Methods

Sometimes we just need a little pampering. In the day to day mull of things we tend to forget about the little details in our lives such as proper diet, exercise, sleep and even skin care. Taking the time to pamper ourselves a little though can give us a bright new perspective on an old droll subject and will leave us feeling better about ourselves which will be reflected on in the world around us.

There are many things that can cause dry, peeling, rough skin and this is not something we want. The basic human nature is to be touched. But who wants to touch alien like skin that is more akin to scales? If we wanted that we could pet a lizard or a frog for that matter. The environment around us and especially the sun is a main factor in any damage to our skin. UV rays will burn and dry out our follicles leaving us with rashes, peeling and the like. Not to mention the risk you run of developing skin cancer from too much exposure to these rays. Taking the time to apply some sun block before heading out to start your day is the perfect preventative measure. Most sun blocks not only protect against UV rays but they work as a moisturizer as well. Leaving your skin soft and smooth as a baby’s skin.

Speaking of moisturizer it would be a good idea to apply one every once and a while. That and an exfoliate. Exfoliates are used to clean away any dirt and dead skin particles left over from the days tasks and applying a moisturizer afterwards will keep your skin from getting irritated and chaffing. Women have the most trouble with chaffing because of the way their bodies curve. Applying a lotion after your shower ladies, will help to prevent any painful chaffing. Plus, what better way to attract Prince Charming then with soft supple skin.

Taking the time to care for your skin does not mean hours in front of the mirror. A little bit of pampering after each shower or before you go to bed, along with taking the time to protect your skin from the elements, is all you need to achieve optimum skin care. This goes for both men and women. Don’t be wary guys of using a little lotion or sun block, it will in no way reduce your masculinity. It will however leave you feeling comfortable in your own skin so to speak.

When talking about moisturizer, it is equally important to be aware of the things that you use like soap, washing powder and the other chemicals used in your work place. The one’s which you feel would dry your hands should be handled by using gloves. This will help a lot in maintaining the skin beauty, remember beauty doesn’t restrict in your face it is applicable in your overall appearance from hair to toe. When talking about legs, always make sure the feet is dry and is well maintained without any dirt before wearing footwear. This can help your leg look clean and fresh.

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There is every chance that you, or a family member, colleague, or friend has been affected in some way by breast cancer.

The words ‘breast cancer’ send a chill of fear down everyone’s spine. What is breast cancer and can you prevent it? Here are some facts about breast cancer that every woman should know. You will also learn more about prevention and early detection, especially important if you have a history of cancer in your family.

What Should I Know About Breast Cancer?

There are over two hundred different types of cancer and according to the American Cancer Society breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women. While it is also possible for a man to get breast cancer women are 100 times more likely to develop it than men.

There are several forms of breast cancer that occur in different areas of the breast. Most breast cancers are treated with radiation, chemotherapy or surgery. The treatment program determined for any individual depends on the type of cancer, how far it has spread and where it is located. While great strides are taking place in cancer treatment, prevention and early detection are by far the most preferable options.

The statistics are grim. The American Cancer Society reports that 1 in 8 women in the US will experience invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. The chance of dying from breast cancer is one in 33, but that number is decreasing as new forms of treatment and early detection are being implemented.

The good news is that it is possible for women to reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer. When breast cancer is discovered and treated early, the chances for recovery are better.

Women with a high risk should primarily discuss the possible preventive measures currently available with their doctor. However, various simple self-help measures are described below.

Who is Most Likely to Get Breast Cancer?

While every woman has some level of risk there are certain factors that increase the likelihood a person may develop breast cancer. Not having these risk factors does not mean you will not develop cancer just as being at a high risk doesn’t mean you will develop cancer.

Smoking, age and family history are the common factors that are assessed when determining risk.

While smoking can be controlled, age and family history cannot. The older you are the greater the risk that you will develop breast cancer. Almost 8 out of 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer are over 50. If women in your family developed breast cancer you are also at an increased risk.

