Health News and Information

So far we have not followed the usual medical idea of listing each skin complaint as a specific condition for which specific methods of treatment have to be applied. Rather, we have taken the view, common to Nature Cure, that the system is either functioning normally, as in health, or not, as in impaired health. This is particularly true in relation to the skin. The ideal to aim at is a healthy skin, because when that has been achieved we shall have normal functioning, which is the reverse of disease. It does not matter very much what particular form the departure from this condition may take; to return to full health is the point we need to have in mind.But in order to give an idea of the various forms in which skin diseases may express themselves we give below a brief description of some of the commoner ones. No attempt will be made to cover them all in detail; the very fact that well over a hundred are dealt with in some of the larger text-books on the subject will show how difficult that would be from the standpoint of space -and how unnecessary it would be from the standpoint of Nature Cure.
AbscessThis may sometimes form in the tissues of the skin but is generally a complication following acne, eczema, or some such condition.
AcneAn inflammatory condition of the sebaceous glands and the hair follicles usually found on the face, the neck and the shoulders. The eruption may go through several different stages, from that of a roughened skin to the actual pus spot which forms and bursts. Those who are interested in the details of these changes are able to classify the different kinds of changes which the disease may take in different patients, but there is no reason why we should, from our point of view, enter into any such a complication.
Bromidrosis This is the term sometimes used to describe offensive perspiration. It may be the result of some bodily derangement, or, on the other hand, it may be the result of taking some kind of drug. Drugs are eliminated by way of the skin and may affect both the odour and the colour of the perspiration. Cases have been seen where it has been highly coloured, yellow, green, red, blue or purple.
BoilsBoils may form in the skin and the adjacent tissues. They are very painful conditions which should receive urgent attention, both locally and constitutionally. Careful regulation of the diet is required in all these cases.
CarbunclesThese are similar to boils, except that they are more serious and are more upsetting in a general way. They involve the sebaceous glands and the hair follicles, and may exude pus from several openings. They require constitutional treatment.
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The total amount of ITV radiation reaching the skin at any given time is influenced by such factors as the season, time of day, latitude, altitude, and conditions of the immediate atmosphere, such as the presence of rain or clouds, and the degree of pollution.

These variations are related both to the scattering of the UV radiation in the atmosphere, and to the distance the radiation must travel through the atmosphere. This distance depends on the position of the sun. Hence, the lower the angle of the sun above the horizon, the greater the atmospheric distance which must be crossed. Therefore, at noon in summer, with the sun almost directly overhead, the UV radiation is the most intense. Of the total UV radiation received from the sun on a midsummer’s day, about 66 per cent of the energy is received between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The ozone layer present in the atmosphere also plays a major role in the absorption of this radiation. The thickness of the ozone layer varies, there being, for instance, a thinner layer in the tropics than elsewhere. As a result the intensity of UV radiation is approximately 15 per cent greater in the tropics than in other places. The ozone layer thickness also varies with the seasons (except in places close to the Equator), It is thickest in the winter and thinnest in the summer, which is why the effects of sunlight are more intense during the summer months.

At high altitudes the effects of UV radiation are greater, because there is less atmosphere to absorb the sun’s rays. Furthermore, in the presence of snow this is augmented by reflection. Contrary to a commonly held belief, water does not reflect but in fact absorbs UV radiation, so that one may become burnt even under the surface of water. Similarly, on an overcast or foggy day. considerable UV radiation will be transmitted by scattering.

Careful studies have shown that in Australia, in the midday summer sun, the earliest onset of burning for those with fair untanned skin, will occur, on average after 12 minutes. In the United States, under similar circumstances, the average time is 20 minutes. Other controlled studies have shown that various environmental factors play an important contributing role in determining the extent of the damage produced by UV radiation. These include wind, temperature and humidity. It has been convincingly shown that a combination of wind, heat and humidity will enhance the injurious effects of this radiation; on their own. however, these factors have no observable effect.

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