the "cyber-support" of others who have gone through what you have or are going through it now, can be of great value to you.
I've included some resources in Appendix II of this book that may help you in locating either a local group or an online support group.
You may also want to ask your doctor for the names of any well-qualified counselors you and your partner may visit.
be given a sedating medication of some kind.
Testing occurs to insure that eggs are indeed within the fluid.
At the same time, the male partner provides the laboratory with a semen sample. He's requested to refrain from sex for several days prior to his giving this sample. The sperm, then, are separated from the semen itself.
Now, is the moment you've been waiting for. The sperm are combined with the eggs in a laboratory dish. This is the part of the procedure from which we get its name: in vitro fertilization. The "in vitro" part of the name refers to a process (and technically any process) which occurs in a laboratory outside a living creature.
Surprisingly, it takes only 18 hours to know if the sperm has fertilized the eggs and if they have begun the process of growing as embryos. If the sperm "have done their job" then the eggs are incubated. Laboratory staff then carefully monitors the progress for the following two to three days.
After that, the doctor transfers what are now referred to as embryos from the laboratory dish into your uterus. He or she does this by going through the cervix using a catheter. For an hour after this occurs, you need to stay in a resting position.
For the two weeks which follow, you'll be given more hormones. If the implantation takes hold, the eggs actually attach themselves to the uterine wall and continue to grow.
You'll be given a pregnancy test, to confirm that indeed that everything is on course. And yes, it'll show loud and clear that you are indeed pregnant. Congratulations!
16.Reducing the risks of multiple births – Infertility Niche Business
There are some ways in which the risk of experiencing a multiple birth can be mitigated. For example, if a woman is taking hCG injections, the ultrasound shows the physician the amount of follicles that have developed. If it appears that there are two many -- which increase the risk for a multiple birth -- the physician may withhold an injection.
If too many babies are actually conceived, physicians may also remove one or more the existing fetuses. Called multifetal pregnancy reduction, this gives the remaining fetus better odds at survival -- and at thriving even.
This procedure though also carries serious questions -- both emotional and ethical ones -- for many couples. This is one of those possible complications in fertility treatment that is best discussed before treatment begins. It's a decision that just can't be made lightly.
Surgery as an option treatment
Depending on your cause of infertility, your physician may recommend that you undergo surgery. Used in many instances to remove blockages in the fallopian tubes, new laparoscopic techniques allow delicate operations on the fallopian tubes that prior generations could not have imagined.
The art of ART
ART has arrived and it has revolutionized the way doctors now approach and treat infertility. Every year thousands of babies are born to couples formerly unable to have children thanks to ART, assisted reproductive technology.
These couples are now blessed with their own biological child or in some cases children. ART is indeed an art form in itself. This approach to infertility is a team approach.
ART is most effective when the female part possesses a healthy uterus and responds well to fertility drugs. It's also effective when the woman ovulates naturally or uses donor eggs.
For the male partner's part, these varied techniques stand the best chance of succeeding when he has healthy sperm, or through the use of donor sperm. ART loses some of its inherent effectiveness as a treatment for couples after they turn age 35.
A couple using this treatment has on their team not only their physician, but psychologists, embryologists, laboratory technicians, nurses as well as a variety of allied health professionals to assist them.
If too many babies are actually conceived, physicians may also remove one or more the existing fetuses. Called multifetal pregnancy reduction, this gives the remaining fetus better odds at survival -- and at thriving even.
This procedure though also carries serious questions -- both emotional and ethical ones -- for many couples. This is one of those possible complications in fertility treatment that is best discussed before treatment begins. It's a decision that just can't be made lightly.
Surgery as an option treatment
Depending on your cause of infertility, your physician may recommend that you undergo surgery. Used in many instances to remove blockages in the fallopian tubes, new laparoscopic techniques allow delicate operations on the fallopian tubes that prior generations could not have imagined.
The art of ART
ART has arrived and it has revolutionized the way doctors now approach and treat infertility. Every year thousands of babies are born to couples formerly unable to have children thanks to ART, assisted reproductive technology.
These couples are now blessed with their own biological child or in some cases children. ART is indeed an art form in itself. This approach to infertility is a team approach.
ART is most effective when the female part possesses a healthy uterus and responds well to fertility drugs. It's also effective when the woman ovulates naturally or uses donor eggs.
For the male partner's part, these varied techniques stand the best chance of succeeding when he has healthy sperm, or through the use of donor sperm. ART loses some of its inherent effectiveness as a treatment for couples after they turn age 35.
A couple using this treatment has on their team not only their physician, but psychologists, embryologists, laboratory technicians, nurses as well as a variety of allied health professionals to assist them.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
15.So how many children may I have? – Infertility Niche Business
Ah! The question has crossed your mind. The use of fertility drugs may mean that you're giving birth -- and that's what you want. But it may also mean you may have a multiple birth.
This is especially risky when you use the types of drugs which are injected into your system. While the oral medications also increase the odds of you giving birth to more than one child, they are not as high as with the injections.
Now that's not to mean you'll end up with eight children. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But you may have twins or even triplets.
That's why -- and you'll discover this as you take the treatments yourself -- that your specialist monitors the use of these drugs very carefully. While you're on these drugs you'll be taking blood tests, hormone tests and ultrasounds. The last of these is to measure the size of the ovarian follicle.
Multiple births raise the risk of your babies being born prematurely which in turn put them at a greater risk of health and developmental problems.
This is especially risky when you use the types of drugs which are injected into your system. While the oral medications also increase the odds of you giving birth to more than one child, they are not as high as with the injections.
Now that's not to mean you'll end up with eight children. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But you may have twins or even triplets.
That's why -- and you'll discover this as you take the treatments yourself -- that your specialist monitors the use of these drugs very carefully. While you're on these drugs you'll be taking blood tests, hormone tests and ultrasounds. The last of these is to measure the size of the ovarian follicle.
Multiple births raise the risk of your babies being born prematurely which in turn put them at a greater risk of health and developmental problems.
14.Fertility drugs – Infertility Niche Business
The first option most doctors present to couples unable to have a baby is taking fertility drugs. These drugs are of the greatest help to women who experience infertility due to ovulation disorders. The purpose of these medications is to regulate ovulation or in some cases actually induce the system into ovulation.
In many ways they affect your system like a natural hormone would -- especially the follicle-stimulating hormone, FSH, and the luteinizing hormone, LH. This is a very simple and noninvasive method. It makes sense it would be the first avenue that the medical community tries.
What type of fertility drugs to expect
Just what drugs you may be taken varies. There's a list of about nine medications that your prescribing physician may have you take.
The first one is called clomiphene. The brand names these go by include Clomid and Serophene. Taken orally, this particular medication is especially useful for women who need their ovulation stimulated because they suffer with polycystic ovary syndrome. But it may also be prescribed for other ovulatory disorders.
It works by triggering the pituitary gland to release more of the hormones FSH and LH, which in turn stimulate the growth of an ovarian follicle which contains an egg.
The drug human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG is usually given in conjunction with this drug. hCG stimulates the follicle to release an egg.
There's another medication, called Human menopausal gonadotropin or hMG doctors may prescribe you as an injection. This particular drug works best for those women who can't ovulate because the pituitary gland itself. For these women, the pituitary gland fails to stimulate the monthly cycle.
This drug bypasses the pituitary gland to influence the ovaries directly. Not surprisingly, hMG -- which is probably given to you under the brand name of Repronex -- contains both FSH and LH.
Another method of stimulating the cycle of the ovaries is simply through the use of giving your system FSH independently -- without any other medication. You'll recognize if you're taking this through the brand names of Gonal-F and Bravelle.
Don't be surprised if along with your prescription of FSH, your physician also hands you a second one for hCG. These two are often used in combination.
If the cause of your infertility is a menstrual cycle that's irregular or erratic, then you may be receiving Gn-RH, known as Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs.
This specific treatment is quite often used for those women who ovulate prematurely. By that, I mean she has her period before the lead follicle is mature enough.
This form of treatment supplies the pituitary gland with the Gn-RH, enabling the doctor then to induce follicle growth through the use of FSH.
Another medication that you may be given orally is called Metformin -- you'll probably discover the brand name is Glucophage. It's recommended when your physician believes that your infertility is caused by insulin resistance. Insulin resistance, by the way, is suspected as a cause in the development of polycystic ovarian syndrome.
If your menstrual cycle is irregular because you have higher than normal levels of prolactin, then you may very well find yourself taking the medication Bromocriptine. Sold under the name of Parlodel, this is the hormone which triggers milk production in women who have just given birth.
You may find that your doctor wants to prescribe a medication called an aromatase inhibitor. This class of medication, which includes letrozole and anatrozole, has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use for the problem of infertility.
Aromatase inhibitors are drugs made specifically for breast cancer. Many doctors though prescribe it when clomiphene citrate is not effective. This is reserved for women who can't ovulate on their own.
You need to speak with your physician about this if he recommends this drug. The manufacturer itself has warned physicians to refrain from using this. Its use may cause adverse health effects including birth defects and miscarriages.
In many ways they affect your system like a natural hormone would -- especially the follicle-stimulating hormone, FSH, and the luteinizing hormone, LH. This is a very simple and noninvasive method. It makes sense it would be the first avenue that the medical community tries.
What type of fertility drugs to expect
Just what drugs you may be taken varies. There's a list of about nine medications that your prescribing physician may have you take.
The first one is called clomiphene. The brand names these go by include Clomid and Serophene. Taken orally, this particular medication is especially useful for women who need their ovulation stimulated because they suffer with polycystic ovary syndrome. But it may also be prescribed for other ovulatory disorders.
It works by triggering the pituitary gland to release more of the hormones FSH and LH, which in turn stimulate the growth of an ovarian follicle which contains an egg.
The drug human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG is usually given in conjunction with this drug. hCG stimulates the follicle to release an egg.
There's another medication, called Human menopausal gonadotropin or hMG doctors may prescribe you as an injection. This particular drug works best for those women who can't ovulate because the pituitary gland itself. For these women, the pituitary gland fails to stimulate the monthly cycle.
This drug bypasses the pituitary gland to influence the ovaries directly. Not surprisingly, hMG -- which is probably given to you under the brand name of Repronex -- contains both FSH and LH.
Another method of stimulating the cycle of the ovaries is simply through the use of giving your system FSH independently -- without any other medication. You'll recognize if you're taking this through the brand names of Gonal-F and Bravelle.
Don't be surprised if along with your prescription of FSH, your physician also hands you a second one for hCG. These two are often used in combination.
If the cause of your infertility is a menstrual cycle that's irregular or erratic, then you may be receiving Gn-RH, known as Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs.
This specific treatment is quite often used for those women who ovulate prematurely. By that, I mean she has her period before the lead follicle is mature enough.
This form of treatment supplies the pituitary gland with the Gn-RH, enabling the doctor then to induce follicle growth through the use of FSH.
Another medication that you may be given orally is called Metformin -- you'll probably discover the brand name is Glucophage. It's recommended when your physician believes that your infertility is caused by insulin resistance. Insulin resistance, by the way, is suspected as a cause in the development of polycystic ovarian syndrome.
If your menstrual cycle is irregular because you have higher than normal levels of prolactin, then you may very well find yourself taking the medication Bromocriptine. Sold under the name of Parlodel, this is the hormone which triggers milk production in women who have just given birth.
You may find that your doctor wants to prescribe a medication called an aromatase inhibitor. This class of medication, which includes letrozole and anatrozole, has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use for the problem of infertility.
Aromatase inhibitors are drugs made specifically for breast cancer. Many doctors though prescribe it when clomiphene citrate is not effective. This is reserved for women who can't ovulate on their own.
You need to speak with your physician about this if he recommends this drug. The manufacturer itself has warned physicians to refrain from using this. Its use may cause adverse health effects including birth defects and miscarriages.
13.Medical Treatments for Infertility – Infertility Niche Business
I'm sure that was the treatment that Rene and John King were prescribed for their infertility. That doesn't mean that your treatment is going to be a carbon copy of that. That couple is quite a few years older than you, right?
No, don't just assume that Roseanne and Bill's treatments for infertility will work for you either -- or that the doctor will even suggest them. Why not? For one thing, that couple is a few years younger than you -- and the cause of their problems are different from yours.
So what can you expect, you ask?
It's natural to be nervous prior to engaging you and your partner into treatments for infertility. And I suppose it would make life a lot easier for everyone involved if there were just one all-around treatment for infertility.
But the truth of the matter is that treatments for this common problem are as varied and as unique as the couples are who are experiencing it. How your team of doctors and specialists handle your infertility depends on several factors, not the least of which are the root cause of your problem, how long you've actually been infertile, your age as well as that of your partner, and your own personal input into the treatments.
You need to know right from the beginning that some cases of infertility just can't be corrected. A woman, nonetheless, may stay become pregnant thanks to the marvelous increases in modern technology though. Talk about miracles!
No, don't just assume that Roseanne and Bill's treatments for infertility will work for you either -- or that the doctor will even suggest them. Why not? For one thing, that couple is a few years younger than you -- and the cause of their problems are different from yours.
So what can you expect, you ask?
It's natural to be nervous prior to engaging you and your partner into treatments for infertility. And I suppose it would make life a lot easier for everyone involved if there were just one all-around treatment for infertility.
But the truth of the matter is that treatments for this common problem are as varied and as unique as the couples are who are experiencing it. How your team of doctors and specialists handle your infertility depends on several factors, not the least of which are the root cause of your problem, how long you've actually been infertile, your age as well as that of your partner, and your own personal input into the treatments.
You need to know right from the beginning that some cases of infertility just can't be corrected. A woman, nonetheless, may stay become pregnant thanks to the marvelous increases in modern technology though. Talk about miracles!
12.The condition of the uterus and fallopian tubes - Infertility Niche Business
As a woman you undoubtedly will go through a test with an excruciatingly long name -- hysterosalpingography. This particular exam evaluates the condition of both your uterus and your fallopian tubes. In this exam, fluid is injected into your uterus, an x-ray is then taken to determine whether the fluid actually travels out of your uterus and into your fallopian tubes, the natural path the egg and sperm must travel.
If the fluid doesn’t travel down this "path" it could signal a blockage or related problems. Sometimes, if this is determined to be the cause of your infertility, this blockage can be easily corrected with a simply surgery.
Another test, a bit more invasive and requiring a general anesthesia, is a laparoscopy. In this, a thin viewing device is inserted into your abdomen and pelvis for the purpose of examining your fallopian tubes, ovaries as well as uterus.
A small incision, usually eight to 10 mm in length is made right beneath your navel. A needle is then inserted into your abdominal cavity. The attendant then injects a small amount of gas -- usually in the form of carbon dioxide into the cavity which creates space for the entry of the laparoscope.
This is an illuminated, fiber-optic telescope which can detect such problems as blockages or irregularities in both the uterus and the fallopian tubes.
One of the most common problems this test picks up is the presence of endometriosis and scarring. More of often than not this test requires outpatient status.
Women, like their partners, also undergo hormonal testing. Used as a tool to check levels of hormones basic to ovulation, the tests also cover the thyroid and pituitary hormones.
