Lifestyle Choices

Life, the biological chain that holds our parts together, is only as strong as its weakest vital link..

You are as young or as old as your smallest vital links—the cells. The aging begins when your normal process of cell regeneration and rebuilding slows down. This slowdown is caused mainly by the accumulation of waste products in the tissues, which interferes with the nourishment of the cells. Each living cell is a complete living entity with its own metabolism. It needs a constant supply of oxygen and sufficient nourishment. (more…)

With intrinsic biological aging, the skin’s outer layer is thinned (over time by about 20 percent). The surface of the skin remains smooth. The border between the epidermis and the dermis becomes flattened, making the skin less resistant to friction (you get more blisters in snug shoes!). In contrast, extrinsic photoaging causes a thickening of the outer skin layer, with up to 50 percent more cells being accumulated onto the skin’s surface, making it feel rough and dry. Think of the grainy, thickened skin on the backs of the hands of a gardener, for example. With photoaging, accumulation of pigment in the basal cells is more markedly irregular than in intrinsic aging, causing the so-called “liver spots” or “age spots” (medically called solar lentigos), the unattractive dark spots especially prevalent on the hands, arms, face and chest. (more…)

Sunlight is electromagnetic radiation, which is similar to X-rays but of lower energy. The sun’s energy reaching the earth’s surface can be broadly subdivided into 1) infrared (the lowest energy that can be felt as heat); 2) visible light; and 3) ultraviolet (the highest energy that affects the skin). The ultraviolet spectrum is, in turn, divided into three bands — the “ultra-V three” — each of which causes a different, specific, and most unwelcome effect. (more…)

It is truly more dangerous now than even a few years ago to expose yourself to the sun! Scientists have noted a substantial decrease in the ozone layer above the earth’s atmosphere. This is the layer that acts as a protective filter to save us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.

Measurements in the late fall, winter, and early spring showed a reduction of 5 percent as opposed to the previous decade. Calibrations initially focused on the seasonal “hole” in the ozone layer, (more…)

In common with all other life forms, the human body goes through a natural cycle of decay. This normal deterioration is inevitable, but need not necessarily be uncomfortable. Discomfort and a poor quality of life mean that ageing is taking place too quickly. Ageing is a process; being old is a sentence. The ageing process should be like of brandy: the better the ageing process is managed, the better the end product. (more…)

The sand in our hourglasses runs out at different rates. Everyone is different and these ten steps will take different people along different paths. It may cost you a little more to follow them; you may need to look after yourself a little better; it may take a while — but you are worth it. (more…)

Women with newly diagnosed breast cancer are concerned about any possible risk to their daughters and sisters. If a woman does not appear to be in a family that has breast cancer in approximately half the women on one side, then she probably does not have either the BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 gene. Gene positivity is associated with bilateral breast cancer, ovarian and breast cancer in the same family, and Ashkenazic Jewish ancestry. Women who are gene positive tend to develop breast cancer at a younger age than women with non-hereditary breast cancer. (more…)

Scientists have also discovered the next defective gene to contribute to an increase in breast cancer susceptibility, which they naturally called BRCA-2. The incidence of BRCA-2 appears to be slightly less than BRCA-1. BRCA-2 is autosomal dominant also and resides on the thirteenth chromosome. Initially, it was believed that the presence of the BRCA-2 gene defect did not appear to increase risk for ovarian cancer. (more…)

All cancer is genetic. That is to say, that in order for a normal cell to convert to a cancerous cell, a genetic mishap must occur. These genetic mishaps, or mutations, occur quite frequently and are usually of little consequence unless the event occurs at a critical location on one of the chromosomes. A single mutation does not lead to a cancer. Cancer results from two to three separate events over time. (more…)

However, if your cancer treatment is completed and you feel an unexplainable anxiety even though your trials are apparently over, read on.

