It is not surprising that the cosmetic industry has cottoned on to the potential of evening primrose oil for a whole range of cosmetics. This is because evening primrose oil is an ideal ingredient of skin creams – it nourishes and moisturizes the skin, counteracts dryness, and protects the skin against water loss. Drying of the skin means loss of elasticity which can lead to signs of premature ageing, so evening primrose oil may also prove useful in keeping the skin young and fresh.

Several companies, including some very classy brand names, use evening primrose oil in their cosmetics. The products can be found in health food shops, chemists, and the beauty counters of department stores.

Brittle nails/ dry eyes and dry mouth

The discovery that evening primrose oil can cure brittle nails was made quite by chance. A medical trial on evening primrose oil was being conducted in Scotland on two conditions which make the eyes and mouth dry and painful, Sjogren’s syndrome and sicca syndrome.

When people with these conditions were treated with evening primrose oil, it was found that not only did their dry eyes and mouths get better, but their brittle nails dramatically improved at the same time. The patients volunteered this information unsolicited.

In fact, people who are taking evening primrose oil for other conditions sometimes remark how good their nails have become since starting on the oil.

Hair

Animals deprived of essential fatty acids suffered from a dandruff-like condition of their fur, and loss of their coat. This suggests that essential fatty acids are needed for healthy hair.

Bust size

An unforeseen side-effect of evening primrose oil in some women is increased bust size. The women who have noticed this phenomenon remark that they did not put weight on anywhere else in their body. However, it seems that the effect of increasing bust size probably takes years to come about; no woman who has gone up in bra size has been taking evening primrose oil for less than a few years. No one knows quite what it is about evening primrose oil which helps the bust increase in size.

*52/60/5*

Electrocardiograph

An electrocardiograph (ECG) is a voltmeter that measures the heart muscles electrical activity. Different conditions of the heart produce characteristic changes in the ECG trace. An ECG is not a crystal ball. It is a “retrospectoscope”. It tells what has happened to the heart in the past. A normal ECG makes no comment on the current state of coronary arteries which may still occlude at any moment.

ECGs are not supposed to pass electrical currents into the human body but some patients still receive electric shocks from poorly maintained cardiographs. The great Medicare squeeze means that general practitioners are making do with old equipment. They eschew investment in new plant, maintenance and equipment.

Emphysema

Excluding a form of this condition which is hereditary, emphysema is caused by air pollution more often than not in relation to cigarette smoking. Emphysema involves the blow out and loss of alveoli which are essential to the transport of oxygen across the surface of the lungs. This disease progresses remorselessly in the continuing presence of cigarette smoke and air pollution. No medicine alters or reverses the abnormal changes.

Home Remedies

Smoking must stop as a matter of urgency. Exercise maintains the muscles of the chest wall and therefore enhances the breathing capacity. As air pollution and cigarette smoke are oxidants, the use of Vitamin С and Vitamin E is advisable as they are well known antioxidants.

*51/131/5*