A test that actually reviews the potential effectiveness of the eggs after ovulation, the ovarian reserve test, often includes a hormone test at the initial stages of your menstrual cycle.
Genetic testing may also occur simply to determine if there's a genetic defect presence that could be at the cause of your infertility. And finally, most women also endure a pelvic ultrasound. This particular procedure specifically looks for diseases in either the uterine or fallopian tubes.
Now before you start running in the other direction from the doctor, take solace in knowing that you may not be required to undergo all of these tests. It may be that the first test you take reveals the nature of your infertility.
The exact tests you actually take, as well as their specific order, depend on the various discussions you and your physician have as well as the agreement the two of you have made.
These tests also tell the doctor what kind of treatment would be best for your particular problems. Those tests form the basis of an entire chapter later in the book.
In the meantime, your mind is probably swirling in a hundred different directions -- many of which are wondering if there were anything else you can do.
If the fluid doesn’t travel down this "path" it could signal a blockage or related problems. Sometimes, if this is determined to be the cause of your infertility, this blockage can be easily corrected with a simply surgery.
Another test, a bit more invasive and requiring a general anesthesia, is a laparoscopy. In this, a thin viewing device is inserted into your abdomen and pelvis for the purpose of examining your fallopian tubes, ovaries as well as uterus.
A small incision, usually eight to 10 mm in length is made right beneath your navel. A needle is then inserted into your abdominal cavity. The attendant then injects a small amount of gas -- usually in the form of carbon dioxide into the cavity which creates space for the entry of the laparoscope.
This is an illuminated, fiber-optic telescope which can detect such problems as blockages or irregularities in both the uterus and the fallopian tubes.
One of the most common problems this test picks up is the presence of endometriosis and scarring. More of often than not this test requires outpatient status.
Women, like their partners, also undergo hormonal testing. Used as a tool to check levels of hormones basic to ovulation, the tests also cover the thyroid and pituitary hormones.
A test that actually reviews the potential effectiveness of the eggs after ovulation, the ovarian reserve test, often includes a hormone test at the initial stages of your menstrual cycle.
Genetic testing may also occur simply to determine if there's a genetic defect presence that could be at the cause of your infertility. And finally, most women also endure a pelvic ultrasound. This particular procedure specifically looks for diseases in either the uterine or fallopian tubes.
Now before you start running in the other direction from the doctor, take solace in knowing that you may not be required to undergo all of these tests. It may be that the first test you take reveals the nature of your infertility.
The exact tests you actually take, as well as their specific order, depend on the various discussions you and your physician have as well as the agreement the two of you have made.
These tests also tell the doctor what kind of treatment would be best for your particular problems. Those tests form the basis of an entire chapter later in the book.
In the meantime, your mind is probably swirling in a hundred different directions -- many of which are wondering if there were anything else you can do.
11.Whose infertility is it, anyway? - Infertility Niche Business
It all starts with a general physical examination. In addition to questions about your medical history, any illnesses you may have had in the past, as well as any disabilities, your doctor may also ask you questions about any medications you're taking and your sexual habits.
One of the first tests you're likely to undergo a semen analysis. This particular test is considered one of most important exams. Don't be taken aback if your physician requests more than one semen specimen in order to get an accurate reading from this test.
One of the most common ways of obtaining this specimen is through masturbation. Another often-used method is through the interruption of intercourse and ejaculation into a clean container.
The semen specimen is then delivered to a laboratory which analyzes it for several criteria, including quantity, color and the presence of infections or blood.
In addition, the lab closely examines the sperm itself. The process determines the number of sperm present as well as the possible presence of any abnormalities in both the shape and the movement of the sperm.
At times, two samples are requested simply because it's not unusual for sperm counts to fluctuate from one specimen to the next.
The doctor also requests a blood test aimed at determining the level of testosterone as well as a variety of other hormones.
You may also be put through an ultrasound test as well. A transrectal and scrotal ultrasound helps your physician find any possible evidence of conditions like retrograde ejaculation and ejaculatory duct obstruction.
And lest you complain about the tests you're going through as a man, your female partner is enduring a battery of her own. A woman's fertility depends on the release of healthy eggs -- on a regular basis -- as well as a reproductive tract that allows both the eggs and the sperm to pass into her fallopian tubes to get fertilized. Her reproductive organs, naturally, then must be healthy and functional.
To this end, the woman undergoes ovulation testing. This is a simple blood test that measures hormone levels that ultimately determine whether she is ovulating.
One of the first tests you're likely to undergo a semen analysis. This particular test is considered one of most important exams. Don't be taken aback if your physician requests more than one semen specimen in order to get an accurate reading from this test.
One of the most common ways of obtaining this specimen is through masturbation. Another often-used method is through the interruption of intercourse and ejaculation into a clean container.
The semen specimen is then delivered to a laboratory which analyzes it for several criteria, including quantity, color and the presence of infections or blood.
In addition, the lab closely examines the sperm itself. The process determines the number of sperm present as well as the possible presence of any abnormalities in both the shape and the movement of the sperm.
At times, two samples are requested simply because it's not unusual for sperm counts to fluctuate from one specimen to the next.
The doctor also requests a blood test aimed at determining the level of testosterone as well as a variety of other hormones.
You may also be put through an ultrasound test as well. A transrectal and scrotal ultrasound helps your physician find any possible evidence of conditions like retrograde ejaculation and ejaculatory duct obstruction.
And lest you complain about the tests you're going through as a man, your female partner is enduring a battery of her own. A woman's fertility depends on the release of healthy eggs -- on a regular basis -- as well as a reproductive tract that allows both the eggs and the sperm to pass into her fallopian tubes to get fertilized. Her reproductive organs, naturally, then must be healthy and functional.
To this end, the woman undergoes ovulation testing. This is a simple blood test that measures hormone levels that ultimately determine whether she is ovulating.
10.Diagnosing the problem Involves testing - Infertility Niche Business
That about sums up what to expect on your visit to the doctor's visit. If you're serious about conceiving then you need to know that the process of attempting to decipher what exactly is wrong and if it can be overcome may be a long tedious process. The ordeal certainly will test your level of commitment to having a baby.
You also need to know that the outcome in about one third of the cases is that there is no specific cause -- at least none that your physician can discern. If you turn out to be a part of this one-third you may very well feel cheated and lied to. That would be a natural reaction. But you must work past that.
And if you're still serious about having children, then look at all the options that are available to you in an entire gambit of settings.
Another word of caution with regard to the tests you are about to undertake: none of this comes cheap. Evaluation, even today, is still very expensive. In many cases, your doctor may be performing tests not covered by your insurance.
As you can see just by this small peak that testing for infertility is not something to be entered into casually. Indeed, it requires a degree of commitment on several levels, including time, money and emotions.
Both partners are evaluated during this process. For a man to be fertile, his testicles must be healthy enough to produce sperm. Not only that but the sperm must be ejaculated effectively into the woman's vagina. That's basically what your doctor will be evaluating.
You also need to know that the outcome in about one third of the cases is that there is no specific cause -- at least none that your physician can discern. If you turn out to be a part of this one-third you may very well feel cheated and lied to. That would be a natural reaction. But you must work past that.
And if you're still serious about having children, then look at all the options that are available to you in an entire gambit of settings.
Another word of caution with regard to the tests you are about to undertake: none of this comes cheap. Evaluation, even today, is still very expensive. In many cases, your doctor may be performing tests not covered by your insurance.
As you can see just by this small peak that testing for infertility is not something to be entered into casually. Indeed, it requires a degree of commitment on several levels, including time, money and emotions.
Both partners are evaluated during this process. For a man to be fertile, his testicles must be healthy enough to produce sperm. Not only that but the sperm must be ejaculated effectively into the woman's vagina. That's basically what your doctor will be evaluating.
9.Your doctor visit - Infertility Niche Business
It's natural after a year of trying to make an appointment with your gynecologist or your husband's urologist about your infertility problem (or sooner if you have any extenuating medical issues!). But before you even set your appointment, you should prepare for it.
Your medical advisor undoubtedly will ask you some questions. Anticipating these and having other details ready for her will make your session less awkward and flow smoother.
For example, prior to your office visit, list the details concerning your attempt to have a baby. This information is vital if your doctor is to help you and to get at the root cause of your problems.
He'll ask you things like when you first started trying to conceive, how often you have intercourse, and how are they planned in relation to menstrual cycles. Don't be embarrassed. These are natural questions that he only has a purely medical interest in.
In fact, below is a list of potential questions he may ask you. By preparing ahead of time, you're providing your physician with the most accurate information possible.
How long have you been having sex without birth control?
How long have you been seriously trying to have a baby?
How often to you have intercourse?
Do you use any lubricants during this time?
Do either you or your partner smoke?
Have either of you been treated for any medical conditions, including sexually transmitted diseases?
What are your stress levels like?
Are you both satisfied with your personal relationships?
Your physician will then turn to each of you individually and ask you certain questions. For the woman, these questions may include:
What age did you begin having periods?
What are your periods like? Are they regular? How long are they? And do you bleed excessively (are they heavy)?
Have you ever been pregnant prior to this?
Have you been evaluated for infertility previously?
Have you been charting your ovulation? How many cycles?
Are you currently being treated or have you ever been treated for other medical conditions?
What medications, if any are you currently taking? Include in your answer any dietary supplements, vitamins, minerals and herbs?
How are you eating? What's your typical diet like?
Do you exercise -- and how much?
Has your body weight changed in the last several months or so?
You can see how this list is asked to evaluate you for the risk factors involved in infertility. Similarly, he'll ask the male a few questions as well.
At what age did you start puberty?
Do you now or have you had any sexual problems in your current relationship?
Are you having difficult maintaining an erection, do you ejaculate too soon or not at all?
Do you use recreational drugs? Do you use marijuana? If so, how often?
What, if an, prescription medications are you currently taking?
What supplements are you taking, including vitamins, other nutrients and any herbal ones?
Do your regularly take hot baths or steam baths?
Have you ever conceived a child with a previous partner?
When you walk into your doctor's office two things will happen, guaranteed. He'll ask you some of the questions we've just covered. And you'll have a head full of questions of your own to ask him.
When it comes to the second part, I'll give you one piece of advice -- write your questions down on a piece of paper. Oh, yes! I don't know what it is about a doctor's office, but once we step foot in there, our brains disengage so that we can't think of even the simplest question we had for him.
Then, once we walk out, get in our cars and head home, all the questions come flooding back. It happens every time.
So, even though you think you'll never forget to ask this question or another, you just might. But if you write it down -- even the most obvious -- then not only can you get your questions answered, but you don't have to strain to remember them in the first place.
Here are only a few of the questions that most couples ask when they walk in for a consultation. Some of these questions no doubt are already on your mind, but others might not be yet.
Why can't we conceive?
Do we need to undergo tests? If so, what kinds?
Do you have any idea yet what our first line of treatment might be?
Are there any side effects associated with this particular treatment?
If we use this treatment, is there a chance (and how great of one) that we'll end up with a multiple birth?
How long will we be on this treatment?
What is this doesn't work? Is there something else we can try?
What, if any, are the long-term complications of this treatment?
Your medical advisor undoubtedly will ask you some questions. Anticipating these and having other details ready for her will make your session less awkward and flow smoother.
For example, prior to your office visit, list the details concerning your attempt to have a baby. This information is vital if your doctor is to help you and to get at the root cause of your problems.
He'll ask you things like when you first started trying to conceive, how often you have intercourse, and how are they planned in relation to menstrual cycles. Don't be embarrassed. These are natural questions that he only has a purely medical interest in.
In fact, below is a list of potential questions he may ask you. By preparing ahead of time, you're providing your physician with the most accurate information possible.
How long have you been having sex without birth control?
How long have you been seriously trying to have a baby?
How often to you have intercourse?
Do you use any lubricants during this time?
Do either you or your partner smoke?
Have either of you been treated for any medical conditions, including sexually transmitted diseases?
What are your stress levels like?
Are you both satisfied with your personal relationships?
Your physician will then turn to each of you individually and ask you certain questions. For the woman, these questions may include:
What age did you begin having periods?
What are your periods like? Are they regular? How long are they? And do you bleed excessively (are they heavy)?
Have you ever been pregnant prior to this?
Have you been evaluated for infertility previously?
Have you been charting your ovulation? How many cycles?
Are you currently being treated or have you ever been treated for other medical conditions?
What medications, if any are you currently taking? Include in your answer any dietary supplements, vitamins, minerals and herbs?
How are you eating? What's your typical diet like?
Do you exercise -- and how much?
Has your body weight changed in the last several months or so?
You can see how this list is asked to evaluate you for the risk factors involved in infertility. Similarly, he'll ask the male a few questions as well.
At what age did you start puberty?
Do you now or have you had any sexual problems in your current relationship?
Are you having difficult maintaining an erection, do you ejaculate too soon or not at all?
Do you use recreational drugs? Do you use marijuana? If so, how often?
What, if an, prescription medications are you currently taking?
What supplements are you taking, including vitamins, other nutrients and any herbal ones?
Do your regularly take hot baths or steam baths?
Have you ever conceived a child with a previous partner?
When you walk into your doctor's office two things will happen, guaranteed. He'll ask you some of the questions we've just covered. And you'll have a head full of questions of your own to ask him.
When it comes to the second part, I'll give you one piece of advice -- write your questions down on a piece of paper. Oh, yes! I don't know what it is about a doctor's office, but once we step foot in there, our brains disengage so that we can't think of even the simplest question we had for him.
Then, once we walk out, get in our cars and head home, all the questions come flooding back. It happens every time.
So, even though you think you'll never forget to ask this question or another, you just might. But if you write it down -- even the most obvious -- then not only can you get your questions answered, but you don't have to strain to remember them in the first place.
Here are only a few of the questions that most couples ask when they walk in for a consultation. Some of these questions no doubt are already on your mind, but others might not be yet.
Why can't we conceive?
Do we need to undergo tests? If so, what kinds?
Do you have any idea yet what our first line of treatment might be?
Are there any side effects associated with this particular treatment?
If we use this treatment, is there a chance (and how great of one) that we'll end up with a multiple birth?
How long will we be on this treatment?
What is this doesn't work? Is there something else we can try?
What, if any, are the long-term complications of this treatment?
8.What puts you at risk for infertility? - Infertility Niche Business
And yes, to answer that question that is undoubtedly on the tip of your tongue right now, there are certain risk factors, as the medical community likes to call them, that would make some individuals more susceptible to this condition than other individuals. And some of them may be rather surprising and -- at the very least -- eye opening to you!
Age,
The first risk factor is age. Once a woman reaches a certain age, her fertility potential gradually declines. And believe it or not, it's at a relatively young age -- 30! That's not to say that you'll never get pregnant once you hit this magic marker. That's far from the truth. But it does make the process harder for some people.
This tendency toward age-related infertility may be due to a higher rate of problems with the chromosomes occurring naturally in the eggs as they age. But, consider also that as a woman ages, she may have more general health problems which interfere with the ability to conceive.
Another fact to keep in mind as well is that as a woman ages her risk of miscarriage increases.
