While searching for the world’s best anti aging skin care product I found myself traveling to the mountains of the Swiss Alps, the jungles of Africa, the caves of Egypt. All the while in the ed my discover was on so simply yet incredible it was more then i had bargained for. Green Tea as an Antiaging product? Who knew that in one cup you could possess something that can prevent heart disease, gum diseases, help you lose weight and even cure cancer? The claims against green tea are bold, so what can it do in terms of an antiaging skin care product? It’s an ancient drink that has been used as health food for all the benefits mentioned above and more. Green tea has a high content of polyphenols. Polyphenols while in some plants contribute to the color of leaves during fall and autumn, in tea they act as an antioxidant. Helping to prevent cardio vascular disease and cancer. The Polypheols in green tea which give it antiaging properties are known as catechins. Catechins make up almost 25% of the volume of a dried tea leaf. For comparison one cup of green tea will provide you with 10-40 mg of polyphenols which is more then a full serving of broccoli. It turns out that green teas actually do help with skin care and the prospect of having healthy, younger-looking skin. There are polyphenols in tea that do a lot of the work and these are generally called “catechins”. These catechins perform the bulk of the work and believe me, there are a lot of different catechins in tea, especially green tea. In fact, green tea has almost 20 times the amount of catechins in it as black tea. Tea increases the antioxidant quality of your skin and even your blood by allowing it to take on more oxygen and breathe easier, so naturally the higher amount of polyphenols you have working for you the greater antioxidant quality your skin has. It sounds like an unorthodox method in terms of skin care, especially in a market filled with creams and lotions and serums, but it is possible that the best antiaging skin care product out there is something you drink. Further Research While I continued to research antiaging skin care products, I was overwhelmed with the vast number of commercial creams, and lotions available. We are on a quest for the perfect product to reverse signs of aging, when really the best weapon we have to fight it is free. We should be using our knowledge and education on the topic to our advantage before we run out to purchase the latest fifty dollar jar of cream. The best weapon against aging is in fact our knowledge.
Archive for ◊ September, 2009 ◊
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a devastating disorder that is one of many listed under the general term, “Repetitive Strain Injury” (RSI). Of all repetitive strain injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most recognized and prevalent among the general populace. And due to this recognition, many people are concerned about being afflicted with carpal tunnel and its debilitating symptoms, a concern that should be on the minds of anyone that is involved in work or recreational activities that require extensive use of the hands, especially in static motions such as “gripping” and/or repetitive motions like typing, clicking a computer mouse, assembly, etc. Below is a list of the symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome and a list of steps that can be taken to help prevent this terrible and devastating disorder that has reached pandemic proportions. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms: · Tightness, discomfort, stiffness or pain on the front side of the hands/wrists. · Tingling, numbness and/or paresthesia (Pins & needles) affecting the thumb, index, middle and one-half of the ring finger. The thumb and fingers do not have to be affected simultaneously as symptoms will often vary and move around. (Example: The thumb and index finger may be numb one day and the next day the numbness and tingling in the thumb and middle finger are more noticeable.) · Loss of strength in the fingers/hands. (Grip Strength) · Pain, aching, swelling, and diminished coordination and dexterity. · A need to stretch and/or massage hands, wrists and arms. · Assuming a defensive posture in order to protect sensitive hands/wrists. Because carpal tunnel syndrome and its symptoms are something that everyone should be aware of in this day and age of computers, video games, personal assistant devices and other “technological advances”, it is important to take the necessary steps in order to prevent carpal tunnel from developing in the first place. By implementing the following steps, you can greatly reduce your risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome as well as stave off many other repetitive strain injuries that are caused in the exact same manner as carpal tunnel, such as Guyon’s Syndrome, Trigger Finger and Tendonitis of the hands and wrists. