Eye Care
Eyes have been described as being windows of the soul. However, most of us barely realize the role our eyes play in our world unless we find ourselves jarringly made aware of this sense by being brought into contact with someone who has an infirmity or loss of vision or when our vision seems to be failing.
At such times, we may find ourselves shuddering at the thought of a world without light, color, shape and beauty. An awareness of our vision, the problems that could affect our eyes, and some measures that can be applied to avoid these problems can help with caring adequately for our eyes.
Eye care is necessary
There are several reasons why eye care is essential for us. Some of these include:
* Vision is an essential sense. Our life would be incomplete if we were deprived of vision even in one eye.
* Drinking secretly or alone.
* Our eyes are essential to help with the performance of our daily activities so that we are able to fit in with our world and as not be a dependent burden on those close to us.
* Eyes are essential to the full enjoyment of our life. Imagine the loss of a mother who cannot see her child’s smile, but must only receive it by touch, thereby losing out on part of the beauty of this simple emotion!
* The cost of corrective treatment for eyes that have not been well cared for is much more than what would have been expended on preventive measures in the form of eye care.
* Social activities would be constrained in an individual with impaired or lack of vision, though current advances in science have been fighting this effect with significant success in several areas.
As vision is so essential, a limiting of vision or the lack thereof can result in curtailment of employment and vocational opportunities.
Defects affecting vision
Some of the common defects affecting vision include:
* myopia (near-sightedness) ,
* hypermetropia (far-sightedness) ,
* astigmatism,
* glaucoma,
* cataract,
* diabetic and hypertensive retinopathies.
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Caring for the eyes
Just a few simple activities that are factored into one’s daily routine can provide significant eye care support. These include:
* Annual eye check ups. These will have a professional evaluate your eyes and will ensure that any problems that are in the incipient stage are identified and arrested with appropriate treatment.
* Avoid rubbing or meddling with the eyes and eyelashes. If there is a problem, such as itching or redness, consult a doctor instead of resorting to self-treatment.
* Avoid looking directly at bright, intense sources of light.
* Television watching should be indulged in only from a distance of 6 feet and should be restricted to 2–3 h at a stretch.
* Avoid use of chemical substances in and around the eye. Eyeliners, eye shadows, etc., should be used minimally and with caution so as to avoid contact to the inside of the eye or the cornea.
* Seek medical attention if you suspect your vision is diminishing. Some symptoms of problems with vision include:
o Diminishing vision.
o Redness or irritation in the eye.
o Pain within the eyes or persistent or severe headaches.
o Double vision.
o Watering or discharge from the eyes.
o Intermittent flashes of light or sparks in vision.
o Protrusion of the eyes occurring suddenly.
o Spots or defects in the visual field.
* Treat infections of surrounding areas with timely and effective antibiotics. For example, infections of the sinuses can also cause inflammatory reactions to occur around the eye and can contribute to pressure that can alter vision in cases with chronic sinusitis.
* Follow the prescription for glasses provided after vision testing. If self-conscious about wearing glasses, ensure that you try out contact lenses or explore options of Lasik or ophthalmic surgery.
* Workplace eyestrain is an increasing component of occupational disorders. Some measures to reduce eyestrain at the workplace includes keeping the computer at an appropriate distance and height, looking away from the screen often enough to provide relaxation of the eye muscles, wearing appropriate prescription glasses or lenses, avoiding exposure to bright intense light or ultraviolet light.
* Relaxation techniques. Remember that your eyes need relaxation and care if they are to last for all your life. Apply cool compresses over your eyes if they feel strained or worn out.
Eye Care For You
Notes: Home Remedies for Bed Bugs
Bed Bugs
Youve probably read or heard about the horror stories associated with the small insects that feed on human blood in the night. They attack when you are sleeping and are quite adaptable in most of the environments catering to humans. This is the life of a bed bug and contrary to popular belief “ they surround themselves beyond unsanitary and unkempt conditions “ even striking the ritziest of five-star hotels. While professional extermination is almost always the only way to eliminate the problem, there are a few home remedies associated with the dreaded bed bug.