While I've only mentioned women, the same can be said for men. As a man ages, he may be less fertile than his younger counterparts. For men, this seems to occur once he reaches his fortieth birthday.
Cigarette smoking.
Another risk factor for infertility involves smoking tobacco. Both men and women who smoke cigarettes appear to reduce the odds of getting pregnant. Not only that, but if they smoke while they are receiving fertility treatment, this also affects the chances of the treatments effectiveness.
And along those same lines, miscarriages more frequently occur in women who smoke than those who do.
Drinking alcohol.
Alcohol may also play a role in contributing to infertility. I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Once you're pregnant there is absolutely no "safe" limit on drinking. Even a little alcohol is too much.
The same, you may be surprised to learn, goes for the period in which you're trying to get pregnant. If you've been attempting to conceive, but you haven't sworn off drinking yet -- even if you drink only a little -- give it up completely to increase your chances of having a baby.
Weight.
And I'm not just talking overweight here! If you're either overweight or underweight, this may indeed interfere with your chances of getting pregnant. For many women -- especially in the United States - infertility is, in part, due to the sedentary lifestyle and the corresponding problem of being overweight.
The same though can be said for men. A man's sperm count may be adversely affected by his carrying extra pounds.
If you're underweight, you may also experience problems with conception. This is especially true of women who are plagued with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia.
But you may also find it difficult to get pregnant if you've put yourself on any severe, calorie-restrictive diet as well.
Even women who are vegans seem to be at a greater risk of not being capable of getting pregnant. For these women, it's very often the lack of a specific nutrient, like vitamin B-12, folic acid, zinc, or iron which is causing the problem.
Excessive exercise.
Okay! Okay! You say. If I sit around all day and eat candy increase my risk of not being able to get pregnant. Now, you tell me that if I exercise too much, I may not be able to conceive, too!
As confusing as it may sounds, yes! But, let's get this straight, it's not that half hour walk that you should be taking daily that's hindering your ability to have a baby.
Several clinical studies indicate that a woman who spends more than seven hours a week exercising may have problems with ovulation. If you exercise that much, consult your physician to see if that could be an obstacle.
Caffeine.
Currently, this seems to be an ongoing debate within the medical profession. Could too many caffeinated drinks be associated with a greater risk of infertility?
It's still an open question.
On the one hand, several studies have shown that fertility decreases when caffeine intake climbs. Other studies have shown no such correlation. One thing seems fairly certain: if there is a correlation, it affects women more than men. And, no, increased caffeine consumption, but the way plays no part in the incidence of miscarriages.
Age,
The first risk factor is age. Once a woman reaches a certain age, her fertility potential gradually declines. And believe it or not, it's at a relatively young age -- 30! That's not to say that you'll never get pregnant once you hit this magic marker. That's far from the truth. But it does make the process harder for some people.
This tendency toward age-related infertility may be due to a higher rate of problems with the chromosomes occurring naturally in the eggs as they age. But, consider also that as a woman ages, she may have more general health problems which interfere with the ability to conceive.
Another fact to keep in mind as well is that as a woman ages her risk of miscarriage increases.
While I've only mentioned women, the same can be said for men. As a man ages, he may be less fertile than his younger counterparts. For men, this seems to occur once he reaches his fortieth birthday.
Cigarette smoking.
Another risk factor for infertility involves smoking tobacco. Both men and women who smoke cigarettes appear to reduce the odds of getting pregnant. Not only that, but if they smoke while they are receiving fertility treatment, this also affects the chances of the treatments effectiveness.
And along those same lines, miscarriages more frequently occur in women who smoke than those who do.
Drinking alcohol.
Alcohol may also play a role in contributing to infertility. I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Once you're pregnant there is absolutely no "safe" limit on drinking. Even a little alcohol is too much.
The same, you may be surprised to learn, goes for the period in which you're trying to get pregnant. If you've been attempting to conceive, but you haven't sworn off drinking yet -- even if you drink only a little -- give it up completely to increase your chances of having a baby.
Weight.
And I'm not just talking overweight here! If you're either overweight or underweight, this may indeed interfere with your chances of getting pregnant. For many women -- especially in the United States - infertility is, in part, due to the sedentary lifestyle and the corresponding problem of being overweight.
The same though can be said for men. A man's sperm count may be adversely affected by his carrying extra pounds.
If you're underweight, you may also experience problems with conception. This is especially true of women who are plagued with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia.
But you may also find it difficult to get pregnant if you've put yourself on any severe, calorie-restrictive diet as well.
Even women who are vegans seem to be at a greater risk of not being capable of getting pregnant. For these women, it's very often the lack of a specific nutrient, like vitamin B-12, folic acid, zinc, or iron which is causing the problem.
Excessive exercise.
Okay! Okay! You say. If I sit around all day and eat candy increase my risk of not being able to get pregnant. Now, you tell me that if I exercise too much, I may not be able to conceive, too!
As confusing as it may sounds, yes! But, let's get this straight, it's not that half hour walk that you should be taking daily that's hindering your ability to have a baby.
Several clinical studies indicate that a woman who spends more than seven hours a week exercising may have problems with ovulation. If you exercise that much, consult your physician to see if that could be an obstacle.
Caffeine.
Currently, this seems to be an ongoing debate within the medical profession. Could too many caffeinated drinks be associated with a greater risk of infertility?
It's still an open question.
On the one hand, several studies have shown that fertility decreases when caffeine intake climbs. Other studies have shown no such correlation. One thing seems fairly certain: if there is a correlation, it affects women more than men. And, no, increased caffeine consumption, but the way plays no part in the incidence of miscarriages.
7.The process goes awry - Infertility Niche Business
You can easily see how a small "malfunction" in any one of these steps can result in the failure of the egg to get fertilized.
It's customary when you think of infertility to automatically assume that the problem lies with the female reproductive system. But, you may be surprised to learn that the cause of infertility on average is equally found in females and males alike.
In about 40 percent of the cases, in fact, the failure to get pregnant lies with the man. In another 40 to 50 percent, the problem is with the female reproductive system. And surprisingly, for up to 20 percent of the couples, the problem involves both partners in some way.
It's customary when you think of infertility to automatically assume that the problem lies with the female reproductive system. But, you may be surprised to learn that the cause of infertility on average is equally found in females and males alike.
In about 40 percent of the cases, in fact, the failure to get pregnant lies with the man. In another 40 to 50 percent, the problem is with the female reproductive system. And surprisingly, for up to 20 percent of the couples, the problem involves both partners in some way.
6.Doctor, what causes my infertility? - Infertility Niche Business
When people refer to the miracle of birth it really is more than just a phrase -- it's a fact. The human reproductive system is miraculously complex. If one considers everything involved in getting pregnant, you're in awe that anyone of us was born at all.
A possible pregnancy starts anew every month when the pituitary gland in a woman's brain signals her ovaries to prepare an egg for ovulation. This releases the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Once the pituitary gland secretes these, thus stimulating the ovaries, a woman is fertile.
Generally speaking, this occurs about midway through a woman's menstrual cycle. If you have a 28-day cycle, this event happens at approximately day 14.
Once the hormones have prepared the ovaries, the woman's egg travels through her fallopian tube in anticipation of being fertilized. The window of opportunity here is usually 24 hours. The odds of conceiving are higher when intercourse takes place one, even two days, before the actual ovulation occurs.
While the female is fertile, it's necessary for the sperm to unite with the egg in the fallopian tube. The sperm, by the way, is capable of fertilization for up to 72 hours following its release. Obviously, the sperm need to be in the tube at the same time the egg is there.
But that's not all (and here's where Mother Nature gets real particular!), not only does there need to be a significant amount of sperm present to ensure conception, but the sperm needs to be just the right shape . . . and it needs to move in the proper way. Those are the requirements on the man's part.
For the woman, she needs to have a healthy vagina and uterus in order for the sperm to travel to the egg!
It's only when all these criteria are met that the egg is fertilized. .You would think that's the end of the story, but no, the process isn't quite complete, yet. This fertilized egg now must move into the uterus. Here it attaches itself to the uterine lining. And that's when the nine months of growth begin.
Finally!
Whew! As you can see, both the sperm and the egg are working on rather a tight schedule here -- a matter of hours really. The miracle of birth is a rather appropriate description of the entire process. Seen in this light, you have the inclination to look around you, thinking that any of us was able to show up in this world is pretty amazing!
A possible pregnancy starts anew every month when the pituitary gland in a woman's brain signals her ovaries to prepare an egg for ovulation. This releases the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Once the pituitary gland secretes these, thus stimulating the ovaries, a woman is fertile.
Generally speaking, this occurs about midway through a woman's menstrual cycle. If you have a 28-day cycle, this event happens at approximately day 14.
Once the hormones have prepared the ovaries, the woman's egg travels through her fallopian tube in anticipation of being fertilized. The window of opportunity here is usually 24 hours. The odds of conceiving are higher when intercourse takes place one, even two days, before the actual ovulation occurs.
While the female is fertile, it's necessary for the sperm to unite with the egg in the fallopian tube. The sperm, by the way, is capable of fertilization for up to 72 hours following its release. Obviously, the sperm need to be in the tube at the same time the egg is there.
But that's not all (and here's where Mother Nature gets real particular!), not only does there need to be a significant amount of sperm present to ensure conception, but the sperm needs to be just the right shape . . . and it needs to move in the proper way. Those are the requirements on the man's part.
For the woman, she needs to have a healthy vagina and uterus in order for the sperm to travel to the egg!
It's only when all these criteria are met that the egg is fertilized. .You would think that's the end of the story, but no, the process isn't quite complete, yet. This fertilized egg now must move into the uterus. Here it attaches itself to the uterine lining. And that's when the nine months of growth begin.
Finally!
Whew! As you can see, both the sperm and the egg are working on rather a tight schedule here -- a matter of hours really. The miracle of birth is a rather appropriate description of the entire process. Seen in this light, you have the inclination to look around you, thinking that any of us was able to show up in this world is pretty amazing!
5.Symptoms of infertility - Infertility Niche Business
Of course! It almost seems stupid to say it, now doesn't it? But the main and overriding symptom of infertility is the inability to get pregnant. But beyond that there are telltale signs that may indicate your infertility -- whether you're a woman or a man.
For example, many infertile women have irregular menstrual periods. This symptom alone would make it difficult to conceive. Men who are infertile may exhibit signs indicating hormonal problem. This condition could appear as a change in hair growth or even sexual function.
For most couples, the time to visit a doctor about this problem is after a year of struggling to have a baby. There are several exceptions to this suggestion though. Don't wait until a year has passed if you're a female older than 30 and have had no menstrual periods for six months. Visit your doctor as soon as you can.
Similarly, visit your physician before the completion of the year of trying to conceive if, as a woman, you've had a history of irregular or painful periods. This would include pelvic pain, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), endometriosis, and even a history of repeated miscarriages.
Men should visit their doctor prior to that one year mark if they know they possess a low sperm count or have a history of testicular or prostate problems or sexual problems in general.
For any of these conditions, there's no need to wait for a year of failed attempts. The sooner you enlist the aid of your physician, the sooner he can discover the root cause -- and hopefully -- send you on your way, one step closer to family bliss.
For example, many infertile women have irregular menstrual periods. This symptom alone would make it difficult to conceive. Men who are infertile may exhibit signs indicating hormonal problem. This condition could appear as a change in hair growth or even sexual function.
For most couples, the time to visit a doctor about this problem is after a year of struggling to have a baby. There are several exceptions to this suggestion though. Don't wait until a year has passed if you're a female older than 30 and have had no menstrual periods for six months. Visit your doctor as soon as you can.
Similarly, visit your physician before the completion of the year of trying to conceive if, as a woman, you've had a history of irregular or painful periods. This would include pelvic pain, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), endometriosis, and even a history of repeated miscarriages.
Men should visit their doctor prior to that one year mark if they know they possess a low sperm count or have a history of testicular or prostate problems or sexual problems in general.
For any of these conditions, there's no need to wait for a year of failed attempts. The sooner you enlist the aid of your physician, the sooner he can discover the root cause -- and hopefully -- send you on your way, one step closer to family bliss.
4.The problem may be subfertility - Infertility Niche Business
Now, let's look at the definition of infertility again. You can clearly see that after only a year of trying all hope is not really lost. Some medical experts, after viewing these conception statistics want to call the problem subfertility instead of infertility.
Barring any physical disorder on either the woman or man's side, conception is still a distinct possibility. The problem lies more in the timing of the pregnancy than in the lack of it. The event just isn't happening as quickly as you would like.
That's not to say that at the end of a year of trying you shouldn't visit your doctor. At this point it's wise. At the very least, you can exclude the possibility of some insurmountable health problem preventing the event.
Your infertility may very well be due to one simple, single cause present either in your system or that of your partner. Or, the fact that you can't conceive may be the result of several factors that when discovered and treated will allow you to enjoy all the delights of parenthood!
All of this becomes much clearer once you understand infertility better.
Barring any physical disorder on either the woman or man's side, conception is still a distinct possibility. The problem lies more in the timing of the pregnancy than in the lack of it. The event just isn't happening as quickly as you would like.
That's not to say that at the end of a year of trying you shouldn't visit your doctor. At this point it's wise. At the very least, you can exclude the possibility of some insurmountable health problem preventing the event.
Your infertility may very well be due to one simple, single cause present either in your system or that of your partner. Or, the fact that you can't conceive may be the result of several factors that when discovered and treated will allow you to enjoy all the delights of parenthood!
All of this becomes much clearer once you understand infertility better.
3.Here's some good news for you! - Infertility Niche Business
In reality, you actually stand a good chance of conceiving a child in the future. Many medical experts tell couples that very often what's preventing a conception is a condition or problem that is quite treatable.
Let's take a quick look at some of the normal conception statistics. You may be shocked to see that even for healthy couples, the odds of getting pregnant in any given month are really stacked against them.
The success rate of achieving conception in any given month for a healthy couple hovers between 15 and 20 percent. Surprised? Many are. You can see then that it may take several months - to say the least -- to overcome these seemingly dismal odds.
Generally speaking, about 70 percent of couples conceive after they've been trying for six months. Eight-five percent of couples are successful at the end of one year or 12 months.
But now, here's the surprising part. After two years of trying, nearly 95 percent of couple are successful and have gotten pregnant. Two years! So, in some ways, if you've only been trying to one year and have not conceived, it's not . . . well, inconceivable that you can still have a baby. In fact, the odds are very much in your favor.
I've presented more detailed statistics in a chart that maps out these statistics quite clearly. Included in this table are not only the number of months a couple has been attempting to have a baby, followed by the percent who have not conceived during this time period.
The table, though, also reveals the percent who have conceived. And it also shows the percentage of couples who can expect to conceive within the next 12 months.
Even though the table can be found easily in Appendix I, I can't help but cite this one statistic for you. At the end of five years of trying, statistics show that only 0.6 percent of couples have not gotten pregnant.
That means 94 percent of them have. The success rate per month is low at this point -- a measly four percent. But, looking to the future, the proportion of those couples who can still look forward to conceiving in the following 12 months is still a rather healthy figure of 36 percent.
Let's take a quick look at some of the normal conception statistics. You may be shocked to see that even for healthy couples, the odds of getting pregnant in any given month are really stacked against them.
