Female Care

Thanks to what may be perceived as very high demand, Botox® has made its way out of the high-profile plastic surgeon offices of Beverly Hills and New York, ultimately reaching most all Americans in search of a more youthful appearance and the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons 2004 study, Botox® was the most popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedure performed in 2004, a 240% increase just fours years prior in 2000. Following Botox®, the most common facial skin-related procedures include chemical peels, microdermabrasion and laser hair removal.

Sadly, wrinkles are a simple part of the aging process. Wrinkles are the result of the elastic fibers in our skin that loosen over time, but not always representative of the old wives’ tale stating wrinkles were a “sign of wisdom”. Simple wrinkles such as “laugh lines” and “crow’s feet” appear due to muscle movements, like squinting and laughing that typically occur day after day. Other facial lines causing an aged appearance can be a mixture of factors, but the common is the sun. Ultraviolet light may harm skin through a breakdown of collagen. Continue reading »

Choosing a babysitter is always a daunting task. How do you know if a person is safe? Reliable? What do you need to know, as a parent, and what information is important for your sitter to have on hand?

Trying to find a responsible and reliable babysitter can sometimes feel like attempting to locate the proverbial needle in a haystack. Sure, there may be a lot of children who are anxious to start babysitting and making a little extra money, but are they really ready for this kind of responsibility? Not only can it be frightening to relinquish the care of your precious angel over to a stranger, but it’s all the more difficult to leave your child alone with another who is little more than a child, themselves. For this reason, ensure that your babysitter is a minimum of 14 years of age; while there are exceptions to every rule, most children are not responsible, nor are they emotionally ready to take on the responsibility of watching another child. In fact, a good rule of thumb is that, the younger your child, the older your babysitter should be. Continue reading »

There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to look like a stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving night. Check out this easy-to-follow guide to a guilty-free holiday.

Treat Thanksgiving just like any ordinary day by continuing with your usual physical activities and exercises. If the gym is closed, do indoor exercises or engage in other activities that will require physical exertion. For example, if you need to do some shopping, park your car a few blocks away from the store so you can engage in some brisk walking. Skipping the elevator and/or the escalators in favor of the stairs can also work quite well.

It is so easy to grab quick but carb-laden and fatty snacks when doing your shopping during Thanksgiving day. But instead of picking up the next fry, stash an apple in your bag. Better yet, eat first before you do your shopping.
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Today, with advances in science and technology constantly creating smaller and cheaper electronic devices, acquiring a home use baby heartbeat monitor is cheaper and easier than you may think. For parents that want to listen to the developing fetus of their unborn child, use of a baby heartbeat monitor provides added peace of mind and valuable information that can actually prevent complications during pregnancy. A baby heartbeat monitor is a device which is used to hear any kind of irregularity in the development of the baby, so that it can be taken care of well in time. One can find many heartbeat monitors manufactured by various companies, but to get the desired results it is essential that one chooses the best baby heart beat monitor available. Continue reading »

One woman a minute dies from cardiovascular disease. Within the first year after suffering a heart attack more women than men will die. Sixty-four percent of women that die from a heart attack had no previous symptoms. If you ask women today what the leading cause of death in women over 25 is, most will give breast cancer as their answer. Due to the high publicity of this disease and the lack of attention towards a healthy heart many women are unaware that according to the American Heart Association, heart attack is the number one killer of women over 25 in the United States. It kills almost twice as many women as all types of cancer, including breast cancer. Continue reading »

Before you slap on a plastic smile, do some deep thinking on the whole picture when it comes to cosmetic surgery and its risks.

It’s in the news, on television, movies and just about everywhere you look. A pretty face, a slender frame, and sizeable, perky breasts are society’s general prerequisites for a “beautiful woman,” and people are increasingly more willing to succumb to these diluted perceptions each year.