Certain genetic changes increase the risk that a woman will develop cancer to as high as 80%. Testing for these changes can help a woman and her doctor discuss preventative measures that might be taken.

Caucasian women have a higher risk of developing breast cancer but African-American women more often die from the disease. Asians, Hispanics and American Indian women are less likely to get it.

Starting your period (menstruation) before age 12 or going through menopause after 55 slightly increases the risk.

Having taken the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol), which some women were given in the belief it would prevent them from losing a baby, slightly increases the risk while radiation to the chest earlier in life greatly increases the risk.

Being overweight, use of alcohol, long term use of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and not having children have all been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. Using birth control pills may increase the risk and should be discussed with your doctor.

On the other hand exercise, healthy eating (especially reducing the intake of alcohol and red meats) or having had children early in life and breastfeeding for as long as 18 to 24 months have been linked to a reduced risk of developing breast cancer.

What Else Can I Do to Reduce the Risk?

While there are no cures yet, researchers have discovered that a healthy lifestyle is the best way to prevent cancer. Since cancer is a disease that starts in our cells, everything we eat and are exposed to can affect them.

Choose to be a non-smoker and avoid second-hand smoke.

In regards to diet, choose a variety of lower fat, high fiber foods. Studies have shown that intake of total fat, saturated fat and meat are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Maintain a healthy body weight and limit alcohol consumption.

Protect yourself from the sun.

At home and at work, follow health and safety instructions when using hazardous materials.

The link between an active lifestyle and breast cancer prevention is as yet unclear but general health is improved when regular exercise is an integral part of a person’s lifestyle.

Early Detection

Since early detection is so important it is vital that women learn how to detect lumps in their breasts and understand what precautions must be taken. Those who are more at risk of developing cancer should take extra steps to detect cancer as early as possible.

While a doctor or nurse can show you how to perform a BSE (breast self-exam) the American Cancer Society still recommends that women in their twenties and thirties should have a clinical exam every three years and once a year after 40. In later years most women should also have regular mammograms to catch cancers earlier. But what about the time in between mammograms and clinical exams?

This is when regular self examination is so important.

Every woman should know her own breasts so that any changes are noticed soon and can be checked out by a physician.

Regardless of age, all women should do a monthly breast self-examination a few days after their period. When doing breast self-examination, things to look for include: dimpling or puckering of the skin, swelling, discharges other than milk, bleeding or any other change to the nipple, or the appearance of what is sometimes called ‘orange peel skin’.

Any place in your breasts that feels lumpy or harder than the rest needs to be brought to the attention of a doctor. Most breast problems are not breast cancer and most lumps are not cancerous. When a lump is not cancerous it is referred to as ‘benign’. A cancerous lump is called ‘malignant’. But only a professional clinician can make that diagnosis and it’s no use waiting, worrying and hoping it will go away. Sometimes small lumps, in the early stages, are hard to find, but the earlier a lump is diagnosed, the better, so catch lumps small – don’t wait until they’re large.

Taking care of ourselves, including regular breast examinations, is an ongoing commitment that requires self-discipline and knowledge. It is well worth the effort as early diagnosis is definitely the most important factor in surviving breast cancer.

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Reduce body fat with the correct combination of a healthy well balanced diet and moderate exercise. Losing weight is not that difficult, but it does need some self discipline and will power. To reduce body fat you will have to take action and make positive lifestyle changes.

Maintaining balance between healthy eating and regular exercise has always proven to be the most effective way to lose body fat. This doesn’t suggest that you will suddenly have to starve yourself or go over top with an exhaustive exercise regime. You merely need to reduce the consumption of the known fatty foods and those foods high in sugar.

People who try to lose fat with diets are failed before they even begin, because once you go on a diet then at some point you have to come off the diet, and when you do, then all the weight you lost comes back again. Exercising regularly and eating the right amount of food, may seem impossible but once this becomes a habit, then it is easy like brushing your teeth.

There are various methods to reduce body fat percentage. It is always advisable to lose weight healthily by taking up natural methods such as cardio workouts and balanced diet. Body fat percentage usually varies from person to person. Obesity is caused due to excess fats in the body.

