No Picture
Whole Food Vitamins

Laser Comb – Should You Consider and Include As Part of Your Hair Loss Treatment?

Low level laser therapy usually abbreviated ‘LLLT’ refers to the application of red-beam or near infrared lasers to treat a variety of medical conditions. Low level laser therapy is also known as cool laser, software laser or therapeutic laser therapy.
The effectiveness of laser therapy depends on the intensity, color of the light (wavelength) and total energy delivered. ‘LLLT’ usually have wave length in the range of 600 to 1000 nanometer and power ranging from 5 to 500 ‘milliwatts’.
This technique has been used to speed up wound healing, relieve pain, nerve regeneration, skin diseases and a variety of ‘musculo’ skeletal conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. It has been used to treat hair loss with limited success. Some dermatologist believe this technique enable low-level laser to penetrate deeply into the tissues and provide ‘photobiostimulation’ effect.
Hair that falls out and is not replaced by any new hairs leads to increased appearance of bald spots or thinning. Proponents of such technique believe laser promotes healthy hair growth and accelerate the increase of hair shaft diameter of miniaturized hair affected by genetic male and female pattern hair loss in some patients.
The light source or photon release energy when it make contact with the skin. The light particle energy disperse on the skin is absorbed by the micro molecules within the cells. These micro molecules are called ‘mitochondria’ and is made up of complex tiny membrane enclosed structure that exists in the cells.
‘Mitochondria’ are also known as factory or powerhouse of the cells because they produce the energy required to trigger various cellular and physiological functions, some of which associated with pain relief, cell rejuvenation and healing of injuries.
These factories are mainly responsible for providing most of the required chemical compound to convert energy for the cells (ATP). ATP is the chemical responsible for energy release within cells. Lasers are believed to trigger the conversion of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) to ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) resulting in the releasing of energy which thereafter trigger cellular metabolic changes.
The light source can be directly expose to the scalp by means of positioning of a portable mechanical device equipped with light source such as a hand-held laser comb. Some dermatologist believe such device may help to energize hair and increase the blood circulation around the base of the papilla which in turn stimulates the scalp cells to accelerate hair growth. As a result, hair will flourish and becomes thicker, stronger and healthier.
Is low-level laser therapy as that used in laser comb truly effective in stimulating hair re-growth as claimed by some? After all there are various factors that contributes to thinning of hair thus it is not likely that this type of treatment alone could deliver the expected results.
Skeptics claimed that there is not enough scientific evidence to prove that low-level laser therapy prevents hair loss or restores lost hair. Some experts point out that the low-level power of the laser produced by laser comb is not able to penetrate deep enough into the skin to reach the hair follicles. Thus many dermatologist conclude hair regrowth using laser comb is simply not effective or useless.
Proponents of ‘LLLT’ high lighted the fact that FDA gave the clearance on the marketing of hand-held laser comb such as the ‘HairMax’ and this prove that hair loss treatment using light therapy is not a scam or useless.
Those who suffered more progressive balding problem may have difficulty getting obvious positive results with laser comb. Hair regrowth takes time therefore ongoing use of it for at half a year is recommended before its visible effectiveness can be determined.
If you do not suffer from any abnormal hair loss problem or experiencing mild hair lost condition then the laser comb can be use as good preventive tool to give your hair additional better chance of not falling out prematurely. After all there is no unwanted side effects and therefore no harm in trying it.
Laser comb can be use as preventive or complimentary treatment measure to increase the density and volume of hair as well as to normalize the scalp.
In summary a multi-pronged approach involving a combination of hair loss treatments will give you a strong fighting chance to deal with balding. A holistic treatment should preferably include a well balance nutrition diet, adopting basic hair care, scalp massage, achieving hormone balance, using FDA approved medication such as ‘Propecia’ and ‘Monoxidil’ and maintaining overall healthy life style.…

No Picture
Whole Food Vitamins

Help Your Daughter Love Her Hair!

When my daughter was born, she didn’t have a bunch of hair. By the time she was 2, it seems as if she had even less. She suffered from eczema causing all of her hair to fall out, except a little poof at the top of her head. She also had extremely dry, fragile, thin sandy brown hair! I just knew that this poor child would always be bald and forever suffer the stigma of being the girl with itsy bitsy pigtails.

