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Looking for natural remedies to treat acne, eczema and other skin conditions? The dermatologist and nutritionist share their expert tips.

 

The experts show us how to optimise your diet for clearer, healthier, brighter skin. 

ACNE

» Dermatologist says: “Look for products that are non-comedogenic, so they do not block pores or cause acne. Key pore-clearing ingredients include salicylic acid (beta hydroxy acids) and many vitamin A products. Also look for anti-inflammatory components such as benzoyl peroxide, zinc and niacinamide. You should look for products that are not too creamy or rich. Even without pore-blocking ingredients, oily or excessively moisturising products will have a detrimental effect on the skin. Go for mineral make-up and combination creams like BB and CC creams.”

» Nutritionist says: “Consume a diet low in added sugars and avoid all highly refined, processed foods. Consume three to five cups of bright-coloured vegetables per day and consider supplements such as zinc, vitamin A and vitamin C. There are also natural, DIY methods. Antibacterial tea tree oil and witch hazel are often used on acne-prone skin. Or try combining sea salt and coconut oil and using as a natural exfoliate scrub for congested skin.”

ECZEMA 

» Dermatologist says: “Corticosteroids or calcineurin antagonists may be used to help reduce inflammation and itch. Antihistamines may also help reduce the itch, while antibiotics may be required if infections are severe. Stick to cotton clothing, avoiding wool and synthetics, and you can also use wet dressings to help soothe the skin and reduce itchiness. Cosmetics are best avoided, but if necessary, look for ones that are hypoallergenic. Generally, food avoidance is not useful, but avoiding dairy products, nuts, eggs, chocolate, citrus fruits and wheat products may help.”

» Nutritionist says: “Implement an elimination diet to determine possible food triggers, consume an anti-inflammatory, plant-based, whole food diet and consider supplements such as fish oil, vitamin E and probiotics. For eczema, coconut oil may also be of benefit as it’s deeply moisturising and improves skin barrier function. Honey is also great, incorporated into a DIY face mask. It’s antibacterial and a humectant, attracting water to help keep dry skin hydrated.”

COLD SORES

» Dermatologist says: “Overtopical astringents and topical Zovirax (acyclovir), cold sores are best treated by oral treatments of anti-virals like acyclovir, valalcyclovir and Famciclovir.”

» Nutritionist says: “Address aggravating factors like food, lifestyle and stress. Avoid chocolate, peanuts and almonds and try to manage stress levels. Start incorporating foods that are high in lysine such as fish, chicken, beef, lamb, cheese, beans, brewer’s yeast and mung bean sprouts and take supplements like lysine, zinc and vitamin C.”

PSORIASIS 

» Dermatologist says: “There is no single treatment that will cure psoriasis. However, it is possible to control it and sometimes clear it. Certain medications can slow down the rate at which the skin cells are produced, but it takes several weeks for your condition to improve. Sunlight helps to clear psoriasis, which is why it usually improves over summer. Remember that psoriatic skin is more easily damaged than normal skin, so you may need to consider skin protection if your job involves hard, manual work.”

» Nutritionist says: “Look into possible food sensitivities and avoid potential triggers such as alcohol, gluten and dairy. Consume three to five cups of fresh vegetables per day and include turmeric, garlic and ginger. Supplements to take alongside may include fish oil, digestive enzymes, vitamin E and vitamin A.”

Check out our health and beauty section for more tips and tricks.

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A healthy brain is an important aspect to a healthy body. Reflect, play, rest, move and mingle to promote brain health.

 

Reflect

Meditation improves memory, increases brain size, improves cooperation between brain hemispheres and enhances emotional intelligence according to the Exploration of Consciousness Research Institute. A separate study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience concluded that participating in an eight-week meditation training program was evident in brain function outside of meditation sessions.

TRY IT: High Performance Coach Stephanie Kakris, who teaches meditation, recommends starting with a guided meditation using an app such as Relax and Rest, which gives five-, 13- or 20-minute options with music or nature sounds.