But the purses and bank accounts of women are not the only ones being spilled out for a fresh new look…. More and more men are considering and even going through with cosmetic surgery to fit the trim and youthful appearance desired by so many. Male pectoral implants, calf implants, Rhinoplasty, facelifts, eyelifts and tummy tucks are just a few of the popular procedures in which males are recently partaking. If it’s good enough for celebrities such as Burt Reynolds, Elton John and Michael Jackson, who have undergone cosmetic surgery, all the more reason for other males to consider it. Continue reading »

Traditionally, a baby shower is held for the Mother. It’s a time for her and her friends to enjoy the blessed event that’s about to happen. She will bring a new life into this world. A close friend is usually the one to throw the party. Gifts will be exchanged, games will be played and advice is sure to be given.

Having a co-ed baby shower is not quite common yet but it is certainly getting there. A baby shower doesn’t have to be just for the Mother anymore, it can be both for the Mother and the Father. The Father of this unborn child should certainly be included in the celebration.

Nothing really changes, except for now there will be men present at the party. The same original games can be played such as, “How Fast Can You Dress That BABY” and “Baby Scramble.” When you are planning the baby shower activities, you will want to keep the men in mind so you don’t have games that are for women only. However, you may want to go a different route when it comes to gifts. Continue reading »

Everyone likes to dance but not everyone likes to exercise. No matter your age, now you can dance and get a great workout too. If Jazzercise is the only image you can conjure, think again.

A compelling new customer is on the dance floor: you, me and everyone else. Fitness trainers saw “workout boredom” step-out to a 4-beat-bar and join a salsa class. Would you rather do crunches or would you rather spice it up with a saucy salsa beat?

Dance fitness, also known as “beat-based” fitness, is becoming big business in gyms, dance studios, hospital wellness centers and churches.

Here are some of the more popular dance fitness forms:

• Ballroom dancing can bring a sense of grace and elegance to your life, as well as a heart-pumping workout. The long fluid movements, as you glide across a gym floor, will find muscles you have long forgotten. Posture is enhanced as well as balance and flexibility. Continue reading »

They’re popping up and showing their sunny yellow faces, bringing smiles to the enlightened. At last, Spring has arrived! Time to start gathering, and cleaning the winter sludge from your body.

This is NOT just a useless weed! Dandelion has been safely used as a medicinal herb and food for centuries. Dandelion (taraxacum officinale) – The name of the genus, taraxacum, is derived from the Greek word taraxos (disorder), and akos (remedy), because it was considered to be a cure all for every health problem. Native Americans were using Dandelion long before the discovery of America for a wide variety of ailments.

Traditionally, this abundant weed has been used as a tonic and blood purifier, for constipation, inflammatory skin conditions, eczema and acne, joint pain, and liver dysfunction, including liver conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, gout, and jaundice. Continue reading »

Becoming a vegetarian is a difficult thing to do; it’s hard to go from being a carnivore to the veggie life. It’s getting a little easier now you can buy; mock meats, soy dairy products; even fake fish at almost any grocery store. More restaurants are starting to cater to the vegetarian community, places like Denny’s, The Hard Rock Café, Ruby Tuesdays and TGI Fridays all have veggie burgers on their menus. You can buy frozen meatless beef patties all the way to soy Buffalo wings. Finding the foods isn’t the problem; it’s being able to stay healthy doing it. Here are some steps to make sure you know what you’re eating, and how to do it without hurting your body.

1. Try easing your way into your new diet. Cook your favorite meals, but instead of using meat try substituting with mock meats or vegetables. For example when you make spaghetti, instead of using ground beef put crumbled veggie burger or ground meatless beef. Don’t jump right into vegetarianism; you might rob your body of vitamins and essentials proteins. Add a lot of vegetables to your diet, dark leafy greens are a high source or fiber and proteins. Like with all diets it’s good to avoid a lot of junk food and drink a lot of water. Variety in your diet is important for being a healthy vegetarian. Eat lots of; fruits, vegetables, nuts seeds, and whole grain products. Be creative and mix it up. Continue reading »