Poolside hair care

Since pools are the most visited in summer, along with the beaches, I’m sharing some tips on how to keep your hair protected, after all that chlorine exposure. What is chlorine damaged hair?  If chlorine has damaged your hair, you'll know it for sure. Chlorine damaged hair is very dry, frizzy, especially at the ends, bleached out, and often feels a little like straw (ever see the green tinge in some swimmers’ hair? Blame chlorine for that!). So consider this 3 tips to protect your hair.

Rinse off: Shower before entering the pool. Do not forget to dampen your hair with clean water, too. Rinsing off beforehand is not only for sanitary reasons, but it is the best way to protect your hair, because your hair follicles will open up and absorb the clean water of your shower, leaving less “room” to soak up any drying, chlorinated pool water. 

Condition: Use a spray or cream-based leave-in conditioner before you hit the pool. Look for the ingredient “dimethicone”, because it creates a barrier between your hair and the chlorine water. It also gives shine to your hair and smooths it out.

Clarify: After a day at the pool, make sure you immediately rinse off again so the chlorine doesn’t have a chance to settle into your hair and dry. 

And there you have it in 3 simple steps, to protect poolside hair.

Stay well!

DIY ice cucumber pads

This is a great idea to eliminate those puffy eyes. It’s easy, natural and all you need is cucumber juice. There is a saying that "if you can not eat it, then don’t put it on your skin".

All you need is cucumber juice, cotton pads, and a ziploc bag. 

Soak the cotton pads in the cucumber juice, squeeze out the excess, lay them flat in a ziploc bag, and freeze! Simple, easy, and so refreshing for your eyes. 

So, when you get up in the morning, take 2 pads out and let them thaw for a little bit (maybe while you shower), pop them on your eyes for about 10 minutes, and that's it! Your eyes will feel much more awake and hydrated!

Now go on and start juicing those cucumbers tonight for a refreshing start in the morning! 

Stay well

Prince William's wife Kate gives birth to royal baby boy

The Royal Baby boy weights 3.8 kilograms and was born at 4.24 pm. The boy's name will be announced in due course, the statement said but bookmakers make George the favorite name, followed by James.

As the birth was announced, a loud cheer went up and media gathered outside St. Mary's Hospital in west London, where William was born to the late Princess Diana in 1982. 

Westminster City Council celebrated the announcement of the baby boy's birth with blue lighting in the fountains in Marble Arch and the Golden Jubilee bridge. 

London mayor Boris Johnson said Trafalgar Square's famous fountains will be lit with blue lights for the next seven days in celebration of the royal birth.

London's Living Room at the top of City Hall will also use blue lighting over the next seven days to celebrate the royal birth.

In Sorrento, Italy, for example, free ice cream was given today to all the English people, just for the occasion.

Soon after the the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave the hospital, they will publish family photos, with the baby. You can check out the photos of previous royal babies in here.

Congrats to the royal couple! 

How to manage stress?

Stress... When I was a child and heard the word 'stress', I was like: 'How can it be that everyone seems not to be able to control stress... How come this 'stress' is so powerful. . What is this feeling I don't have?'

Though I was lucky enough, not to know at those times what stress was like, I was curious and I though of stress as a game that only adults were allowed to play... In fact, later on I found out that indeed stress in excess, is a very dangerous state of mind... The only way for me to deal with stress, is to imagine what my inner child would do with it and act upon in.

Think of stress not like an enemy to combat, but as an ally that will help you to play the chess of life.  BUT, do not give it any power... Stress is just a soldier in your inner field. 

If you are torn out because of your stress and you seem to lack energy and determination, or you are fed up the the situation life put you in, just pause everything in your head, clear your thoughts and take it slow. Try to find the cause of your problems... Is it you, or is it that the behavior of other people around you is not up your league and is causing you to feel drained? You can not control how others act, but you are in charge of you! No one can control your life, except you. Know this and do not give other people more power than they should have. Learn to say "No" and avoid the unnecessary stress. Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.

Avoid people who stress you out. It is as simple as that. If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely. 

