Edelweiss: From The Swiss Alps, For Your Beauty

Edelweiss is no stranger to harsh winds, cold temperatures, and fierce solar rays. They fill most days where edelweiss grows, high in the Swiss Alps. This tiny plant has had to develop all the natural chemistry needed to thrive in its challenging environment - and that's good news for your skin.

A major player in anti-aging creams, edelweiss is packed with compounds that make it one of the best natural resources for rejuvenating skin care. It provides protection on the cellular level to reduce sun damage, repair cells and slow their breakdown. That means younger-looking skin. Edelweiss also works to maintain collagen levels, for firmer, more elastic skin, with fewer lines and wrinkles.

Collagen is connective tissue that exists between the cells. As collagen levels decrease with age, the skin becomes thin and dry. The stimulating and rebuilding properties in edelweiss help to restore collage levels for greater elasticity and smoother, firmer skin.

In addition, edelweiss is packed with anti-oxidants that slow cell breakdown and repair cell damage. Oxidation occurs when molecules are destabilized by natural or environmental factors. Once the molecules are destabilized, they become destructive "free radicals." At the skin level, free radical damage and cell breakdown lead to visible signs of aging including the development of fine lines, dry and thin skin, and loss of elasticity. Anti-oxidants help stabilize the molecules and prevent further breakdown while repairing existing damage.

One of the best ways to get plenty of cell-repairing anti-oxidants is by eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, but topical applications are just as important for skin health. That's where edelweiss comes in.

Moisturizers are a blend of oils and water. The oils create a protective barrier that holds the water molecules in the skin. Selecting a natural, high quality moisturizer is the first step for healthy skin. Natural seed and nut oils blend with the skin creating a protective layer that breathes without clogging pores. And the water element is important too. Plant hydrosols are naturally astringent. They tighten pores and firm the skin without drying or damaging the cells. High quality oils and pure plant hydrosols, combined with the added protection and rejuvenating properties of edelweiss and other skin-supporting plant extracts make for a regenerative cream that does more than just moisturize: it protects, restores, rejuvenates and replenishes the skin for a complexion that radiates good health.

With the right ingredients, skin care only needs to take a few minutes a day. A good cleanser, an astringent, pore-tightening toner, and an anti-oxidant skin cream will keep your skin looking soft, supple and youthful. That, with a good natural exfoliant once or twice a week, is all you need for beautiful skin.

You can learn more about anti-aging moisturizers and other natural ways to create beautiful skin at my Gaelle Organic web site. Wishing you beautiful skin, Gaelle.

Air Filtration Systems For Your Health

Ever since the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA was developed, people in the United States have been becoming more aware of the dangers posed by air pollution. The EPA has strict regulations to help keep the air clean, however their regulations are not set up to fully protect the air inside our homes. To ensure that the air in our homes is clean and safe to breath, home owners have to take precautions and make changes to their homes to help rid their homes of unwanted pollutants. Many homeowners are installing air filtration systems to help them maintain their homes air quality. Choosing the right type of air filter or filters for your home can be confusing. The air filtration market presents home owners with dozens of options for different types of air filtration. Each one of the systems focuses on a different type of pollution and employs a different technique to help filter the air in our homes. These are the most common types of home filtration systems on the market today.

One of the most common types of in home air pollution is particulate matter. Particulate matter is simply put, any foreign particle that is floating around in our air. Dust, pollen, and pet dander are all forms of particulate matter. Perhaps the most common and effective type of filtration system that can be used to filter out particulate matter from the air in our homes is a mechanical air filter. These filters use HEPA or high efficiency particulate air filters to remove particles from the air. The air is pulled through vents and passes through a HEPA filter that catches the particulates and then pushes the clean air back into the room.

Another type of particulate filter is an Electronic cleaner. These air purifiers rely on static to attract particles to plates inside the purifier. The final particulate filtration system utilizes ionization to weight down particulates in the air so they settle on surfaces in our homes quicker and can be removed with a vacuum or other cleaning method.

Particulates are not the only dangerous air pollution in our homes. Gaseous pollutants are the cause of many deaths in homes each year. Deadly carbon monoxide gas can be produced when appliances in our homes to not function properly. You should be warned that installing a gas air filter will not protect you against carbon monoxide so you should properly maintain your carbon monoxide detectors. Gas air filters only target very specific types of gas in your homes and should be installed in combination with other types of filtration for the most effective results.

Remember, when you are shopping for an air filtration system for your home, you need to define the type of pollutants that are present in your home and ensure that the air purifier you are buying is designed to remove that type of pollution. While air purifiers are efficient and better you home's air quality, you can also institute simple rules such as, making your home a no smoking zone, and requiring people to take their shoes off. Both of these things will help decrease the number of particulates in your home's air and help you filters work more efficiently.

If You Play Rock and Roll, You Might Need a Hearing Center

Many rockers lose their hearing with age. If it isn't the loud guitars, boisterous drums, fat bass beats, or screams from horn sections, such as those found in many ska or jazz bands, hearing is the first thing to go for aging rockers. Because there's nothing worse than losing one's hearing as they age, protection and prevention is quite important.

It is therefore imperative that all rockers - even non-rockers - visit a hearing center. A hearing center can test their ability with various tools and could even prevent or help repair damage taken in over time. For rockers, this is especially important. It is understandable that the US surgeon general often makes warnings in yearly health analyses about the protection of hearing for everyone from infants to the elderly. It is important to take heed to the number one doctor in the world: protect those ears!

But don't be fooled by the "rocker" label. Even contemporary musicians should get their hearing checked, while other fans of music should have their ears checked on a regular basis as well. To ensure a lifetime of enjoyment, these sorts of precautions and preventative measures are essential. Construction workers, pilots, stunt men, detonation specialists, and motor vehicle servicemen all understand the importance of protection and prevention.

