The Essentials of O Blood Type

Blood can be grouped using various systems. Two of the most well known systems are the Rh system and the ABO system. The ABO blood types were found in the beginning of the 20^th century by Karl Landsteiner. He learnt that blood transfusions could sometimes result in the death of the recipient and then discovered the cause. He discovered that certain blood types had antigens and antibodies. For example: A type contains antigen A and antibody anti-B, B type has antigen B and antibody anti-A, AB type has both antigens A and B but no antibody, whereas O blood type contains no antigen but has both antibodies anti-A and anti-B. Antigens coat the surface of red blood cells and quite susceptible to rejection from the antibody. If a donor antigen was rejected by the recipient antibody, it would cause agglutination or destruction of the donor red blood cells in the body of the recipient.

A few O blood type facts are that O does not have ABO antigens therefore will not be rejected by other blood types and that it has all ABO antibodies therefore will always reject blood types aside from O. That is why people with type O blood are called “universal donors”. More fun facts of the O blood type are that mosquitoes in general prefer the O type to others (higher risk of contracting malaria) and that type O individuals are more susceptible to cholera and peptic ulcers. By natural selection, O blood type is probably the most common throughout the whole world.

The less scientific facts of the O blood type concern with personalities of type O individuals. Some consider type O people as energetic and social, as well as flexible in the terms of their viewpoint. Others think that type O people are quitters and often give up midway. Although most people agree that they are honest and respectful toward others and have very strong confidence.

As the most well known blood group classification system, the ABO system gives rise to a kind of fad diet called “The Blood Group Diet”. The base of this diet is the existence of antigens that form different blood types. These antigens allegedly react either positively or negatively toward certain kind of food. Based on this diet, type O people are basically carnivores, A are vegetarians, B are omnivores and AB are mixed diet eaters. For type O individuals, practicing this diet might have some pros and cons. The pros: they can eat meat and fish freely as the diet calls for high protein intake, vegetable haters don’t have to eat vegetable too much. The cons: facts stated that type O individuals are already susceptible to various diseases, so practicing this diet will only add a notch in the disease column because it increases the risk of developing heart disease.

Acne, What You Need To Know

Acne, a non-life-threatening but equally devastating skin disorder, is the factor that can cause a terrible case of low self-esteem in teenagers and young adults. If left untreated or treated incorrectly as to leave scars, it can also lead to depression.

Acne is a type of skin inflammation that is triggered by the plugging of the sebaceous gland. Sebaceous glands produce natural oil to protect our skin from drying. Some people might have slightly more active sebaceous glands than others.

Other factors that can trigger the growth of acne are hormones, diet, weather and unhygienic environment. Some bad habit can cause acne, including not cleansing the skin from makeup and using dirty makeup brushes. The state of a person’s peace of mind might also contribute the growth of acne. Psychological stress, as we all know, causes hormonal imbalance which is partial to androgenic hormones. These hormones increase the activity of the sebaceous glands and therefore, increase oil production. Aside from the above mentioned factors, we also cannot ignore the significance of genetics in the problem of acne.

The location of acne is not always on the face, but also on the chest, the back, the neck, and even the scalp. These areas have an abundance of sebaceous glands and have high oil production. Higher number of sebaceous glands in an area increases the risk of developing acne.

To treat acne, we need to focus on reducing oil production and preventing bacterial infection. One advice that has been the golden rule of handling acne is to never touch the acne with unwashed hands. Better yet, do not touch, period! Forget picking at it. Do not look at the mirror unless you need to apply acne medicine to prevent the urge to pick at the acne. The most important thing to do is to keep the face clean by washing it twice daily, using the correct cleanser (preferably containing salicylic acid). Avoiding excessive use of makeup and stress can reduce the risk of acne significantly, as well as avoiding acne-inducing food.