Hihigh

Archive for February, 2010

Just the very mention of a trip to the dentist can send even the bravest of us into a cold sweat, but looking after your mouth and teeth is a really important part of keeping yourself feeling at your best. It has been suggested that there are links between health in the mouth and health in the body, as well as the reverse – ill health. For example, one researcher found that gum disease raised the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients by around 2%. It is thus in everyone’s best interests to look after their teeth.

But what is the best way of doing so? For thousands of years, people in some Middle Eastern, Asian and African countries have used the miswak, a stick from a certain type of tree (Salvadora persica), to clean their teeth and gums effectively. Recent research from the King Saud University has shown that this contains many natural substances which help to protect the gums from disease, kill micro-organisms in the mouth and increase salivation.

The miswak demonstrates how natural materials can offer us an excellent alternative to the synthetic chemical ingredients which can be found in many personal care products, from shampoos to sanitizers, and from toners to toothpastes. There are thousands of these synthetic products on the market, but it is unlikely that you will have seen a truly natural toothpaste on the shelves of your local supermarket. So what do the big brand dental care companies put in their toothpastes?

Fluoride

Fluoride first began to be used in toothpastes in 1914, long before the water supplies in the UK became fluoridated. In both cases it was introduced to combat dental decay, a problem which was very widespread amongst the population. Around 10% of the UK now receives fluoridated water (mostly around the West Midlands), which is around 6 million people.

However, the presence of fluoride, both in drinking water and toothpastes, has become a significant issue, and not just in the UK. Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Japan and Cuba are amongst the countries which have withdrawn the fluoridation of their water. Interestingly, some of these have recorded even lower dental decay rates since the fluoride was removed from the water system, which has led some people to question the efficacy of fluoride.

However, it is not just its efficacy in preventing tooth decay which has put fluoride in the spotlight. If people are exposed to too much, it can lead to permanently brown-stained teeth; a condition known as fluorosis. Children are particularly vulnerable to these marks, which is why it is recommended that they only use a very small amount of toothpaste when brushing their teeth.

Triclosan

Triclosan is another substance used in many non-natural toothpastes, although not nearly as well known as fluoride. It is a versatile ingredient, also present in liquid soaps, deodorants, shaving creams and cleaning products, as well as a whole range of other household items. It is an effective antibacterial and antifungal agent which is even recommended for decolonising patients with MRSA.

Whilst these benefits clearly make it a useful ingredient in toothpastes and other personal care products, Triclosan does also appear to have some downsides. Concerns have been raised over the reaction which occurs when it comes into contact with the chlorine which is found in tap water. This reaction can lead to the production of chloroform gas, which is classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as having possible cancer-causing properties.

However, chloroform isn’t the only chemical created in this reaction. Other compounds are also produced, which then convert into dioxins when they come into contact with sunlight. Dioxins are classified, again by the US Environmental Protection Agency, as being a serious threat to public health, and have been linked with cancer and chloracne, a particularly treatment-resistant skin condition.

Unfortunately, Triclosan is also bad for the environment as it does not easily break down and once it is absorbed into the fat cells of a creature, it is unlikely ever to leave its system. It then accumulates up the food chain to create much higher concentrations in those at the top. Research has also revealed that Triclosan may well be an endocrine disruptor in a breed of bullfrog, leading to a range of negative health effects.

So why choose a natural toothpaste instead?

Natural toothpastes from companies like Green People are made with organic essential oils, vitamin C and Myrrh. These ingredients protect the mouth from bacterial growth naturally, without needing to bring in synthetic chemicals which the body does not know how to deal with. The fact that they are occur in nature also means that these toothpastes do not have the negative impact on the environment which can be the case with their synthetic rivals.

Many natural toothpastes also draw on the properties of Aloe vera, which has a remarkably soothing effect on sensitive gums, helping to reduce swelling and discomfort. It is also an effective antiseptic and aids in keeping gums clean, especially in areas which are hard to reach with the toothbrush.

Some organic toothpastes also contain natural Betaine. Clinical trials have shown that this ingredient relieves the symptoms of Dry Mouth Syndrome, a common condition which could affect as many as one in four people in the UK.

Part of creating and keeping true wealth in your life is living a healthy lifestyle since focusing on building riches alone is not enough! My question for you, what are you doing to stay healthy? Or better yet what are your eating habits?

What is you r daily or weekly exercise routine?

How are you feeding your mind?

Statistics show that most Americans are obese due to their busy lifestyle. Busyness is one the reasons that most people come up with when ask why they do not exercise or eat healthier. If you ask me is not busyness the reason why people do not stay healthy is that you have being programmed to think that fast and easy is painless and better. Each day you get bombarded with commercials telling you what you need to buy to make a fast meal or what pill to take to lose weight.

See all that is a big lie because if it all worked, you would not be using your money to find a solution and you would be on your way of living a more energetic and happy healthy life. Instead more people of all ages are being declared obese. Bottom line you need to find effective ways to exercise eat healthier and feed your mind with empowering information that will help you grow in a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Remember it is a daily routine that will help you achieve your ultimate goals for you and your family.

