Penis Rash Triggers - Four Common Causes of Penile Breakouts

For men with an itchy, red, uncomfortable penis rash, relief can't come quickly enough. The bumps are unsightly, and the niggling itch doesn't seem to abate no matter how much a guy might scratch. Unfortunately, rashes in intimate areas can spring from many sources, and each different rash type may require a slightly different approach to penis care.

A doctor is best qualified to determine the source of the discomfort and provide appropriate relief, but in the interim, learning more about what tends to cause skin eruptions might help. Armed with this knowledge, a man will be in a good position to help his doctor combat the rash and restore the skin to good health.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Of all penis rash causes, STDs are probably the most frightening to contemplate, and men with outbreaks of red bumps often scour their memory banks, trying to remember if they've had sex with an infected partner in the recent past. Condoms can provide protection from some STDs, but some areas of the skin are still exposed even with protection, allowing infectious agents to slip through.

A quick swab at the doctor's office could help to diagnose an STD, and appropriate treatments could keep future breakouts under control. Some types of STDs can be successfully treated with antibiotics or other medical therapies, while other infections remain in the body for decades, and they could be passed on to future partners. That's why a proper diagnosis is so important. By learning the source of the rash, a guy could keep future mates from contracting a contagious disease.

Friction

STDs often top the list of concerns for guys with rashes, but there are several other sources for penis problems, and not all of them carry such severe consequences. For example, men who handle their equipment with a firm, tight and dry grip during intimate moments could abrade their delicate skin cells and erupt in a rash in the hours that follow. Even sex could lead to a rash, if the receptive partner isn't providing adequate lubrication. Rashes like this can sometimes look like those caused by STDs, so it's always important to see a doctor, but friction abrasions do tend to heal with time and TLC.

Allergens

Landry detergents, perfumed soaps and slick body lotions can contain hundreds of ingredients, and even a small amount of a skin allergen could invade the delicate tissue of the penis and cause a ring of rashes to form. Intense itching might follow, and the welts might spread to other parts of the body. Identifying the allergen is vital, as outbreaks like this tend to grow more severe in time, so men will need to avoid the items that cause the welts to rise. Allergy testing can solve the mystery, but in the interim, sticking to products that have none of the following ingredients might be helpful:

• Dyes


• Anti-bacterial agents


• Perfumes


• Deodorants


• Lye

Inadequate Care

An unclean penis that is contaminated with bacteria and dead skin cells could quickly become an infected penis that swells, itches and feels terrible. Antibiotic creams can be vital here, allowing the inflammation to fade and the skin to resume its normal work. In the case of an infection, a doctor's care is generally necessary.

Cleaning with a mild soap and rinsing thoroughly is an excellent method to keep the skin of the penis from rebelling and erupting. A penis health cr癡me (most experts recommend Man 1 Man Oil) might also help to soothe penis skin and help it to resist infection, as it contains both vitamins and emollients that can soften skin and nourish the cells, providing a strong barrier against harmful contaminants. Wearing supportive undergarments that breathe could also be vital, as these items of clothing may discourage bacterial colonies from growing in the dark, humid area around the penis.

Autism Treatment and Seasonal Allergies, Yeast, Regression

Once we transition from winter to spring, I often see children in my practice who suffer from regression. I can share why I think this is happening. As we pass through winter and move into spring, we see a bloom in foliage and flowers and we see an increase in pollen levels in the air. This is true for people all over the country and the world for that matter. Where I live, in Southern California, we often see a quick start of spring and many things are all blooming within a 2 - 3 week time period and we see a steep rise in pollen counts. I see many children with Autism who suffer from seasonal allergies and big sensitivities to pollen. So when allergies flare, we can see these children have problems with itchy eyes, runny nose, cough, etc. And I have seen children also regress because an overgrowth of yeast in their bodies. So why is this happening?

When spring begins, I typically see some children face an increase in yeast which results in specific behaviors that we often see with yeast overgrowth, inappropriate laughter, goofiness, silliness, giddiness, increased self-stimulatory behaviors and very high sensory needs. Children can begin exhibiting many types of odd behavior in spring resulting from this rise in yeast which is secondary to the issue with seasonal allergies. I believe that our immune system works to keep the yeast at bay, once our body is exposed to additional allergens like pollen, our immune system shifts to focus on that rather than the yeast. The yeast begins to thrive since the immune system is more focused on addressing the allergies. I have seen this pattern many times so I believe this to be happening, although determining whether this is the exact mechanism is difficult to analyze.