The success rate of achieving conception in any given month for a healthy couple hovers between 15 and 20 percent. Surprised? Many are. You can see then that it may take several months - to say the least -- to overcome these seemingly dismal odds.
Generally speaking, about 70 percent of couples conceive after they've been trying for six months. Eight-five percent of couples are successful at the end of one year or 12 months.
But now, here's the surprising part. After two years of trying, nearly 95 percent of couple are successful and have gotten pregnant. Two years! So, in some ways, if you've only been trying to one year and have not conceived, it's not . . . well, inconceivable that you can still have a baby. In fact, the odds are very much in your favor.
I've presented more detailed statistics in a chart that maps out these statistics quite clearly. Included in this table are not only the number of months a couple has been attempting to have a baby, followed by the percent who have not conceived during this time period.
The table, though, also reveals the percent who have conceived. And it also shows the percentage of couples who can expect to conceive within the next 12 months.
Even though the table can be found easily in Appendix I, I can't help but cite this one statistic for you. At the end of five years of trying, statistics show that only 0.6 percent of couples have not gotten pregnant.
That means 94 percent of them have. The success rate per month is low at this point -- a measly four percent. But, looking to the future, the proportion of those couples who can still look forward to conceiving in the following 12 months is still a rather healthy figure of 36 percent.
2.Am I Really Infertile? An Overview - Infertility Niche Business
Life seems unfair sometimes doesn't it? As you walk through the park you ask yourself why that couple playing with their son on the swing were able to have a child. You question why that woman sitting on the park bench was able to conceive.
You and your partner, on the other hand, have been trying to have a baby for more than a year now -- and there is still no pitter patter of little feet in your house.
Of course you're frustrated, confused and downright angry! Who wouldn't be! And of course you have questions -- it seems like an infinite list of questions -- about the whole process.
Doctor, why can't I get pregnant? Is it me? Is it my husband? Is it temporary? Will I ever be able to have children?
For many women, getting married and having children is the center piece of a life well lived. For many couples, the desire and joy of having a baby, raising them, watching them grow and sharing a natural, extended love, is something they have dreamed about for years.
But that dream for about 10 to 15 percent of all couples in the United States is just an empty promise. These couples are infertile. Try as they might, they are unable to conceive.
The medical community defines infertility as the inability to get pregnant after at least one year of repeated, frequent attempts. In other words, if you and your partner are not using any type of birth control, have had sex for at least a year and you still have no child, medically speaking you're considered infertile.
Is it a death sentence? Does it mean that you'll never be able to have a child? Even though you may think so right at this moment, actually nothing could be further from the truth.
You and your partner, on the other hand, have been trying to have a baby for more than a year now -- and there is still no pitter patter of little feet in your house.
Of course you're frustrated, confused and downright angry! Who wouldn't be! And of course you have questions -- it seems like an infinite list of questions -- about the whole process.
Doctor, why can't I get pregnant? Is it me? Is it my husband? Is it temporary? Will I ever be able to have children?
For many women, getting married and having children is the center piece of a life well lived. For many couples, the desire and joy of having a baby, raising them, watching them grow and sharing a natural, extended love, is something they have dreamed about for years.
But that dream for about 10 to 15 percent of all couples in the United States is just an empty promise. These couples are infertile. Try as they might, they are unable to conceive.
The medical community defines infertility as the inability to get pregnant after at least one year of repeated, frequent attempts. In other words, if you and your partner are not using any type of birth control, have had sex for at least a year and you still have no child, medically speaking you're considered infertile.
Is it a death sentence? Does it mean that you'll never be able to have a child? Even though you may think so right at this moment, actually nothing could be further from the truth.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
1.Infertility Niche Business
For those who have never experienced it, the heartbreak of infertility is difficult to put into words. Of course, you know you'll be good parents. But yet you look around your house and there are no children to call your own.
You go outside. You see happy children, happy couples and happy families. Why aren't you one of them?
Is it fair?
Of course not. But that's the bad news. You're infertile. There is a silver lining -- at least that's what you keep telling yourself. And that's the fact that the time period in which you live is blessed with the most modern technology, making even the seemingly impossible act for you -- getting pregnant -- a possibility.
And as long as you haven't exhausted all your possibilities, you're going to keep hoping and praying that one day -- very soon -- you will be pregnant.
And that's not false hope. If you would have lived a hundred years ago, your infertility would have been a foregone conclusion. Today a wide variety of options are at your disposal that may very well help you turn the corner from childless to loving parent.
And while I'm talking right now specifically about modern conventional -- in some cases high tech -- treatments. Those aren't the only options available to you.
Don't dismiss out of hand the seemingly simple, common sense ideas that may come your way as well. These very many times come in the form of a more natural approach.
You Are Not Alone
I'm sure this doesn't make you feel any better, but you're not alone in what must surely seem to you at times as a desperate attempt to conceive and give birth.
Consider the following statistics if you will. There are approximately 7.3 million women between the ages of 15 to 44 -- those peak childbearing ages who experience some problems with getting pregnant. These individuals are not infertile, but they are, nonetheless, experiencing problems conceiving.
Another 2 million women or roughly 7 ½ percent of the population in the 15 to 44 demographic are, indeed, infertile.
It's for these women and their partners that this book is written. No one can imagine the individual heartbreak each couple is experiencing. And no one for sure really knows how many unions have been broken due to infertility problems.
The scope of the problem, the many facets of the subject -- by sheer volume alone -- prevents any in depth presentation of the problems and its possible solutions.
The book though does represent a jumping off point, if you will, a primer of sorts for the subject of infertility, providing you with the start of an overall wide ranging education.
Think of Hidden Secrets of Infertility as your introduction to the topic -- your first along a journey in your attempt to define and solve your problem.
In addition to the chapters on causes, treatment -- both conventional and alternative - you'll find resources. They are your next step solving your infertility problems.
Good luck!
You go outside. You see happy children, happy couples and happy families. Why aren't you one of them?
Is it fair?
Of course not. But that's the bad news. You're infertile. There is a silver lining -- at least that's what you keep telling yourself. And that's the fact that the time period in which you live is blessed with the most modern technology, making even the seemingly impossible act for you -- getting pregnant -- a possibility.
And as long as you haven't exhausted all your possibilities, you're going to keep hoping and praying that one day -- very soon -- you will be pregnant.
And that's not false hope. If you would have lived a hundred years ago, your infertility would have been a foregone conclusion. Today a wide variety of options are at your disposal that may very well help you turn the corner from childless to loving parent.
And while I'm talking right now specifically about modern conventional -- in some cases high tech -- treatments. Those aren't the only options available to you.
Don't dismiss out of hand the seemingly simple, common sense ideas that may come your way as well. These very many times come in the form of a more natural approach.
You Are Not Alone
I'm sure this doesn't make you feel any better, but you're not alone in what must surely seem to you at times as a desperate attempt to conceive and give birth.
Consider the following statistics if you will. There are approximately 7.3 million women between the ages of 15 to 44 -- those peak childbearing ages who experience some problems with getting pregnant. These individuals are not infertile, but they are, nonetheless, experiencing problems conceiving.
Another 2 million women or roughly 7 ½ percent of the population in the 15 to 44 demographic are, indeed, infertile.
It's for these women and their partners that this book is written. No one can imagine the individual heartbreak each couple is experiencing. And no one for sure really knows how many unions have been broken due to infertility problems.
The scope of the problem, the many facets of the subject -- by sheer volume alone -- prevents any in depth presentation of the problems and its possible solutions.
The book though does represent a jumping off point, if you will, a primer of sorts for the subject of infertility, providing you with the start of an overall wide ranging education.
Think of Hidden Secrets of Infertility as your introduction to the topic -- your first along a journey in your attempt to define and solve your problem.
In addition to the chapters on causes, treatment -- both conventional and alternative - you'll find resources. They are your next step solving your infertility problems.
Good luck!
16.Conclusion – The sun and sunburn naturally
As I have suggested on many occasions in this book, the best natural solution for sunburn is to avoid getting sunburned in the first place. Whereas there are thousands of medical conditions and ailments that you can do little about avoiding completely, sunburn and the misery it brings with it is totally avoidable with nothing more than the application of a bit of common sense and caution.
Furthermore, it is hard to imagine anything more natural than staying in a relatively cool house or apartment to avoid the worst excesses of the midday sun. Even sitting under a huge beach umbrella or at a shaded beachside bar with a cool drink in your hand seemed a pretty natural way of enjoying yourself to me, so there really is no need to suffer the miseries of sunburn.
Unfortunately however, none of us is perfect and we all make mistakes because it’s a pretty reasonable bet that if we didn’t, no-one would ever suffer sunburn in the first place. Hence, if you are unfortunate (or forgetful) enough to overdo it and you do get burned, don’t feel too bad about it or beat yourself up too much because we have all been there and done exactly the same thing at some time in our life.
There are two final points of importance that I want to leave you with.
Firstly, always remember that if you treat the sun with the respect it deserves and never try to push the envelope just a little bit further (by staying out an extra 10 minutes for example), you will never go far wrong.
Secondly, if you do get burned and it is or appears to be becoming a serious case of sunburn, you should seek medical attention. As suggested previously, whilst using natural solutions for medical problems should always be the first option of choice, there are some times when medical advice is necessary, and this is one of them.
Of course, if you never suffer sunburn, this second ‘advisory’ will never apply to you, so be careful and you should never have to suffer the abject misery that sunburn can bring.
Furthermore, it is hard to imagine anything more natural than staying in a relatively cool house or apartment to avoid the worst excesses of the midday sun. Even sitting under a huge beach umbrella or at a shaded beachside bar with a cool drink in your hand seemed a pretty natural way of enjoying yourself to me, so there really is no need to suffer the miseries of sunburn.
Unfortunately however, none of us is perfect and we all make mistakes because it’s a pretty reasonable bet that if we didn’t, no-one would ever suffer sunburn in the first place. Hence, if you are unfortunate (or forgetful) enough to overdo it and you do get burned, don’t feel too bad about it or beat yourself up too much because we have all been there and done exactly the same thing at some time in our life.
There are two final points of importance that I want to leave you with.
Firstly, always remember that if you treat the sun with the respect it deserves and never try to push the envelope just a little bit further (by staying out an extra 10 minutes for example), you will never go far wrong.
Secondly, if you do get burned and it is or appears to be becoming a serious case of sunburn, you should seek medical attention. As suggested previously, whilst using natural solutions for medical problems should always be the first option of choice, there are some times when medical advice is necessary, and this is one of them.
Of course, if you never suffer sunburn, this second ‘advisory’ will never apply to you, so be careful and you should never have to suffer the abject misery that sunburn can bring.
15.If it is not so serious… – The sun and sunburn naturally
Fortunately for most people who suffer sunburn, their condition is not particularly serious, although there is no doubt that it is not particularly pleasant either.
Nevertheless, unless you really overdo the sunbathing or tanning booth sessions, it is not that likely that your sunburn condition is going to cause any serious or long-term medical problems. Consequently, this will generally mean that you can deal with the problem yourself or with help from a friend or family member.
If the reason that you have been exposed to the sun is because you are attempting to acquire a suntan and assuming that you are a fair skinned individual, then a slight redness to your skin after you have finished indicates that you are going in the right direction.
However, if your skin continues to become increasingly red after you have finished your sun session and the pain or itching from that particular skin area inexorably increases, then you may have overdone it and burned yourself.
Really, the major giveaway here is the pain because pain is your body’s way of telling you that you have overdone it or that something has gone seriously wrong with some part of your body. In other words, pain is a messenger and the more pain there is, the more you need to pay attention to the message.
If you have been burned or even if you suspect that you might have before the onset of pain confirms your suspicions, one of the first things that you can do to attempt to relieve the situation is take a nice cool shower.
As you will probably know if you have ever suffered sunburn, an area of the skin that has been burnt by the sun feels hot to the touch and a cool shower can help to reduce this heat. However, if the burned area is already becoming painful, you should avoid using a shower that throws out water at too high a pressure as the impact of the water on the burned area could make the pain worse.
Another ‘first reaction’ option is to take a cool bath as immersing yourself in almost cold water can again alleviate the stinging, itching sensation that is a common side-effect of sunburn.
In my experience, either immersing yourself in a cool bath or taking a cool shower as soon as you come inside from the sun (or return from the tanning salon) serves another extremely important purpose as well.
One of the most unpleasant side-effects of suffering sunburn is that the burned skin dies and ultimately peels off, which in a worst case scenario can lead to permanent scarring. Cool water helps to reduce this which is another reason to use this as a first line of defense strategy if sunburn is starting to become evident or it looks like it might later on in the day or evening.
A further variation on the idea of using water to calm your sunburn problem is to add a cup of baking soda to a lukewarm bath before soaking in the water for 30 minutes or so. Many people report that this is a very effective way of taking the heat out of sunburn, thereby reducing the inevitable pain that is associated with the condition.
Another very commonly used natural solution that is recommended for dealing with sunburn is to apply aloe vera to the burned area.
Whilst this plant extract is very effective for cooling and soothing sunburned areas of your body, you do need to make sure that the product you are using is very high in aloe vera itself and that it not just a trace of aloe vera made up with lanolin (or something like it) as many products are.
This is important because there is some evidence that whilst lanolin helps to cool the burned area in the initial stages, it can actually exacerbate the pain later once your body has warmed the solution.
Hence, you should avoid lanolin-based sunburn sprays and creams and you must read the label if you buy an aloe vera product to ensure that it is as near to being pure aloe vera cream or gel as possible. In fact, the best aloe vera sunburn solution is to use the leaves and stalk of the plant itself to alleviate the pain and itching by breaking them to release the soothing extract before applying that broken plant section directly to the burned area.
Some people who have suffered sunburn swear by the idea of using a milk compress to soothe the pain on the basis that the fat and lactic acid in full fat milk combine very effectively to relieve the pain. In this scenario, you soak a suitably sized soft cloth in cold milk before dabbing the cloth on the burned area before rinsing the burned area with cool water and drying it.
However, when you dry it, do so with a gentle dabbing motion rather than rubbing it with the towel as this will irritate the skin. Also note that this only works with full fat milk as the fat seems to be a vital ingredient in the soothing property of this strategy.
Cool fresh yoghurt straight from the fridge is another sunburn solution that many people find to be very effective. In this case, it is a question of applying the yoghurt to the burned area for 10 or 15 minutes before rinsing it off with cool water. As a variation, you might like to try adding cucumber to the mixture as this is said to enhance the pain and irritation soothing qualities of the yoghurt.
And if there is no fresh yoghurt available in the fridge, mayonnaise may serve a similar purpose and can be used in the same way.
Tea is another liquid that is said to bring relief to mild to moderate sunburn. In this case, make a strong brew of tea by using several teabags and boiling the water until it turns a rich, strong brown. At this point, remove the tea from the heat and allow it to cool to lukewarm before soaking a towel in the liquid. Next, apply the soaked towel to the burned area, making sure that there is another towel in the appropriate position to catch the drips, as the strong tea does have the capacity to cause stains.