Play
Whether cerebral exercises have any long-term effect on mental performance remains inconclusive, but play has been shown to hone brain processes neglected in routine-driven adult life. “The main problem is that although people can train themselves to do better on particular tasks, the performance improvement rarely generalises to other tasks and abilities,” says professor Nick Haslam, of the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences.

TRY IT: Neuroscientists have designed a series of games called Lumosity to help challenge certain parts of your brain. The online and smartphone resource let’s you exercise core cognitive abilities whenever and wherever you like.

Nap
There’s no greater smart sabotage than undersleeping. Conversely, fixing your sleep habits can give you an instant thinking edge. “Being well rested means you will use your cognitive skills more efficiently because tiredness, anxiety and stress interfere with mental clarity, focus and concentrated effort,” says Prof Haslam.

TRY IT: Sleeping for as little as an hour less than you need to each night incrementally nets a costly sleep debt according to studies at University of Pennsylvania and the Walter Reed Research Institute. Participants who slept for six hours a night for a fortnight exhibited cognitive parallels to being legally drunk. Aim for eight hours.

Move
Vigorous physical exercise has been shown to have long- and short-term brain benefits. Findings published in Behavioural Brain Research suggest certain hormones, which are increased during exercise, may help improve memory and processing speed.

TRY IT: Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity into most, if not all, days of the week. You can break it into short bouts such as three 10-minute sessions each day.

Mingle
Networking serves as intensive training in social intelligence. “A big part of success in life is the ability to build strong interpersonal relationships – be they in a netball team, a family unit or at work,” says Kakris.

TRY IT Mixing with new people, ideas and environments exposes you to new ideas, ways of thinking and perspectives, which can expand the framework within which you think. Face-to-face is ideal, but social media can also serve as a sort of cognitive gym according to Florida behaviour therapist Andrea Kuszewski.

Here are 5 other tips to keep your brain healthy.

 

 

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If you want to give yourself a better chance of avoiding the curveballs, prioritise sleep.

Clocking less than six hours of sleep per night compromises the brain’s ability to regulate emotions, making it that much harder to deal.

And it only takes one night of insufficient sleep to make you vulnerable to meltdowns according to a new Tel Aviv University study that identified the neurological mechanism responsible for disturbed emotion regulation and increased anxiety due to sleep debt.

In effect, the brain loses its ability to discern between what is and isn’t important, reported The Journal of Neuroscience.

Hannah Bailey shows us eight ways to improve your sleep:

Behaviour:

Ditch the macchiato, doughnut and laksa.
“Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and avoid large quantities of food, particularly heavy fatty foods, immediately prior to sleep that may make you feel uncomfortable and prevent sleep,” Dr Eckert says. If you suffer reflux, avoid spicy foods, as when you lie down it may come back to bite you.

Order a mocktail
A couple of vinos may feel like they usher you backstage at lala land, but the sleep you have when you get there is likely to be flawed. “Alcohol prior to sleep can impair sleep quality, cause snoring and in some cases lead to sleep apnoea, and should be avoided,” Dr Eckert says.

Move your workouts
Vigorous exercise just before bed can impair sleep, but Dr Eckert says that exercise at other times is actually a sleep aid. “It is associated with increased levels of slow-wave (deep) sleep.”

Switch off
Working back at the office or with your laptop on the couch can hijack your sleep routine. “Overly stimulating activities prior to sleep can make it difficult to fall asleep and should be avoided,” Dr Eckert says. Likewise detailed tasks.  “Maintaining a regular sleep routine that includes avoiding these types of activities immediately prior to sleep is ideal.” Exorcise the bedroom of any screens, Eckert advises. According to a 2012 Harvard Health Letter, blue wavelengths from fluorescent lightbulbs, LED lights and computer and iPad screens wreak greater havoc than white light on melatonin. In an experiment, blue light suppressed melatonin for around twice as long as green light. Red light, on the other hand, had the mildest effect on melatonin.

