Most of you will know about Accutane, Isotretinoin, or any of the other names given to the synthetic drug prescribed for severe acne sufferers. However, if you have not researched it or taken it yourself you may not be aware that this drug is simply a synthetic (manufactured), pre-formed vitamin A replacement.

Most of you will also know that synthetic drugs and vitamins more often than not have a negative side-effect on the human body that comes with the benefits. Accutane is no different. Now, yes, Accutane is a proven treatment for acne and I don’t doubt that it works but the fact that a prescription is needed to purchase it and a liability waver must be signed is proof enough that it is dangerous. Prescription acne treatments in general have are similarly unsafe, and medical supervision and advice is always required for these treatments. That is not to say that they will all cause you harm, because they won’t. But if a safer, natural and equally effective alternative is available then isn’t that always the better option?

Vitamin A has been proven to maintain healthy eyes and skin. This is the primary reason for the development of isotretinoin, the active chemical form of vitamin A used in Accutane. However, the natural forms, or more specifically the carotene forms of it (e.g. beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, etc), found in dietary sources are not toxic. In this way, the natural alternative (or some of you might call it the “home remedy”) is far superior.

Organic, natural Vitamin A supplements are available from most chemists and health stores and are easily purchased over the counter. The bonus of this is that you can purchase 100 Vitamin A or beta-carotene capsules in a small bottle for less than $10. However, supplements, while massively safer than Accutane, still have a smaller risk of Vitamin A toxicity if taken in excess. Therefore, for the highest benefit, you should review the dietary sources listed below for an increased intake without danger and compare it to the risk of toxicity based on the suggestions below.

Generally, vitamin A capsules will contain approximately 5000IU (international units). For the majority of sufferers, this will be a sufficient acne treatment and they will notice results almost immediately. At this level of intake there is almost zero risk for the first 12 months of use, which should not even be required. For more severe cases or in cases where other medications are in use (e.g. anti-inflammatory medicines) which can increase the severity of acne, 2-3 of these capsules may be needed each day. Preferably, no more than 10-15 000IU, depending on weight and body mass, should be taken daily as recommended on the label and throughout available research sources. This should not be an issue as 15000 IU should show dramatic results in even the most severe sufferer.

That said, a study was done recently which indicated that beta-carotene supplements help to prevent cognitive decline (the decrease in mental capabilities).

As mentioned previously though, the dietary forms of vitamin A and beta-carotene have no risk whatsoever! Therefore, I would suggest considering adding a large amount of the below items to your diet, rather than taking Accutane, or even supplements. Now that’s not to say that other vegetables should be disregarded, as they all have benefits to your pH balance, but all of the below sources are also high in beta-carotene / vitamin A content and since it is a dietary source there is no risk of toxicity.

* sweet potatoes

* carrots

* goji berries

* cantaloupe melon

* mango

* apricots

* spinach

* kale

* chard

* turnip greens

* dandelion greens

* beet greens

* mustard greens

* collard greens

* watercress

* cilantro

* fresh thyme

* broccoli

* parsley

* romaine lettuce

* ivy gourd

* rose hips

* winter squash

* pumpkin

* cassava

George Cleanthous suffered from acne for over 10 years. He researched and investigated acne and acne treatments for over 2 years and he now writes a blog on acne causes, acne treatments, acne symptoms, acne medicine, and general information on how to deal with acne. For the most effective research on acne, visit Acne Treatments

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Cleanthous

It’s not uncommon for the majority of people to think that egg whites are healthier for you than whole eggs. I’m going to show you here why that is a major false belief, and why whole eggs are MUCH better for you than egg whites.

I was on a vacation recently with some friends & one of my friends was cooking breakfast for the entire group. I went over to see what he was cooking and saw he was preparing a large batch of eggs.

Unfortunately, to my shock and horror, I noticed that he was cracking the eggs open and screening the egg whites into a bowl and throwing the egg yolks out down the drain. I asked him why the heck he was throwing out the egg yolks, and his reply was something of the sort…

“because I thought the egg yolks were horrible for you… all of the nasty fat and cholesterol is in the yolks I thought”.

And I replied something like, “you mean that’s where all of the nutrition is!”

This is a perfect example of how confused the majority of society is about nutrition. In a world full of food marketing misinformation and deception, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the yolk is actually the HEALTHIEST portion of the egg!

By throwing out the yolk and only eating the egg whites, you are basically throwing out the most nutrient dense, vitamin and mineral loaded, antioxidant-rich portion of the egg. The egg yolks contain so many trace minerals, B-vitamins, vitamin A, choline, folate, lutein, & other powerful important nutrients… it is not even worth trying to list them all.

In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition when compared to the egg yolk.

Even the protein in egg whites is not as powerful and bioavailable without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more useful to your body. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are chock full of omega-3 fatty acids.

The egg yolks contain more than 90% of the phosphorus, calcium, zinc, iron, thiamin, B6, B12, folate, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the egg yolks contain the entire amount of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).

And now the typical objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg…

“But Mike… I heard that whole eggs will skyrocket my cholesterol through the roof, and they are high in fat”

No, this is FALSE thinking!

First of all, when you eat a food that is high dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it’s internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.

On the other hand, if you don’t eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has many important functions in your body.

And here is where it gets even more interesting…

There are indications in scientific studies that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.

And 3rd… high cholesterol is NOT a disease! Heart disease is a disease… but high cholesterol is NOT. Cholesterol is attacking the wrong problem… The real problem is the underlying internal inflammation that is signaling your body to deposit cholesterol as a healing agent. Attacking the root cause of the internal inflammation (smoking, stress, poor diet of refined sugars, trans fats, etc) is the real solution to heart disease… not trying to lower cholesterol.

And the fat argument is simply ridiculous… despite the popular erroneous belief, the fats in free range eggs are good for you and will actually help make you leaner via appetite control and hormonal balance.

So I hope we’ve established that whole eggs are not some evil food that will wreck your body… instead whole eggs are FAR superior to egg whites. Egg whites are basically just a processed food since you’ve messed up what nature intended.

Also, your normal super-market eggs from mass factory farms just do not compare nutritionally with organic free range eggs from healthy chickens that are allowed to roam freely and eat a more natural diet.

I recently compared eggs I bought at the grocery store with a batch of eggs I got at a farm stand where the chickens were free roaming and healthy.

Most people do not realize that there i s a major difference because they have never bought real eggs from healthy chickens… The eggs from the grocery store had thin weak shells and pale yellow yolks.

On the other hand, the eggs from the healthier free range chickens from the local farm had deep orange colored yolks and strong thick shells indicating much higher nutrition levels and carotenoids, and just a healthier egg in general.

So the next time a well-meaning but misinformed health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior, you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you understand the REAL deal about the nutritional supremacy of egg yolks.

One more interesting tidbit about eggs…

I read a study recently that compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts versus groups of people that ate bagel or cereal based breakfasts. The results of the study showed that the egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier bodyweight, while the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight and had more body fat.

It was hypothesized that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied (from the healthy fats and quality protein) compared to the cereal & bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and more frequent food cravings. Author Resource:- If you have stubborn belly fat, learn several proven techniques to get rid of it at Lose Your Belly Fat Fast, Abs Diet Tips

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