Pregnancy and How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks

Perhaps before we begin to consider the question of how to get rid of stretch marks we should gain some understanding of just what they are and what causes them to appear. Then we can consider appropriate treatments.

Today, something like 90% of women are prone to these problems arising during the course of their pregnancy.

Pregnancy is not the only cause of them on your skin. They can also be due to puberty or obesity, however this article will focus primarily on pregnancy stretch marks arising when your abdomen gets stretched suddenly and loses its elasticity. This gives rise to fine lines appearing on your skin. They can appear anywhere - on your stomach, thighs, breasts, or on your buttocks. The distension of your breasts causing them usually appears during pregnancy because during this period the breasts become enlarged and heavier.

In the early stages these stretch marks appear as red or purple in color but with time these lines fade and turn whitish, irrespective of whether they are treated or not. They have their origins in the middle layer of our skin from which our skin receives nourishment.

There are many treatments available for removing these like laser treatment, lotions and dermabrasion or chemical peel. But do realize that pregnancy stretch marks are not at all harmful and fortunately they can be treated easily with some very safe home-made formulations. These also include some very effective herbal recipes.

First and foremost though, you should attend to the basics. Start by drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day so as to hydrate the skin. Also avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee and cola as much as possible, as these can result in an undue amount of fluid being flushed from the body.

Ensure you get plenty of fresh air and exercise and eat fiber rich meals such as fish and nuts which include zinc; and foods rich in Vitamins A, C and D such as carrots and milk. Your meals should also include liberal portions of green leafy vegetables and fruits.

A good friend of mine had no idea where to start when it came to getting rid of her stretch marks.
But she soon had the problem solved after acquiring a quite remarkable publication she'd found on the net. This showed her how to solve her problem using nothing more than common everyday household ingredients - which if not found in the kitchen cupboard can be easily obtained from your local supermarket or health food store.

She'd heard about many of the common herbal treatments which included daily massage with the likes of cocoa butter, olive oil, wheat germ oil and so on. But this took things to another level altogether. As she explained to me .. "This was just something else".

Besides these herbal stretch mark treatments, there are many lotions for pregnancy stretch mark removal. These creams contain vitamin C and vitamin E, which moisturizes your skin. Again - while not completely eliminating them these can also be used effectively to fade the appearance of lines.

Laser surgery is of course an option, if you are seeking how to get rid of them completely. Today, technology relating to laser surgery has advanced and has resulted in dermabrasion, an effective way of getting rid of unwanted ugly stretch marks. But it should be noted that such treatment does not come cheap. In the first instance you might like to take a look at the other alternatives.

Dale Calder  hails from Auckland, the City of Sails, New Zealand and all of his adult life he has had a strong interest in all aspects of holistic health, especially focusing on natural herbal remedies and recipes.By Dale Calder

How to Cure or Alleviate Edema, Including Lymphedema

By edema excessive fluid gather in body parts or greater areas of the body, making the areas swollen. Edema is most often a problem in the legs, but can occur anywhere in the body.

There are several types of edema, and many cases are also a mixture of more than one type. By lymphedema the drainage from the tissues through the lymph vessels are impaired or excessive fluid goes through the blood capillary walls into the spaces between the cells in a tissue. Edema can also occur because of poor drainage of blood through the veins towards the heart. Edema can further be caused by general accumulation of excessive fluid in the body.

The causes of edema are many. Edema is a symptom by most inflammations. Insufficient heart action by congestive heart failure can cause edema. A too high intake of salt can cause general water retention in the body. Sitting and standing long in the same position can cause edema in the lower limbs. A still sitting life without exercise can cause or aggravate edema.

Insufficiencies of the liver or kidneys can cause fluid retention and thereby edema. Edema can be a side effect of antihypertensive drugs, steroids surgery and radiation therapy. Further causes of different types of edema are varicose veins, cancer, hypothyroidism, blood clots, constipation and physical injuries.

To treat edema, it is important to treat the underlying disease or injury. However, medical treatment does not always cure the underlying condition or the cause is wholly or partially lifestyle aspects. Therefore various measures targeted directly against the edema are useful. These are presented here:

Pharmacological treatments: The physician will sometimes prescribe diuretics to reduce fluid retention in the body and thereby reduce edema. This treatment should however be used for serious edema or edema persistent when other measures do not work.

Salt intake restriction: Restriction of salt intake is an important measure by edema. People suffering from edema should avoid adding great amount of salt into their food or consume preprocessed food with a salty taste.

Diet: A good general diet that alleviates chronic inflammation is useful. The diet should especially contain enough sources of omega-3-fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, like: Fat fish, seafood, flax oil, olive oil, almonds, rape oil and canola oil. Also vegetables and fruit in a natural shape are useful.

Avoiding constipation: Constipation should be treated, since a stomach engorged by excessive content can cause impairment of fluid circulation.

Variation of corporeal position: You should avoid sitting or standing still a long time during the day. When sitting during work or rest, you should change position with regular intervals.

Exercise: Every day you should have some exercise adjusted to your health condition. This could be walking, cycling, swimming, running or any other sport activity where you use greater parts of your body. Doing regular stretching exercises or yoga is useful. By severe edema special therapeutic exercises should be prescribed by a professional.

High position of limb: When you are sleeping or resting the swollen body parts can be placed in an elevated position by means of pillows, pads or by resting in an adjustable bed or chair.

Massage: By minor edema yourself, your spouse or a friend can massage the affected body part to alleviate the edema. The massage should be done in the direction of natural flow of blood and lymph that is towards the heart. You should however avoid massaging distinctly injured or distinctly inflamed body parts. By severe edema a professional massager should be engaged to perform the massage type called "manual lymphatic drainage".

Elastic bandaging: You can use elastic gloves, stockings, tapes or bandages around the swollen body parts during the day or during physical activities after instruction from a professional person.

Inflatable garments: There are inflatable garments to be found that can be used around the engorged body parts some times of the day. Also these should be used after professional instruction.

Sequential gradient pump therapy: One can get special electric pumps connected to inflatable garments. The pump inflates and deflates the garments repeatedly. Each garment has several rooms that are inflated sequentially in the direction of the natural fluid stream towards the heart. In this way the fluid is dynamically pumped the right way out of the engorged body part. This type of therapy is used in professional settings or at home after instruction from a professional.