Although the tea is slightly lukewarm, most people who have tried this solution report that when it is applied to a sunburned area, it feels extremely cool and soothing.
Consequently, you could leave the tea soaked towel in situ for 30 minutes, although if pain relief starts to dissipate, you can re-soak it in the lukewarm solution before re-applying. It is believed that the sunburn soothing qualities of this tea method is a result of the amount of tannins in the drink, but whatever the reason is, it seems to work.
Applying essential oil of lavender is another sunburn solution that many people swear by. Indeed, it is sometimes suggested that lavender will draw the pain out of slightly more serious sunburn as well, although in this case, you probably need to avoid touching the burned area as skin to skin contact is likely to hurt.
Instead, drip the oil onto the burned area and gently spread it using a tissue instead of your fingers. Allow the oil to do its work for 30 minutes or so and you should find that the pain from the burn has decreased noticeably or even disappeared altogether.
Another essential oil solution that you might want to try is to mix one part tea tree oil with 10 parts olive oil (or another appropriate carrier oil and) before soaking a soft cloth to dab the mixture onto the burned area. The healing and soothing qualities of tea tree oil have been relied upon by the indigenous peoples of Australia as a cure for a wide range of medical conditions for hundreds (or more likely, thousands) of years.
The qualities of this oil have become increasingly widely recognized as it is now established that it has strong antibacterial, antifungal and anti-septic qualities, all of which will help to minimize the pain and damage caused by sunburn.
Nevertheless, unless you really overdo the sunbathing or tanning booth sessions, it is not that likely that your sunburn condition is going to cause any serious or long-term medical problems. Consequently, this will generally mean that you can deal with the problem yourself or with help from a friend or family member.
If the reason that you have been exposed to the sun is because you are attempting to acquire a suntan and assuming that you are a fair skinned individual, then a slight redness to your skin after you have finished indicates that you are going in the right direction.
However, if your skin continues to become increasingly red after you have finished your sun session and the pain or itching from that particular skin area inexorably increases, then you may have overdone it and burned yourself.
Really, the major giveaway here is the pain because pain is your body’s way of telling you that you have overdone it or that something has gone seriously wrong with some part of your body. In other words, pain is a messenger and the more pain there is, the more you need to pay attention to the message.
If you have been burned or even if you suspect that you might have before the onset of pain confirms your suspicions, one of the first things that you can do to attempt to relieve the situation is take a nice cool shower.
As you will probably know if you have ever suffered sunburn, an area of the skin that has been burnt by the sun feels hot to the touch and a cool shower can help to reduce this heat. However, if the burned area is already becoming painful, you should avoid using a shower that throws out water at too high a pressure as the impact of the water on the burned area could make the pain worse.
Another ‘first reaction’ option is to take a cool bath as immersing yourself in almost cold water can again alleviate the stinging, itching sensation that is a common side-effect of sunburn.
In my experience, either immersing yourself in a cool bath or taking a cool shower as soon as you come inside from the sun (or return from the tanning salon) serves another extremely important purpose as well.
One of the most unpleasant side-effects of suffering sunburn is that the burned skin dies and ultimately peels off, which in a worst case scenario can lead to permanent scarring. Cool water helps to reduce this which is another reason to use this as a first line of defense strategy if sunburn is starting to become evident or it looks like it might later on in the day or evening.
A further variation on the idea of using water to calm your sunburn problem is to add a cup of baking soda to a lukewarm bath before soaking in the water for 30 minutes or so. Many people report that this is a very effective way of taking the heat out of sunburn, thereby reducing the inevitable pain that is associated with the condition.
Another very commonly used natural solution that is recommended for dealing with sunburn is to apply aloe vera to the burned area.
Whilst this plant extract is very effective for cooling and soothing sunburned areas of your body, you do need to make sure that the product you are using is very high in aloe vera itself and that it not just a trace of aloe vera made up with lanolin (or something like it) as many products are.
This is important because there is some evidence that whilst lanolin helps to cool the burned area in the initial stages, it can actually exacerbate the pain later once your body has warmed the solution.
Hence, you should avoid lanolin-based sunburn sprays and creams and you must read the label if you buy an aloe vera product to ensure that it is as near to being pure aloe vera cream or gel as possible. In fact, the best aloe vera sunburn solution is to use the leaves and stalk of the plant itself to alleviate the pain and itching by breaking them to release the soothing extract before applying that broken plant section directly to the burned area.
Some people who have suffered sunburn swear by the idea of using a milk compress to soothe the pain on the basis that the fat and lactic acid in full fat milk combine very effectively to relieve the pain. In this scenario, you soak a suitably sized soft cloth in cold milk before dabbing the cloth on the burned area before rinsing the burned area with cool water and drying it.
However, when you dry it, do so with a gentle dabbing motion rather than rubbing it with the towel as this will irritate the skin. Also note that this only works with full fat milk as the fat seems to be a vital ingredient in the soothing property of this strategy.
Cool fresh yoghurt straight from the fridge is another sunburn solution that many people find to be very effective. In this case, it is a question of applying the yoghurt to the burned area for 10 or 15 minutes before rinsing it off with cool water. As a variation, you might like to try adding cucumber to the mixture as this is said to enhance the pain and irritation soothing qualities of the yoghurt.
And if there is no fresh yoghurt available in the fridge, mayonnaise may serve a similar purpose and can be used in the same way.
Tea is another liquid that is said to bring relief to mild to moderate sunburn. In this case, make a strong brew of tea by using several teabags and boiling the water until it turns a rich, strong brown. At this point, remove the tea from the heat and allow it to cool to lukewarm before soaking a towel in the liquid. Next, apply the soaked towel to the burned area, making sure that there is another towel in the appropriate position to catch the drips, as the strong tea does have the capacity to cause stains.
Although the tea is slightly lukewarm, most people who have tried this solution report that when it is applied to a sunburned area, it feels extremely cool and soothing.
Consequently, you could leave the tea soaked towel in situ for 30 minutes, although if pain relief starts to dissipate, you can re-soak it in the lukewarm solution before re-applying. It is believed that the sunburn soothing qualities of this tea method is a result of the amount of tannins in the drink, but whatever the reason is, it seems to work.
Applying essential oil of lavender is another sunburn solution that many people swear by. Indeed, it is sometimes suggested that lavender will draw the pain out of slightly more serious sunburn as well, although in this case, you probably need to avoid touching the burned area as skin to skin contact is likely to hurt.
Instead, drip the oil onto the burned area and gently spread it using a tissue instead of your fingers. Allow the oil to do its work for 30 minutes or so and you should find that the pain from the burn has decreased noticeably or even disappeared altogether.
Another essential oil solution that you might want to try is to mix one part tea tree oil with 10 parts olive oil (or another appropriate carrier oil and) before soaking a soft cloth to dab the mixture onto the burned area. The healing and soothing qualities of tea tree oil have been relied upon by the indigenous peoples of Australia as a cure for a wide range of medical conditions for hundreds (or more likely, thousands) of years.
The qualities of this oil have become increasingly widely recognized as it is now established that it has strong antibacterial, antifungal and anti-septic qualities, all of which will help to minimize the pain and damage caused by sunburn.
14.Dealing with sunburn naturally – The sun and sunburn naturally
Sometimes it might be serious…
Having read this far, you know that the best way of dealing with sunburn naturally is to prevent sunburn occurring by staying indoors, keeping out of direct sunlight for anything more than the shortest period of time whilst staying in the shade as much as possible, wearing a suitable hat and a shirt or t-shirt, etc.
So, you know all this and yet there is still a good chance that you will suffer sunburn at some stage because however much we know about ‘sunshine safety’, we all make mistakes from time to time (and I willingly include myself in this group).
For example, whilst it is something of an apocryphal seaside postcard and TV comedy show standby, people really do fall asleep in the sun and there is many an individual who still has the painful memories (and perhaps even in the most unfortunate cases, the scars) to prove it.
This brings us to the first important point about sunburn that you must take on board. Whilst this chapter is going to highlight many natural remedies for mild or minor sunburn, if you suffer serious sunburn, you need to seek medical attention.
As a general rule, the effects of sunburn will start to become painfully apparent anywhere between one hour and four hours after you have come inside and if during that time you begin to notice (or suspect) anything other ‘normal’ sunburn pain, you should get to the doctor as quickly as you can see to seek professional advice.
Whilst it would be possible in a perfect world to treat every medical condition, no matter how severe or serious it is in a completely natural way, it is an unfortunate fact that this is just not the way the world is. There are times when you need to seek medical attention, and if you have reason to suspect that your sunburn could be serious, this would be a perfect example.
If for instance you feel lightheaded, disorientated or dizzy, this may be a sign of serious sunburn or even sunstroke. Similarly, if the burned area starts coming up in blisters very quickly, you have a serious case of sunburn and there is also the risk of infection if any of the blisters bursts or starts to weep, so you must get to the consulting room or surgery as soon as possible.
Having read this far, you know that the best way of dealing with sunburn naturally is to prevent sunburn occurring by staying indoors, keeping out of direct sunlight for anything more than the shortest period of time whilst staying in the shade as much as possible, wearing a suitable hat and a shirt or t-shirt, etc.
So, you know all this and yet there is still a good chance that you will suffer sunburn at some stage because however much we know about ‘sunshine safety’, we all make mistakes from time to time (and I willingly include myself in this group).
For example, whilst it is something of an apocryphal seaside postcard and TV comedy show standby, people really do fall asleep in the sun and there is many an individual who still has the painful memories (and perhaps even in the most unfortunate cases, the scars) to prove it.
This brings us to the first important point about sunburn that you must take on board. Whilst this chapter is going to highlight many natural remedies for mild or minor sunburn, if you suffer serious sunburn, you need to seek medical attention.
As a general rule, the effects of sunburn will start to become painfully apparent anywhere between one hour and four hours after you have come inside and if during that time you begin to notice (or suspect) anything other ‘normal’ sunburn pain, you should get to the doctor as quickly as you can see to seek professional advice.
Whilst it would be possible in a perfect world to treat every medical condition, no matter how severe or serious it is in a completely natural way, it is an unfortunate fact that this is just not the way the world is. There are times when you need to seek medical attention, and if you have reason to suspect that your sunburn could be serious, this would be a perfect example.
If for instance you feel lightheaded, disorientated or dizzy, this may be a sign of serious sunburn or even sunstroke. Similarly, if the burned area starts coming up in blisters very quickly, you have a serious case of sunburn and there is also the risk of infection if any of the blisters bursts or starts to weep, so you must get to the consulting room or surgery as soon as possible.
13.A more complete home-made natural protection – The sun and sunburn naturally
As this ‘recipe’ version contains considerably more ingredients, I am going to list them in a traditional ‘cookbook’ fashion:
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil;
• 2 tablespoons canola oil;
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil;
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil;
• 6 tablespoons lavender hydrosol;
• 6 tablespoons aloe vera gel;
• 6 tablespoons shea nut butter;
• 6 tablespoons beeswax, grated;
• 1 teaspoon borax powder;
• 1 teaspoon vitamin E powder or 2 gel capsules.
Mix the grated beeswax with all four oils and the shea nut butter until the wax melts, once again taking great care to make sure that the oils do not come to the boil. Next, warm the aloe vera and lavender is a different pan before adding the vitamin E and borax powder and mixing the whole as thoroughly as possible.
Once the latter mixture is smooth and there is no evidence of lumps or clumps, mix it with the oil, wax and butter and whip or whisk the whole lot together until you have a reasonably light, creamy textured solution. Allow the mixture to cool before storing it in an airtight container which you can keep in the fridge.
As in the previous example, this mixture will keep for a number of weeks but this recipe makes a really healthy amount of natural sunscreen, so you may need to preserve the solution for more than just a few weeks depending upon how often you use it.
In this case, adding a few drops of a natural preservative like grapefruit seed extract will enable you to keep the refrigerated solution for up to 12 months, although you should of course keep an eye on the mixture to check on its stability every now and then.
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil;
• 2 tablespoons canola oil;
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil;
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil;
• 6 tablespoons lavender hydrosol;
• 6 tablespoons aloe vera gel;
• 6 tablespoons shea nut butter;
• 6 tablespoons beeswax, grated;
• 1 teaspoon borax powder;
• 1 teaspoon vitamin E powder or 2 gel capsules.
Mix the grated beeswax with all four oils and the shea nut butter until the wax melts, once again taking great care to make sure that the oils do not come to the boil. Next, warm the aloe vera and lavender is a different pan before adding the vitamin E and borax powder and mixing the whole as thoroughly as possible.
Once the latter mixture is smooth and there is no evidence of lumps or clumps, mix it with the oil, wax and butter and whip or whisk the whole lot together until you have a reasonably light, creamy textured solution. Allow the mixture to cool before storing it in an airtight container which you can keep in the fridge.
As in the previous example, this mixture will keep for a number of weeks but this recipe makes a really healthy amount of natural sunscreen, so you may need to preserve the solution for more than just a few weeks depending upon how often you use it.
In this case, adding a few drops of a natural preservative like grapefruit seed extract will enable you to keep the refrigerated solution for up to 12 months, although you should of course keep an eye on the mixture to check on its stability every now and then.
12.An easy home-made sunscreen – The sun and sunburn naturally
To make this simple and easy home-made sunscreen, you need olive or almond oil, beeswax and zinc oxide which you will find in the baby department of most leading department stores (it is commonly used to help baby get over nappy rash).
Slowly heat a cup of oil on low heat as you do not want the oil to boil at any point. At the same time, crumble 1 ounce of beeswax before adding it to the oil which should be kept on a low heat until it gently melts the wax. Incidentally, you can use any olive oil that you buy in the local hypermarket or store whereas beeswax can usually be obtained from a health store or on the net (search Google for ‘buy beeswax’ to find more local alternatives).
Once the wax has completely melted, remove the mixture from the heat and immediately drop in two tablespoonfuls of the zinc oxide. Allow the mixture to cool a little further before storing it in an airtight container which you can keep in the fridge for several weeks.
When you use the mixture, you may find that it has separated in which case you may need to agitate or stir it to remix everything before applying it to your skin.
And with this mixture and the one that you make using the following recipe, you should take the sunscreen out of the fridge 15 to 30 minutes before using it to ensure that you can mix it properly before applying (it’s also far less cold as well!).
Slowly heat a cup of oil on low heat as you do not want the oil to boil at any point. At the same time, crumble 1 ounce of beeswax before adding it to the oil which should be kept on a low heat until it gently melts the wax. Incidentally, you can use any olive oil that you buy in the local hypermarket or store whereas beeswax can usually be obtained from a health store or on the net (search Google for ‘buy beeswax’ to find more local alternatives).
Once the wax has completely melted, remove the mixture from the heat and immediately drop in two tablespoonfuls of the zinc oxide. Allow the mixture to cool a little further before storing it in an airtight container which you can keep in the fridge for several weeks.
When you use the mixture, you may find that it has separated in which case you may need to agitate or stir it to remix everything before applying it to your skin.
And with this mixture and the one that you make using the following recipe, you should take the sunscreen out of the fridge 15 to 30 minutes before using it to ensure that you can mix it properly before applying (it’s also far less cold as well!).