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Prevention Protocol: · Task Variation: It is wise to vary tasks throughout the day in order to keep the force and duration of the specific motion to a minimum. If a typical workday involves 5 types of activities; instead of doing task #1 for 1.5 hours and then moving on to task #2 for 1.5 hours, etc., it is best if task #1 can be performed for 30-minutes and then task #2 is performed for 30 minutes, and so on, repeating tasks #1-5 every 30 minutes until they are completed. If this is not possible for the type of work that is required, ask the employer health director to implement a task rotation schedule where workers perform a different type of task every 1-2 hours throughout the day, making sure that each task is different enough that it does not tax the same muscle group(s) in the same manner as the previous task or the next task. It is still important that in these 1-2 hour shifts that mini-breaks are taken for 2-3 minutes every 30 minutes. Implementing task variation is very successful tool in keeping productivity high and repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome to a minimum. · Task Requirement Limitation: The ‘task requirement limitation’ protocol sets a limit on the duration and force of a given job or task, making sure that workers are only required to perform a certain number of repetitive movements or a certain amount of force over a specified period of time before a break is required. Implementing a mini break for every 30 minutes of work activity is very important in order to prevent muscle hypertonicity and fatigue from setting in, the main causes of carpal tunnel syndrome. · Ergonomic Systems: Ergonomic systems and tools are important in helping to reduce the amount of stress and strain that is inflicted upon the body, but ergonomic systems and tools by themselves cannot prevent or “cure” injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. · Mini-Breaks: It is very important to implement short breaks every 30 minutes of work activity in order to reduce stress and strain to the fingers, hands, wrists and forearms. These breaks only have to last 2-3 minutes, but are key in allowing the muscles to relax, which helps to prevent a muscle imbalance from occurring and developing into carpal tunnel syndrome. Even more important in carpal tunnel syndrome prevention, is implementing the following activities into these mini-breaks. – Stretch: Stretch the short, restrictive muscles in order to lengthen them, which, reduces pressure on the underlying muscles, blood vessels and nerves. (Example: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Stretch the muscles on the front of the forearm that flex the fingers, hand/wrist.) – Exercise: Strengthen the weak, underdeveloped muscles in order to help shorten/tighten them. Performing strengthening exercises to the muscle groups opposite to those that are short and tight allows the muscles on both sides of the joint to return to a more natural, balanced position. The strong, short muscles are lengthened and the weak, long muscles are shortened, creating equality and stability around the entire joint. (Example: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Strengthen the muscles on the back of the forearm that extend the fingers, hand/wrist.) NOTE: Of all the ideas listed, the ones that are most important in preventing and eliminating repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome are mini-breaks, stretches and exercises. By simply being aware and implementing a few simple techniques at work, individuals can prevent repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome from occurring and experience many years of good health without ever being affected.
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The formula for losing weight is simple: eat less and exercise more. But, it’s not really all that simple, is it? Long-term weight loss isn’t impossible, but you do have to be committed. Having a weight loss plan for your success is a good start. Here are ten items that should go into your weight loss plan. 1. Eat breakfast. This keeps you from getting too hungry later and then losing control over what you choose to eat later in the day. 2. Stock your refrigerator and pantry with healthy foods and snacks and limit high-fat, high-salt snacks such as potato chips and cookies. 3. Fill up on Fiber. Eat foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The fibers in these foods will fill you up leaving less room for unhealthy choices. 4. Don’t fall into bad habits on weekends. Many people will follow a strict diet on weekends only to fall back into eating more (unhealthy) on the weekends as a reward for “being good” all week. Unfortunately, this can cause you to regain tahe weight you may have lost during the week. 5. Watch portion sizes. Your perception of what a serving size should be and a “true” serving size can differ dramatically. Measuare your portions accurately, especially when you first start your healthy eating regime. 6. Set lifestyle goals – not weight loss goals. Commitment to eating healthy foods does lead to healthy weight loss — gradually. Looking at your weight daily can cause discouragement and will make many people give up and go back to unhealthy food choices. 7. Take healthy snacks with you when you take road trips. Grab healthy granola bars, bananas, apples and other fruit to prevent the tempation of stopping for a cancy bar or milk shake. 8. Don’t deny yourself the foods you love. If you absolutely love chocolate, go ahead and have a small pice – half of a candy bar insteaad of a whole one! And avoid eating your “splurges” every day. Save them for when you really need them! 9. Start moving. Exercise is the key to long term weight loss. You’ve heard the saying, “Move it or lose it.” Too true! 10. Keep a journal. Writing down what you eat, when and how much you exercise and your moods will keep you on track and motivated to continue the course. Weight loss is achieved by both diet and exercise. It is also achieved by persistence. If you “fall off the wagon” one day, pick yourself up and continue your healthy lifestyle the next. Don’t give up!
