Therapy

What are different home remedies and treatments for sun burn?

Overview of Sunburn
- Sunburn is due to excessive exposure to the sun’s ultra-violet (UV) rays.
- The sun’s ultra-violet rays are responsible for sunburn.
- There are two types of ultra-violet rays, ultra-violet A (UVA) and ultra-violet B (UVB).
- UVB rays attack the skin’s outer layers.
- UVA are rays that attack the underlying layers.
- Sunburns, like any other burn, are classifies as first degree, second degree and third degree.

First degree Sunburn
- The symptoms of a first degree burn include pain, heat, redness and tender to the touch in the skin affected.
- These symptoms can appear from 1 to 24 hours after exposure to the sun.

Second degree Sunburn
- This includes extreme reddening, swelling, pain and even blisters can appear.
- The burn goes deeper into the skin’s layers damaging small blood vessels and elastic fibers in the skin.
- Later, there is wrinkling of the skin.
- The burn may be accompanied by chills, fever, nausea, and/or delirium.

Natural Home Treatment for Sunburn
Take measures to prevent yourself from getting sunburned:
- Avoid being outdoors between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, when the UV rays are more intense.
- Wear a hat, sunglasses that protect your eyes from UV rays, and clothing made of light colored, light weight, tightly woven material.
- Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.
- Apply sunscreen to all exposed areas 30′ before going outside
- If you are swimming or perspiring, this is recommended.
- Make sure you buy a sunscreen that contains protection against both UVA and UVB rays.
- Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
- Eat lots of lean and high quality protein foods.
- Include raw fruits to supply the vitamins and minerals needed.
- Drink plenty of fluids to keep your body hydrated, and to replace the lost.
- To relief a sunburn pain apply over the affected area cool water compresses
- Fill a bathtub with cold water and dissolve one pound of baking soda or oatmeal in it.
- Soak in the bath for 30′ approximately, until relieved
- Wash the affected area with an antibacterial soap to prevent secondary infection.
- Do not burst any blister.
- They form a natural protection to help the skin sunburned to heal faster.
- Do not apply any creams, butter, petroleum jelly or any other greasy substance to sunburn.
- They only cause more damage by trapping the heat and can make a burn deeper.
- The sunburn will heal faster if left exposed to the air.

Immediate self-care is aimed at stopping the UV radiation.
- Get out of the sun
- Cover exposed skin
- Get out of the tanning bed
- Use SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 or higher and apply frequently when outdoors.
- For mild sunburn, cool compresses with equal parts of milk and water may suffice.
- Cold compresses with Burow’s solution may also be used, and can be bought at a drugstore. Dissolve 1 packet in 1 pint of water. Soak gauze or a soft clean cloth in it.
- Gently wring out the cloth and apply to the sunburned area for 15-20 minutes.
- Change or refresh the cloth and solution every 2-3 hours.
- Aloe Vera gel or aloe-based lotions may soothe irritated skin.
- Cool (not ice cold) baths may help.
- Avoid bath salts, oils, and perfumes because these may produce sensitivity reactions.
- Avoid scrubbing the skin or shaving the skin.
- Use soft towels to gently dry the body.
- Don’t rub.
- Use a light, fragrance-free skin moisturizer.
- Stay out of the sun while you are sunburned.
- Stay hydrated to avoid dehydration.

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Laughter Therapy – how is it useful and in what ways…

Humor is not the same as laughter. Humor is a technology for provoking laughter. Laughter is the physiological response to humor. One of the common misconception is that laughter is unique to human species. Actually, it is not the case. Virtually, all mammals laugh, in one form or another. Laughter did come to us from animals, as a matter of natural selection, indeed a survival tool.
- Laughter is inborn, in fact it is the first social vocalization emitted by infants. It seems that laughter has a biological basis, rooted in our genes, and although different cultures have their own norms concerning the types of situations in which laughter is considered appropriate, as the sounds of laughter are themselves indistinguishable from one culture to another.
- Laughter is not about jokes though the two may appear inseparable. Laughter is primarily a social lubricant, not a response to funny situations. The fact that laughter works as a glue, holding people together.
- Laughter is as contagious as a yawn. Our brains respond to emotive sounds, this response occurs in the area of the brain that is activated when we smile, as though preparing our facial muscles to laugh. Our laughter and the other person’s laughter tend to become intertwined and antiphonal.
- Laughter lowers the levels of stress hormones and thereby reducing the risk of heart attacks. Stress is associated with damage to the inner lining of blood vessels which encourages inflammation and plaque which with resulting arterial stiffening can lead to heart attack.
- Laughter is a coping mechanism in cancer.
- Laughter is an immune system booster. It rev up the body’s production of antibodies and enhance the activation of the body’s protective cells that destroy tumor cells and viruses.
- Laughter helps along weight loss as you burn more calories when you laugh. By reducing levels of stress hormone, laughter helps you grapple with that bogey.
- Laughter improves the appetite eve as it helps you burn calories. The appetite boosting seems to occur via the effect that laughter has on the levels of the appetite hormones.
- Laughter acts as a survival tool. If laughter underlies intimacy, it can also facilitate distance from emotional pain. To laugh in a painful or distressing situation is not to avoid emotional reckoning, but to gain perspective needed to make the experience productive.

Hands-On Therapies : The Feldenkrais Method and The Alexander Technique

THE FELDENKRAIS METHOD
The chief goal of the hands-on therapy called feldenkrais method is to help you become more aware of your posture and movement patterns, explore how you limit yourself, and enhance learning of new patterns. This approach does not seek to treat specific medical conditions, but instead helps you to respond differently to them. It is based on the theory that people over a period of time develop patterns to compensate for pain or injury, but these patterns can become obstacles to healing and optimal functioning. Subtle changes to these habits can improve flexibility, balance, breathing and coordination, easing tension, pain and strain.
The program is offered in two ways:
- First, you are verbally guided through gentle movements, typically while lying on the floor or sitting in a chair.
- Second, it uses a hands-on contact to address individual needs. The practitioner may move your arms, legs, head or trunk in ways that enhance your awareness of movement patterns.
- With both forms, the practitioner may draw attention to elements such as your breathing or the differences between the two sides of your body.
Because the movements are gentle and involve no pain or strain, most people can participate and possibly benefit from this method. People who use this method often notice changes in thought patterns when they change their movement patterns. This method is most often used for increased flexibility, coordination and balance, neck, back and joint pain relief, headache, neuromuscular disorders and physical rehabilitation.

THE ALEXANDER METHOD
The hands-on Alexander technique focuses on unlearning detrimental patterns of movement. It is not a set of exercises, but a conscious change in mindset that supports better physical movement. Its basic principles emphasize balance, ease, lightness and flow to counteract rigidity, stress and tension. Other purpose of the Alexander method is to restore overall expansiveness to the body. Alexander method is most often used for improved coordination and balance, pain relief and improvement of conditions caused by chronic misalignment, such as muscle tension and pain in the lower back and neck.
During a typical session, the practitioner uses a hands-on approach to guide you. You may lie on the table while the practitioner gently guides your limbs. During your daily activities, the practitioner can give you verbal suggestions like “the back lengthens and widens” or “head forward and up” to help you shed harmful movement habits.