11.Natural sunscreen products and recipes – The sun and sunburn naturally
When all is said and done, it is never going to make much sense for a fair skinned individual to expose themselves to the sunlight for any extended period of time without some form of protection.
Clothes will obviously protect you from the sun (there are even special clothing brands that are specifically designed for the purpose) as do hats and sunglasses, but what about your exposed skin given that there may be risks attached to commercially produced sunscreen and sunblock products?
The obvious answer is to turn to natural sun protection products, of which there are many on the market. Many of these natural protection products are available in High Street health stores and some more enlightened pharmacies, but before deciding to spend your money on these products, I would suggest that you do a couple of important things.
Firstly, most of the natural sun protection products that can be bought in a local store can also be bought over the internet. Consequently, there are many sites where you can find a good deal more information about these products than you would ever be to find in your local store which will enable you to make a more informed decision about whether you want to spend money on them or not.
For example, as highlighted on the Health Hype site, some sunscreen products that are ‘allegedly’ natural contain exactly the same potentially dangerous chemicals like titanium oxide that was highlighted earlier. The site also casts serious doubt on claims made by some sun protection products that they are ‘organic’ as well.
You can also look up information about individual natural sun protection products on the website of the product manufacture as well, because most reputable manufacturers of natural products will provide information about the ingredients of their product on the site.
In this way, you can do your due diligence regarding the individual ingredients to ascertain whether this is a product you want to use on your own skin or on that of your family.
As an example, the FAQ page of the website for Badger Natural Sunscreen (which many independent sites rate as a top natural product, a contention which a recent rating as being amongst the top 1% of 1600 comparable products tends to support) shows that the main ingredients is micronized zinc oxide in combination with other protective elements such as extra-virgin olive oil, jojoba oil and the like.
Knowing this allows you to do your research before deciding whether this is a product that you would be happy to buy and use.
Depending upon your views or position regarding these commercially produced natural sunscreen products, you may like to consider another alternative, which is to make your own.
In this way, you can exert absolute control over everything that you use and because natural, home-made sun protection solutions can be every bit as effective as those that you might otherwise have to spend a significant amount of money on.
Over the past couple years, I have read many different ‘recipes’ for home-made sunscreen and the majority seem to have a surprising degree of commonality in that the same ingredients are recommended time and again. This is generally a good thing because it implies that these ingredients do a good job, and certainly in my experience, I have no complaints so far.
What I have therefore done is detail one simple and one slightly more complex version of what is essentially the same kind of recipe below so that you can experiment with both to see which is most suitable for (and offers the greatest protection to) you and your family.
Clothes will obviously protect you from the sun (there are even special clothing brands that are specifically designed for the purpose) as do hats and sunglasses, but what about your exposed skin given that there may be risks attached to commercially produced sunscreen and sunblock products?
The obvious answer is to turn to natural sun protection products, of which there are many on the market. Many of these natural protection products are available in High Street health stores and some more enlightened pharmacies, but before deciding to spend your money on these products, I would suggest that you do a couple of important things.
Firstly, most of the natural sun protection products that can be bought in a local store can also be bought over the internet. Consequently, there are many sites where you can find a good deal more information about these products than you would ever be to find in your local store which will enable you to make a more informed decision about whether you want to spend money on them or not.
For example, as highlighted on the Health Hype site, some sunscreen products that are ‘allegedly’ natural contain exactly the same potentially dangerous chemicals like titanium oxide that was highlighted earlier. The site also casts serious doubt on claims made by some sun protection products that they are ‘organic’ as well.
You can also look up information about individual natural sun protection products on the website of the product manufacture as well, because most reputable manufacturers of natural products will provide information about the ingredients of their product on the site.
In this way, you can do your due diligence regarding the individual ingredients to ascertain whether this is a product you want to use on your own skin or on that of your family.
As an example, the FAQ page of the website for Badger Natural Sunscreen (which many independent sites rate as a top natural product, a contention which a recent rating as being amongst the top 1% of 1600 comparable products tends to support) shows that the main ingredients is micronized zinc oxide in combination with other protective elements such as extra-virgin olive oil, jojoba oil and the like.
Knowing this allows you to do your research before deciding whether this is a product that you would be happy to buy and use.
Depending upon your views or position regarding these commercially produced natural sunscreen products, you may like to consider another alternative, which is to make your own.
In this way, you can exert absolute control over everything that you use and because natural, home-made sun protection solutions can be every bit as effective as those that you might otherwise have to spend a significant amount of money on.
Over the past couple years, I have read many different ‘recipes’ for home-made sunscreen and the majority seem to have a surprising degree of commonality in that the same ingredients are recommended time and again. This is generally a good thing because it implies that these ingredients do a good job, and certainly in my experience, I have no complaints so far.
What I have therefore done is detail one simple and one slightly more complex version of what is essentially the same kind of recipe below so that you can experiment with both to see which is most suitable for (and offers the greatest protection to) you and your family.
10.Prevention is always better than cure – The sun and sunburn naturally
Other factors that can make you more susceptible
As suggested earlier, if you and your family are planning on going out in the sun, the best way of preventing sunburn is to avoid putting yourself in a situation where the sun has the opportunity of burning you.
For example, I have already highlighted the fact that you cannot suffer the worst effects of the sun when you’re indoors, and that seeking shade when you are outdoors is always a good idea. Moreover, you know that the sun is going to be more intense at certain times of the day, so you should either avoid those particular times or at least make sure you are well shaded when the sun is turning up the ultraviolent meter to the maximum.
If you are walking in the sun at any time, always wear a wide brim hat or at the very least a cap of some description. The ideal arrangement is to have headgear that also protects the back of your neck as well because having the sun beating down on the back of your neck for a long period of time is a very effective recipe for suffering sunstroke!
Wear sunglasses as well because the intensity of the light when you are unused to the sun could cause damage to your retinas and of course, you should never stare straight at the sun even if you are wearing the strongest sunglasses imaginable.
Whenever you are outdoors, you should constantly monitor your condition and that of any family members who are with you. Make sure that everyone is well hydrated at all times because even in the shade, you can lose a significant percentage of your bodily fluids through perspiration.
Do not make the mistake of waiting until your skin starts to turn red before seeking the sanctuary of shade. The fact that you are going red indicates that your skin has already suffered some damage, so you should always attempt to get out of direct sunlight before the reddening process begins.
You also need to be aware that if there is a breeze or wind, it can often disguise the heat and intensity of the sun. Because the wind naturally has a cooling effect, it can mask the fact that the sun is actually burning your skin, so you must be particularly careful in breezy or windy conditions.
Another thing that you should always bear in mind if you are not especially familiar with sunlight is that you should build up your exposure to the sun gradually.
When you expose your skin to the sun, a skin pigment known as melanin absorbs the sun’s rays and offers protection against sunburn. Melanin is a relatively dark pigment, meaning that if your skin is white, there is a noticeable lack of it.
You therefore need to build up your exposure to the sun gradually so that your skin acquires a little more melanin protection each and every day as it is the presence of dark colored melanin that gradually builds up protection over time. It is however also rampant melanin malformation that causes melanoma, which is another reason for being extremely careful by building up your exposure to the sun very slowly.
And of course, it should go without saying that the fairer your skin is, the slower you should build up your daily exposure to ultraviolet light as it should be obvious that it is far easier to burn when you have little or no natural melanin protection.
Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs such as certain antibiotics can make some people more susceptible to the more adverse effects of the sun.
Consequently, if you are taking some form of drugs and you find that you seem to be more susceptible to the sun, you may want to discuss the problem with your doctor if he (or she) has prescribed the drugs, or stop taking them if they are over-the-counter remedy.
Everything that you have read so far in this chapter is an important consideration for protecting yourself and your family against the worst effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
However, one factor that is hardly ever given any thought when considering natural ways of protecting yourself against the worst effects of the sun is your diet, whereas in truth, making sure that your diet keeps you in tiptop physical condition is one of the best ways of protecting yourself.
Unfortunately, it is a fact that the majority of commercially produced mass market foods that we consume nowadays are low in vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and other trace elements, whereas they are conversely high in substances that are harmful to our health such as saturated fats.
At the same time, the majority of people consume far too few fresh fruits and vegetables whereas there are more than happy to eat processed, fast and junk food without really giving it a second thought.
Having a poor diet inevitably compromises the ability of your immune system to keep your body in prime physical condition. Furthermore, as it is your immune system that fights against illnesses, disease and other medical problems like infections, you are naturally more susceptible to the potentially harmful effects of the sun if you are not supporting your immune system through your diet.
Hence, instead of consuming processed foods, you should pay far more attention to including foodstuffs that contain significant amounts of the major antioxidant nutrients and elements.
You should therefore increase your consumption of foods that contain vitamins C and E, essential fatty acids like Omega-3 and Omega-6 from oily cold water fish (such as mackerel, herring, salmon etc), carotenes (in carrots) and above all else, garlic.
Garlic contains over 100 provably beneficial natural chemicals and compounds. It is also one of the most powerful natural antioxidant and antibacterial foods known to man. In tests, it has been shown that increasing the amount of garlic you consume can significantly reduce the levels of low-density lipoprotein in the blood, which is a significant benefit as this is the scientific tag for the ‘bad’ cholesterol that can kill you.
As everyone who has ever even garlic will testify, it is a fairly strong tasting (and obviously smelling) food that not everyone loves. However, as you can obtain garlic in odorless capsule or tablet form which do not cause you to taste garlic or suffer other ‘side effects’ such as belching, there is no excuse for not including garlic in your daily diet.
Another highly beneficial way of altering your diet to prevent the sun having anywhere near as much of an adverse effect on you as may have happened previously is to increase the amount of organic fruit juice you consume every day.
This is an extremely efficient way of raising the amount of essential vitamins and nutrients that are included in your diet which for the majority represents a particularly delicious way of doing so.
Perhaps it seems surprising that boosting your immune system by improving the quality of your daily diet should be such a major factor in upping your ability to resist the worst the sun can throw you, but if so, it shouldn’t be.
Whilst most people who ever give it a moment’s thought would probably focus on their immune system as being the center of their protection system against disease, it is far more than this. In fact, your immune system forms your primary defensive barrier against all forms of harm and damage and this includes protecting you against the sun.
Consequently, if you want to improve your capacity for withstanding the sun and perhaps thereby enhance your ability to enjoy extended exposure, you must focus on doing so from within. Remembering that we are all the sum total of everything we eat and drink, it should be evident that your diet plays a significant role in helping you to maintain maximum natural levels of detection against ultraviolet radiation.
As suggested earlier, if you and your family are planning on going out in the sun, the best way of preventing sunburn is to avoid putting yourself in a situation where the sun has the opportunity of burning you.
For example, I have already highlighted the fact that you cannot suffer the worst effects of the sun when you’re indoors, and that seeking shade when you are outdoors is always a good idea. Moreover, you know that the sun is going to be more intense at certain times of the day, so you should either avoid those particular times or at least make sure you are well shaded when the sun is turning up the ultraviolent meter to the maximum.
If you are walking in the sun at any time, always wear a wide brim hat or at the very least a cap of some description. The ideal arrangement is to have headgear that also protects the back of your neck as well because having the sun beating down on the back of your neck for a long period of time is a very effective recipe for suffering sunstroke!
Wear sunglasses as well because the intensity of the light when you are unused to the sun could cause damage to your retinas and of course, you should never stare straight at the sun even if you are wearing the strongest sunglasses imaginable.
Whenever you are outdoors, you should constantly monitor your condition and that of any family members who are with you. Make sure that everyone is well hydrated at all times because even in the shade, you can lose a significant percentage of your bodily fluids through perspiration.
Do not make the mistake of waiting until your skin starts to turn red before seeking the sanctuary of shade. The fact that you are going red indicates that your skin has already suffered some damage, so you should always attempt to get out of direct sunlight before the reddening process begins.
You also need to be aware that if there is a breeze or wind, it can often disguise the heat and intensity of the sun. Because the wind naturally has a cooling effect, it can mask the fact that the sun is actually burning your skin, so you must be particularly careful in breezy or windy conditions.
Another thing that you should always bear in mind if you are not especially familiar with sunlight is that you should build up your exposure to the sun gradually.
When you expose your skin to the sun, a skin pigment known as melanin absorbs the sun’s rays and offers protection against sunburn. Melanin is a relatively dark pigment, meaning that if your skin is white, there is a noticeable lack of it.
You therefore need to build up your exposure to the sun gradually so that your skin acquires a little more melanin protection each and every day as it is the presence of dark colored melanin that gradually builds up protection over time. It is however also rampant melanin malformation that causes melanoma, which is another reason for being extremely careful by building up your exposure to the sun very slowly.
And of course, it should go without saying that the fairer your skin is, the slower you should build up your daily exposure to ultraviolet light as it should be obvious that it is far easier to burn when you have little or no natural melanin protection.
Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs such as certain antibiotics can make some people more susceptible to the more adverse effects of the sun.
Consequently, if you are taking some form of drugs and you find that you seem to be more susceptible to the sun, you may want to discuss the problem with your doctor if he (or she) has prescribed the drugs, or stop taking them if they are over-the-counter remedy.
Everything that you have read so far in this chapter is an important consideration for protecting yourself and your family against the worst effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
However, one factor that is hardly ever given any thought when considering natural ways of protecting yourself against the worst effects of the sun is your diet, whereas in truth, making sure that your diet keeps you in tiptop physical condition is one of the best ways of protecting yourself.
Unfortunately, it is a fact that the majority of commercially produced mass market foods that we consume nowadays are low in vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and other trace elements, whereas they are conversely high in substances that are harmful to our health such as saturated fats.
At the same time, the majority of people consume far too few fresh fruits and vegetables whereas there are more than happy to eat processed, fast and junk food without really giving it a second thought.
Having a poor diet inevitably compromises the ability of your immune system to keep your body in prime physical condition. Furthermore, as it is your immune system that fights against illnesses, disease and other medical problems like infections, you are naturally more susceptible to the potentially harmful effects of the sun if you are not supporting your immune system through your diet.
Hence, instead of consuming processed foods, you should pay far more attention to including foodstuffs that contain significant amounts of the major antioxidant nutrients and elements.
You should therefore increase your consumption of foods that contain vitamins C and E, essential fatty acids like Omega-3 and Omega-6 from oily cold water fish (such as mackerel, herring, salmon etc), carotenes (in carrots) and above all else, garlic.
Garlic contains over 100 provably beneficial natural chemicals and compounds. It is also one of the most powerful natural antioxidant and antibacterial foods known to man. In tests, it has been shown that increasing the amount of garlic you consume can significantly reduce the levels of low-density lipoprotein in the blood, which is a significant benefit as this is the scientific tag for the ‘bad’ cholesterol that can kill you.
As everyone who has ever even garlic will testify, it is a fairly strong tasting (and obviously smelling) food that not everyone loves. However, as you can obtain garlic in odorless capsule or tablet form which do not cause you to taste garlic or suffer other ‘side effects’ such as belching, there is no excuse for not including garlic in your daily diet.
Another highly beneficial way of altering your diet to prevent the sun having anywhere near as much of an adverse effect on you as may have happened previously is to increase the amount of organic fruit juice you consume every day.