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People who suffer from acne know that it is no laughing matter. Having bad acne can lead to shyness, under-confidence and insecurity so any product on the market that promises to solve acne problems is sure to be popular. However, if you are an acne sufferer then there is some good news; when you are in the later years of your life, your skin will be wrinkle-free. This is because acne sufferers have oily skin and these active oil glands will be of great benefit in later years when the skin looses its elasticity. Acne is usually found where the oil glands are more active and where the skin has more pores. The pores are the holes where the body hair comes through, and the oil glands that are around these pores secret sebum. The sebum may be produced in excessive amounts and this combined with any grime that is on the skin, will develop into acne. The other thing to remember about acne is that it will clear up. Most people do suffer with acne when they are a teenager, but the acne will lessen as you get older, and having wrinkle-free skin in the later years in life is a great thing to look forward to! Many people will try an array of products to try and get rid of acne. But you do not need to use expensive toiletries or cosmetics to help acne. There are a few basic things that you can do to help clear up acne and calm the skin down. Firstly start with a cleaning regime that you do everyday. By strictly keeping the skin clean, by cleansing toning and moisturising you will help your acne. You don’t need to use very expensive products for this; just by cleaning and toning your skin everyday should help with your acne. The other thing that you can do to help with acne problems is look at your diet. It is always important to have a healthy diet, and this can be of great importance where acne is concerned. Make sure you have a varied diet and eat an array of all of the food groups. Drinking plenty of water and eating a lot of fruit and vegetables will help not only your health but also your acne. Another great way to combat acne is by doing exercise. Increasing the blood flow to the skin will help with acne, but it is important to remember to keep clean when exercising and shower before and after. If you make these simple changes to your life you will feel the benefit and you will also see an improvement to your acne. Acne can be a real problem but if you do all that you can by changing what you eat and how you exercise you will soon see an improvement in your acne. It’s important to remember that acne does not stay forever, so no matter how bad you think your acne is now, it will get better.
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People always talk about life. They either marvel about it, mouth-off a litany of complaints, or burst into a series of philosophical points to ponder. Life is beautiful…life is unfair…life is what you make it… so on and so forth. But what about death? Not very many people would be willing to discuss the mystery and dread that surrounds the issue of death. Most people find it too morbid to dwell on during one’s personal musings about life, much less make it a topic for conversation. Perhaps, some may consider thinking and speaking about death if they are already in the grips of leaving this world or have just witnessed the passing of someone close to them. Death is a difficult thing to grasp, understand, and accept. It is a threat and a tragedy that strikes fear even among the most stout-hearted of individuals. Yet, we all know that death is inevitable and that death will one day come to take us from this world and everything we have come to love and cherish. No matter how hard we try to shield ourselves from the reality of death, it is a thing that we cannot escape or evade. As it is often said, there are only two certain things in life: taxes and death. We have seen death’s shadow hover us, yet we still fail to understand its depths. In muffled words, we speak to mourners and try to console them — even as we, too, seek comfort in the thought that it is not we who are inside the coffin. But how do cope with death and dying? How do we help those who grieve? And how do we help ourselves when we lose a friend, a family member, or loved one? Death is a one-time only experience which makes us who are alive totally clueless. To know physical death, we must first die. But surely, most people have become acquainted with grief — another emotion that has close ties with death. To grieve is to be overcome by an intense feeling of loss. Aside from grieving the loss of a loved one, some people also agonize about losing a job, a prized possession, having a miscarriage, or the end of a relationship. Still, perhaps nothing can compare with the grief that comes with the loss or death of a loved one. It is characterized by not just a single feeling but a