Monday, August 28, 2006

Rejuvenate your skin

THE largest organ in the human body probably receives more punishment than any other part. Its job is to insulate and protect, as well as give the body its appealing package.
Can you imagine yourself without your skin? We would die without it. So let’s learn how we can improve, even rejuvenate, it.

Here are some helpful ideas from the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS):

Basic truths
Eos. Oxygen to regenerate and rejuvenate skin has been around for over a century. The application of oxygen to the skin reverses aging almost instantly. A clinic called Eos (after the Greek goddess of air) in Laguna designed the EO2S rejuvenation oxygen therapy.

Some 300 million years ago the atmosphere was 21-percent oxygen. Today, the oxygen content of the air is 18 percent.Studies have shown that less oxygen makes cells sick. In skincare, oxygen therapy has anti-aging benefits.

Engineer Enrique Paradina, a gas specialist, developed a new system that could deliver 21-percent oxygen to the face and neck. The 45-minute procedure includes cleansing, massage and gentle air flow treatments.Results are visible after the first treatment, with the face looking rested and younger.

Call 5206701 or, in Biñan Laguna, (049)4112219.
Fact: Genetics determines 80 percent of skin quality. In short, thank your parents/grandparents if you have good skin. But blame yourself if it degenerates due to neglect and abuse because 20 percent of skin quality is influenced by diet, nutrition, exercise and stress.
Dr. Francisca C. Roa of PDS said in a Mirror Magazine interview that as we aged, it became more difficult to maintain a glowing skin due to stress, mental/emotional and environmental.
The good news is it’s never too late to start looking better.

Best skin nourisher
Do you know that seven percent of the oxygen you take in is used and absorbed by the skin? So, breathe deeply and slowly. Breathing in will supply skin cells with oxygen. Breathing out removes carbon dioxide and toxic waste from the body.

Breathe right
As babies, we knew how to breathe—from the belly. It was deep, slow and long. As adults, we breathe shallowly without expelling fully.

Sit upright in a chair, feet and legs uncrossed, shoulders relaxed.Close your eyes.Breathe in six counts, hold two counts. Repeat.Think light, happy thoughts.

Best skin detox
Exercise is best for cleansing and toning the skin. It lets oxygen feed every cell of your body. You get more nutrients to feed your skin and promote collagen production.Try walking, running, jogging, cycling, dancing, swimming, playing badminton, bouncing on a trampoline, skipping rope, etc.—anything to get your system going. An added benefit: exercise is great for de-stressing.

Best skin nutrition
If you want a glowing complexion, eat right. Dermatologists and nutritionists agree that the best skin foods are fresh vegetables and fruits, rich sources of vitamin C and beta-carotene (vitamin A in its natural form). Make it a habit to drink juice every day, more practical when you’re on the go all the time.

Your skin is dependent upon the liver, which rids the body of toxic substances in alcohol, prescription drugs, viruses, bacteria. Kidneys filter/cleanse the body and eliminate waste while intestines process the food we eat to extract the nutrients needed by the body.

Skin rejuvenator
One of the best beautifiers is sleep. When we sleep skin cells regenerate. Growth hormones are also released while we sleep, stimulating collagen and keratin production.Notice how pale and dull skin becomes when you have lack sleep. To avoid getting lines, try sleeping on your back.
Don’t just sleep to rest, sleep to beautify. That’s why it is called “beauty sleep.”

Great moisturizer
Water isn’t just a lifer-saver. It’s a skin-saver, too. Drink 1.5 or more liters of water daily. That’s the open secret to beautiful, radiant skin. Experts agree that the temperature of water is important. Tepid is best.

Always bring a bottle of water, especially when you are going on long trips.
Skin waker-upper
Wrap an ice cube in a towelette and pat gently on your skin. Tired-looking, dull complexion will get back its pinkish glow. The regimen is great for closing pores and freshening makeup. Pat dry.

Anti-aging helper
Stress, whether emotional or mental, can make you age faster. Try to minimize stress by not thinking too intently about your problems. Keep busy and remain centered.Whenever possible, find a quiet moment for yourself. Close your eyes and listen to your slow breathing for 10 minutes. Have a massage.

Love and light!
Note: The telephone numbers of Dr. Cris Mancao, Mancao Myotheraphy Clinic, in last week’s column, “The Language of Pain,” are 6876174 and 6366848.