This is an extremely efficient way of raising the amount of essential vitamins and nutrients that are included in your diet which for the majority represents a particularly delicious way of doing so.
Perhaps it seems surprising that boosting your immune system by improving the quality of your daily diet should be such a major factor in upping your ability to resist the worst the sun can throw you, but if so, it shouldn’t be.
Whilst most people who ever give it a moment’s thought would probably focus on their immune system as being the center of their protection system against disease, it is far more than this. In fact, your immune system forms your primary defensive barrier against all forms of harm and damage and this includes protecting you against the sun.
Consequently, if you want to improve your capacity for withstanding the sun and perhaps thereby enhance your ability to enjoy extended exposure, you must focus on doing so from within. Remembering that we are all the sum total of everything we eat and drink, it should be evident that your diet plays a significant role in helping you to maintain maximum natural levels of detection against ultraviolet radiation.
9.Investigating sun protection substances more closely – The sun and sunburn naturally
Every commercially produced sun protection cream, lotion, spray or gel that you apply to your skin to protect against the sun has a Sun Protection Factor or SPF number attached to it.
The SPF figure related to the particular product that you are planning to protect your skin or that of your family with gives you some indication of how much protection that particular product offers.
When buy a sun protection product, you are either going to buy a ‘sunscreen’ or ‘sunblock’ solution and the constituent ingredients of the two different types of some protection product are a little different. To understand this concept, you must first of all appreciate that there are two different groups of sun protection ingredients which display different qualities.
On the one hand, you have ingredients that constitute a chemical ultraviolet block, something that has the capacity to be absorbed into the skin which protects you by nullifying or invalidating the potentially harmful effects of ultraviolet light on contact with the skin.
On the opposite side of the coin, there are physical block ingredients which do not have the capability of being absorbed into the skin. However, these physical blockers protect the skin either by absorbing the potentially harmful elements of sunlight into the block (a little like a sponge soaking up and then retaining water) or by reflecting those harmful elements away from the body in a similar way to using a mirror to reflect sunlight.
A commercially produced sunscreen product will generally tend to use more chemical ultraviolet protection ingredients, and has an SPF factor of 2 or more. Incidentally, an SPF factor 2 protective product would not offer a great deal of protection at all as the bigger the SPF number is, the more protection is provided.
On the other hand, a sunblock product is one that uses physical blocking ingredients to protect against sunlight, and it will have an SPF of 12 or more, which is obviously a far higher level of protection than that required of sunscreen products.
The SPF number is designed to indicate how much protection that particular product offers against UVB light with reference to how much of this particular form of ultraviolet light is necessary to turn the skin of an ‘average’ person red.
And whilst it is impossible to know how you compare with this hypothetical ‘average’ individual, it is generally suggested that the protection offered is the number of minutes that you acan spend in the sun when the SPF factor is multiplied by 10.
As an example, an SPF factor 12 product would allow our hypothetical average friend to stay in the sun for 120 minutes (12 x 10 minutes), whereas a factor 20 product would offer him or her 200 minutes of sun time.
The upshot of this is that a sunscreen or sunblock product that is SPF1 is going to allow skin that has not been exposed to the sun for a long time to turn red in 10 minutes or so, whereas something that carries an SPF50 label is going to prevent sun induced redness for a very long period of time.
However, do remember that these time guidelines are nothing more than a general idea of how long you can stay out in the sun, so don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can enjoy every last minute of your ‘available sun time’ irrespective of how you feel.
Nevertheless, although the SPF rating system is designed to provide a guideline about how much UVB light anyone who has used a particular sun protection product can tolerate, many products now also include ingredients to protect against UVA light as well.
This is as you would expect given that there is now a strong suspicion (or even believe) that UVA radiation is also responsible for causing skin damage and cancer.
The problem with most commercially produced sunscreens and sunblocks is that the majority use a wide range of chemical ingredients to make up their particular brand mix, and there are suspicions that not all of these ingredients are necessarily safe.
For example, there is a very comprehensive list of all of the most common commercial sun protection products in the USA and Canada on the Drugs.com site (even outside the USA and Canada, many of these products will be instantly recognizable).
Next to each product listed, there is a key to the main chemical ingredients in each product listed. This example is the top of the US section of the page, with the key number highlighted for the top two entries:
Every one of these products contains titanium dioxide, a very commonly used substance that is found in paper, paints, plastics and ink as well as toothpaste because of its opacity and whitening qualities.
However, according to this article published on the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety website, titanium dioxide is now classified as an IACR Group 2B carcinogen by the International Agency for Cancer Research which officially means that it is a ‘possible carcinogen to humans’.
Titanium dioxide is a substance that is used in many commercially produced sun protection products including many that are recommended or specifically designed for babies and children. And whilst there is no specific proof that the substance is a proven either here or you will you are that you are acancer threat to human beings, it is reasonable to suggest that the IACR would not have issued this warning without sufficient grounds for doing so.
If you run through this list and then do some more online research into the potential adverse side-effects of some of the chemical ingredients that are used in commercial sun protection products, you will find many similar stories about other chemicals.
There are a couple more examples here and here just in case the idea of trying to protect your skin against sunburn, melanoma and other skin cancers by applying ‘protection’ that contains ingredients that could potentially cause cancer does not give you enough food for thought.
There is another relevant factor to take into account here as well. The result of an experiment which was published in 2006 compared the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS – free radicals that are known to have a connection with cancer) on skin that had been treated with a sun protection product as against skin that had no such protection.
During the first 20 minutes of the test, the protected skin fared much better than the skin which had not been treated with considerably lower levels of ROS shown. After 60 minutes however, the amount of sunscreen that had been absorbed into the skin meant that the level of ROS present on the treated skin area was now considerably higher than that of the non-treated control skin.
From all of the preceding information, it is clear that there could be some degree of risk attached to using commercially produced sun protection products as there is at least evidence to suggest that some of the chemical-based ingredients are not necessarily 100% safe in all situations and circumstances.
Of course, the individual level of risk to the vast majority of people from using preparations that contain chemical substances that have been indicated to have potentially adverse side-effects is extremely small, because it is a fact that thousands (perhaps even millions) of sun lovers all over the world use these products each and every day without any deleterious reactions whatsoever.
The SPF figure related to the particular product that you are planning to protect your skin or that of your family with gives you some indication of how much protection that particular product offers.
When buy a sun protection product, you are either going to buy a ‘sunscreen’ or ‘sunblock’ solution and the constituent ingredients of the two different types of some protection product are a little different. To understand this concept, you must first of all appreciate that there are two different groups of sun protection ingredients which display different qualities.
On the one hand, you have ingredients that constitute a chemical ultraviolet block, something that has the capacity to be absorbed into the skin which protects you by nullifying or invalidating the potentially harmful effects of ultraviolet light on contact with the skin.
On the opposite side of the coin, there are physical block ingredients which do not have the capability of being absorbed into the skin. However, these physical blockers protect the skin either by absorbing the potentially harmful elements of sunlight into the block (a little like a sponge soaking up and then retaining water) or by reflecting those harmful elements away from the body in a similar way to using a mirror to reflect sunlight.
A commercially produced sunscreen product will generally tend to use more chemical ultraviolet protection ingredients, and has an SPF factor of 2 or more. Incidentally, an SPF factor 2 protective product would not offer a great deal of protection at all as the bigger the SPF number is, the more protection is provided.
On the other hand, a sunblock product is one that uses physical blocking ingredients to protect against sunlight, and it will have an SPF of 12 or more, which is obviously a far higher level of protection than that required of sunscreen products.
The SPF number is designed to indicate how much protection that particular product offers against UVB light with reference to how much of this particular form of ultraviolet light is necessary to turn the skin of an ‘average’ person red.
And whilst it is impossible to know how you compare with this hypothetical ‘average’ individual, it is generally suggested that the protection offered is the number of minutes that you acan spend in the sun when the SPF factor is multiplied by 10.
As an example, an SPF factor 12 product would allow our hypothetical average friend to stay in the sun for 120 minutes (12 x 10 minutes), whereas a factor 20 product would offer him or her 200 minutes of sun time.
The upshot of this is that a sunscreen or sunblock product that is SPF1 is going to allow skin that has not been exposed to the sun for a long time to turn red in 10 minutes or so, whereas something that carries an SPF50 label is going to prevent sun induced redness for a very long period of time.
However, do remember that these time guidelines are nothing more than a general idea of how long you can stay out in the sun, so don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can enjoy every last minute of your ‘available sun time’ irrespective of how you feel.
Nevertheless, although the SPF rating system is designed to provide a guideline about how much UVB light anyone who has used a particular sun protection product can tolerate, many products now also include ingredients to protect against UVA light as well.
This is as you would expect given that there is now a strong suspicion (or even believe) that UVA radiation is also responsible for causing skin damage and cancer.
The problem with most commercially produced sunscreens and sunblocks is that the majority use a wide range of chemical ingredients to make up their particular brand mix, and there are suspicions that not all of these ingredients are necessarily safe.
For example, there is a very comprehensive list of all of the most common commercial sun protection products in the USA and Canada on the Drugs.com site (even outside the USA and Canada, many of these products will be instantly recognizable).
Next to each product listed, there is a key to the main chemical ingredients in each product listed. This example is the top of the US section of the page, with the key number highlighted for the top two entries:
Every one of these products contains titanium dioxide, a very commonly used substance that is found in paper, paints, plastics and ink as well as toothpaste because of its opacity and whitening qualities.
However, according to this article published on the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety website, titanium dioxide is now classified as an IACR Group 2B carcinogen by the International Agency for Cancer Research which officially means that it is a ‘possible carcinogen to humans’.
Titanium dioxide is a substance that is used in many commercially produced sun protection products including many that are recommended or specifically designed for babies and children. And whilst there is no specific proof that the substance is a proven either here or you will you are that you are acancer threat to human beings, it is reasonable to suggest that the IACR would not have issued this warning without sufficient grounds for doing so.
If you run through this list and then do some more online research into the potential adverse side-effects of some of the chemical ingredients that are used in commercial sun protection products, you will find many similar stories about other chemicals.
There are a couple more examples here and here just in case the idea of trying to protect your skin against sunburn, melanoma and other skin cancers by applying ‘protection’ that contains ingredients that could potentially cause cancer does not give you enough food for thought.
There is another relevant factor to take into account here as well. The result of an experiment which was published in 2006 compared the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS – free radicals that are known to have a connection with cancer) on skin that had been treated with a sun protection product as against skin that had no such protection.
During the first 20 minutes of the test, the protected skin fared much better than the skin which had not been treated with considerably lower levels of ROS shown. After 60 minutes however, the amount of sunscreen that had been absorbed into the skin meant that the level of ROS present on the treated skin area was now considerably higher than that of the non-treated control skin.
From all of the preceding information, it is clear that there could be some degree of risk attached to using commercially produced sun protection products as there is at least evidence to suggest that some of the chemical-based ingredients are not necessarily 100% safe in all situations and circumstances.
Of course, the individual level of risk to the vast majority of people from using preparations that contain chemical substances that have been indicated to have potentially adverse side-effects is extremely small, because it is a fact that thousands (perhaps even millions) of sun lovers all over the world use these products each and every day without any deleterious reactions whatsoever.
8.Taking precautions – The sun and sunburn naturally
A darkened room is not necessary
From this point on, I am going to assume that you (or members of your family) are not people who have naturally high sun tolerance and that you therefore need to take additional precautions before going out in the sun, and that you also need to know what to do if a case of sunburn calls for effective natural treatment.
As suggested previously, the most effective way of avoiding sun damaged skin is to stay out of the sun. However, this does not necessarily mean that you have to stay indoors every time the sun comes out, because there are other sensible precautions that you can take even though you have ventured outside.
For example, knowing that there are times of the day when the intensity of the ultraviolet radiation from the sun is at its highest, you should always seek shade of some description at these times.
If you are on the beach with your family (or even if you are on your own), make sure that you have a clear idea of places where you can find shade at the hottest times of the day or if there is nowhere that offers natural shape, take a beach umbrella with you or hire one if it is possible to do so.
Initially, you can enjoy the warmth of the sun without exposing yourself to the direct ultraviolet radiation that causes skin damage. This allows you to get the positive benefits of being out in the fresh air (especially if you are bathed by a gentle sea breeze) without exposing yourself to the unnecessary risk of suffering sunburn from overexposure to UVA and UVB rays.
The problem with this scenario is that whilst for an adult who understands the danger of overexposure to the sun, it is probably no great hardship to be sitting under a beach umbrella or at a covered beach bar sipping an ice cold drink, it is might it be far more difficult to convince youngsters and children of the benefits of staying in the shade.
After all, staying still at any time is difficult for the majority of children, so expecting them to sit quietly when the pleasures of playing on the beach and splashing in the sea are right in front of their eyes is pretty unrealistic.
It is therefore essential that even in this situation, where adequate shade is available, you must make sure that all family members are suitably protected against the worst effects of the sun with sunblock or some other suitable substance. However, when you want to use commercially sun protection is another matter entirely.
From this point on, I am going to assume that you (or members of your family) are not people who have naturally high sun tolerance and that you therefore need to take additional precautions before going out in the sun, and that you also need to know what to do if a case of sunburn calls for effective natural treatment.
As suggested previously, the most effective way of avoiding sun damaged skin is to stay out of the sun. However, this does not necessarily mean that you have to stay indoors every time the sun comes out, because there are other sensible precautions that you can take even though you have ventured outside.
For example, knowing that there are times of the day when the intensity of the ultraviolet radiation from the sun is at its highest, you should always seek shade of some description at these times.
If you are on the beach with your family (or even if you are on your own), make sure that you have a clear idea of places where you can find shade at the hottest times of the day or if there is nowhere that offers natural shape, take a beach umbrella with you or hire one if it is possible to do so.
Initially, you can enjoy the warmth of the sun without exposing yourself to the direct ultraviolet radiation that causes skin damage. This allows you to get the positive benefits of being out in the fresh air (especially if you are bathed by a gentle sea breeze) without exposing yourself to the unnecessary risk of suffering sunburn from overexposure to UVA and UVB rays.
The problem with this scenario is that whilst for an adult who understands the danger of overexposure to the sun, it is probably no great hardship to be sitting under a beach umbrella or at a covered beach bar sipping an ice cold drink, it is might it be far more difficult to convince youngsters and children of the benefits of staying in the shade.
After all, staying still at any time is difficult for the majority of children, so expecting them to sit quietly when the pleasures of playing on the beach and splashing in the sea are right in front of their eyes is pretty unrealistic.
It is therefore essential that even in this situation, where adequate shade is available, you must make sure that all family members are suitably protected against the worst effects of the sun with sunblock or some other suitable substance. However, when you want to use commercially sun protection is another matter entirely.
7.The influence of geography and the seasons – The sun and sunburn naturally
There are people in many countries of the world who are exposed to hours of sunshine each and every day because of where they live or because of the work they do (and the two are not mutually exclusive).
For example, there are many places where the sun is up from dawn until dusk for most of the year and yet the people are still expected to work in the fields each and every day.
