According to a new study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, researchers reviewed 32 randomized controlled trials to determine how oral contraceptives stacked up against antibiotics and placebos. They included only studies where they could examine results at three months and six months after the trial began.

Here's what they found: Both antibiotics and oral contraceptives were better at treating acne than placebos. Here's where it gets interesting: At three months, antibiotics were more effective than oral contraceptives at reducing acne.

However, at six months, oral contraceptives were even better at treating acne, while six months of antibiotics didn't work any better than three months of antibiotics. Essentially, both methods are effective, but birth control may be even better at clearing your skin over time. 

So how does this awesome side effect work?  Birth control increases a particular protein in your blood called sex hormone bonding globulin. This binds your testosterone, and the less free testosterone you have in your bloodstream the better as far as your face is concerned.

All pills will lower the chance of acne for that reason, but certain ones will work better than others. Pills like Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Yaz, and Yasmin work well because they have a particular type of progesterone that seems to have a better effect, while pills like Loestrin and LoSeasonique have a more androgenic type of progesterone that may not be as effective in the treatment of acne (though they're just as effective as the others at their real job: preventing pregnancy!). 

The bottom line: If you're a good candidate for birth control and you want to get rid of stubborn pimples, birth control is a great first line of defense.

Source: Women's Health

Many of you will be around the grill this summer and want to bring some healthy dishes to share with friends and family. So, pull out that checkered tablecloth, fire up the grill and look no further for some delicious summer fare:

Inside-Out Cheeseburgers

Why put the cheese on top of the burger when half of it just melts off? Instead, form the burger around the cheese so you can char the meat and safeguard the more delicate flavors. Use any mixture of hard or semihard cheeses--Emmentaler and Gouda or Asiago and Parmigiano-Reggiano also pair well.

Grilled Pizza with Pesto, Tomatoes and Feta

Dazzle your guests, and keep the kitchen cool, by baking pizza on the backyard grill. For convenience, this recipe uses prepared pizza dough, found in most supermarkets, and pesto from a jar. 

Caprese Salad 

Summer-ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella need only a sprinkling of fresh herbs, salt and pepper to shine in this simple summer salad.

Swirled Cheesecake Brownies

Made with whole-wheat flour, these decadent-tasting brownies have a beautiful marbled cheesecake topping. Cutting them into bite-size pieces helps to keep the calorie count in check.  

Need more delicious recipes to help celebrate? Visit Eating Well.  

Does just thinking about venturing outside in the summer heat make you wilt? Don't let rising temperatures stop you from enjoying yourself. Follow these tips on how to stay cool and healthy.

Drink lots of water.

Yes, it'll make you run to the bathroom even more than you already do, but keeping hydrated is important in the summer, and even more so when you're hydrating for two. Good ol' fashioned water is best. But if you're not a water fan, try dressing it up with sliced fruit, like oranges, lemons or strawberries. You can also munch on foods that are high in water content, like watermelon, cucumbers and celery.

Stay away from salt.

Salt adds to the water retention that is keeping your ankles large and uncomfortable. Pass on the extra shakes of salt and processed foods that tend to have high salt content.

Avoid venturing outside in the afternoon.

While it's not always realistic with work and other child schedules in play, try running your errands during the morning or night hours when being outside is a little more bearable.

Slather on the sunscreen.

Break out that sun hat, park yourself under a shade tree or umbrella and slather on the sunscreen to keep your skin safe. The last thing a pregnant lady needs is a sunburn-ouch!

Jump in the shower.

Take frequent cool showers to beat the heat. If you aren't home, tuck a spritzer bottle of water into your purse to use when you are out and about. Are you going to the pool with your kiddos? Join them in the water! It'll be much more comfortable than on the lounge chair under the umbrella.

Ask for help and be realistic.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to know your limits. Ask for help running errands or shuttling the kids to the pool so you can cool off indoors and maybe even sneak in a nap.

Source: Parenting 

Garlic, peppers, mushrooms, pasta, strawberries, and red wine. These foods might heat up a romantic dinner-and new evidence suggests they cool you down during menopause, too.

The menopausal women who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, noodles, and red wine were about 20 percent less likely to report hot flashes and night sweats than those who didn't stick to the diet, according to a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Women who regularly ate certain fruits, including strawberries, pineapple, melon, and mango, were also less likely to report these symptoms.

On the flip side, women whose diets were high in fat and sugar were 20 percent more likely to develop hot flashes and night sweats, collectively called vasomotor symptoms. The results come from a group of more than 6,000 women followed for about nine years.

Hot flashes and night sweats occur when fluctuating estrogen levels interfere with your body's ability to maintain a steady temperature. Eating the right diet can stabilize your shifting hormones, reducing your flushing and excess perspiration.

Scientists aren't yet sure exactly why the Mediterranean way of dining (or the extra fruit, for that matter) specifically offers relief, but the study authors offer several hypotheses. For one thing, the fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in these eating patterns provide ample fiber. This nutrient has been linked to lower estrogen levels, perhaps through stabilizing blood levels of the hormones insulin and cortisol. Similarly, these diets feature carbohydrates lower on the glycemic index, a measure of how quickly a food causes your blood glucose to spike. And other recent research found women with more stable blood sugar have fewer vasomotor symptoms.

Although women eating a healthy diet in the study also drank red wine, there's little evidence of an individual link between vino and hot flashes. However, moderate drinking in general and red wine in particular have been linked to better heart health, offering a good reason to drink up-within reason. Stick with no more than a glass a day at most.

Source: Prevention

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