Bedroom
Dim the lights
According to the National Sleep Foundation, bright light inhibits the release of ‘sleep hormone’ melatonin, which can only be stimulated in a dimly lit environment. Any bright light can prevent the release of melatonin, preventing the onset of sleep. If you can’t block 100 per cent of light, Eckert advocates using a sleep mask to mimic a dark sleeping environment.

Pull the blinds
Skip diaphanous window dressings – however romantic – and go for a heavy fabric or blinds that completely block light. The first exposure to light in the morning activates a part of your brain called the supra-chiasmatic nucleus according to the National Sleep Foundation. That means processes associated with being awake crank into gear, calling a premature end to quality sleep.

Snuggle up
Sleep temperature is integral to the quality of shut-eye. UniSA’s Centre for Sleep Research revealed that that normal initiation of sleep demands a core body temperature drop. Ordinarily, the body automatically turns down its heat dial about 90 minutes before sleep, while insomniacs who find it hard to nod off tend to maintain a higher body temperature. While your body should regulate its own degrees, a hot or frigid room can mess with the process. Eckert says the ideal room temperature for sleep is 22 degrees Celsius. If you use an electric blanket to take the chill off your sheets, turn it off before falling asleep.

Luxe your crib
You can call high thread-count sheets a health expense. While they’re not a magic sleeping pill, Eckert says good bed linen complements other measures to maximise comfort, including temperature regulation.

NEXT: Lack of sleep not only impacts on your brain function, it also kills your beauty buzz.

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The key to finding the right style of meditation that suits you, is defining the reason why you’re meditating in the first place and your purpose.

 

To do that, you need to find a style that suits your goal, whether it is to find calm or discover clear thinking to reducing pain or connecting with the world, says mediation teacher and counsellor Nadine Cameron.

Here are a few meditation styles to kick-start your journey:

Mindfulness

Also known as vipassana, is the most popular form in the Western world. It’s about ‘being present’ and letting your mind run. It’s not recommended for those with pre-existing mental illness or emotional difficulty because spending too much time in your head can do more harm than good.

Zazen

As the generic term for seated meditation in the Buddhist tradition this is a minimal kind of meditation, done for long periods of time. There’s little focus on breath and with little guidance it can be hard to learn.

Transcendental meditation

Put simply, you sit with your back straight (ideally in the lotus or half-lotus posture) and repeat a mantra. It’s a simplified version from the non-dual Hindu paradigm Vedanta.

Kundalini

Also from Vedanta, the aim of this style is to become aware of a rising stream, which you ride to infinity through concentration on breath. Be weary though, this can have lead to the Kundalini syndrome, where people become hypersensitive to touch, light and sounds.

NEXT: Discover the benefits of meditation.

 

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Before you jump on the detox bandwagon, it’s important to look into the potential side affects to a full body cleanse. Here, the experts help us unpack the pros and cons to this weight loss phenomenon.

 

Starving yourself is not the way to go

Most detoxes promote a reduced calorie intake, which can quickly turn into starvation mode. According to GP Dr Fran Bruce of Wesley LifeShape Clinic, most detoxes are “low in protein which can result in fatigue, dehydration, light headedness, headaches, mood swings and constipation.

Our bodies are capable of detoxing on their own

As our liver and kidneys work together to remove toxins from our systems, our bodies naturally go through a detoxification phase. If you’re thinking laxatives are the way to go, think again. Unless discussed with a medical practitioner, they can lead to some serious complications down the track, says Gastroenterologist, Dr Phillip Chang.

Detoxing is not a quick fix

Although detoxing can promote fat loss, this weight loss isn’t always fat loss. “You can expect to lose weight, but mainly due to water and muscle loss after depriving your body of essential nutrients such as protein, says Dietitian Lyndi Polivnick.

Before you ditch the idea of the detox, there are ways to healthily cleanse your body.