What are Bed Bugs?
Waiting until the night to attack their victims, the small nocturnal insect known as the bed bug belongs to the family Cimicidae, which is known to feed on blood. While humans are commonly referred to as the main sufferers of this pest, the bed bug also seeks out other warm-blooded hosts for their meals. With a past that traces back to ancient history, the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) has learned to successfully adapt to the same living spaces as humans [1].
With a preference to temperate climates, the bed bug is often found in warm temperatures, especially in locales such as Florida and the tropics of West Africa and South America. It is there that various species of the bed bug infest poultry, bats, humans, and other types of birds.
When the bed bug reaches maturity, it is reddish brown in color with a flattened, oval appearance. On their body, microscopic hairs give off a banded appearance. They possess no wings. Some people believe that bed bugs are so small that they cannot be seen by the naked eye. This is not the case, as some adults reach length of 4 to 5 millimeters (which translates into 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch). Their size is comparable to that of an apple seed. Since bed bugs are extremely shy and wary of others, an infestation of the insect is quite hard to pinpoint [2].
When feeding, the bed bug is typically active only at night with the most activity taking place an hour before dawn. Using two hollow tubes, the bed bug pierces the skin of their host and draws blood. One tube injects an anticoagulant into their victim, while the other tube is used for blood extraction. Average feeding times are about five minutes, where the bug then returns to their place of hiding. At the time of the bite, a victim is unaware, although late reactions come minutes to hours later.
In the home, the bed bug seeks many different places to hide during the day, including linens, drapery, headboards, desks, nightstands, artwork frames, mattresses, and clothing [3]. With the use of a flashlight, you may find a bed bug crawling about at night. Additional signs, such as blood spots help detect an infestation.
Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation [4]
The best way to detect a bed bug infestation is to call upon a professional, who will complete an inspection of your home. In case you wish to analyze your surroundings before hiring someone out of the Yellow Pages, some of the signs to seek out include:
a) Bug Bites:
Even though you may display bed bug bites on your body that occur during the night, this is not a sure sign that a bed bug was the culprit.
b) Blood:
The sight of dried blood (referred to as fecal spots) may appear on the box spring, behind the headboard, as well as about the seams of a mattress.
c) Bed Bug Skins:
A bed bug sheds skin during their nymphal stage, which looks like a hollowed-out bug.
d) Bed Bug Eggs:
About 1 millimeter in length, the eggs of the bed bug are rather difficult to pinpoint, but are still visible “ resembling the shape of rice.
Risk Factors
Bed bugs do not feed on dirt, debris, or crumbs, meaning an unclean environment is not the primary target for the insect to dwell. Bed bugs feed on blood and it is advantageous for them to seek out places where warm-blooded individuals are present. This is why places, such as hospitals, hotels, motels, inns, and cruise ships are perfect living quarters for a bed bug.
When bed bugs find their way into a home, there are plenty of different methods to their madness. When guests of a hotel settle in for the night, bed bugs may climb into their luggage, where they are then transported to a new environment. Bed bugs also travel by way of used furniture purchased at a garage sale or thrift shop. The same is true with used clothing, as bed bugs are known to hide in the crevices and folds of material.
In multi-unit dwellings, such as condominiums and apartment buildings, bed bugs find their way throughout the premises by moving about the walls, cracks, pipes, and wires. New residents may bring bed bugs into a living space through their moving boxes, mattresses, pillows, and other belongings.