If you see regression in your child, and specifically as the seasons shift from winter to spring, there could be an underlying allergy and yeast connection. And you may see these changes during anytime the pollen counts get high in your region. If you do witness a regression that occurs with seasonal changes, you can explore blood testing, like with an IgE test to confirm or you can try over the counter medications to help. Non-drowsy Claritin or other variations can be helpful. But you also should realize that this may indicate an underlying problem with yeast. Other testing can be very useful such as an Organic Acid Test which looks at yeast markers. I use this test frequently to give me an indication of what type of a yeast problem we have and how prevalent it is. So if you are noticing regression in the springtime and seeing behavioral changes, you may be seeing indications of an underlying yeast problem as a result of the seasonal allergens.

Allergy Testing - Explanation of The Different Methods

Allergy testing may be recommended by your physician for several reasons:

-Your medication is no longer alleviating your symptoms.

-You have experienced a severe reaction that requires knowing its exact cause.

-Your allergy symptoms are worsening over time.

-Simply want to know what allergens to avoid.

Allergy testing is a fairly basic procedure that is completed within the doctor's office, with almost immediate results. Most patients opt for one of three basic skin tests since they are faster, easier, more accurate and less expensive than a blood test to determine what allergens affect you the most.

The Skin Prick is the most common of all the allergy tests used. It involves dipping a set of 5-10 needles into a solution of individual allergens, then pressed into the skin (usually on the back) to see if any reactions occur. The entire test takes less than 20 minutes and is considered highly accurate. Once the solution has been allowed to seep under the skin, a physician will check the area for redness, bumps, hives, or any other type of allergic reaction. Since most patients will undergo as many as 100 of these pricks during the testing, some itchiness may occur at the affected sites, but can be alleviated after the test is done with a basic antihistamine or other prescription drug offered by the physician.

The skin prick test can be used to detect airborne allergens; food allergies and to determine what medications a patient may be allergic too before prescribing certain drugs. An intradermal test may be required if the skin prick test comes out negative to suspected allergens, yet symptoms continue. This test requires actually injecting a small amount of allergen serum into the skin to see if a reaction occurs. This is usually only done to verify a few allergies.

The skin patch is primarily used to determine a skin allergy called contact dermatitis. This test involved soaking a prepared patch in allergen solution, then placing it on the skin for 24-72 hours.

In the event a patient can not undergo any of the skin tests to determine allergies due to medications that may alter the findings or a severe case of eczema which would make it difficult to see any reaction form the testing, a radioallergosorbent (RAST) blood test may be ordered. Although is can detect allergies by measuring immunoglobin E and lgE levels produced in people with allergies and asthma, the RAST test is not as sensitive as the skin testing available and is reserved for patients who can not undergo skin testing or who has tested positive to too many foods that a more detailed test is required.

Being tested for allergies is fairly simple and very accurate, allowing both patients and their physicians to see exactly what allergens are causing distress in order to best treat the patients symptoms and sometimes even alleviating the need for ongoing medications.

Relief For Dry, Itchy Eczema May Come From Chinese Healing Herbs

If you deal with the itching and burning of eczema you know all too well how uncomfortable it is. However, a solution may be found in the form of Chinese healing herbs.

Three new studies, presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, suggest that traditional Chinese herbal treatments might be helpful for both children and adults.

Eczema is the name used for a broad range of skin inflammation (dermatitis) and can happen at any age, though its most common in infants. By three years old eczema will disappear in half of infants, the others are stuck with the troublesome condition for life.

Up to 20% of children and from 1-2% of adults are thought to have this very uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing skin problem.

No one knows exactly what causes it, though an issue with the immune system could well be to blame... especially in the case of atopic dermatitis

A different form of eczema, known as contact dermatitis can be caused when the skin comes into contact with something in the environment like soap, clothing, detergent, cosmetics or jewelry (even sweat) that causes a reaction from the skin.

Eczema has also been known to flare because of changes in temperature or humidity, or even psychological stress.

When it comes to treatment, a doctor looks at the patient's age, overall health and type of eczema involved. Creams and ointments are often used to keep the skin hydrated, avoiding over bathing and making other lifestyle changes to stay away from triggers are also important to keeping this condition under control.

There are over the counter antihistamines that can be used to control the itch. Sometimes a short course of oral corticosteroids is used to manage an acute outbreak.

A pair of topical medications have been approved by the U.S. FDA: tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus (Elidel). However, an FDA warning in 2005 about these drugs cited animal studies that linked them to some types of cancer. Because of this, your doctor will use these medications only as a second line therapy - after getting no response from other forms of treatment. Even if you are given these medications, you'll only take them for a short time.

