Health and Wellness

A patch a day? Why the vitamin skin patches appearing on social media may not be for you

Published

8 months ago

March 16, 2024

IAM

There are vitamin patches social media trends and advertised in posts and podcasts.

Patches marketed to enhance sleep, detoxing, immunity and hangovers are said to be magic stickers that fix all the pieces. Manufacturers claim they’re easy to make use of, convenient and ethical in comparison with other sorts of vitamin products. Some even come beautiful floral patterns.

So do they work, are they secure and why should you use them as a substitute of just taking vitamin pills?

What are vitamin patches?

Vitamin patches are adhesives designed to deliver vitamins or nutrients into the bloodstream directly through the skin.

You have to peel off the protective layer, place it on a hairless area of skin where it’s less more likely to be impacted, after which the patches release the vitamins over 12 to 24 hours.

Two dominant ones brands This market in Australia they sell patches containing various chemical and plant ingredients.

There are fixes for menopause symptoms which claim to contain plant extracts from gotu kola, damiana, black cohosh, valerian, skullcap, oat seeds and ginger. Patches promising energy shot they provide caffeine, taurine, gluconolactone, green tea extract and vitamins B3, B5 and B6.

Do they work and are they secure?

In Australia, vitamins are considered pharmaceutical products and are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Agency. Vitamins are generally approved as listed drugs, which suggests the ingredients have been evaluated for safety but not effectiveness (no matter whether or not they live as much as their guarantees).

Being a listed drug also implies that the vitamins are manufactured in a factory good manufacturing practicesso you can be sure that the ingredients listed on the packaging come from the right sources and are provided in the right concentration.

However, there are not any products listed as vitamin patches on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. This implies that they currently cannot be legally supplied or purchased in Australia. It does not matter whether or not they are sold in a stationary store or online inside the country. The TGA won’t do that make it unimaginable to purchase them abroadbut they advise you not to do it because you cannot be sure about the quality and safety.

Vitamins and supplements listed on the TGA list are produced in factories with rigorous quality standards.
Shutterstock

There can also be insufficient evidence that vitamins delivered this manner work. Not all drugs and chemicals can penetrate the skin. Typically, a chemical must be absorbed before it will probably be absorbed into the skin lipophilicwhich suggests it prefers fats and oils to water.

Therefore, the form by which the vitamins are produced and delivered will determine whether or not they reach the skin. For example, a water extract of the plant is less absorbed in comparison with an oil-based extract.

A small study from 2019 patients prone to dietary deficiencies after bariatric (weight reduction) surgery, a few of them used a day by day multivitamin patch for a 12 months. These patients had lower blood concentrations of several vitamins and were at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency in comparison with patients receiving oral vitamins. The study concluded that transdermal vitamin patches are not as effective as oral supplements.

Another problem with vitamin patches is that they contain very low concentrations of the ingredients, so the dose may be ineffective even when all of the vitamin in the patch is 100% absorbed into the skin.

For example, one particular patch advertised for immunity states that it accommodates 3 milligrams of vitamin C, which might be not enough if used as a complement to a food regimen low in vitamin C. The so-called scurvy This is assumed to occur when day by day vitamin C intake falls below 7 milligrams per day.

However, a typical vitamin C tablet accommodates 500 milligrams. The advisable day by day intake of vitamin C is approx 45 milligrams per day – more if a woman is breastfeeding.

the person puts a transparent spot on the skin of the arm — Nicotine patches work by providing a long-lasting release of medication into the skin.
Shutterstock

Why not just take a tablet?

When other medications are provided as patches, it is often because the body needs a constant supply of the medication; consider replacing nicotine patches with smoking, hormone therapy during menopause and a few types analgesic.

There’s no reason you need the slow, regular delivery of vitamins that patches promise – but there may be other reasons to decide on them over tablets and gummies.

One selling point utilized by marketers is that the patches are a “purer” type of vitamins. Vitamin tablets or jellies will contain inactive ingredients called Excipients. Excipients in medicines perform a number of tasks, from binding ingredients together, making the medicine look and smell nice, to making sure that the medicine does not break down during storage. It is assumed that the patches do not contain or release any or only a few excipients into the body.