Previous columns:
The language of pain – 8/22/06
Dreams can become real – 8/15/06
Things you can live with or without – 8/08/06
Bitter medicine – 8/01/06Just do it – now – 7/25/06
De-stressing tips for the weary – (7/18/2006)
Health and wellness matter - 07/11/2006
Emotions are messages - 07/04/2006
Tips for enhancing your well-being - 06/27/2006
Laugh, don’t cry - 06/19/2006

http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=17698

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

The language of pain

THE human condition is such that pain, as well as change, is inevitable.
But a special kind of doctor believes that pain in all its forms and degrees can be managed and overcome. In several encounters in various health summits, I have come to understand his world and his mission—and that is to remove pain.

Utopian as it may sound, Dr. Cris Mancao, chronic pain specialist who heads the Mancao Myotherapy Clinic, says, “It is possible to overcome pain by understanding its language.”He describes a typical situation. Dante is a 58-year-old businessman whose success is well-known.
Admired by many as a successful leader, he is as driven today when he is pushing 60 as he was in his 30s. But for the last five years, he has been bothered by a frozen shoulder, unable at times to bear the excruciating pain.

Pain speaks
“All pain is unexpressed emotion,” says Mancao. What aggravate this manifestation of emotional distress are lifestyle and ignorance. He said, if left unattended, the pain would increase or, worse, never go away.

Our bodies speak to us in ways we may not understand. They may be conveying messages from our subconscious, conversations we can hear if we listen…

“Attend to your emotions today. Do not postpone it.”
“You are totally overworked. Relieve yourself of the load.”
“Speak up. Express your hurts and frustrations to the person who causes you pain.”

Denial
The place where one runs to and hides is that comfort zone that refuses to be shaken by the truth of a situation. Not facing the same truth is Denial.

This, according to Mancao, is the inevitable place where people with chronic pain stay. For this same reason, the pain remains.

Mind-body conflict
If you were to synthesize the practice and philosophy of pain management, much is dependent on the connection of mind and body and their conflict (barring other causes of pain like arthritis, cancer, heart disease, etc.).

The mind plays such a major role in the birth, presence and disappearance of pain in our lives that makes us ask ourselves: “Can it be possible for me to have greater control over this condition?” The answer is a resounding “yes!”

Pain-free life
Chronic pain is a recurring, constant pain, one that may go away for a while but returns.
Saying yes to “no pain” can involve three steps: A, B, C.

Accept in your mind that all pain may be physical but it is triggered by a non-physical condition.
Believe that there is a solution to all your pain and, consequently, all your problems.

Care for yourself by saying, “I will only give myself the best so I can enjoy the best of life.”

The best
Wanting the best for yourself means not settling for second best. In the pursuit of our life’s goals and dreams, ultimately the choices we make and decisions we arrive at are entirely up to us.Amazing results happen almost overnight with this frame of mind. And, at Mancao’s clinic, this is visibly evident. His regimen includes several treatments, nutritional guidance and discipline.

Within seconds, through the use of hand manipulation and machines, patients who were once almost crippled by pain leave with a bouncy stride.Asked how he does what he does, the good doctor smiles and affirms, “The pain you have is the pain I have taken away.”

Affirmation

“Pain is just a thought away.”

Love and light!

http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=16507

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Dreams can become real

LIFE WOULD BE BETTER IF…
There was a happy pill that would naturally remove worries from our minds, pain from our hearts and aches from our bodies.

There was a magic wand that could do a little nip and tuck in your least desirable places so you can have a perfect-10 figure without surgery.

You could dress fashionably in an instant without spending minutes, even hours, in front of the mirror.

Just one wish could transform your and other people’s outlook in life.

We could manage without sleep.
Our bodies would never get sick or age.
These are just some of the fantasies of people who cannot accept reality as it is. They have their own ideas of what reality should be.

Utopian dream
All of us dream of a perfect world, perfect people and perfect situations. As they say, dreams are free and dreamers have the freedom to dream on. However, in the search for the best that we can be, we have to begin with who we are.

Reality check
Truth is, one has to begin somewhere. So, let’s start.
Happy pill. There is a happy pill. But it’s an imaginary one. It is fashioned by the mind, fueled by the heart and sustained by their teamwork. Trust me, it works.Color it green for abundance, pink for perfection, blue for healing, orange for energy, red for passion and love.Whatever color you choose, know that it is your subconscious that is deciding. This prompts the mind to behave and feel in ways only you can control. So take it daily with no fear of an overdose. Smile!
Magic wand. Much like a happy pill, the wand is all yours to create. Visualize it as made of light. It is so powerful it can also influence your mind to do anything, placing the impossible in the realm of possibilities.

Once you accept it, know that you will make that expectation your own reality. Start pointing that wand at parts of you that require change.Maybe you’ve been irritable and bitter lately? Point it at your head. That’s a good place to start. The rest of you will need working on. And know that once your mind is made up, you will work toward your own improvement.