Negative Effects of Bed Bugs
The pathogens found in the bodies of bed bugs have been connected to plague and hepatitis B, yet no conclusions have been made as to whether or not the insect is able to pass on disease to humans. While the threat of disease is of no consequence, the bed bug is seen as a rather unclean visitor that affects the sanitation of a household. One is embarrassed to admit they have bed bugs in their home. Additional negative outcomes associated with bed bugs include:
a) Infection:
Those who scratch their bed bug bites may develop skin infections, which may leave behinds scars.
b) Red, Itchy Welts:
The sight of a cluster of bed bug bites is quite alarming, especially when they claim large stretches of visible skin. The back, legs, and arms are common places that bed bugs attack.
c) Stress:
A bed bug infestation is rather stressful with the potential to cause delusional parasitosis or even post-traumatic stress disorder in extreme cases.
d) Poor Reaction to Saliva:
A handful of people may experience anaphylactic shock, as they suffer an allergic reaction to bed bug saliva.
e) Extermination Costs:
Since bed bugs are very difficult to remove from a home or hotel, professional means of extermination creates extra bills for a family or business.
f) Offensive Odor:
A strong scent comes with the presence of bed bugs, as they emit an oil-like liquid from their bodies.
Home Remedies for Bed Bugs
When it comes to bed bugs, there isnt much a homeowner can do to get rid of these pesky intrusions on their own. Before calling professional help, some have found slight success with the following home remedies for bed bugs:
a) Rubbing Alcohol:
While not a definite fix, spraying rubbing alcohol where bed bugs thrive may contain the problem by killing some on contact.
b) Fruit and Vegetable Insecticides:
Some insecticides comprised of pyrethrins and canola oil are sometimes used by those who wish to lay down a home remedy that is safe for children and pets.
c) Steam Treatments:
It is not uncommon to see some pest control companies use steam treatments to deal with mattresses and other pieces of upholstered furniture. While very limited effectiveness is associated with this type of remedy, it shows great promise in treating items with less than ½ inch of penetration. At home, one may use small steam cleaners to care for their mattresses and other bedding selections.
d) Dry Heat [5]:
Placing clothing, footwear, rugs, toys, stuffed animals, backpacks and other non-launderable items in the dryer for a certain length of time can conveniently remove bed bugs. When an average clothes dryer is run for five minutes at low, medium or high heat, they generate temperatures of about 140, 150 and 180 degrees (respectively) . It is believed that when drying a bundle of infected clothes, high temperatures are able to kill bed bugs. It is suggested to run the dryer for more than 20 minutes.
e) Hot Sun:
Since temperatures over 113 degrees are said to kill bed bugs, it is suggested to wash and dry clothing and linens at high temperatures. When living in a hot desert climate, you may hang your bedding and clothes in the beaming sun to destroy lingering bed bugs.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.
The service is provided as general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor.
How To Have Your Own Gym In Ur House
Is it possible to build a strong, muscular body working out in my own house? Or joining a gym is the only way to achieve it.
That’s the question a lot of folks do and I got and answer for that. Of course you can do it and it doesn’t matters if it’s your house or a gym where you are training.
You may have a lot of reasons to not want to go to a gym. It doesn’t matters. Whatever your reason, there are still a lot of options if you want to workout and have huge muscles. And, as I told you, your home may be the best gym for you.
There are guys who like a lot doing the workout in their own house. They have their gym just down (or up) the stairs waiting for them. And they don’t spend their time trying to go there and back.
I could listen to whatever music I wanted to, as loud as I wanted to without having to worry about those around me. I could grunt, yelp and scream through my sets if I was in the mood without disturbing anyone (hey, squatting to failure isn’t easy okay?) or train shirtless if I felt like it.
And, at the end of the workout, you don’t have to get into your car to go back to your place to rest.
The only real disadvantage is that your exercise selection will decrease because you won’t have access to certain pieces of machinery such as a leg press or calf machine. You can purchase certain machines if you have the money to spend and plan on training at home over the long term, but for the majority of people this simply won’t be possible.
The good news is that planning out a proper bodybuilding routine does not require the use of any fancy equipment, and all of the machine exercises that you would regularly perform can be swapped for freeweight substitutions.