Here are some ideas that are very cost effective and all you need to do is readjust your thought process, commit to take action and “Just do it” like the Nike commercial!

Exercising tips:

* When you go to the mall or to the supermarket; park your car as far as possible from the entrance. By readjusting your previous action of parking as close as possible now you are getting some walking exercise.

* Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator

* Take ten minutes walk after you had your lunch even if is just around the office or at the parking lot of your job or office.Want to save money and exercise too? Do your own lawn and you are exercising too

Find out about simple exercises that you can do in your cubicle or office.

Healthy eating tips:

* Take your lunch to work, pack nourishing snacks,(ex; fruits, carrots, celery, broccoli) water (do not drink soda or sugary juices as they contain a lot of sugar and that makes gain weight). Remember when you pack your lunch you save time and money because you do not have to think about what you going to eat or where you have to go to get it, instead you can just eat at your cafeteria and take the extra minutes to walk around the parking lot.

* Do your grocery shopping on Saturday or Sunday and plan your weekly healthy meals, you can even begin to cut some of the vegetables, season the meat, pre-grill the chicken and then you can store it in great freezer container or bags which maintain the food fresh.

Tips to feed your mind:

* If you want to have better relationship with your children, co-workers, other family members, friends, and most importantly with your spouse or significant other you can learn how by investing in audio books that you may be able to listen to in your car while you are on your way to work or running errands. You can do this with any subject that you want to improve in your life. Remember not just listen to the audio implement the ideas into your life as well.

Last but not lease, take few minutes in the morning and before bed to be grateful for all your gift!

Dental care is more and more expensive as time goes by, this is a reality. Most people might feel tempted to leave dental care aside and put it off, what do they need it for? Teeth are durable, who needs dental insurance or dental plans? They already have to bear with house insurance, car insurance, business equipment insurance, dental insurance can wait. But this is not how it should work. Actually, dental health insurance is not really that expensive, and people will benefit terribly from it.

What is the different between a dental health plan and dental insurance? Wait, are they not the same thing? No, they are not. They are two very different things, though many do not know that. And by not knowing, they are missing out on the great benefits these two financial products have to offer if combined.

Dental Insurance

This insurance product had been designed to cover the costs of dental care. It will partially or fully cover your dental care bills. By having dental insurance, you will eliminate the risk factor of a dental emergency arising and not having the money to pay for the dental procedure. Not only are these procedures extremely expensive, but also having to live with a cracked tooth or molar, for example, can be very painful.

It has been often said that regular dental insurance has many drawbacks. Deductibles are often high and maximum per year might be low, but it can save your neck in case of an emergency. Even if you have to make co-payments on the procedures, it will be better than having to pay them in full.

Other cons include the fact that dental insurance will often only cover routine check-ups, cleanings, x-rays and such, which is not very useful, as they might already be inexpensive. Most dental insurance companies will not cover cosmetic procedures or orthodontic procedures.

Dental Health Plan

Dental health plans or discount health plans are often thought of as an alternative to regular dental insurance. An annual fee is charged in exchange for discounted prices on quality dental care. These plans are activated on the very same day you apply for them, thus avoiding long waiting periods and hassles. Anyone can apply, an individual or a family group, there are no age limits, so even if you are 80 years old, you will be able to start getting discounts on your dental procedures. Consumers might get as much as 35% off of retail price on these procedures.

Another great advantage these plans have to offer, is that they include treatment for pre-existent conditions. Most dental insurance companies do not allow that.

Of course, not everything is bright and shiny. In case of a real accident, let us say a bicycle accident or car accident, your dental insurance would probably cover most of your medical bills. The best thing the dental plan would do for you in a situation of the sort is give you a discount on the procedures. These two financial products offer many advantages if used separately, but if you have the chance to combine them, you will be saving hundreds, and probably thousands os dollars on dental bills every year.

Dog dental care should be provided to your pet as dental diseases are prone to happen to your beloved animals if their teeth are left unattended. Likewise, if you are already providing such care to your pet but is still suspecting that it is already suffering from a particular teeth problem, then better go immediately to the veterinarian for dental check up.

One way of implementing dog dental care is by providing “safe” bones, those without sharp part to your dog. He will certainly love to chew on them and swallow them. Make them do this from time to time. It helps them develop much stronger set of teeth in a natural way.

You must be reminded that there are certain dog breeds such as the Pekingese that are much prone to teeth conditions. This is because the teeth are crowned close to the oral cavity. Small dog breeds are actually prone to too much formation of plaque and so such dogs should be subjected to regular dental check up. Otherwise the plaque will further damage the teeth structure.

One dog dental care is by having raw beef bones for your dogs. They help the teeth of your dog from forming plaque. Build up of dangerous bacteria is also prevented.