Ageless
The fountain of youth is already inside you. As Deepak Chopra says in “Ageless Body, Timeless Mind,” “Look to the land where no one is old. It is nowhere but in yourself.”Believing is paramount. And now, your regimen. You must have the basic essentials. Right diet, right attitude, right exercise, right sleep, right work, right rest, right time for prayer and worship.

Your affirmation
“Everyday is a birthday for I renew myself each day!”
Love and light!


http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=15256

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Things you can live with or without

TO have is good but not to have may save your life. Habits, cravings and directions may lead to abuse, neglect, indifference and, eventually, illness.
Let’s start with things you can…

Live without
Sugar—A diet composed mainly of bread, jam, cakes and starchy food may lead to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

John’s story: When his doctor told him he couldn’t be discharged from the hospital after a routine executive checkup, John panicked. He was a successful businessman who, at 55, did not look like a candidate for heart disease. John avoided fried foods and animal fat and, with no family history of heart problems, he believed that keeping his weight stable was enough to fight off any disease.

But he was proved wrong.
Recent studies put as high-risk a sedentary lifestyle marked by an excess in animal proteins and saturated fats and refined carbohydrates. In short, if you move less and eat more unhealthy food, then you are shortening your life. Clinician David Ludwig of the School of Medicine, Harvard University, recommends a return to “Paleolithic nutrition,” our prehistoric ancestors’ diet of berries, fruits and vegetables. Bad dietary choices contribute to peaks of insulin and the body, at some point, may become insulin-resistant.

Points to ponder “Sugar and sweet foods are not carcinogenic but could contribute to colon cancer in so far as they divert from a protective diet, favor obesity, and increase the glycemic load and the secretion of insulin,” said Dr. Edward Giovannucci of the School of Public Health, Harvard University.

For those with a sweet tooth, it is best to eat sweets after a meal than having them throughout the day.

Stress: In the past 20 years, it was found that women outlived men by a margin of 10 years, but the gap has started to close in recent years. Why? Because living an active life outside the home means exposure to factors that can hasten one’s demise—late nights, drinking, smoking and stress.

Stress floods the body with stress hormones that will put the constitution in an acidic state. Significant pressure is placed on heart musculatory and respiratory systems. Did you know that dealing with annoyances like traffic, deadlines, appointments, quotas, household and office routines can be as damaging to you as sudden stresses like accidents and changes like moving to a new house?

While stressors cannot be prevented, you can avoid, manage or transcend them. Here’s how: When confronted with a stressful situation, you can, a) talk to yourself in a calm, reassuring manner, saying, “I am in control, the situation is not in control of me”; b) allow your mind and not your heart to dictate your reactions; and c) sit quietly for two minutes to compose yourself.

Live with Good bacteria: There are many approaches to health. Exercise, diet, fresh air and clean water are better known, but there is another approach you can consider—probiotics bacteria. After all, the external environment is just as important as the internal environment.
Residing in our gut are millions of microorganisms. They assist in the breakdown of food waste and manufacture vitamins and nutrients. If the work of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted, the following can happen: diarrhea, irritable bowl syndrome, constipation, hemorrhoids, gall bladder disease, pancreatic disease, yeast infection, indigestion. They may be caused by antibiotics, birth and control pills, sedentary lifestyle, and monotonous overuse of certain foods. Thus, the need for lactobacilli supplementation.

In 1951, Dr. Ivan Bogdenov in Sofia, Bulgaria, isolated a strain of lactobacillus bulgaricius that had anti-cancer/tumor activities. The finding was supported by research at Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research.

By taking a supplement of live bacteria before meals, one can observe the following changes: improved complexion, digestion, bowel movement, general well-being. Now in Manila is OMX from Bio Bank Co. Japan, distributed by Ruche Corp. (tel. 7501713, 8447477).

Beauty treatment
Pierce a capsule of Vitamin E. Squeeze a few drops and apply around the eye area before sleeping to treat fine lines.
Affirmation for the day
“My life is as abundant as my expectation.”

While the list of things one can live with and without may be endless, there is one item that we cannot live without, love… The power that moves the sun, the moon and stars is the same one that runs through every fiber of your being. Allow it to move, inspire and heal you in all you do and, ultimately, all that you are and will become. So, love!
Love and light!

http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=13981

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Bitter medicine

MOMORDICA Charantia Lina, better known as ampalaya, is a vegetable, fruit and herb.
Indigenous to Asia, it has 90 different names (bitter melon, bitter gourd). But though its name varies, its amazing healing benefits are recognized.