There are some basic equipment that you must have at your home gym, like: An adjustable barbell with freeweight plates, adjustable dumbbells, a bench with incline adjustments, a chin-up bar and a squat rack.
So there you have it; the 5 pieces of basic equipment that are needed to set up a home gym. As long as you have these basic tools in your arsenal you can perform an equally effective workout without ever having to join a traditional gym.
52 Ways To Perfect Health
1. Drink eight glasses of water a day.
2. Include two vegetables and one fruit in every meal.
3. Begin each meal with a raw vegetable salad.
4. Make a light snack of assorted sprouts.
5. Start the day with a glass of warm water and a dash of lime.
6. Use only fresh vegetables.
7. Once a week have only fresh fruits until noon, make lunch the first meal of the day.
8. Eat only freshly cooked meals, not refrigerated leftovers.
9. Include one green vegetable and one yellow vegetable in every meal.
10. Go on a juice fasta for a day. Start with vegetable juice, and sip fruit for lunch and dinner.
11. Kick the old coffee habit. Have a glass of fresh fruit juice instead.
12. Cut out all deep-fried foods from your diet.
13. Cut down on high sugar products like soft drinks, ice-cream, candy and cookies in your diet.
14. Never skip a meal, even if you are on a diet. Eat a fresh fruit or have vegetable juice instead.
15. Avoid beverages like soda, coffee, colas and so on.
16. Include high fibre foods plenty of fruits, vegetables and grains in planning your diet.
17. Use salt in moderation
18. Wash vegetables throughly in clean water before chopping.
19. Stream or boil vegetables (rather than fry or saute.
20. Retain peels of potato, cucumber, carrot and tomato while cooking.
21. Do take a moment off to mentally list out the nutritional value of the food you are about to eat.
22. Dont rush through your meals. Set aside enough time to appreciate, enjoy and digest your food.
23. Make every meal an enjoyable experience. Set dishes out attractively and chew slowly to appreciate the full flavour of the foods you eat.
24. Choose to be radiantly healthy. Keep yourself informed about the nutritive value of every food you buy.
25. Shop for groceries yourself. Notice the look, feel and smell of fresh fruit and vegetables and enjoy their intrinsic goodness.
26. Watch out for eating habits paired with emotional states, like reaching for a chocolate when you’re depressed. Resist the urge and eat fruit instead.
27. Eat popcorn (rather than chips) while watching a movie.
28. Sit at the table at meal times. Dont read the paper or review bills while eating.
29. Make it a point to have dinner with the entire family at the table, and not in front of the TV.
30. Eat just to the point of the fullness. Dont stuff yourself!
31. Stop smoking.
32. Restrict alcohol consumption.
33. Get a good night sleep, every night.
34. Enrol today in an exercise programme.
35. Take a brisk, 20 minute invigorating walk each morning.
36. Spend 10 minutes every morning and evening doing basic stretches.
37. Do not use elevators when you can climb the stairs.
38. Enrol in a TM programme today.
39. Focus on your breathing. Take a deep breath, then exhale slowly. Repeat a couple of times a day.
40. Learn to relax. Spend 20 minutes consciously relaxing each muscle of your body.
41. Spend 20 minutes a day in silent meditation, prayer or contemplation.
42. Learn the healing power of laughter. Watch a crazy movie, recall a joke or read a funny book and laugh out loud.
43. Tap the powers of your sub-conscious. Relax your body for 20 minutes and project the Perfect You on your mind screen.
44. Balance your lifestyle. Devote equal time each week to work and fun.
45. Join kids in a sports activity and rediscover the joys of childhood.
46. Do keep in touch with friends. Call up or visit them and be at peace with the world.
47. Enrol in an activity (like dancing, swimming or roller skating…) you never indulged in because you were afraid of “what people might say.