Fuel your body with wholesome goodness

There’s even more reason to head to the fresh food aisle of your supermarket because the most simple detox tactic is to avoid highly processed foods, says Dr Bruce. Avoid “foods that are high in fats and sugar, reduce your alcohol intake (if it exceeds the recommended guidelines) and limit caffeine consumption for a week or so.” Keep those energy levels high with nutrient dense wholefoods.  

Go green

While most detoxes miss the mark on fibre and protein, get more from “natural, minimally process foods such as fruit, leafy green vegetables (cabbage or kale) and psyllium (natural insoluble fibre)” in you, says Dr Chang.

Don’t detox for the long haul

When it comes to intense detoxes, short term is better than long term, says Polivnick. Opt for raw foods rather than juices to help out with your fibre intake and befriend water. Lots of it. “Supercharge your body’s natural ability to clear toxins…drink plenty of water, get exercising,” she says.

A little evaluation never hurt anyone

If you’re looking to reassess your habits, you can benefit from a process of elimination. Stewart suggests, eliminating ‘all animal protein products including eggs,” which can slow down the detoxing process. The Liver Cleansing Diet focuses on high quality nutrients including veggies, fruits, grains, nuts and seeds, which are important for your metabolism.

Full article by Hannah Blamey, featured in the January edition of Women’s Health and Fitness Magazine.

 

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Holistic health and wellbeing experiences awaits at these top spa retreats in Western Australia.

PURE LUXE
Indijup Spa Retreat

The place: A spa retreat surrounded by national parkland, sprawling vineyards and unspoiled beaches. There are 10 luxurious villas, each with a private plunge pool overlooking a secluded beach. As well as massages, they deal in invigorating sea salt scrubs, clay body masks and detoxing baths infused with Australian native ingredients such as juniper berry, cypress and lemon myrtle.

The experience: Rather than choose a specific treatment, go in for a private consultation. The gently handed, highly skilled staff will design a treatment experience especially for you.

Details: 1 Cape Clairault Road, Yallingup, (08) 9750 1300

WELLNESS
Kalyaana SPA & Wellness Retreat

The place: This tiny boutique sanctuary with an annexed spa for guests caps its guest list at four, creating an intimate experience amid five tranquil acres of gardens including a kitchen garden and sensory herb garden.

The experience: If you want a holistic health and wellbeing experience with delicious cuisine, extensive therapies and healing modalities, rejuvenating treatments and luxurious home comforts, this is it.  

Details: Lot 705 Maslin Street, Bridgetown, (08) 9761 1420

NEXT >> 6 must-have beauty products for your gym bag!

 

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For locals and visitors alike, experience a spa retreat like no other at one of these breathtaking locations in Tasmania, Australia.

PURE LUXE
Waldheim Alpine Spa At Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

The place: The spa well and truly makes the most of its spectacular location, overlooking the Cradle Mountain and its ancient forests, snow-capped pine trees and crisp mountain streams. Drop in and ease your body after a day of bushwalking in the mountains.

The experience: There are many luxurious face and body treatments on offer, each using completely natural Tasmanian-made skincare products. Revel in treatments like Highland Healing, where your therapist will customise a 60-minute full-body massage, relieving tension in your weary legs and shoulders.

Details: 4038 Cradle Mountain Road, Cradle Mountain, (03) 6492 2100

WELLNESS
Harmony Hill Wellness & Organic Spa Retreat

The place: This 42-acre bush retreat, perched high in the hills above Hobart, draws on both Eastern and Western therapies. There are three treatment rooms, a sauna and a hot tub. Their skilled therapists will assess your condition holistically, drawing on their knowledge of Ayurvedic medicine and Asian philosophies to advise you on a rebalancing treatment.  

The experience: The five-night detox retreat, including daily yoga and meditation, massages and healing treatments including reflexology.

Details: 210 Old Bernies Road, Margate, (03) 6294 8177

 

 

NEXT >> 6 must-have beauty products for your gym bag!

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