Avoid specific topics that you repeatedly argue about. If it is the same subject, the topic of your arguments with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of discussion.

Also, don’t take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them.

When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for inner growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes. 

And the best advice I can give you on how to manage stress is to develop your sense of humor. I am not saying to make fun of everything, just to be able to see the lighter side of them...Having a sense of humor will help you to diffuse even the most difficult of situations. 

Oh, and do not forget to pamper yourself!!!

Stay well!

Myths about Ulcerative Colitis

Hey guys, check out this list below! In this list, which you can find in nearly all the web pages that talk about this disease, you can see the foods to avoid in order to not aggravate your colon condition! The source of this list seems to be the WHO (World Health Organization).

The list of foods to avoid: 

· alcohol
· caffeine
· carbonated beverages
· dairy products, if lactose intolerant
· dried beans, peas, and legumes
· dried fruits, berries, fruits with pulp or seeds
· foods containing sulfur or sulfate· foods high in fiber, including whole-grain products
· hot sauce, pepper
· meats
· nuts, crunchy nut butters
· popcorn
· products containing sorbitol (sugar-free gum and candies)
· raw vegetables· refined sugar
· seeds
· spicy foods, sauces

Now let me explain you something. First of all, the etiology (cause) of the Ulcerative Colitis is not very well known to us. We know what happens in the large intestine (colon) and the rectum, but we don't know what caused this syndrome or disease, when it is in its aggravated form. We don't know if the cause is some kind of bacteria, a virus, a genetic disorder, social conditions, climacteric conditions, if it is autoimmune or not (which is one of the main hypothesis) or some of these things altogether. 

But, we do know that some of the patients become very irritated, when they take one or some of the foods mentioned in this list. 

Usually all who suffer from this disease, know very well the foods that cause them problems, so they tend to avoid them, but what I am trying to say in this post is this:

You know your body better than your doctor, so if you are suffering from this disease and you have one special food that triggers your illness, then try to avoid it as much as possible, but do not avoid all the foods in that list at once, because it is nonsense! 

In that list there are some of the most indispensable foods that you will need for your well being. How can we live if we don't eat raw vegetables, meats, seeds, hot soups, spices and don't drink a little of wine?!

To not eat these things is like a second illness for all who suffer from this disease! So what can you do then?

Like I said, it is not the food that causes ulcerative colitis and if you did find out that a special kind of food triggered the condition of your disease, than avoid only that kind of food , but I will advice you another technique. 

For example: Does coffee trigger your colitis? Find out if it does, when you are drinking it in the morning, without eating the breakfast or not, or in any other situation when you are on empty stomach. If this is the case, then try to drink coffee after breakfast, or when you are full. 

The same logic applies to any food. If nothing happens when you eat/drink the "dangerous" food this way (on full stomach), then "bon appétit"! The basic logic here, is that you avoid the "dangerous" food for you, to enter in contact with your bowls all alone. Instead you firstly eat the food that doesn't cause you problems and then you can eat the "forbidden ones" for you. Hope this advice helps. But it is important to note that if you are sure that a kind of food may cause you problems then it is wise to eat it in low quantities or even avoid it, if the way I showed you doesn't help.

But we know one thing for sure about this disease! The stress factor! In all of the chronic bowl problems (ulcerative colitis, crohn disease, irritated bowl syndrome) the stress factor is the number one trigger! 

When the patients suffering from one of these diseases are under stress conditions (lets say something negative happens in their life) their disease becomes active and more problematic.

So, first of all try to reduce the stress factor as much as possible, the only true cure for these kind of diseases, is life style change. Basically you have to get away from the factors that cause you stress. 

There are a lot of techniques to reduce stress and I can't list all of them now , but try to do some sport. You can do sport by just walking in the street or in the park, just walk a little away from your problems and if you can jog than jog. You will find out that physic activity is the best way for your bowl to feel better, because it enhances not only your activity, but even the activity of your intestines. 

Stay well!