48. Forgive someone who you think has done you wrong and cleanse your spirit of rancour.
49. Do a nice turn to someone you dont know too well, but who could do with a friend.
50. Spend a quiet half-hour chatting with your family.
51. Listen to soothing music for 15 minutes at least each day.
52. Read a great book once a week.
7 Days Cleansing Diet Plan for Weight Loss
A 7 days cleansing diet can be a good idea if you’ve overindulged over the holidays or while on vacation and you need to get back on track with a healthier diet and exercise program.
Being super-focused on everything you eat for a week gets you back in the mindset of doing the right thing for your body after a period when you haven’t been doing so well.
When you think of a cleansing diet you might think of the Master Cleanse Diet or some other type of fad diet that involves eating little or nothing over the course of a 7 day cleanse.
While this sort of liquid diet or all one food diet is a popular idea of what cleansing is about, the truth is you can do a 7 day cleansing diet that involves more food than you might expect. The important thing is that you only eat certain types of food to help clean out your body.
7 Days Cleansing Diet
There are different ways to approach a cleansing diet. Some people like to detox by drinking only freshly squeezed fruit juices and filtered water for the duration of the cleanse, which is more like a fad diet, while others say that a seven day cleansing diet is all about cutting out the processed foods and meat and eating only certain kinds of foods for a week. The latter is a much more reasonable and balanced way of dieting. The important thing is that you only eat certain types of food to help clean out your body and do not starve yourself or this will not give results.
It is very important to have lots of water and if possible fruit juices during the 7 day cleansing diet plan. On the first two days, it is generally advised to fast, that is only have water or at the most some freshly squeezed fruit juice. From the third day you can include foods. Foods that are allowed include organic raw fruit and vegetables, steamed or stir-fry vegetables and brown rice. Preferably, stir-fry vegetables should only be cooked in virgin olive oil or sesame oil. Herbs and spices can be added.
You can eat as many of these food items as you like and as often as you like. Be sure to eat lots of green vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, celery, kale, chard and beet greens, and also be sure to have some fruit each day. If you still find this menu restrictive, then gluten free cereals and frozen rice waffles that contain no artificial flavors or refined sugars can be added.
Tips for 7 Day Cleansing Diet
The following are a few diet tips that must be followed during the duration of the cleanse.
* Avoid all meat, fish and dairy products. It is also advised to avoid tofu, other meat alternatives and beans.
* Do not eat any processed foods or simple carbohydrates.
* It is advised to stick as much as possible to raw, organic fruits and vegetables as the main constituent of your food.
* Make sure the juice that you have is freshly squeezed and not from a bottle.
* In cooked foods, brown rice is the best option. It is a healthy fiber filled food that will help you feel fuller.
* When you come out of the diet, don’t go back immediately to eating as you used to. Start by gradually adding in more cooked foods. After a week or so of transitioning back to a more regular diet, you should be able to start eating more meat and processed foods again.
* Though some experts believe that a detox diet is not very effective, other researchers do agree that when not taken to extremes of fasting, the 7 day cleansing diet is healthy and beneficial.
Over 30? Stop looking older than you are
Those first deep wrinkles begin to emerge, turning once-charming crinkles into full-on crow's-feet. High school-style acne may decide to make a comeback, or crop up for the very first time. Damage from decades-old summer-camp sunburns can begin to emerge as brown spots and saggy skin. A formerly plush ponytail may become a scrawny shadow of its former self. You get the not-so-pretty picture.
Hormones are one of the main culprits for all these maladies. "The majority of hormone changes start around age 30," explains Beverly Hills endocrinologist Eva Cwynar, M.D. Because we're engineered to have babies in our teens and twenties, our reproductive hormone levels begin to taper off in our thirties, which can result in hair loss and funky skin conditions. Human growth hormone, or HGH, begins to peter out too, which means cells don't turn over as quickly. This puts the brakes on collagen production, giving way to dull, slack skin. "When we're 18, our growth hormone levels may be around 800. By 30, they've dropped to 150. It's normal. It's just how we age," assures Cwynar.