As my daughter turned from a baby to a toddler, I did everything to try to grow her hair back. She was getting taller and bigger; she was at the age where she should be wearing beads or pretty burettes instead of a tiny, dry, auburn . I purchased a “wonderful” moisturizer and applied it daily, sometimes twice a day. I would even deep conditioner her and have her run around with a processing cap on for hours. Whenever I would see a little girl with long pretty ponytails or beads, I would stop her mother and ask her what she was using on her daughter’s hair and then I would run out to pick it up. It NEVER failed, when I got to the beauty supply store, I would see that the product was packed with nasty ingredients and I would leave it on the shelf, frustrated and back at square one.

By the time my daughter turned 4, I had gotten so frustrated with both of our hair issues that I started to make my own concoctions. Over the next year, her hair had thrived like crazy. The nutrient rich diet that I was feeding her follicles had her hair growing like wild fire! Now, we had a NEW problem; her hair had gotten so thick that doing it became overwhelming at times. It seems as if she just woke up one morning with a ton of hair that had massive shrinkage and just took forever to do! We went from 4 beads per braid, to 10, to 20 (I wouldn’t put any more than that, but there was room for several more). For the next year and a half, she exclusively wore braids so that I didn’t have to handle her hair too often. Each time I took her braids out, it seemed as if her hair had grown a bit more.

When Khyli turned 7, she no longer wanted to always have her hair braided; she wanted to try new styles, which required more upkeep. It seemed as if every time I did her hair, we would fight and I would threaten to cut it all off or make her get Sisterlocks. Doing her hair became a battle; a dreaded event. I had to figure out a way to make this more pleasurable; I didn’t want her to start hating her hair, start thinking that it was “bad” because I complained about doing it so much. Here I will share some of the tips and techniques I discovered that helped me with managing my daughter’s MID BACK LENGTH hair.

The first thing I did was make a conscious effort to be patient with myself. I would schedule her hair just like I would schedule a meeting. Do it on a day where I knew I had enough time to take it down, wash it, condition it, and then put it back up, which could easily take 6 hours.

As her hair grew and became denser, I started to wash her hair in sections. I would put 5-7 puffs in her hair and wash each one separately; this would cut down on tangles. I did the same with conditioning her hair.

Comb the hair in sections as well; starting from the ends to the root. Take small sections for very dense course hair. Use a detangling spray such as

Although Khyli is very tall, I still washed her hair in the kitchen sink, while she would lie across the kitchen counter. This made it so much easier to wash her hair; as she was more comfortable.

I also decided that I would make the day a bonding experience. We would spend the time to catch up! This was a time for just the two of us with very minimal interruptions. We talked about everything; how school was going, how my job was going, tell her stories about when I was a little girl or when she was a little girl; and I would make it a point to tell her several times throughout the day, how much I loved her hair!

You may also pick up her favorite movie or book; if your daughter is anything like mine, she will want to talk about the movie, amongst a million other things. I allow her to …

No Picture
Whole Food Vitamins

What Are the Major Causes of Hair Loss?

Hair loss is a natural bodily process or cycle. The average human being loses 100-200 strands of hair on his/her head each day. This is our body’s way of getting rid of the old and starting anew – just like the way our skin gets rid of dead skin cells.
But there is a distinct difference between the regular shedding that we experience from Alopecia which refers to the sickness of hair falling out. If you find that you are losing a lot of hair strands daily – more than the usual and you feel that your head is starting to thin, the best thing to do is to consult a hair care specialist so they can provide you with a proper diagnosis.
The best way for us to protect ourselves and our loved ones from excessive or sudden hair loss is to know the causes of hair loss and nip it in the bud – so to speak. Here are some of the causes of receding hair based on scientific studies and research that we have made.
Stress
If you think that your hair is not affected by emotional, psychological or mental stress – think again! Our body reacts to our emotions and stress makes it a point to emancipate in our body in the form of different kinds of sickness.
The different emotions that we undergo also mess up the hormones in our body and it has been found that one of the causes of hair loss is closely tied up to hormones and hormonal imbalance. Aside from emotional or psychological stress, physical stress can also take its toll on your hair. Undergoing a major surgery or trauma in your body can lead to your body stopping the hair growth process or cycle – leading to baldness or permanent hair thinning.
Sickness
Heart problems, problems with the thyroid gland and other organs are also considered one of the major causes of hair loss. This also leads to one other cause of hair loss, which is…
Medication
Taking birth control pills, anticoagulants (blood thinning medicine), too much vitamin A and even anti depressants have been found to cause Alopecia (hair loss) in individuals.
Infections
Scalp infections are one of the primary causes of hair loss in individuals, because the body has a way of shutting down the hair growth processes when it senses pain or infections in the scalp.
Improper Hair Care
If you think that you are taking care of your hair by using all the best hair products and treating your hair in the parlor from time to time – think again! Most hair products and treatments have harsh chemicals that can irritate your scalp thereby causing sudden hair shedding.
Even the most expensive hair irons and hair dryers in the market can be really harsh on your scalp and hair – especially if you use it on your hair daily.
These are just some of the major causes of hair loss in men, women and children as found in recent studies and research. The best way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from hair thinning is to make sure that you are informed and make sure to seek professional advice from doctors – even your hair stylist can provide you with good advice – on how to keep your hair and scalp healthy.…