Similarly, there are many popular holiday destinations where it is common to see local children playing football and other games on the beach from breakfast until dinnertime with the sun blazing down, and yet they never seem to suffer any significant burns or other skin damage from the sun.
Although it is impossible to generalize as to why this is the case, there are a couple of reasons to put forward to explain it.
Firstly, if you live in a place where the sun is an almost permanent daily feature in your life, it would be very difficult not to get used to it over time.
If you are exposed to regular long ‘sessions’ in the sun from a very early age and generation after generation of your ancestors have been in exactly the same situation, it seems reasonable to suggest that there has been a degree of ‘learned resistance’ to the worst effects of the sun over a long period of time.
Secondly, as previously suggested, it is a fact that fair skinned people, those who have light or red hair and/or blue or green eyed individuals are more likely to suffer physical harm as a result of overexposure to the sun.
To a large extent, this makes a great deal of sense because these physical characteristics are those that are most commonly attributed to individuals who are from or have roots in colder countries where the sun is not such a major factor.
The influence of geography is further emphasized by the fact that there are locations in the world where for long periods every day during the winter, there is no daylight, never mind sunshine. And even when the sun does come out, it does so with less intensity and people are therefore less well adjusted to the effects of the sun.
The intensity of sunlight also increases as you climb to higher altitudes although this does not necessarily mean that the temperature does the same. On the contrary, as anyone who has ever been in an airplane at 30,000 feet will be very well aware, the temperature as you climb higher falls dramatically, which is why even in the midst of summer, the highest mountains in the world will always be covered with snow nearer the summit.
The combination of snow and intense ultraviolet radiation at altitude is one of the reasons why mountaineers can suffer extreme sunburn when they are climbing. In this scenario, the climber has two problems.
Firstly, they are in a situation where the ultraviolet light coming directly from the sun is far more intense because they are closer to it and as a result of a far thinner layer of air above them.
Under normal sea level conditions, the dense layer of air above us filters many of the most harmful of the sun’s rays, whereas dirt and pollutants deflect or reflect more of those rays, ensuring that they never reach us. However, at altitude, the protective layer provided by the air is far thinner and as a consequence, far higher levels of potentially harmful UVA and UVB radiation gets through.
At the same time, the snow provides a perfect mirror for this radiation to bounce off which further intensifies the level of radiation, heat and light. This is one of the reasons why mountaineers and people who live at high altitudes are especially prone to sunburn.
Geography, ambient climactic conditions and other physical factors such as altitude all combine together to make some people more susceptible to skin damage caused by the sun, whereas there are other people who through a trick of fate are far more likely to suffer skin damage because of overexposure to ultraviolet light.
For example, there are many places where the sun is up from dawn until dusk for most of the year and yet the people are still expected to work in the fields each and every day.
Similarly, there are many popular holiday destinations where it is common to see local children playing football and other games on the beach from breakfast until dinnertime with the sun blazing down, and yet they never seem to suffer any significant burns or other skin damage from the sun.
Although it is impossible to generalize as to why this is the case, there are a couple of reasons to put forward to explain it.
Firstly, if you live in a place where the sun is an almost permanent daily feature in your life, it would be very difficult not to get used to it over time.
If you are exposed to regular long ‘sessions’ in the sun from a very early age and generation after generation of your ancestors have been in exactly the same situation, it seems reasonable to suggest that there has been a degree of ‘learned resistance’ to the worst effects of the sun over a long period of time.
Secondly, as previously suggested, it is a fact that fair skinned people, those who have light or red hair and/or blue or green eyed individuals are more likely to suffer physical harm as a result of overexposure to the sun.
To a large extent, this makes a great deal of sense because these physical characteristics are those that are most commonly attributed to individuals who are from or have roots in colder countries where the sun is not such a major factor.
The influence of geography is further emphasized by the fact that there are locations in the world where for long periods every day during the winter, there is no daylight, never mind sunshine. And even when the sun does come out, it does so with less intensity and people are therefore less well adjusted to the effects of the sun.
The intensity of sunlight also increases as you climb to higher altitudes although this does not necessarily mean that the temperature does the same. On the contrary, as anyone who has ever been in an airplane at 30,000 feet will be very well aware, the temperature as you climb higher falls dramatically, which is why even in the midst of summer, the highest mountains in the world will always be covered with snow nearer the summit.
The combination of snow and intense ultraviolet radiation at altitude is one of the reasons why mountaineers can suffer extreme sunburn when they are climbing. In this scenario, the climber has two problems.
Firstly, they are in a situation where the ultraviolet light coming directly from the sun is far more intense because they are closer to it and as a result of a far thinner layer of air above them.
Under normal sea level conditions, the dense layer of air above us filters many of the most harmful of the sun’s rays, whereas dirt and pollutants deflect or reflect more of those rays, ensuring that they never reach us. However, at altitude, the protective layer provided by the air is far thinner and as a consequence, far higher levels of potentially harmful UVA and UVB radiation gets through.
At the same time, the snow provides a perfect mirror for this radiation to bounce off which further intensifies the level of radiation, heat and light. This is one of the reasons why mountaineers and people who live at high altitudes are especially prone to sunburn.
Geography, ambient climactic conditions and other physical factors such as altitude all combine together to make some people more susceptible to skin damage caused by the sun, whereas there are other people who through a trick of fate are far more likely to suffer skin damage because of overexposure to ultraviolet light.
6.Your first natural defense against sunburn – The sun and sunburn naturally
What you read of in the previous chapter represents your first natural line of defense against sunburn. If you want to keep your vitamin D up at a healthy level, you must go out in the sunshine sometimes, but when you do so, you should stay reasonably well covered up and should not stay outside for too long either.
Similarly, if you are enjoying the pleasures of playing with the family on the beach in the sunshine, caution should always be the watchword.
For example, in most places, the heat (i.e. the ultraviolet radiation because they are the same) is most intense between 11 AM and 4 PM, so if you want to enjoy the feeling of the sun on your back, it is best to do so earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon when radiation from the sun is less intense.
Even when you venture outdoors at times of the day when the sun is less likely to cause skin damage, you should take protective steps (which will be examined later) and you must always be on the lookout for signs of possible sun damage.
For instance, fair skinned people who are unused to exposure to the sun will often show a first ‘flush’ or red tinge indicating that exposure to sunlight is affecting them within less than half an hour even if the sun is not fully ‘up’ or the heat has already gone out of the day.
Remember, every one of us is different so that even when you have two people who might appear as if they should react to the sun in the same way – siblings for example – you can never assume that this is the reality of the situation.
Even close blood relatives react to sunshine in completely different ways which is something that you must always factor into whatever you do to combat the possibility of sunburn occurring.
The bottom line is, your best defense against suffering physical problems caused by exposure to the sun is to limit this exposure by staying indoors.
And you must always err on the side of caution even if you are extremely confident that you and/or your family can deal with the sun without any difficulty, because the stories of sunburn (and sunstroke) victims who have ended up hospitalized after adopting this approach are legion.
Similarly, if you are enjoying the pleasures of playing with the family on the beach in the sunshine, caution should always be the watchword.
For example, in most places, the heat (i.e. the ultraviolet radiation because they are the same) is most intense between 11 AM and 4 PM, so if you want to enjoy the feeling of the sun on your back, it is best to do so earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon when radiation from the sun is less intense.
Even when you venture outdoors at times of the day when the sun is less likely to cause skin damage, you should take protective steps (which will be examined later) and you must always be on the lookout for signs of possible sun damage.
For instance, fair skinned people who are unused to exposure to the sun will often show a first ‘flush’ or red tinge indicating that exposure to sunlight is affecting them within less than half an hour even if the sun is not fully ‘up’ or the heat has already gone out of the day.
Remember, every one of us is different so that even when you have two people who might appear as if they should react to the sun in the same way – siblings for example – you can never assume that this is the reality of the situation.
Even close blood relatives react to sunshine in completely different ways which is something that you must always factor into whatever you do to combat the possibility of sunburn occurring.
The bottom line is, your best defense against suffering physical problems caused by exposure to the sun is to limit this exposure by staying indoors.
And you must always err on the side of caution even if you are extremely confident that you and/or your family can deal with the sun without any difficulty, because the stories of sunburn (and sunstroke) victims who have ended up hospitalized after adopting this approach are legion.
5.What conclusion should be drawn? – The sun and sunburn naturally
Having been presented with both sides of the ‘is sunshine good for you’ argument, I would suggest one thing should be abundantly clear.
Whilst too much exposure to the sun is clearly potentially dangerous, particularly for certain types of people, a lack of exposure to the sun can be equally harmful.
Consequently, the only sensible conclusion that can be drawn from this is that a balance needs to be struck between exposing your body to sunlight and keeping covered up at other times.
Understanding that this balance is necessary is essential if you are going to handle the sun and the potential of suffering sunburn in a sensible but entirely natural way.
You must appreciate that whilst many hours out in the sun stripped to the waist will do wonders for your vitamin D levels, it is also likely to be the precursor to many hours of severe pain and it could possibly trigger a far more serious condition such as melanoma.
Thus, sunshine is something that you need, but not too much of it.
Whilst too much exposure to the sun is clearly potentially dangerous, particularly for certain types of people, a lack of exposure to the sun can be equally harmful.
Consequently, the only sensible conclusion that can be drawn from this is that a balance needs to be struck between exposing your body to sunlight and keeping covered up at other times.
Understanding that this balance is necessary is essential if you are going to handle the sun and the potential of suffering sunburn in a sensible but entirely natural way.
You must appreciate that whilst many hours out in the sun stripped to the waist will do wonders for your vitamin D levels, it is also likely to be the precursor to many hours of severe pain and it could possibly trigger a far more serious condition such as melanoma.
Thus, sunshine is something that you need, but not too much of it.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
4.The Vitamin D argument – The sun and sunburn naturally
Most people are aware that vitamins are essential for good health, and that there are many different types of vitamins which affect different bodily organs and functions.
Whilst we are all familiar with the more common vitamins and where they come from such as the presence of vitamin C in citrus fruits, blueberries and vitamin A in dark green and yellow vegetables, many are less well aware of vitamin D for a few reasons.
The first reason is suggested by the fact that most know that you can get vitamin C from oranges and vitamin A comes from broccoli, but they have no idea what foods vitamin D comes from. Secondly, whilst many people could make a recently educated guess at what the more commonly recognized vitamins do, very few would have any idea about the purposes of vitamin D.
To a large extent therefore, vitamin D is the ‘forgotten vitamin’ in terms of public perception of health and wellness. However, it is in reality an extremely important nutrient that is responsible for many critical medical functions in your metabolism.
For example, because the primary function of this particular vitamin is to promote healthy calcium flow throughout your bloodstream, you are likely to suffer many calcium related problems if vitamin D is not present in sufficient amounts. Such conditions as brittle and misshapen bones are likely to be a result of vitamin D deficiency, whilst there are also indications that a deficiency may play a part in fibromyalgia, immune system weaknesses and so on.
On top of this, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that many people suffer psychological problems or depression as a result of vitamin D deficiency, with most cases of what is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (‘winter depression’ or the ‘winter blues’) being related to a lack of this particular vitamin.
All of this is relevant when considering the positives and negatives of exposure to sunlight (the ‘for’ and ‘against’ as it were) because sunlight is absolutely essential if your body is to be able to process vitamin D properly.
Unlike other vitamins, there are surprisingly few foods from which we can get vitamin D and in every case where we do absorb this vitamin from our foods, it is because the food source has not been able to synthesize the substance property.
For instance, although the richest source of the basic building blocks of vitamin D is fish, these fish only contain these elemental nutrients because they were produced by the algae that they have eaten.
It is important to understand that the basic components of vitamin D are essentially inert, inactive until they are activated in your body. And the primary way that these inert vitamin components are converted into an active nutrient is through the action of sunlight on our skin.
The fact that a significant number of otherwise healthy, happy people suffer depression in the depths of winter when there is no sunlight is evidence of the fact that without sun, we go without vitamin D and perhaps suffer the adverse health effects caused by this deficiency as a result.
Indeed, one of the main forms of treatment for ‘winter blues’ sufferers is through the exposure to artificial (and extremely low powered) ultraviolet light as this is the only way they can make the necessary vitamin D to stave off these blues until the sun comes out again.
This counterargument to the one presented by the ‘skin cancer lobby’ has just as much validity as does the other side of the debate. It is undoubtedly a fact that without sunshine, we are not capable of processing vitamin D effectively and that without it, most people will suffer physical health problems, whilst many will also endure psychological difficulties as well.
Whilst we are all familiar with the more common vitamins and where they come from such as the presence of vitamin C in citrus fruits, blueberries and vitamin A in dark green and yellow vegetables, many are less well aware of vitamin D for a few reasons.
The first reason is suggested by the fact that most know that you can get vitamin C from oranges and vitamin A comes from broccoli, but they have no idea what foods vitamin D comes from. Secondly, whilst many people could make a recently educated guess at what the more commonly recognized vitamins do, very few would have any idea about the purposes of vitamin D.
To a large extent therefore, vitamin D is the ‘forgotten vitamin’ in terms of public perception of health and wellness. However, it is in reality an extremely important nutrient that is responsible for many critical medical functions in your metabolism.
For example, because the primary function of this particular vitamin is to promote healthy calcium flow throughout your bloodstream, you are likely to suffer many calcium related problems if vitamin D is not present in sufficient amounts. Such conditions as brittle and misshapen bones are likely to be a result of vitamin D deficiency, whilst there are also indications that a deficiency may play a part in fibromyalgia, immune system weaknesses and so on.
On top of this, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that many people suffer psychological problems or depression as a result of vitamin D deficiency, with most cases of what is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (‘winter depression’ or the ‘winter blues’) being related to a lack of this particular vitamin.
All of this is relevant when considering the positives and negatives of exposure to sunlight (the ‘for’ and ‘against’ as it were) because sunlight is absolutely essential if your body is to be able to process vitamin D properly.
Unlike other vitamins, there are surprisingly few foods from which we can get vitamin D and in every case where we do absorb this vitamin from our foods, it is because the food source has not been able to synthesize the substance property.
For instance, although the richest source of the basic building blocks of vitamin D is fish, these fish only contain these elemental nutrients because they were produced by the algae that they have eaten.
It is important to understand that the basic components of vitamin D are essentially inert, inactive until they are activated in your body. And the primary way that these inert vitamin components are converted into an active nutrient is through the action of sunlight on our skin.
The fact that a significant number of otherwise healthy, happy people suffer depression in the depths of winter when there is no sunlight is evidence of the fact that without sun, we go without vitamin D and perhaps suffer the adverse health effects caused by this deficiency as a result.
Indeed, one of the main forms of treatment for ‘winter blues’ sufferers is through the exposure to artificial (and extremely low powered) ultraviolet light as this is the only way they can make the necessary vitamin D to stave off these blues until the sun comes out again.
This counterargument to the one presented by the ‘skin cancer lobby’ has just as much validity as does the other side of the debate. It is undoubtedly a fact that without sunshine, we are not capable of processing vitamin D effectively and that without it, most people will suffer physical health problems, whilst many will also endure psychological difficulties as well.
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