And if you spent your twenties on a beach chair with a glass of chardonnay in one hand and a cigarette in the other, those vices will begin to show, quite literally, on your face. "You start to see the cumulative effects of hard living on your skin in your thirties," says dermatologist Rebecca Giles, M.D., owner of FIX skin clinic in Malibu, California. Everyone is going to see some changes in her thirties due to hormonal shifts, "but for those who have been tanning, drinking, smoking, and eating poorly, the problems are going to be worse."
To keep you looking gorgeous throughout your thirties and way beyond, we asked dermatologists to identify the major skin and hair issues you're bound to encounter during this decade and offer ways to keep problems at bay. If you've already detected some beauty erosion, don't fret. There's still time to undo the damage.
Cellulite Roughly 85 percent of women have some cellulite, and those first thigh dimples often show up around age 30. A less active lifestyle can lead to a cottage cheese-like appearance. "By their thirties, a lot of people have desk jobs and don't have as much time to work out," Shamban says. Adding to the problem: Collagen production starts to taper off at this age, making the skin thinner and cellulite more noticeable.
Preemptive strike: Add simple weight-training exercises like squats and lunges to your cardio routine three or four times a week to tone up and blast fat, says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., co-author of "No More Cellulite."
Stop yo-yo dieting. Repetitively gaining and losing weight stretches the tissue that connects skin to muscle. When that tissue is stretched, it can have a tough time holding in fat pockets effectively.
Turn back time: There's no magic cure for cellulite. That said, to increase the effectiveness of cellulite creams, Shamban suggests using them in conjunction with over-the-counter retinoid creams like Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect Ultra Lift and Firm Moisture Cream SPF 30 ($68, elizabetharden.com). "Retinoids have been shown to stimulate collagen," Shamban says.
Some experts say that in office or in-spa treatments for cellulite may offer temporary relief. "New devices like the Smooth Shapes cellulite machine — a laser-plus-light treatment with suction action — can be moderately effective," Shamban says ($300 per treatment; a series of eight is recommended).
Wrinkles Thanks to sluggish cell turnover, everyone sees a little wrinkling in their thirties, but for sun worshippers and smokers," the bell starts tolling earlier and louder," Giles says.
Preemptive strike: "Wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 is the best thing you can do for your skin," says Giles, who recommends using a physical sunblock like titanium dioxide, which doesn't wear of as quickly as chemical sunscreens. And you need to slather it on every day. "If you can see outside without a flashlight, you need to wear sunscreen. Period," says Ranella Hirsch, M.D., dermatologist in Boston.
Layer an antioxidant serum under your sunblock. "Research shows that vitamin C in particular can help make sunscreen more effective," Giles says. Try Neutrogena Ageless Restoratives Antioxidant Booster Serum ($19, ulta.com).
Cut down on processed foods, don't drink excessively, and good grief, quit smoking already! "These habits all contribute to the premature signs of aging, " Hirsch says.
Turn back time: Thirty isn't too young to start using heavy-duty prescription retinoids, especially the superhero of the bunch, tretinoin. It exfoliates cells to reveal smoother skin and also prevents sagging. Apply a pea-size amount to clean skin a couple of nights a week at first (more than that can cause redness and irritation).
If you've been a maximum sun offender, a small dose of Botox — yes, even at 30 — may be in order. When used in conservative amount, it may keep "dynamic" wrinkles (lines that show up only when you frown or smile) from turning into "static" wrinkles (which hang around no matter what your expression). "I'll see some 30-year-old patients for Botox two or three times a year," Giles says. "It doesn't take much to make a big difference."
A chest full of brown spots Consider these sun spots souvenirs from all those irresponsible spring breaks spent sitting around the pool sans sunscreen. Like wrinkles, they begin making an appearance when you hit the big 3-0.
Preemptive strike: Daily dedicated use of broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher prevents sun spots from forming and keeps existing ones from becoming darker.