whole succession of feelings of pain, disappointment, and regret. While it is a really negative emotion…something that no one would willingly want to experience, grief is an emotion that must be felt by every person who lost a loved one. While the act of grieving differs from one person to another, the emotion is an integral part of the whole journey towards acceptance of the death of someone held so dearly. While there are no exact ways or right approaches to the process of grieving, there are some common stages that people usually pass through when someone they love passes on. The first, usual stage is called denial. As soon as the news of the death of a close relative or friend is disclosed, most people feel simply stunned. They somehow could not accept or believe the dreadful news. Even in the case of terminally ill patients, family and friends would still pass through a stage of denial even if death had already been expected for quite some time. There are times when the sense of emotional numbness initially keeps a person from grieving but helps in getting through some of the important practical arrangements that have to be made, such as getting in touch with relatives, as well as organizing the funeral. Sometimes, these feelings and moments of “unreality” may become a problem if it goes on for too long. In order to overcome emotional numbness, some people need to see the actual body of the dead person. Often, it is only during the the funeral or memorial service that the reality of what has happened really starts to sink in. Even if seeing the body or attending the funeral can be distressing, doing so can help the person release bottled up emotions and say good-bye to the departed. However, those who avoid this episode due to the pain it would cause may experience a sense of deep regret that may take years to overcome. When the feeling of numbness disappears, it is replaced by a dreadful sense of agitation, or yearning for the dead person. With the anger and agitation over the loss of a loved one, a grieving person may find it hard to concentrate, relax, or sleep. Sleep disorder such as insomnia may develop. Even if the grieving person gets a few hours of sleep, he or she may be accompanied by disturbing dreams about the dead. Some people may even believe that they actually “see” their dead loved ones everywhere they go: in the street, the park, around the house, and in places where they had spent time together. Guilt is another common feeling among people who are in the process of grieving. They could not get it out of their head and may even think about what they could have done differently to prevent the tragedy of death. The grieving person may need to be reminded that death is usually beyond anyone’s control. In the case of terminally ill patients, their family may have a feeling of relief once they pass on since the sick would already be free from the suffering. Still, the family may have feelings of guilt over how well they took care of their sick relative or loved one. Suppressing emotions can aggravate the situation and could have detrimental repercussions to the physical, emotional and mental health of an individual. The truth is, buried emotions never really disappear. These emotions resurface and appear in the guise of emotional behaviors or acts that create vicious cycles or become self-fulfilling prophecies. When a person refuses to acknowledge his feelings of sadness, there is a tendency to avoid relationships that could only aggravate the depression. In the same manner, emotional eaters fall into a succession of binging episodes to find temporary relief from pain and grief. However, they also become angry with themselves after realizing how they have again lost control over their eating and their emotions. After a stage of anger or agitation comes a period of quiet sadness or depression, withdrawal, and silence. Memories of the dead person linger and only leads the family or the survivor to more moments of sadness. Other people may find it difficult to understand when the grieving person suddenly bursts into tears for no obvious reason. During this stage, it may appear as though the person is spending a lot of time just sitting doing nothing. But in reality, the person is usually thinking about the loved one, going over again and again every memory — trying to relive both the good and bad times they had together. This is a quiet but essential part of coming to terms with the death. In due time, the intense pain of grieving, as well as the depression, will fade away. After passing through the stages of grieving, it may again be possible to think about the future. Although the sense of having lost a part of oneself never goes away entirely, the final phase of grieving is a letting go of the person who has died. Once the bereaved person begins to feel whole again, the start of a new life will come naturally.