However, many patches do not list all the ingredients – only the energetic vitamins – so this claim cannot be verified. Some patches may still contain a large variety of excipients, a few of which may irritate the skin.

For example, one kind nicotine patches accommodates 12 excipients, including acrylic acid and vinyl acetate, that are chemicals that help the patch stick with the skin.

The patch may be price trying out for individuals who have trouble swallowing or chewing. In this case it could be It’s hard to take a solid pill or gummy to get vitamins.

Is it price buying?

As there are not any TGA approved vitamin patches in Australia, you should not buy them.

If these are included in the future list of medicines, please be aware that they may not have been evaluated for effectiveness.

If you’re still excited about vitamin patches, you should discuss them along with your doctor or local pharmacist.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com

Health and Wellness

Ant stings can be painful. Here’s how to avoid getting stung this summer (and what to do if it happens)

Published

3 hours ago

November 22, 2024

IAM

The starting of summer is just a couple of days away, and plenty of of us will be looking forward to long, sunny days spent on the beach, by the pool, camping or having a picnic within the park.

Insects love summer too. Most of them right then grow and feed. However, this shared appreciation of the season can sometimes lead to conflict.

Insects have long been preyed upon by many species, including birds, mammals, amphibians, and other insects. Accordingly, quite a lot of defense mechanisms have evolved – perhaps none more familiar to humans than the sting.

Many ants have a stinger on their rear end which they use to deliver venom. It will not be the sting itself that causes pain, but relatively venom. Ant venom accommodates a mix of various chemicals, a few of which have evolved specifically to manipulate the nerve endings in our skin to cause pain.

Let’s take a have a look at the several ant stings chances are you’ll experience this summer in Australia and how to respond.

Bull ants

Bull ants (also often called bulldog ants, jumper ants, or jumper ants) are large for an ant. Some species can grow to length 4 centimeters. They are easily identified by their large eyes, long mandibles (jaws), and aggressive nature.

Their sting is immediate, hot, sharp and unambiguous, similar to that of a honey bee. The intense pain will only last a couple of minutes before being replaced by redness and swelling across the sting site.

There are many differing kinds of bull ants in Australia.
Sam Robinson

Green-headed ants

Green-headed ants are also called green ants (but not to be confused with green ants). green tree ants northern Australia, which do not sting). Green-headed ants are common and love our lawns.

About Length 6 millimetersthey’re much smaller than bull ants. They can be recognized by their shiny green-purple exoskeleton.

Green-headed ants are frequently less aggressive than bull ants, but they can still deliver a big sting. The pain from a green ant sting can construct up step by step and cause intense, sticky pain.

Fire ants

Fire ants (or imported red fire ants) are native to South America. They were detected first in Brisbane in 2001it probably moved in containers and has since spread across south-east Queensland.

Fire ants are reddish brown and black and range in size from Length 2–6 millimeters.

You will almost certainly encounter fire ants of their nests, which appear like a pile of loose dirt. A hearth ant nest has no obvious entrance, which is way to distinguish it from other similar ant nests.

Disturbing a hearth ant nest will awaken an offended mass of a whole bunch of ants and expose you to being stung.

The initial pain from a single sting seems like an intense, hot itch, although it can be controlled. However, fire ant stings rarely occur in the only digits. One ant can sting multiple times, and plenty of ants can sting one person, which can lead to a whole bunch of stings. A hearth ant sting can cause pus-filled ulcers and scarring in the next days.

If you reside in an area where fire ants are present, it’s price taking a couple of minutes to learn how to do this recognize and report their.

Electric ants

Electric ants is one other nasty random import, coming from Central and South America. Currently limited to Cairns and surroundingsthese are tiny (1.5 millimeters long) yellow ants.

Like fire ants, these ants are frequently defensive, so lots of them will sting without delay. Their sting is more painful than you’ll expect from such a tiny creature. I compare it to being showered with red, hot sparks.

If you think that you see electric ants, please report it Biosecurity in Queensland.