Turn back time: Studies show that retinoids, those all-powerful skin rejuvenators, can zap sun spots. "Your skin regimen for your face can be modified for your chest, which is more sensitive," says Doris Day, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. "Try applying an OTC retinol product with a moisturizer to clean skin a few nights a week."
"I've had great success removing brown spots with the new AcuTip laser and the Nd:YAG laser," says Beverly Hills dermatologist Peter Kopelson, M.D. Laser treatments can set you back $500 to $2,000, "but if you address these brown spots now, at age 30, you're likely to have fewer issues later on if you continue to wear sunscreen and stay out of the sun," says Kopelson.
Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy can also lift sun-damage spots from the chest or face. It's an in-office treatment that delivers intense blasts of broadband light therapy deep into the epidermis to kill pigmented cells, which then slough off after a week or two. It's slightly less expensive than lasers (around $500 per treatment), but several sessions may be required to see maximum results.
Thinning hair It can be downright freaky when you start seeing clumps of hair swimming around your shower drain and some thinning (thinning!) around your temples. This is largely due to the 30-something hormonal shift, which is genetically determined, but big-time thinning can be triggered by stress, a vitamin deficiency, an excess of mercury, or giving birth (moms experience temporary hair loss about two months after popping out a baby as their hormones readjust). More serious causes include hypothyroidism, which often manifests itself in your thirties, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which is most often seen in women ages 30 to 40.
Preemptive strike: Eat a well-balanced diet that's rich in B vitamins, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, and keep mercury levels in check by sticking to low-mercury fish like tilapia and herring, and eating it just twice a week.
Take a daily multivitamin with hair-and nail-strengthening biotin and zinc, Day says.
Turn back time: If the root cause of hair loss is a thyroid condition, a regular dose of synthetic hormones like Synthroid, prescribed by an endocrinologist, can put your body back on track.
For PCOS sufferers, switching to a low-glycemic (low sugar, low carbohydrate) diet can reduce overall body fat and reset your blood insulin levels. If it doesn't, your doctor may prescribe Metformin, a drug for diabetics that controls blood-sugar levels.
If your doctor rules out a thyroid condition and PCOS, she may recommend a prescription drug called Aldactone (the generic name is spironolactone). "It's a testosterone inhibitor that works like a key in a lock; it takes up space that extra testosterone would," Cwynar says.
Stray hairs It's a raw deal that when your hair starts to fall out of your head, it starts to pop up in less-than-ideal places, like your chin, nipples, and abdomen. The reason: The ratio of androgens (male hormones) to estrogen may change in your thirties, which can turn a soft, fine hair into a (gasp!) whisker.
Preemptive strike: Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's not much you can do.
Turn back time: Traditional hair-removal methods like tweezing, waxing, and electrolysis work, and laser treatments have proved to be highly effective too. "There's also a prescription cream called Vaniqa that can help prevent hair from regrowing, with varying degrees of success," Day says.
Acne You may associate zits with first dates and SATs, "but it's a myth that acne ends in your teens," says Heidi Waldorf, M.D., director of laser and cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. "In fact, lots of people see it for the first time at 30." The causes? A natural decline in estrogen levels, switching birth-control pills (which can create a temporary hormonal imbalance), and stress. The adult responsibilities of your thirties (a big-shot job, a kid, or both) may make cortisol levels spike, resulting in a case of adolescent-like acne.
Preemptive strike: Daily cleansing and weekly exfoliation will help keep your pores clear and fend off acne. Waldorf recommends the Neutrogena Wave ($13, at drugstores), a device that uses a salicylic acid cleaning pad to remove dead skin cells. If exfoliating seems tedious or if your skin is very oily, you can simply apply a salicylic acid product daily (try Murad Anti-Aging Acne & Wrinkle Reducer, $58, sephora.com, or Philosophy Oil-Free Acne Treatment Gel, $22, sephora.com). "These exfoliate the skin and penetrate pores to disrupt oil production," Hirsch says.