Momordicus is Latin for bitter. Ampalaya’s bitter taste is caused by momordicin. It is believed to have originated in Africa.

This plant is one of many used centuries ago as medicine. Historically, it is considered a natural drug. The Chinese use it for human immunovirus infection and tumors. It is also used as aphrodisiac, laxative and emetic (a substance that causes vomiting).

Ampalaya has many nutrients: vitamin A, 335 mg; vitamin B7, 0.06 mg; B2, 0.03 mg; B3, 0.3 mg; C, 55 mg; calcium, 3.2 percent by weight; iron, 0.9 mg; phosphorus, 3.2 percent by weight.
The humble, unattractive fruit contains amino acids, alkaloids, polypeptides (p-insulin), cytokins and others.

William D. Torres, Ph.D., University of the Philippines, says, “While most studies in vitro (in lab glassware) and in vivo (in humans and animals) would not pinpoint or identify the compound or compounds derived from the leaves and fruits of M. Charantia L. that are responsible for hypoglycemic activity, various studies support [its] use as an adjunct therapy for diabetes.”

A tip [generously given by Lito Abelarde, president of Charantia] is to use it right after taking your dessert so it can slow down the increase in glucose caused by eating sweets!
People with a history of diabetes in the family and are extra careful about taking simple sugars and refined carbohydrates, as opposed to complex carbohydrates, should take ampalaya tea to avoid feeling guilty about giving in to sweet cravings.

In her book “Diabetes Care,” Gloria Y. Yeh, MD, MPH, Harvard Medical School, reviewed results of 108 studies involving 565 people with Type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance. She found that the seven most promising substances for diabetics were aloe vera, American ginseng, ampalaya, chromium, coccinia indica (ivy gourd) pymnena sylvestre, nopal (Mexican/Central American) cactus and vanadium.

(Reference: “Ampalaya: Nature’s Remedy for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes,” by Frank Murray)
The World Health Organization predicted a worldwide epidemic of diabetes among people aged 20 and older in 1995-2025. In the Philippines, it is among the top five diseases.
If you suspect you may have diabetes, see your physician immediately. If you do not have it, make this humble fruit a part of your daily life.

Juice up
1 ampalaya, medium-sized1 c buko juice/coco water1 carrot (1 sugar beet root)
Drink up for better health.

Bliss heaven
It isn’t vanity to want to be healthier. If you also become more attractive as a result of this, why not? There is a sanctuary tucked somewhere in Katipunan Road, White Plains, QC. It is more than just a spa. Called Amezcua, it offers a fusion of ancient and modern medicine and East-West relaxation therapies.

It guarantees a healthier body and peace of mind. Offering an intriguing menu of health packages like pain management, weight loss, women’s health and diabetes, detoxification and so on, this oasis lets the urban-weary resident relax and recharge.

But what is interesting is its medical spa services: live-blood analysis, iris analysis and body terrain assessment. With a combination of herbs, laser treatments and supplements, pain can be eased and managed.

Those who need to detoxify, there are the cleansing diet program, colonic hydrotherapy and massages, all supervised by medical director and doctor Edwin Bien, and general manager Renu Gidoomal (tel. 9131353).

Bliss
Treat yourself to a whole day of therapy. Have a healthy vegetarian breakfast then have yourself weighed. Undergo various painless tests to determine your state of health. Consult a nutritionist, join a yoga or belly-dancing class, undergo colonics, meditate, have a relaxing massage.

Indulge in organic foods all day for a change. That’s what you need to do now. You owe it to yourself.

Youthful hands and feet
You know what they say, you can tell a person’s age by her hands and feet. So, seek medically supervised sclerotherapy. Many who seek a more youthful look turn to dermatologists. In the case of unsightly (and potentially dangerous) varicose veins, you need a vascular surgeon to deal with the problem.

The Lauren Vein Center, the first in the Philippines (from the Australia-based Lauren International), located at Legazpi Village and St. Luke’s Medical Arts Building, offers a technique of sclerotherapy designed by Chinese Malaysian doctor Hoolin Saw.

At the local clinic, spider veins, varicose veins and even facial veins (which probably no other clinic will treat) are handled by doctors Serge Sumintac and Servando Semagen. Now, your vein problems can be fixed minus surgery. Call 8939771, 8942361, 7231023.

The before- and after-treatment results are amazing using the finest needles and a gentle but effective sclerosing solution. Good news is there is no downtime in your daily regimen or activities.

Tip
Whenever possible, keep your legs in a raised, upright position as often as you can. At the office or home, find a quiet corner to relax for 10 minutes, twice daily.

Life can be made better by knowing your options. Beginning today, make it a healthy one!
Love and light!

http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=12747