Australian ants should not the worst

You may be surprised to hear that Australian ants don’t even make it to the rostrum when it comes to essentially the most painful ant stings. The winners include: harvester ants (North and South America), which cause severe, sticky pain, comparable to a drill slowly rotating in a muscle – for up to 12 hours.

The gold medal goes to the sting of the South and Central American bullet ant, which has been described How:

Pure, intense, sensible pain. It’s like walking on burning charcoal with a 3-inch nail stuck in your heel.

How to avoid getting stung (and what to do if you do)

Fortunately, the answer is frequently quite simple. Look around before you sit on the bottom or unfolded a picnic blanket, avoiding places where you see ant nests or a lot of foraging ants.

The selection of footwear might also be necessary. In my experience, most stings occur on the feet of those wearing thongs.

If you get stung, generally the situation will improve by itself. The pain often subsides after a couple of minutes (sometimes slightly longer within the case of a green ant sting). The redness, swelling and itching that sometimes follows may last for several days.

In the meantime, if mandatory, ice pack it will help with the pain. If it’s particularly bad, a topical numbing cream containing lidocaine may provide temporary relief. You can get it over-the-counter at a pharmacy.

A small proportion of individuals may experience an allergic response to ant stings. In very severe cases this may include respiratory problems or ingestion. If you or a loved one experiences these symptoms after an ant sting, you need to seek urgent medical attention.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com

Health and Wellness

Health matters: WNBA star Napheesa Collier on her commitment to women’s reproductive health

Published

9 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Minnesota lynx

Napheesa Collier will not be only a WNBA superstar for the Minnesota Lynx and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, but additionally the mother of her daughter Mila and an advocate for women’s reproductive health rights.

It recently decided to partner with Opill®, the primary and only every day contraceptive pill available over-the-counter within the United States. This breakthrough represents a major step forward in women’s health care by providing a convenient and accessible contraceptive option. With Opill, women not need to visit health care facilities for prescriptions, making it easier than ever to take control of their reproductive health.

The collaboration relies on Opill®’s long-standing partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). “One of the reasons Opill® partnered with the WNBA is the great passion of players who use their platform to support causes they believe in,” said Leila Bahbah, leading women’s health brand at Perrigo within the US. “Napheesa exudes this passion, and together we plan to educate and empower people to take control of their reproductive health.”

Collier advocates for girls and says she is willing to have conversations, even in the event that they are difficult. “I just truly believe in everything they do at Opill®. I believe it’s important to talk to people who may become pregnant and to women about the reproductive health and contraceptive options available to them,” Collier tells ESSENCE.

He continues: “I want people to know that if they want contraception, Opill® is a great option. It is the first over-the-counter drug approved by the FDA. It is inexpensive, available. You don’t need a prescription to get it. I think that’s a key thing in today’s climate.”

Collier notes that within the off-season, he tries to travel to various colleges to talk to students about their reproductive freedoms. “Talking about this topic is essential to remove the stigma as it should not be considered a shameful topic or something that should not be discussed openly. My mother was a nurse, so it was casual to talk about it in our house, and I want to pass it on to other people too, so I’m very excited about it,” she says.

In the present political climate, many ladies with daughters are concerned about their future and reproductive health. Collier, included. “Especially because I am the mother of a young girl, it is very important to me to be able to raise her in an atmosphere where she knows her reproductive rights and health, that she has access to affordable health care and contraception if she wants it and that she can ask me these questions and have open conversations.”

Collier continues: “It’s back to education. Again, I think it’s harmful that we can’t have open conversations about birth control and other issues that are usually taboo. I think it’s harmful. I think this does a lot of harm to women. It hurts. This is harmful to our society. Being able to talk about these issues and empowering women to learn about their rights and bodies creates a safer and healthier society.”

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com

Health and Wellness

Yes, despite what you’ve heard on TikTok, you still need to use sunscreen

Published

10 hours ago

November 21, 2024

IAM

Summer is nearly here. But as an alternative of using sunscreen, some TikTokers just do that encouraging followers throw it away and forgo sunscreen.

They argue that it’s healthier to forgo sunscreen to get the complete advantages of the sun.

Here’s what the science really says.

How does sunscreen work?