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Are you an individual who is suffering from a lower back injury? Is your lower back stiff and sore when you get out of bed in the morning? Or, heaven forbid, are you one of many individuals that has undergone back surgery? Probably everyone reading this article has experienced a lower back problem at some time or another in their lives. They are no fun, can be very debilitating, and when it comes to golf, they certainly won’t help lower your handicap or drive the ball 300 yards. I would like to share with you an e-mail question that I received from my website www.bioforcegolf.com. Our BioForce Golf family member stated: “I am a ‘mature’ individual and suffering from lower back disc problems. They are not to the point that requires surgery, but they do limit my ability to play golf.” His e-mail continued to describe his lower back issues and ended with a question: “Would someone like me benefit from your lower back exercises, or would they exacerbate the problem?” Before answering this gentleman’s question, let me give you a little background information. BioForce Golf has a golf fitness manual available titled Your Body & Your Swing. In this manual, there are many exercises to assist in improving your golf game. Two stated goals exist for the exercises in this program; number one is injury prevention, and number two is performance improvement. Fairly self-explanatory in terms of their stated goals. Realize even the slightest injury will hurt your golf performance significantly. I replied to this e-mail with a resounding “yes.” The exercises in our program will help you with this type of low back disc problem. Let me explain how exercises for the lower back can assist you. The lower back is comprised of countless muscles, skeletal structures, and fibrous structures. The fibrous structures are in the form of discs and other types of cartilage. Injuries to the body have what I call a “three tier effect.” If the body is overstressed by any activity like swinging a golf club, lifting heavy boxes, or even typing on a computer, the overload on the body (amount of work performed by the body) will affect the muscular system first. This can be in the form of muscle soreness, tightness, or a slight pull. If I lift too many heavy boxes or swing a club too many times, my muscles are the “first line of defense” to injury. If I continue to perform this high workload level and ignore what my muscles are telling me, my second line of defense kicks in. The “second line of defense” is my cartilage and ligament structures (i.e. discs in the lower back). How do you know if you are suffering from a second tier problem? Indicators are inflammation, tears, or bulging of a lower back disc. Usually this is when folks go to a doctor. If you are reading this and this paragraph hits a chord, I strongly suggest seeking counsel of a physician. Finally, if the workloads still continue at a high level, without any intervention, the skeletal structure will be affected. This can be in the formation of bone spurs or stress fractures. An example of such a situation is the formation of bone spurs commonly found in a pitcher’s elbow or the degeneration of lower back structures in a golfer. To stop this injury cycle, or help in the rehabilitation of a current problem, I strongly suggested you first seek professional medical attention. This will assist in the diagnosis and proper treatment of the injury. Exercises can help rehab a golfer in such situations if implemented correctly and under supervision of a qualified individual. The best way to prevent an injury is to Prehab. Prehab exercises, as they are often called, develop high levels of muscular strength and endurance to “handle” the workloads placed upon the body. This can assist in preventing an injury that begins the cycle described above. Now, if you are a golfer that is already “walking down the path” of a debilitating injury, our goal is to help you reverse the cycle. Again, seek professional medical attention and be under supervision throughout the process if you have suffered a problem. If you are starting a new golf fitness program to help with your prehab, seek professional guidance to help minimize the risk of injury. The cycle can be reversed by unloading the skeletal and ligament structures and placing the loads upon the muscular structure. Let me explain using the example from above. For example, if a person is in a situation where his muscular structures are “overloaded” and his discs are taking the brunt of the work, every time he swings a club, bends over to line up his putt, or picks up his ball, the discs are screaming “ouch!” My goal, if I were his trainer, would be to start a series of exercises that would strengthen the muscles of the lower back, resulting in the stresses being taken away from the discs. Once the muscles are strong and have high levels of endurance, they can handle the “workloads” placed upon the body during golf or any activity! Over time, the exercises would alleviate the stress on the discs, get this individual out of “pain,” and restore them to a higher level of activity. In a nutshell, to prevent injury you must develop the muscular strength and endurance to handle the workloads placed upon your body everyday. If you are an avid golfer then I would strongly suggest starting a golf-specific fitness program. This will help you to prevent an injury resulting from the stresses placed upon your body during repetitive golf swings. Secondarily, a golf-specific fitness program will help you dramatically improve your performance on the course. Sean Cochran