Lifestyle Choices

The main reason that your stomach feels as though you are sailing the ocean waves is because its delicate pH balance has been upset. Live yogurt to the rescue. (more…)

When you and your partner both have the hangover from hell, what better way to commiserate than by getting intimate with one another. It could make you both feel better. (more…)

Most skins (except the very sensitive) will benefit from a weekly face pack. These are designed to deep cleanse, tighten and brighten, moisturize and generally tone the complexion. One of the most beneficial substances to use as a face pack is yoghurt (live natural yoghurt, full-fat if possible) — beneficial, that is, if you are not allergic to dairy products. Fresh live yoghurt, without additives, can help all skin types, particularly excessively dry or oily skin. The lactic acid of yoghurt (due to its fermentation) is similar to that of the skin acid mantle, and appears to exert a balancing action on the secretion of skin fluids. (more…)

Natural living rooms

The hearth has always been the focal point of the home. It is the heart of the home where people gather and enjoy each other’s company and warmth. Even today a brightly burning fire is an immediate attraction and homes with fireplaces have an immediate feeling of focus and exude warm vibrations. The chimney provides a channel up to the heavens and into the air, and it is via the chimney that good and bad spirits can have access to your home. As long as we burn environmentally friendly fuel, having a fireplace still remains a powerful focal point of the home. (more…)

Natural foods taste great: red and green salads fresh from the garden, wholegrain bread and fruity jam, a chicken with real chicken taste — no wonder a return to natural foods is one of the most important trends we’ve witnessed in recent years.

Modern progress in preservation, production and processing has certainly added an enormous variety of trouble-free foods to our menus. But it is not all a miracle. Some methods are potentially dangerous to health. Gases are used to ripen and preserve fruits and vegetables. Chemical sprays are applied and fertilizers are spread with alarming casualness over our farm lands. (more…)

Cellars, Garages, Services

Oil tanks can leak vapors and integral garages can also create fumes which can permeate the whole house. Ideally, garages should be separate from the main house, but if this is not possible keep any doors and windows shut while warming up your car. Also make sure you keep your garage door open long enough to let out any exhaust fumes. (more…)

To counteract these toxic and harmful vibrations, introduce forms of radiant energy through light, air, aroma and sound.

Light

Pure sunlight has a very powerful cleaning action. The light rays purify and cleanse all natural objects as well as any dark spiritual forces. Curtains and blinds hold dust and dirt particles as well as block out a good deal of natural light, so if you want to thoroughlycleanse a room it is a good idea to start by taking these down. The extra natural sunlight which will enter the room through the larger window area, will help clean the room while the curtains are being washed. (more…)

Allergic reactions

A potential recipient of bovine collagen implant must first be tested for possible allergy to the substance. The test is simple: a small amount of collagen is injected painlessly into the forearm through a tiny needle. The dermatologist examines the area tested a few days later, and again after a month. Almost everyone allergic to collagen shows a reaction within two days — an itchy, red bump appears at the site of the pin-prick. A few people might not show a reaction for up to four weeks. (more…)

If only everyone knew earlier in their lives how to prevent wrinkles and age spots! Fortunately, it is also known not only how to slow down those tell-tale signs of aging, but also how to reverse some of the skin damage already suffered, using simple techniques that can be employed every day at home.

Some more difficult skin problems such as acne- scarring, conspicuous blood vessels, and deep wrinkles can only be corrected by a dermatologist. Most treatments that may improve your appearance can be completed in just a few visits to a doctor’s office, and such treatments are far less costly than more major plastic surgical procedures (such as facelifts or eyelid surgery). (more…)

Everyone suffers at some time from dry skin. When your skin is dry, you reach for a moisturizer. But effective moisturizing involves more than just day cream or lotion.