No Picture
Whole Food Vitamins

Lose Weight Fast and Effectively

When I married my wife, I weighed 165, I was in great shape and extremely active, but I started to work more and more and work out less and less, I would pay less attention to the foods that I would eat. Over the course of 15 months and I ended gaining 60 pounds. My job doesn’t require much physical activity (I sit in a chair and stare at a computer all day long), so it was hard to lose the weight and keep it off. I love food and at one point in my life, I could eat anything that I wanted and not gain a pound, I failed to realize that my body wasn’t burning off the calories that I was bringing in. It wasn’t until I started to feel embarrassed going swimming or feeling tired all of time that I decided to make a change. I tried all of the different programs out there, but none of them worked. I was looking for the “become thin in 24 hours” perfect solution, it wasn’t until trying and failing multiple times that I realized there is no such thing. Don’t waste the time with the magic weight loss pills, stick with what has been proven to work, diet and exercise. There are some great programs that will teach you correct and effective dieting and exercising techniques.
Over time, I have learned some different techniques that help in losing weight and keeping it off. It all starts with effective dieting and exercise. Here are some tips that have helped me in losing weight.
Tips for weight loss
1) Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are very healthy for you. They have a lot of fiber and antioxidants. In addition to this, eating raw fruits and vegetables will make you feel fuller, faster! The amounts of calories that fruit and vegetables have are really low. So be sure to eat plenty of them!
2) Eat in Proportions
Never overfill yourself. Eat until you are satisfied but do not overeat. Remember, you can always pack food up and save it for later. Remember this tip when you got out to eat at a restaurant or fast food!
3) Frequency
Instead of three big meals a day, eat less but more frequently. Doing so will keep your blood sugar levels in check. It will help avoid a calorie overload. Try to eat 5-6 small meals in a day.
4) Better Choices
Avoid fast food and processed food, they have more sodium and fat. You can lose weight just by eating home cooked meals.
5) Be Consistent
Do not jump into eating healthy right away. Allow yourself time to eat some of the foods you really like. A consistent change will give you more hope than a quick change and failure. A slow progression will give you faith about your overall progress.
6) Understand Food Nutrition
Fat free claims on products do not necessarily mean that the product is low in calories. Read the nutrition facts on the label to avoid foods that are high in sugar and fat. Do not be fooled by misleading labels that can be put on any product.
7) Water
Try to drink 8 glasses of water a day. It helps to avoid pop,coffee, and anything else loaded with sugar.
8) Exercise
Exercise for 30 min 60 minutes each day to burn off calories. This is one great way to lose a lot of body fat.…

No Picture
Whole Food Vitamins

Tips on Feeding Your Dog A Balanced Diet

It can be very difficult to feed your animals the right kind of food. It is important to ensure that you have a good range of different options for them. Some things that you might like to consider before deciding on your pet’s diet are their specific nutritional requirements, how food is manufactured and the price.
Specific Nutritional RequirementsThere are lots of different ideas out there about what the best diet for a dog is. The majority of research and studies agree that protein is very important, for example, there are many different kinds of studies that indicate that dogs thrive on a high protein diet. Age and activity levels are two very important factors to consider when deciding on your options. Younger puppies will need lots of calcium to help their bones grow properly. Older dogs will need to have food that caters to their slower digestion processes. If you have a working dog, you will need to ensure that you provide a high level of calcium and iron to meet their excessive energy needs.
How the Food is manufacturedThink very carefully about how the food has been manufactured when you are trying to decide on your dog’s diet. There are lots of options to out there on the market for you to choose from, so really take the time to make an educated decision.
The CostThere are lots of great options out there on the market, so make sure you compare prices. It is important to realize that not all brands are equal. Some will attempt to save money and increase profit by reducing the amount of meat available for your pet. Think about the cost of the food and balance this with the nutritional value in order to make the right decision.…