Turn back time: Wrinkle-fighting retinoids also have a way with pimples. If prescription-strength products are too strong for your sensitive skin (or your wallet), try Olay Total Effects with Pro-Retinol ($23, drugstore.com), which is gentle and nearly as effective. Apply it at night to clean skin.
Ask your dermatologist about in-office peels (a custom blend of peeling agents like salicylic acid or alpha-hydroxy acid that's left on the skin for several minutes, which may result in peeling a few days later). Both are proven zit erasers.
Red bumps around your nose and mouth Notice a constellation of tiny, painless red bumps on the lower half of your face? Chances are, you've got a case of perioral dermatitis, which is most common among women in their thirties.
Preemptive strike: Quit touching your face! "While the cause of perioral dermatitis is unknown, picking and prodding can trigger it by introducing all sorts of bacteria to your skin," Giles says.
Turn back time: "Nothing is available over the counter to treat this," Giles says. "If you notice these tiny bumps, and they don't appear to be acne-related, see a dermatologist, who will likely prescribe an antibiotic in a pill or lotion form to reduce inflammation."
Brown spots on your face Big blotchy patches on the upper lip, cheeks, and forehead are called melasma. While typically considered one of those annoying estrogen-related pregnancy symptoms, they can occur in 30-something women who have never been preggers. "Sometimes oral contraceptives can cause these patches, but sometimes they pop up for no particular reason at all, and even just a few minutes in the sun makes them worse," Day says.
Preemptive strike: According to Day, nothing can prevent melasma entirely, but slathering on Neutrogena's new Spectrum+ Sunblock Lotion SPF 55 ($12, at drugstores), which protects skin from UVA and UVB rays, as well as certain wavelengths of infrared light, can stop patches from getting darker. "The latest research indicates that infrared rays and heat play a role, and traditional sunscreen doesn't shield the skin from them."
Turn back time: Melasma can be tough to treat, but light chemical peels such as the Vi peel, a combination of ingredients like salicylic acid, retinoic acid, and vitamins, can be effective in lifting the pigment from your skin.
Don't have the bucks (or the pain threshold) for a peel? "Using a topical lightening cream with kojic acid or hydroquinone can lessen the appearance of melasma," Kopelson says. Apply SkinCeuticals Pigment Regulator ($85, skinceuticals.com) every other night, building up to every night.
Cancer cells feed on fructose, study finds
They said their finding, published in the journal Cancer Research, may help explain other studies that have linked fructose intake with pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancer types.
"These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation," Dr. Anthony Heaney of UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and colleagues wrote.
"They have major significance for cancer patients given dietary refined fructose consumption, and indicate that efforts to reduce refined fructose intake or inhibit fructose-mediated actions may disrupt cancer growth."
Americans take in large amounts of fructose, mainly in high fructose corn syrup, a mix of fructose and glucose that is used in soft drinks, bread and a range of other foods.
Politicians, regulators, health experts and the industry have debated whether high fructose corn syrup and other ingredients have been helping make Americans fatter and less healthy.
Too much sugar of any kind not only adds pounds, but is also a key culprit in diabetes, heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association.
Several states, including New York and California, have weighed a tax on sweetened soft drinks to defray the cost of treating obesity-related diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
The American Beverage Association, whose members include Coca-Cola and Kraft Foods have strongly, and successfully, opposed efforts to tax soda.
The industry has also argued that sugar is sugar.
Heaney said his team found otherwise. They grew pancreatic cancer cells in lab dishes and fed them both glucose and fructose.
Tumor cells thrive on sugar but they used the fructose to proliferate. "Importantly, fructose and glucose metabolism are quite different," Heaney's team wrote.
"I think this paper has a lot of public health implications. Hopefully, at the federal level there will be some effort to step back on the amount of high fructose corn syrup in our diets," Heaney said in a statement.
Now the team hopes to develop a drug that might stop tumor cells from making use of fructose.