When doctors look at dry skin under a microscope, they see that it is actually an accumulation of dead cells adhering to the skin’s surface. These cells are made of the protein, keratin, which can absorb water, changing from dry, tile-like flakes to smooth, plump cells. Natural, moist, supple skin depends upon the complex interaction of these surface cells with the environment, with water, with your body’s secretions, or with moisturizers you apply. (more…)

For extraordinary color, shape, and appeal, follow these simple steps:

• Apply a thin coat of foundation to lips; blot. This will give color a good base for adhering.
• Using a sharp lip pencil (select a color that’s the same or slightly lighter than lip color choice), outline your mouth to give it a well-defined shape. Lips less than perfect?
• Use a flat lipbrush with firm bristles to apply a lip color. Start at center and work toward edges. The lipbrush gives you control and helps to spread the color evenly. Choose a creamy lipstick (labeled moisturizing or conditioning) that glides on easily.
• Blot by placing a tissue over your lips and patting on translucent powder with a wide, fluffy brush. Enough of the powder will sift through the paper onto lips to keep the color in place.

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Brush Up

Your hairbrush is the most basic styling tool you’ve got. If you were stranded on a desert island with only one hair-care implement, this would be it! You use your brush to shape, fluff, smooth, sweep, stroke, gather, and style your hair in dozens of ways. It’s also vital as a grooming tool, to remove the dirt and dust that hair collects and to distribute its natural oils. Look for brushes with natural bristles, which are the best—and the most expensive—money can buy. Actually coarse hair culled from wild boars, natural bristles go through the hair without irritating the scalp, and because of their uneven, ragged surface they are better able to pick up dirt, oil, and lint than are their smoother synthetic counterparts. Brushes are available that contain both natural and synthetic bristles; they may be the best and the most economical choice for you. (more…)

To keep your clothes looking good, working strong, you should know something about what they’re made of and how best to care for them. Here is a miniglossary of fabrics as well as info on proper care and handling.

Cotton.An all-purpose favorite. Comfortable, cool, or cozy and toasty, this is one fiber that really lets your skin breathe, never makes you feel hot or sticky. Can be knit into bulky summer sweaters, comfy Ts, or crisp like poplin summer slacks, starched menswear shirts. Care: Hand or machine wash. It can be dry cleaned, but that’s not necessary unless it’s a lined garment, like a jacket, or one that can lose its shape, like a dress. When washed, press with a hot iron. (more…)

There is more health and beauty through natural movement than you will get from vigorous aerobic exercise alone. For no matter how far you run, no matter how fine an athlete or dancer you are, unless your muscles and joints move freely through the full range of motions possible for them you quite simply won’t feel fully alive. Neither will you have full freedom of locomotion nor will you get the complete enjoyment of your sensations.

The body is the medium of experience. Everything you do—walking, writing, playing, working, making love—you do through its movements. In fact, all life is made up of the action of living flesh and muscle on moving joints and bones. These movements are composed of finely controlled positions and motions. When your joints and muscles are supple and mobile your body remains free, glowing, alive and highly resistant to stress. To get it that way, unless you are a child or unless you happen to be gifted with exceptional flexibility, you need to teach your muscles to stretch to their limits and encourage your joints to move fully. (more…)

Light Draws the Eye

Highlighter is a powerful tool when it is used wisely. When carelessly or wrongly applied, it can make a face look positively absurd. The best highlighters are not white. Bone white is too harsh. Instead choose a pale ivory foundation to use as a lightener on the areas of the face you wish

The Eyes Have it

For most women, one of their best features is the eyes. Perhaps this is because eyes reveal so much of what goes on inside one. Makeup for eyes should emphasize this and show off the eyes‘ beauty and color. It should never be applied gratuitously, as it often is. (more…)

One of the simplest and most effective ways of changing your appearance is to change the color of your hair. As we get older, the color of hair tends either to fade or to go darker, so that a once shimmery golden mane or deep mahogany tresses can become lackluster and dull. One of the best ways of remedying the situation is with a color boost. Hair coloring these days is effective and reasonably priced and can look even better than most natural hair—provided, of course, it is done correctly. Otherwise it can end up looking like a burnished haystack.