Water is the most important nutrient in your body.Water does not contain any calories and it is absolutely required to lose fat and to survive.However if you are dehydrated your body has the reaction to hold onto whatever water it needs to keep you alive.

Take some time to evaluate your current diet and eating habits. Are you eating just one or two large meals each day, or are you doing the right thing by eating five to six smaller meals spread throughout the day. Are you doing enough to reduce the fat from your diet? Avoid eating fatty foods, especially foods high in saturated fats – after all, eating fat makes you fat.

Make sure that the meals you eat contain lots of protein, vitamins and essential fats and your body will do its job to reduce body fat. Protein in your meals makes the body release Glucagon which raises low blood sugar. This is accomplished by converting protein and fat into glucose. The benefits of a high protein diet include decreasing cholesterol production, making kidneys release excess fluid and reduce body fat by using it to fulfill its own energy requirements.

Doing weight training or strength exercises is an important part of the weight loss process. The key is to increase muscle tissue in order to reduce more body fat fast. The reason is that muscle tissue burns more calories just to sustain itself. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn. You don’t need to be a bodybuilder for this to work. Even a small increase in muscle tone which is attractive for men and women both, will provide better results.

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Whatever “Stress” you are facing, let it drift away, while you relax and rejuvenate at Chiva-Som with a “De-stress retreat”.

Stress presents itself in many forms. Whether it manifests itself physically, mentally or in response to environmental factors, it can have a negative impact on one’s health.  The De-Stress Retreat is your chance to proactively utilise new tools to withstand these challenges.

We all have different constitutional strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes these are minor and we live in harmony with them, sometimes they are more significant and unless we take care to support these systems we find symptoms coming up. Normally these begin as insignificant annoyances but over the years when ignored can build up into more serious imbalances and complaints.

This retreat focuses around the holistic methods of addressing mind, body and spirit. When the mind and spirit are in balance the physical manifestations have the opportunity to recover. By assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the body and utilising techniques such as Sacred Crystal Healing, Reiki, Meditation, Craniosacral Therapy and naturopathic consultation, this adds a new dimension to standard blood tests and physical examinations which most often appear as normal, despite feelings of unease, tiredness and lack of energy.

Chiva-Som is about learning to live, enjoy and appreciate each moment.  By inspiring our guests to develop a healthy balance of mind, body and spirit, they can create a personal path to optimal health and wellness.  Visit Chiva-Som to discover your own path to a stress-free lifestyle.

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5000 Year-Old Medical Secret Unearthed!

When you get sick, you go to the doctor. And the doctor will, of course, prescribe medicines. You will go and buy medicines. You take them, and hopefully, you get well.

This is how the health profession goes on nowadays – a cycle of diagnosis and prescription.

If anyone were to give you herbs for medicine, you would probably say that that person was a quack.

But nowadays, studies are being conducted to see if there are really is any merit to what is called natural medicine.

Natural medicine is the use of natural methods, herbal medicines, and traditional practices to heal ailments. Every culture has a form of natural medicine. In ancient cultures, village medicine men served as the doctors of the community, passing on medical knowledge to the apprentices that followed them.

Many categories of the healing methods fall under natural medicine. Among these are traditional medicine, complementary medicine, and alternative medicine.Usually, natural medicine refers to medical practices that were in place before the advent of modern medicine.

This includes herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, which is prevalent in Chinese, Ayurvedic (or Indian), and Greek medicine.

Upon the advent of modern medicine, many professionals discarded the use of herbs in favor of man-made medicine. The fact that these treatments are based on the healing properties of some herbs was forgotten. For example, opium, digitalis, quinine, and aspirin all have their roots in traditional medicine.

Natural medicine can be considered as a lost art. This does not mean that it has lost efficacy over time. In some cases, natural therapy is actually better than modern medicine. This leads some doctors to seriously consider and study the possible uses of natural medicine.

