Astaxanthin can be included in a diet or consumed as a supplement to enjoy its several skin benefits. All these benefits produce a cumulative effect to impart a glowing look to the skin that is free from the ill-effects of aging. Given below is the list of various astaxanthin skin benefits.
•It improves the quality of the skin.
•Reduces skin dryness.
•Prevents sunburn by minimizing the damaging effects of UV rays.
•Decreases the skin’s susceptibility to the scorching sun thereby, making long stays in the sun a lot more tolerable.
•Helps in reversing signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots etc.
•Brings significant improvement in skin problems like pimples and acne.
•Gives the skin a smooth feel by increasing skin elasticity and tone.
How Does Astaxanthin Work?

Moving out in the sun is something that cannot be avoided. Sunlight is one of the prime factors that affects the skin and progresses it towards damage. Besides sunlight, other environmental factors like pollution and ozone also contribute towards deteriorating the quality of the skin. UVA and UVB rays emitted by the sun are strong enough to penetrate the deep layers of the skin triggering the formation of ROS or Reactive Oxygen Species that are known to have a negative impact on the skin. When ROS is produced in excessive quantities, the extent of damage is further increased leading to the appearance of aging signs like dark spots, dark circles under the eye, dry skin, fine lines etc.

Astaxanthin present in the body is known as internal sunscreen as it acts against these negative effects. Nowadays, many skin care products containing astaxanthin are available which can be used to maintain a healthy, younger-looking skin. When such products are applied topically, astaxanthin begins its mechanism of action. ROS produced in the topmost layer of the skin reduces its capability to act as a natural barrier leading to loss of moisture from the skin. As a result, the skin becomes dull and dry. Astaxanthin scavenges these unwanted elements from the skin and revives its smoothness. Continue Reading »

A hangover is the sum of a set of biochemical effects that are triggered inside the body when alcohol is consumed. All these effects take place in different physiological areas of the body and, hence, a hangover is not just restricted to the head. That headache is a manifestation of collective biological reactions to alcohol. Let’s take an area-by-area tour of the geography of a typical hangover.

Vasopressin Inhibition → Diuretic Effect → Dehydration
An anti-diuretic hormone, vasopressin is responsible for sending chemical signals to the kidneys to not send all the water to the bladders for expulsion and retain some of it for the body to reabsorb. This process is extremely important for saving the body from dehydration. Vasopressin plays an important role in regulating the levels of water, glucose and salts in the bloodstream. Now, when alcohol hits the bloodstream, its molecules are carried all over the body including the pituitary gland (where the preprohormone or precursor of vasopressin is produced) and the hypothalamus (where this preprohormone is synthesized). Alcohol inhibits the production of the precursor of vasopressin in the pituitary gland and this leads to a diuretic effect as the kidneys no longer receive chemical signals for water reabsorption. All the water from liquid materials that enter the body get carried over to the bladders wherefrom they are evacuated. This lowers the level of water in the body, making way for dehydration. Remember the number of trips you took to the restroom the last time you emptied two bottles of beer? Well, the reason was nothing but the suppression of vasopressin which caused more water to fill your bladder than usual. The resultant dehydration is what causes those nagging headaches, signaling that your body needs to replenish the excessive loss of fluids. This is the reason why it is recommended that you drink lots of water before and in-between drinks.

Alcohol Toxins → Inability to Metabolize → Nausea and Vomiting
During the fermentation process of wines and liquors, certain chemical compounds, known as congeners, are produced which are believed to impart distinct aromas to distilled liquors and signature tastes to non-distilled alcoholic beverages. Common alcoholic congeners are aldehydes, acetaldehyde, acetone, fusel alcohols, ester alcohols, etc. Certain toxic congeners, such as acetaldehyde, are produced in the body itself when the liver metabolizes alcohol with the help of an enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase. Continue Reading »

Now that I have told you skipping meals is bad, you need to know why it’s bad. I think you’ll agree to most of the points mentioned below.

Low Blood Sugar
One of the two serious reasons for you to not skip a meal, or even eat too little at a time is hypoglycemia. It means your body has a low blood sugar level. Symptoms include headaches and weakness, along with a horde of other problems. Every time you skip a meal, you give your body less sugar, thereby starving your body of energy.