Perhaps because of the need for relief not achieved from traditional treatments, as many as 30% of those with eczema have been prescribed traditional Chinese medication, though there are still questions about whether this non-western approach works, and is safe.

In an effort to address these concerns, researcher Julia Wisniewski, MD, of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York studied 14 children who had persistent eczema and were treated with traditional Chinese medicine between August 2006 and May 2008.

All the children drank Erka Shizheng Herbal Tea two times a day, soaked in an herbal bath for at least 20 minutes, and applied an herbal cream to their skin several times a day.

They also had acupuncture treatments. At the beginning of the study, more than half of the children had severe symptoms; after 8 months of this regime, most had mild symptoms. Participants also needed less medication (steroids, antibiotics and antihistamines) after only three months of being treated.

The herbal treatments were safe, and caused no abnormal liver or kidney function.

When it comes to adult eczema, a team of Japanese researchers found that grown ups can also benefit from traditional Chinese medicine.

This work involved 274 men and women who had dealt with eczema for an average of 12 years. About a third had symptoms that were classified as severe or very severe, with patches of chronically dry, itchy, inflamed skin over about ten percent of the body.

After three to four months of treatment with herbal remedies that had been selected and administered based on the subject's symptoms, 87% of the subjects were symptom free. Another 12% were very much improved. One patient in the study had mild abnormalities in liver function that resolved by stopping the herbal therapy.

The third study was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Cincinnati who tried to find risk factors for developing childhood eczema by following 636 infants of parents with allergies.

By age 4, babies with parents who had eczema had double the risk of having the skin condition than did other infants. Babies who tested positive for egg allergies (a fairly well known link to eczema) at age 1, were four times more likely to have eczema at four years old.

Those who tested positive for cat allergies (and had a cat) at age 1, 2 or 3, were more than 13 times more likely to have eczema by age 4 than other children. Pollen was also shown to be a risk factor for eczema - children who tested positive for elm allergies at age 1, 2 or 3 had about three times the chance of having eczema by age four.

So if your little one has eczema and is around a cat (dogs seem to offer a protective effect) or you live in a wooded area, you may want to consider allergy testing.

In all areas, while more work is needed, these three studies offer encouraging results and suggest if you suffer with eczema, or know someone who does, then there may be answers for them in Chinese healing herbs or TCM.

Fifteen Tips to an Allergy Free Season

After dealing with vertigo for years and finally seeing an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor, I discovered my problem was mostly related to allergies. The rigorous tests the doctor performed included a balance test, an Electronystagmography, which is a test to look at voluntary and involuntary eye movements. It evaluates the acoustic nerve, which aids with hearing and balance. I also had the usual round of allergy testing.

My doctor didn't discover or uncover anything drastic, but now that I know vertigo is related to allergies, when the dizziness sets in, I break out my sinus and allergy medications. The bouts of vertigo have drastically reduced in number and severity.

Allergies affect most of us. Some deal with the runny nose, sneezes and watery eyes. While others of us experience the unsteadiness that vertigo brings. Whatever the symptom, following these tips will help us in our move towards an allergy free season.

To control pollens and molds avoid:

o Humidifiers -humidity promotes the growth of mold.
o Wall paper and carpets in bathrooms - mold can grow under them.
o Mowing the law

In your homes and automobiles:

o Ventilate bathrooms, basements and other dark, moist places where mold can grow.
o Use air conditioning: it removes excess air moisture, filters out pollen from the outside and provides good airflow and circulation throughout your home. Change filters monthly.
o Drive with the air conditioner on
o Keep house doors and windows shut during pollen season.

To control animal dander:

o When pets must be inside, don't let your pets sleep in the same room with you.
o Bathe pets and wash pet bedding at least once weekly to remove dander and collected pollens.
o Use a high-efficiency particulate air filter in the bedroom.

To avoid and/or control dust mites:

o Don't use ceiling fans, this stirs and spreads the dust.
o Dust and vacuum weekly
o Remove wall-to-wall carpeting in the bedroom.
o Cover mattresses and pillows with allergy-proof cases to stop the invisible dust mite allergens.
o Wash bedding in hot water each week to kill the microscopic mites.

Nootropic: Idebenone

Introduction

Just what is Idebenone? Those of you who have inquired into this compound will see that the internet is awash with all manner of bizarre and fascinating claims; a more advanced version of coq10 is a common claim, a more biologically available version of coq10 another - one site even purports (not a surprise since they sell just coq10) that idebenone is a synthetic, Indian chemical totally unrelated to coq10 and intrinsically dangerous. Confused? Smartnootropics to the rescue.