Before we continue, it is important to stress that not all the natural remedies are legitimate. It would help to only try those remedies which have been thoroughly studied and are relatively risk free.

Take herbal medicine for example. There are many well-documented and studied herbal remedies available. However, only those that deal with minor ailments such as cough, colds, fever, skin rashes, and its ilk are likely to be recommended by health professionals. These remedies are sometimes superior to synthetic medicine. This is because herbal medicines are less likely to cause negative side effects.

Currently there are numerous organizations that study the effects and advocacy of natural medicine – among which is herbal medicine. Some governments and health agencies openly advocate the use of natural methods since they are inexpensive and relatively risk-free.

As their studies compile, more herbs and treatments are added to the list of accepted medicines. However, many herbs and treatments have been proven to be bogus medicine. This represents a challenge for both the user and the agencies because they have to ascertain that the treatments they either use or advocate are legitimate.

There exist today many alternative medical treatments that fall under natural medicine. However, not all of them have been proven to be effective. You could mention homeopathy, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and other alternative medical treatments. It would pay to consult the experts as to the legitimacy of these treatments.

Natural medicine should also be thought of as an accompanying medicine. Right now, the current collective medical thought suggests that natural medicine be used only to supplement accepted modern medical practices. In that case of minor ailments your expert we actually advise you to take natural therapies instead.

The practice of modern medicine revolves around diagnosing an illness and prescribing treatments for such. Natural medicine is helpful because it suggests that treatment be not necessarily given only when sick. Natural medicine strives to make each patient practice good health habits. These habits include good diet, healthy living, and the regular natural treatment.

It is this same line of thought that leads our parents to tell us to eat our vegetables. Yes, a healthy lifestyle and will do no harm to our well-being. And this is the foundation of natural medicine – may it be massage, herbal medicine, aromatherapy or others.

It is funny but true that science, in its quest for excellence, is studying the knowledge of sages past. This, surprisingly, leads us back to the remedies nature offers. The possibilities of finding remedies to everyday illnesses in natural medicine are encouraging. So staying tuned to studying these remedies is worthwhile until we can verify that these therapies are truly helpful to our health and our society.

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Are there really some easy quit smoking methods out there? In truth, there is no instant method that will make you quit without lifting a finger. A game plan and following a game plan is still required.

There is finally a way to quit smoking, which may not be effortless, but relatively easier. If you talk to other people especially smokers, they may discourage you and say that it’s impossible. But that’s not true. If you really want to kick the habit, you should muster up some determination and really push through a plan of attack. That, plus some helpful advice and guidance from various quitting systems available will help you succeed.

Those who say that it is absolutely impossible for smokers to stop smoking are most likely also the people who are too lazy and settled on the habit to even make an effort to quit. They keep saying to others what they say to themselves, that it is really impossible.

For those smokers out there who are set on quitting, do not let yourself fall into that trap. Most likely, you don’t even remember why you started smoking and that you realize that it is really self-destructive in more ways than one. Quitting is possible and here are methods that will help you along.

A great method is to first think off and list down all the benefits or reasons why quitting should be done. Just as they say: if there is a will there is a way. Listing things would help motivate you and clarify why you need to do it.

Another method for you is to stay in a house that is free from other smokers. Having to live with other smokers is such a challenge because you will be constantly tempted by the smell and by the cigarettes lying around that you can easily get.

You have to be warned that you will experience some withdrawal pains from nicotine. But not to worry, there are lots of nicotine patches and gums out there that will help you get through this problem. That will take care of the biological addiction, but you will still have to deal with the psychological addiction which is the biggest addiction of all.

The gums, patches, and hard candies that contain nicotine for those who want to quit can be found in any store. They contain small amounts of nicotine so that it will help the quitting person to compensate for the sudden lack of this addictive substance as an effect of quitting. The dosage on these things can then be lessened as the days go by. Anti-depressants such as zyban, Chantrix, and other medicine can also be used to help lessen the withdrawal syndrome. If these are still not enough, you should look for other programs about kicking the habit, which many are available online.

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