No Picture
Whole Food Vitamins

Care For Summer Hair

It’s a sizzlin’ hot summer. What that means for your hair is sun exposure which can be just as damaging as using a dryer that is way too hot. The UV rays of summer sun can damage the cuticle of your hair causing it to be dry, brittle, frizzy, and ends split up the wazoo. It does not matter if you have thick or thin, fine or curly, healthy or in-be-tween, straight or wavy, your hair can have issues from sun which could result in you looking like you stuck your hands in an electrical socket. Just picture that. It is not a pretty picture.
Summer means relaxing on the beach, taking time to do those things you don’t have time to do in the winter, like taking a sister trip if you can, (we did and had a ball!) It means having hair that looks good, not having hair that you have to spend time worrying about. This is the time to protect and retain moisture in your hair so you must avoid sun exposure and excessive use of styling products. People have a tendency to forget about proper hair care during these lazy, hazy days and don’t realize that they need a different regime than winter time. Although winter dries out hair as well, summers can be over the top with sun exposure. There are sunscreen spray products for hair and scalp that are easy to apply. They retain moisture and protect your hair from the UV rays of the sun. Wearing a hat or scarf is another way to protect your hair and scalp. You can do this in addition to the sprays. Men should definitely wear hats or caps. Applying sunscreens up to 30 minutes before venturing out is ideal. Just read your labels.
If you are spending long hours in the sun don’t forget sunscreens for your body as well. If you are spending a lot of time at the pool or the beach, your hair can become damaged from the chemicals in the pool, or the salt in the beach water. If you fail to take care of your hair after you swim, you are inviting more problems such as breakage, dullness, and more dryness and even discoloration.
It is really simple to take care of your hair if you swim by just following some simple tips:
1. Always wet your hair before you swim because it keeps your hair from soaking in the chlorine or salt water. I also recommend applying a conditioner.
2. After swimming, shampoo the beach or pool water out of your hair with a clarifier and this will keep your hair from absorbing the chemicals. Follow with a proper shampoo and conditioner.
3. If you are going to be just lying on the beach or around the pool keep a conditioner or a spray sunscreen in your hair.
4. Don’t forget your hat or scarf and some sunglasses.
5. Have a fabulous time and don’t forget the sunscreen for your body!.…

No Picture
Whole Food Vitamins

Living A Full Life Even Though You Have Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is usually a temporary condition that only occurs in pregnant women because her body does not make enough insulin to compensate for the needs of the baby. Since symptoms are usually absent or extremely mild, pregnant women are routinely screened for excess amounts of sugar in the blood.

Handfuls of almonds can satiate you enough to slay your hunger spikes without disturbing your glucose levels. They’ll provide your body with important nutrients that it needs, like fiber and protein. Always keep some almonds handy around the house so you always have them when you’re struck with the urge to snack.

If you’re looking for a salty snack but your diabetes is holding you back, look no further than a jar of olives! They’re a fruit, tasty, healthy, and fun to eat. You can cut them up and put them in salads, or even on a sandwich! I love to make a homemade submarine sandwich and sprinkle some on top. YUM!

Your insurance may cover a trip to the nutritionist once you’re diagnosed with diabetes, so take advantage of it! Bring a list of your favorite foods with you and ask if there is any way for you to make them healthy AND tasty, meaning you can have a treat without any of the guilt.

If you suffer from diabetes, it is wise to undergo a test for sleep apnea as soon as you can. If you have this condition, treatment will keep you more alert, healthier and happier.

Find a free clinic in your area to have your Diabetes monitored if you can’t afford to visit your doctor every three months. You can call your local Diabetes association, ask at a local hospital, or inquire through your Health Department, to find out where the closest clinic is to you.

Even if you are not feeling any symptoms, it is important that you check your blood sugar levels every few hours. People think that because they feel fine, their sugar levels are stabilized and this is not always true. It is the silent symptoms that could land you in the hospital.

Healthier

If you want to eat healthier to help overcome your Diabetes, but you just can’t stomach fish without some pops of flavor on it, try capers! They’re like olives in their flavor, but smaller and zestier. You can sprinkle them on any type of fish, I like to also add some slices of Spanish onion, and they take the place of sauce.

Hey there, Diabetics! Have you ever thought of turning your burger inside out? Well, not exactly, but putting the lettuce on the outside will get rid of that carbohydrate-laced bun and increase the amount of vegetables you’re eating. Replace the hamburger with a lentil patty for an even healthier treat!

If the initial screening is positive for high blood sugar, a second screening is ordered by the physician. This test checks how well insulin is metabolizing ingested sugar over a three hour period. The condition can usually be treated through diet and moderate exercise. Complications can arise, so women with gestational diabetes are closely monitored.…