Mechanism

Idebenone is a short-chain quinone in comparison to coq10 a long chain quinone and as such possesses both superior bioavailability and a faster peak plasma concentration profile. Idebenone is a potent antioxidant which is currently being investigated for its therapeutic role in neuromuscular disorders and unlike coq10 has demonstrated an ability to renew cellular ATP levels in abnormal conditions through cytosolic-mitochondrial shuttling. Idebenone also increased learning and memory in mice studies and has been claimed to activate NGF in the human brain. Finally Idebenone has been shown to uprate the production of the life-extending enzyme: superoxide dismutase in specific cortical regions.

Uses

• May benefit neuromuscular disorders


• Improves memory and learning and may increase brain dopamine levels


• Has been indicated to accelerate the turn over of the neurotransmitter serotonin.


• Powerful antioxidant


• May improve age related mitochondrial decline


• Increases production of superoxide dismutase

Issues

At high doses idebenone has demonstrated an ability to cause cellular death via genomic DNA fragmentation, however the study dose would be near impossible to match in-vivo and lower doses exhibited no such toxicity. Idebenone has also been theorised to stimulate oxygen radical production in mitochondrial electron transport and some now label it a "pro-oxidant" capable of accelerating the aging process - it is unclear whether its antioxidant profile and production of superoxide dismutase are sufficient to counteract this process or whether an additional antioxidant (ALA) could sufficiently nullify idebenone's pro-oxidant capacity.

Dosage

Idebenone is well tolerated and doses range from a mere 70mg up to 200mg or greater. As always one should err on the side of caution and begin with an allergy test.

Experience

I cannot comment on Idebenone's antioxidant capacity. From a single 150mg dose daily for a week I experienced a noticeable increase in energy and positivity I would normally associate with an uprating of the neurotransmitter serotonin. No side effects were noted. Due to the possible pro-oxidant nature of this chemical I intend to suspend further testing until more research has been completed.

Our Modern Epidemic of Autism, ADHD and Behavioral Problems

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, has made it official the CDC now reports that 1 in 100 children are autistic. A study conducted by the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) found a staggering 1 in 63 children were reported to be autistic and the rate climbed to 1 in 38 if the child was a boy! Even more frightening is that 1 in 6 infants have developmental delays. The rate of ADHD has now reached levels of 1 in 10 children; this can be easily verified by talking with most elementary school teachers. Why is this epidemic exploding within our modern society? More importantly what can be done that is safe and effective to help these children? It is vital that parents are provided an understanding of these disorders, what affects the health of their child's brain and metabolically what can be done to restore health.

One approach that is gaining ground is biomedical care for children with autism, ADHD, OCD and behavioral problems. Biomedical care for these disorders is a science-based, metabolic approach to treatment. Everyone is now agreed that psychotropic drugs do not treat the problem; they simply reduce or suppress some of the symptoms. It would seem that a better choice is to address the underlying metabolic issues and health problems in these disorders. The primary guiding principle then is simple: remove what is causing harm, and add what is missing!

Research is now demonstrating that children with these disorders often have an exaggerated response to specific foods, airborne allergens, toxic chemicals and metals in our environment. It is well documented that they often lack various nutrients, enzymes, anti-oxidants, and essential fatty acids, and that they require methylation support. The combination of these factors leads to or aggravates neuroimmune dysfunction causing low-grade inflammation in affected brain tissues. This state of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in the brain causes the nerve cells to not communicate properly with one another. These disorders have aptly been called disconnection syndromes, one area the brain is not communicating well with other areas leading to symptoms in cognition, emotion and behavior.

A partial outline of possible biomedical care for a child with one of these disorders:

1st: Laboratory tests through blood, urine and stool are performed to rule out any frank pathology and provide vital clues on what road to take for real healing.

2nd:The diet is improved along with specific dietary restrictions. A primary dietary goal may be a casein and gluten-free diet, along with removal of sugar, preservatives, and food additives.

3rd: Specific laboratory IgG food allergy testing may be performed to identify other food allergies that could be leading to brain inflammation, and then remove these foods from the diet.

4th: It is vital to identify any problems with maldigestion, malabsorption, and dysbiosis through specific laboratory tests such as comprehensive stool analysis. Then improve GI function by overcoming any dysbiosis and leaky gut problems, a primary source for chronic inflammation in these disorders.

5th: At this point specific supportive nutrients for autism and ADHD are added, depending on what has been found on history, exam and clinical lab.

6th: Support methylation and sulfoxidation-sulfation inadequacies and other cellular detoxification pathways

7th: Chelation of heavy metals can have marked benefit once all other factors have been addressed.