Special dog toothbrushes can be availed from dog supply shops. However, you must be adept in the use of these brushes to effectively remove the dirt from the teeth. Wrong brushing will only allow the dirt and plaque from staying stubbornly on the dog teeth. Likewise, together with the toothbrush is a special dog tooth pastes that can be availed from veterinarians.

Special materials that can effectively remove plaque and tartar can also be had in many pet stores shops Soft toys and dry food that work as dog dental care products develop more tooth strength when regular used by your pet dog.

When was the last time you tried finding an organic natural body care product that contains 100% pure, natural ingredients? An organic skincare product that helps fight the aging signs and adds nutrients to your skin?

Not all ingredients found in an organic natural body care product are natural. Many products actually contain synthetic chemical substances which do more harm than good.

For example, in a body care product there are harmful ingredients like: alcohols like ethyl alcohol or benzyl alcohol which dry and irritate skin; mineral oils that feel as though they’re moisturizing your skin, but in fact, these oils actually interfere with your normal perspiration, clog pores and prevents your skin from eliminating toxins; and any form of parabens like methylparaben, propyl and ethylparaben which are just synthetic chemicals meant to act as preservatives.

What you really want to look for are pure, natural ingredients which hydrate, protect the skin, nourish and heal. So by knowing what natural substances are contained in an effective organic natural body care product, you’re on the way to nourishing and de-aging your skin.

Look for these ingredients so you can incorporate them into your daily skincare routine:

1. Phytessence Wakame — known as a a Japanese beauty preserver, this natural Japanese sea kelp extract keeps your skin moisturized and young looking. Some of the skin benefits are:

- provides important minerals such as sodium, iron, potassium even calcium to maintain your skin’s moisture balance
- supplies skin with antioxidant that fight free radicals
- increases skin elasticity
- and helps heal irritated and dry skin

2. Jojoba Oil — this natural oil is very similar to that of human sebum meaning your skin accepts it well with no threats of breakouts or reactions. The benefits:

- it works on all skin types
- and because it balances your skin’s sebum…it moisturizes your dry skin and eases the oil production in oily skin

3. Cynergy TK(TM) — is the best organic natural body care product ingredient because it slows down aging skin. Because this powerful ingredient causes your body to produce its own natural collagen and elastin proteins, here are some of the skin benefits:

- increases the formation of new skin cells
- improves skin elasticity and moisture
- and, provides antioxidant properties that stop cell damaging free radicals

So there you have it. A sensational organic natural body care product which nourishes and de-ages your skin. Made from pure, organic and natural substances that are high quality and found in skin care creams and lotions that are safe, healthy and effective.

Visit my website today and learn more about these incredible natural ingredients that you should look for. Because, when you find the best body care product to use, you’ll reverse the aging signs and achieve young-looking, beautiful and naturally glowing skin.

Humans are social creatures. We don’t simply enjoy the company of others, we need it. The human need for intimacy, love and social connection is deeply-seated and crucial to our emotional well-being. In fact, positive social activity can actually increase your life expectancy.

Staying socially connected reduces your stress levels, cuts down on anxiety, lowers blood pressure and dramatically decreases your risk for heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and other “age-related” health problems. Being part of a social network can also increase your self-esteem, boost your average daily activity rate and improve your overall emotional health.

Unfortunately, as we age we often see the quality or number of our relationships declining. This doesn’t have to happen. By cutting out negative relationships and building positive bonds, you can make healthy relationships a crucial part of your strategy to age well.

Making New Friends

Making friends is important to our quality of life and our health! Dr. Thomas Glass at Harvard University did a ten-year study that followed over three thousand older participants to track the amount of time they spent participating in social activities like going to restaurants with friends, playing games or attending the theater. Their findings showed that the participants with active social lives had a 20 percent greater chance of living longer than their wallflower counterparts.

Of course, developing positive relationships isn’t always as easy as it sounds. It’s hard to make new friends at any age, let alone when we’re older, but it is possible.

Below are five tips to help you make new friends and increase your social circle:

Join a team sport.

To meet new people, you have to be where the action is. Joining a team sport like rowing, dragon boat racing, curling or soccer can help connect you with new people and get you exercise.

Volunteer.

Volunteering at your local community center, church or non-profit organization is a great way to meet people with similar interests to your own. Look for volunteer opportunities that fit your skill set and don’t be afraid of challenges like running for a board or taking on a major fundraising project.

Start a games group.

Whether you’re playing cards, board games or networked computer games – starting an informal games group will give you a weekly reason to meet new people and have fun.

Take a class.

By signing up for a pottery class or carpentry workshop, you’ll be exercising your mind and meeting possible friends.

Get to the gym.

If you’re not up for a team sport activity, many gyms host group fitness classes that are targeted at all age groups. These are a great opportunity to stay fit too!

Take a tour.

Taking an extended, guided tour is a wonderful way to travel, expand your mind and meet similarly-minded people. You can opt for a tour geared towards older adults or take on six weeks of Surf Camp – the choice is yours.