These feelings are common and occur, in part, because the end has come to the frequent visits with your various doctors, which can serve to comfort—giving you the tangible evidence that someone is watching over you and your health. But, aside from that, you may be struggling with the fear of recurrence that many women experience at this time. Remember, during the treatment planning process, you want to develop a plan to optimize your chance of cure and to carry out that plan. When done, it is time for you to go on with your life. (more…)

You will notice at the base of the fingers that it says “ears” and “eyes.” With your right thumb, press on the pad just about where the fingers join your left hand. Use a press-and-roll motion here as you search out tender spots. When you find a sore spot, keep working it for a few seconds to release a flow of electrical life force into the congested area, thus giving nature a helping hand in healing whatever the malfunction might be. (more…)

How to work between the webbing of fingers

The webbing between fingers has many important reflexes, several of which are “assistants” to other reflex areas, such as the neck, sinuses, eyes, ears, and all sensory organs. You will work these reflex areas by placing the first finger and thumb of the opposite hand over and under the webbing. With a pinching, rolling technique, gently work the reflex points next to the small muscles, and up against the bones underneath the skin. Work between all fingers. You will be surprised at the tender spots you find here. (more…)

You have a general idea of how each part of your body has a corresponding reflex located in the hands and fingers. In explaining how to work the various reflex points and their coinciding areas in the body.

We will start with the top of the thumb and fingers, and work the reflexes corresponding to the head. Then we will progress to the rest of the hands, explaining the reflexes and body areas as we go. (more…)

Ear Cosmetic Surgery Scars

The scar will be about three inches in length but it will be hidden by the crease of the ear.

Ear Cosmetic Surgery Problems

Infection is not common but it is vital to call a doctor at the very first signs — increased rather than decreased reddening, swelling and aching of the ear after the first few days — because infection that is not treated quickly can lead to permanent damage to the cartilage of the ear and a misshapen appearance possibly worse than the one that has been corrected. Infection is a higher risk if the ear has been seriously injured prior to surgery. (more…)

As ears are virtually fully grown by the age of six, ears that are going to be unacceptably prominent will definitely be noticeable by that age. Unfortunately, it is other children not similarly afflicted who tend to notice them most and a child’s life may be made a misery by teasing in the early school days. On the plus side, this is one cosmetic operation which can be carried out in childhood and is usually obtainable on the NHS without more than a few months wait. (more…)

The following is a list of lifestyle adjustments that could improve the quality and length of your life:

• Go for a regular medical check-up.
• Keep a record of your and your family’s medical history.
• Avoid pollution as far as possible.
• Try to live in a crime-free area.
• Have your home and workplace tested for radon.
• Live within 50 km of a hospital or emergency unit.

(more…)

Just as all of us first have to learn how to write and practise writing, a good lifestyle does not develop overnight. Nor do we all write in the same way but there are basic letter shapes and the direction in which we write (from left to right) that form the basis of our style. Thus your lifestyle will not necessarily conform to what I am going to suggest below nor will it be like other people’s lifestyles.

Try to make your lifestyle “legible” for your children because the sooner one starts to write, the smaller the chance that a good style will cause a cramp. (more…)

Who is at risk? Everyone!

No one is safe from sun damage! You suffer an increased risk if your skin is Type I or II — that is if you are of Scottish, Irish, Scandinavian, or northern European descent and have fair skin that burns easily but does not tan. Especially at risk are people who have freckles, blond, red or light-brown hair, and blue, green or gray eyes. (more…)

Decreased Immunity

Your skin is your first layer of protection from the environment. These capture foreign substances and organisms to present them to the immune system deeper in the skin and in the blood.

It is known that after exposure to UV light, the number of Langerhan’s cells markedly decreases and can even disappear completely, making us far more susceptible to skin infection. When you suffer sunburn you compound the problem. Not only are your immune cells depleted, but the blistering of acute sunburn breaks down the skin, making infection more likely. (more…)

Skin Photoallergies

A photoallergy is a specific immune reaction that occurs only in certain people after they have been exposed several times to the offending substance and then sunbathed or used a tanning bed. Even a small amount of the substance can cause a red, scaly or blistering eruption when the person sunbathes. The rash usuallybegins over 12 hours after exposure.

A photoallergic reaction is very individual. (more…)