How to cure Athlete's foot

Athlete's foot, or scientifically known as tinea pedis, is a fungal infection of the foot’s upper skin layer that causes scaling, flaking, and itching of affected areas. This infection is caused by Trichophyton fungi and it occurs by picking up the fungi while walking bare footed in an contaminated area, using contaminated towels and most commonly by using contaminated shoes. After you pick up this fungus, it requires a warm moist environment, such as the inside of a shoe, in order to incubate. 

Now, I want to keep this post constructive, because i am aware that if you are reading this post either you suffer or you have suffered in the past from this infection and you want to get rid of it.

Although there is a cure for this disease, which is usually given even by a general practitioner, not even by a dermatologist, you have to remember same basic rules in order to get rid of this fungus from your feet!

Seems that some of us tend to have this problem and some not. These doesn't mean that those who have this dermatological infection have problems with their immunity or do not care very well for their body or feet. The real reason for this to happen, is that the fungi, in order to grow, needs an incubation time and very specific conditions, such as a warm moist environment, like the inside of a shoe of a person who is wearing it for an entire day, especially if this shoe is not on the quality side and does not let the air circulate. 

If you are wearing nylon socks, this will help the fungus to grow, as well. But, most of all, the main cause of this problem (like we said the fungi needs moisture) is your sweat! And you can't do anything about that! Some people's feet tend to sweat a lot and there is nothing substantial they can do to stop it. But they can prevent the athlete’s foot from occurring to them.

If you are suffering from the symptoms that I mentioned, the skin on the foot, especially between the toes, becomes itchy and there is also a sensation of stinging or burning. The skin may also become dry, flaky, red, scaly and may also crack, there may be oozing or crusting blisters, and swelling. The sole and the side of the foot may develop scaling patterns. In sever cases the toes, soles and the sides of the feet may be affected. 

- In the majority of cases, athlete's foot symptoms are mild and the patient does not need to see a doctor. OTC (over-the-counter, no prescription required) medications can be bought at pharmacies which are effective in clearing up the infection. I recommend you to go to a doctor to examine the severeness of the infection and take the medication if needed. In some cases, especially if the toes are affected, you will need to take the antimycotic drugs, even for three months. After that, you will need to take special care of your feet, in order to not allow the infection to repeat itself.

- After you are diagnosed with athlete’s foot take special care for the others that are living with you, or if you are in public places, because this is a contageous infection. Do not share your shoes, sandals, socks, towels... (anything that your shoes came in contact with) with no one! If the patient scratches the affected area and touches other parts of his/her body, the infection can spread. After touching the affected area, remember to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water

- The infection tends to repeat after some time if you do not change your habits. Try to wear as little as possible shoes and socks. And when you wear them wear quality shoes (loose-fitting, well ventilated shoes). Thick, tight shoes are more likely to trigger athlete's foot because they squeeze the toes together, creating ideal conditions for the fungus to thrive. Change the shoes you wear regularly, so that your footwear is relatively dry. Shoes need time to dry out between wearings. Never share footwear.

- When you come tired from work do not just take out your shoes but take out your socks too and wash your feet! Yes, daily wash of your feet is advisable. Make sure you clean between your toes each time. Make sure your feet are dry before putting your socks, stockings or tights on. 

- Wear socks made from material that draws moisture away from your feet, such as cotton, silk or wool.

- If it helps, apply (antifungal) talcum powder to your feet

- Try to stay as much bare footed as you can, change socks every day and every time you wear shoes for a long time and wash your feet daily. You have to do this because if you are suffering from this issue, you are a person whose feet sweat a lot and the things that I mentioned are the only ones you can do to minimize the ideal conditions for the fungus to grow.

Treatment 

Most topical medications can be bought OTC at your local pharmacy. Topical means it is applied directly onto the skin.your pharmacist may give you one of the following drugs:

- Clotrimazole

- Econazole

- ketoconazole

- miconazole

- terbinafine

- sulconazole

These oral medications may be prescribed by your doctor, either because your symptoms are severe, or perhaps the topical medicines did not work:

- griseofulvin

- terbinafine 

- itraconazole

Stay well!