Because sound can be amplified, it can be more damaging to the internal ear and its parts, such as the stirrup or ear drum. These are incredibly soft and vulnerable parts of the human body, and as a result, must be constantly protected if you live and work in the music industry. If you do work and play in this world, it is vital that your ears are not only protected, but that you visit a hearing center several times to ensure you are fully protected or safe from risk.

A hearing center might just be the best bet. Most cities have several hearing centers available for low cost and sometimes at no cost depending on whether one has specific types of medical insurance or other qualifications. Because all forms of music or audio come through speakers or amps, protecting your ears is of the utmost of importance. Headphones, mufflers, earplugs and other devices are readily available on the market for this type of hearing protection.

Until then, it might worth visiting an audiologist for some good old-fashioned ear testing. Next time you have some free time or perhaps in between band practices, load up the van with your band mates and visit an audiologist. It might save your hearing for years to come, extending your life as a fan, rocker, concertgoer, or all three. If you keep your hearing healthy, you'll keep the music alive!

Berberine Treatment For PCOS

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, is an abnormality of young women's hormonal balances linking insulin resistance to relatively high androgens (male hormones) and menstrual irregularities plus subsequent infertility. The prevalence of PCOS has increased over recent years possibly due to the obesity epidemic and the consequence of obesity and insulin resistance. Approximately 7% of women within "reproductive age" suffer from PCOS. The syndrome has traditionally been defined by "Rotterdam Criteria", meaning two of three abnormalities including menstrual irregularities (decreased frequency or absent periods), excess androgens (or clinical evidence by facial hair, acne, etc), or polycystic ovaries found on imaging. The recent consensus, however, is that all three should be identified and actual biochemical evidence of androgens be documented instead of just clinical evidence.

Since PCOS has a strong correlation to obesity and insulin resistance, treatment has focused on weight loss via improved diet/exercise with metformin treatment to combat the "metabolic syndrome" which is common place for these women. Oral contraceptives and anti-androgens are used to control the symptoms overall. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome can be a very physically and emotionally taxing problem to many people. It is important to understand and know all methods of fighting this "disease."

Berberine has been successfully used and studied in the treatment of obesity-related insulin resistance and diabetes plus the dyslipidemia (bad cholesterol) which accompanies metabolic syndrome. What is interesting is that this potent natural plant alkaloid is revered in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, but not really anywhere else. With such a powerful potential, it is a shame more clinicians have not heard of it. In fact, its effects don't stop at blood sugar and cholesterol regulation. This potent herbal supplement has been shown to have properties that might eventually make it useful in cancer and even Alzheimers!

A new study compared the benefits of berberine treatment vs metformin treatment with placebo in eighty-nine young women with PCOS who also had evidence of insulin resistance for three months. The results showed that berberine outperformed metformin in terms of all tested cardiometabolic parameters including waist circumference, cholesterol, and sex hormone-binding globulin (related to abnormal levels of androgens vs estrogens). These findings are encouraging to those overweight or obese women who have PCOS and/or metabolic syndrome and would like naturopathic treatment as opposed to metformin treatment because berberine improves all aspects of metabolic syndrome. Further studies will need to be conducted to evaluate the effects on androgen levels and menstrual irregularities as well as physical finding of androgen excess (hair growth, etc).

As always, it is recommended to start intensive lifestyle changes first and foremost to improve diet and exercise in order lose fat and improve health. Along with berberine, focusing on a whole foods diet that emphasizes lean proteins and healthy fats plus a good structured exercise plan will go far in treating PCOS. If you feel you have symptoms of PCOS, be sure to discuss the possible diagnosis and treatment options with your physician.

Can You Stop a Gag Reflex?

The gag reflex is an important part of the human body that is designed to protect the throat from swallowing objects or substances that are not meant for the human body. This reflex is also used to prevent a person from choking to death. People should proceed with extreme caution before trying to stop their gag reflex.

Even though this gagging is an important function for the human body it can sometimes get in the way of routine dental care and simple tasks such as brushing the teeth. In some instances this reflex action can make it extremely difficult for a person to take life saving medication because they cannot swallow the pills. There are ways that a person can stop their gag reflex from reacting every time that they have something undesirable placed at the back of their throat.

Most people do not like to visit a dentist office and when they go to an appointment the last thing they want to be concerned about is gagging from the instruments that a dentist or dental hygienist uses to provide care for their mouths. One way that they can work around this problem is by numbing a patient's mouth and throat area. A person can actually perform this procedure with the use of over-the-counter medicine that is used to relieve gum and tooth pain.

People can use a toothbrush to help stop their gag reflex. This works by taking the toothbrush and placing it in the throat right to the spot where the reflex begins to kick in. When a person constantly performs this action it will make their reflex less sensitive over time. Most people using this method will notice a significant change to their gag reflex in about a month.

There are some people who claim that if a person takes their left hand and place their thumb inside of a tight fist this is supposed to somehow stop the gag reflex from occurring. This is one method that people will have to try for themselves because it doesn't work for everyone.

Some divers have been known to suffer from this gagging related to the type of equipment that they use for underwater movement. Physicians prescribe breathing techniques and exercises to them that will help to eliminate or reduce this problem. These techniques include breathing in and counting to 4 and breathing out counting to 6. This technique is supposed to help relax the throat and allow the diver to use their mouth pieces for diving procedures. Some physicians have claimed that wearing bands and watches can help to stop the problem. Once again this is something that might work on an individual basis and not for everyone.

There are prescribed drugs that can be used to stop the gag reflex. These drugs include lidocaine viscous and benzocaine. People must consult a physician before taking any type of drug for stopping the gag reflex. A doctor or physician will prescribe drugs for this problem if they find that there is a serious need for them to be administered to a patient.