There are two categories of hair colorants: permanent colorants, which enter the cortex and cannot be washed out, and the temporary and the semipermanent, which can be used to highlight and intensify your own hair color but won’t alter the cortex.

The Temporary Colorants

These are the easiest to use. They coat the cuticle of the hair with color that washes away with the next shampoo. You can get temporary highlighting shampoos and color rinses in a great variety of colors that don’t disturb the cuticle imbrications. Most of them have a shine- promoting pH, too. But what you can do with them is limited, for while they will darken the hair—say from blond to red or to black—they are really designed for minor color changes only. If you try to go too many shades away from your natural color, they tend to streak and give uneven coverage. They also cannot make your hair lighter than it is, because they have no action on the cortex, where the melanin granules are —they merely coat the outside of the hair shaft. (more…)

Many hormones affect mood. With the exception of female hormones, hormonal treatment is indicated only when there is disease of the gland secreting the hormone. In these uncommon cases the gland may be treated, by surgery for example, or the missing hormone may be replaced thyroxine given to a hypothyroid person removes depression. There is considerable controversy in medical circles about the use of female hormones. They have been used to prevent and treat post-natal depression, for premenstrual tension, and for menopausal depression. The clearest useful effects have been inthe prevention and treatment of pre-menstrual tension. (more…)

A. Supplements — Who needs them?

You have now read about some of the benefits and characteristics of the nutrients considered essential to maintaining optimum health. So the question arises: do you need to supplement? Do you need to take vitamin and mineral pills, or a separate antioxidant supplement? There are some who say you get all you need from a healthy diet, and supplements are just expensive urine. Others see supplements as essential. So what should you do?

Ideally, a healthy and varied diet would provide your body with all the nutrients it needs. In some cases, however, food is grown in depleted soils or artificially under lights in hothouses. For example, selenium content in soils is varied and regional. New Zealand soils are quite low in selenium, as are parts of Australia, South Africa and North America, but it is important as an antioxidant and in supporting Vitamin E in your body.

Different circumstances and lifestyles can all take a toll on your health. In times of high emotional or physical stress, your body may need some extra support. While supplementation is not a substitute for a quality diet, it can certainly offer those with nutritional concerns some peace of mind. (more…)

Apart from helping in your daily skincare, natural ingredients can also help in healing specific skin problems you may have. Here is a list of helpful remedies for the whole family:

Acne

More than just a spot or blemish, acne is an inflammatory condition often brought about by a sensitivity to androgen (male) hormones in the body. In mild cases blackheads and blemishes are present and in more severe cases you find inflamed pustules and cysts. Acne sufferers often carry a higher bacterial content on their skin and experts suggest that it could be this bacteria and its reaction on sebum (oil) levels in the skin that are affected when you are under stress, as stress seems to be a contributing factor. (more…)

Knowing how to read nutrient labels will help you to make better food choices when shopping. Marketing slogans that call a product ‘healthy’ or ‘natural‘ can make a food sound a lot better than the ingredients would merit. When we are too busy we tend to believe what is written on the front of the package, rather than taking the time to read what is on the back. For example, popcorn is considered a great low-fat snack. However, if you buy the microwave or prepared versions, you will find they can be a lot higher in salt and fat than if you buy dried corn and pop it yourself. If advertising can be misleading, let’s have a look at what some of these terms really mean.

A. ‘Lite’ or ‘Light’

This can mean a number of things and not necessarily that the product is lower in kilojoules or fat. Lite potato crisps may be thinly sliced and lightly salted, but they may still contain a high fat content. Light olive oil has a lighter flavour, light beer has less alcohol content, light margarine has less fat, light cheese has less fat and salt. It is important you check the label for what it is that has been ‘lightened’. (more…)