Due to the acute UV environment in Australia, most individuals with pale to olive skin or other risk aspects for skin cancer must accomplish that protect yourself. Applying sunscreen is a key approach to protecting areas that aren’t easily covered by clothing.

Sunscreens work by absorbing or scattering UV rays before they reach the skin and damage DNA or supporting structures corresponding to collagen.

In this photo I (Katie) apply sunscreen only to the appropriate side of my face. Sunscreens absorb and scatter UV light (right side), although it can’t be seen with the naked eye (left side). The photo on the appropriate also shows where sun spots (dark spots) accumulate on my skin and where I do not care to apply sunscreen evenly – under the attention, on the cheek and completely missing the ear.
The creator provided/UQ

When UV molecules hit DNA, the surplus energy can damage our DNA. This damage might be repaired, but when the cell divides before the error is repaired, it causes a mutation that may lead to skin cancer.

The energy of the UV particle (photon) causes the DNA strands to break and reconnect incorrectly. This causes a tumor within the DNA strand, which makes accurate copying difficult and might introduce mutations.
NASA/David Herring

The most typical skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Melanoma is less common but most definitely spreads throughout the body; this process known as metastasis.

Two against three At least the Australians will one skin cancer during their lives they usually reconcile 80% all cancers in Australia.

About 99% of skin cancers in Australia are attributable to overexposure to UV radiation.

Excessive exposure to UV radiation also affects the looks of the skin. UVA rays are able to penetrate deep into the skin, where they break down supporting structures corresponding to elastin and collagen.

This causes signs premature agingcorresponding to deep wrinkles, brown or white spots and broken capillaries.

Sunscreen may also help prevent skin cancer

Consistently used sunscreen reduces the danger of skin cancer and slows skin aging.

In Queensland studyparticipants either used sunscreen day by day for nearly five years or continued their usual use.

After five years, the danger of squamous cell cancer was reduced within the day by day group 40% compared to the second group.

Ten years later, the danger of developing invasive melanoma was reduced within the group of individuals taking the drug day by day 73%

Do sunscreens block the health-promoting properties of sunlight?

The answer is a little more complicated and involves a personalised risk-benefit trade-off.

First, the excellent news: spending time within the sun has many health advantages don’t rely under the influence of UV radiation and aren’t affected by the use of sunscreens.

A woman applies sunscreen — Sunscreens only filter out UV rays, not all light.
Ron Lach/Pexels

Sunscreens only filter UV rays, not visible light or infrared light (which we feel as heat). Importantly, a number of the advantages of sunlight are obtained through Eyes.

Visible light improves mood and regulates and possibly reduces circadian rhythm (which influences the sleep-wake cycle). myopia (myopia) in children.

Infrared light is being researched as a treatment for several conditions skin, neurological, psychiatric AND autoimmune disorders.

So what is the good thing about exposing your skin to UV radiation?

Sun exposure produces vitamin D, which is crucial for healthy bones and muscles.

Vitamin D deficiency is surprisingly common amongst Australians, peaking in Victoria at 49% in winter and lowest in Queensland at 6% in summer.

Fortunately, individuals who deal with sun protection can avoid vitamin D deficiency taking a complement.

Skin exposure to UV radiation could have advantages independent of vitamin D production, but these haven’t been proven. It may reduce the danger of autoimmune diseases corresponding to multiple sclerosis or cause the discharge of a chemical that may lower blood pressure. However, there aren’t enough details about these advantages to say whether sunscreen can be an issue.

What does this mean for you?

Exposure of the skin to UV radiation may provide some advantages that could be blunted by sunscreens. This determines whether it’s value giving up these advantages to avoid skin cancer how susceptible you have skin cancer.

If you have pale skin or other aspects that increase your risk of skin cancer, try to use sunscreen day by day on all days when the forecast UV index reaches 3.

If you have darker skin that rarely or never burns, you might want to skip using sunscreen on daily basis – although you’ll still need protection when you’re outdoors for prolonged periods of time.

For now, the balance of evidence suggests that it is healthier for people susceptible to skin cancer to proceed using sunscreen, supplementing with vitamin D as needed.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com