Snuff May Be Bad For Blood PressurePosting Date: 09/26/2005 Q. We hear so much about the dangers of cigarette smoking but you never hear about snuff. My husband and his mother live on the stuff and I cannot stand it. Does the nicotine in snuff have an effect on blood pressure? A. A pinch of snuff, inhaled through the nose, used to be a common way of using tobacco. It gets nicotine into the blood stream through the blood vessels in the nose. In the U.S., snuff usually refers to a coarser tobacco designed to be put in the mouth between the cheek and the gum. In both cases, nicotine is absorbed and may constrict blood vessels and raise blood pressure. Q. My 14-year-old son suffers from eczema. We see a dermatologist regularly and he has tried many different prescription and over-the-counter lotions for different parts of his body. It seems to be a losing battle. The condition flares up under his arms and behind his ears. His torso is now becoming covered in dry bumps. Can you suggest a natural remedy that we might try? A. Eczema is an itchy skin condition that is sometimes referred to as atopic dermatitis. One natural treatment approach is to have your son drink oolong tea. In a Japanese study, adults with atopic dermatitis improved after a month of drinking a liter of oolong tea a day. For a 14-year-old, two or three cups a day might be enough. This tea does have caffeine, though considerably less than coffee. Another approach is to use Noxzema Original Cleansing Cream on the affected skin as if it were a moisturizer. This old-fashioned product contains a number of herbal oils that might be beneficial. You may be interested in the following testimonial: ?I am a nurse married to a pediatrician and we try to use natural methods when we can. I read in your column that Noxzema helps eczema and told my friend at church. She tried it and it is the only thing that has ever worked. She was thrilled!? Related StoriesRelated Videos |
Email this page
Printer Friendly
Bookmark this page