Cause of Diabetes
This is the other most important reason to stop skipping meals. People who regularly skip meals have been proven to risk inviting a roller coaster metabolic pattern. This will eventually lead to spikes in your glucose levels coupled with a slow or delayed insulin release. This results in diabetes.

Unbalanced Calorie Intake
Your daily calorie intake is not what it should be. If you’ve been skipping a meal in the day, you’re giving your body the wrong kind of signals. Eating food is one of the three things important to survive, and giving that up ‘once in a while’ makes your body think there’s not enough food to go. Which means your body will store more than the normal amount of fat every time you do eat. Instead, give your body a regular calorie intake. This keeps your total metabolism in optimum conditions, you don’t feel sick all the time because you didn’t eat and you still stay on the road to health. You can instead, switch to low calorie meals. This will help you to not go hungry and still lower your calorie intake.

Hunger Attacks
I don’t even need to explain this one. You don’t eat now, chances are, the next meal you eat, is super-sized. If you skip meals, you probably feel hungry every time you even look at food. That, makes you all the more hungry the next time you sit on the dinner table. Another belief some people possess is that if they didn’t eat before, they can eat a little extra now, as a little reward. Read the sentence again and tell me if it’s logical. The worst part is, this eventually develops to be quite a nasty habit. Your body then gets used to the irregularities in the diet, but, not in the right way. You learn to ignore the hunger pangs when you skip a meal, only to gorge mindlessly the next time.

It has been found that children in this generation are far different from those in the previous generations. These are children who lack curiosity, because everything is served to them on a platter. These are children who don’t have the freedom to think creatively, because of the bindings that have been placed on them to excel in everything they do. All this has resulted in poor communication, social, and critical thinking skills.

It is common knowledge that unless you experience something yourself, no matter how much you are told what is important, the effect isn’t as strong. This does not mean children should be allowed to venture into dangerous avenues just for the sake of learning. However, giving children some time on their own to allow them to do exactly what they want, under adult supervision, is a great idea. In this free time, children develop their own thought process; they meet other children and are encouraged to think differently, to accept and disagree with a variety of viewpoints, to implement all the behavioral patterns and manners you have imbibed in them, and to learn how to deal with and resolve conflict in a group. Free play is also known to encourage the development of leadership qualities that are so necessary today. Free play allows children to learn about themselves in relation to their surrounding environment. So, some of the biggest benefits of free play are as follows.
■Free play does not place any pressure on children to ‘perform’. It is free in the true sense of the word, in that children can think and act by their own choice.
■In fact, children who are under a lot of pressure due to the several things that are being forced upon them may find free play therapeutic.
■It allows children to venture into a world of fantasy and helps them resolve their own issues by fantasy play.
■Free play encourages learning by playing so that children learn how to communicate, socialize, and behave in a healthy manner.
■By having first hand experiences, children learn from their own mistakes so that they are not repeated again.
■Free play helps foster healthy relationships and allows children to choose their friendships.
■Free play allows children to take control, something that is missing from their regular lives. Such control also helps build their confidence and their self-esteem.
■Engaging in free and creative play allows children to apply the concepts they have learned to different situations. They are able to relate to a variety of situations and become capable of dealing with them appropriately.
■Finally, free play also allows parents to learn lesser known details about their child’s personality and strengthens the bond between them. This results in the development of a healthy parent-child relationship that allows the child to openly communicate with her/his parent.

Physical Fitness
Regular exercise boosts energy levels and strengthens health and physical tolerance. It stimulates feel good hormones and eventually makes the person feel happy. It also helps control eating habits, that add to the body’s physical status.

Boosts Self Esteem
Life without exercise can drastically bring down one’s self esteem in stressful situations. Exercise makes one feel good about their body and hence help in improving confidence levels. As exercising helps in toning the body, it will also increase the flow of energy throughout your body all day and keep you active. This constant flow of energy leads to positive thinking and even enhances your performance at work.

Break from Work
People are often engrossed in their work throughout the day. Some take work home while some just stay mentally occupied with their work. This ultimately begins to take a toll on the mental health of an individual. It is important to detach oneself from daily errands and work life. Exercising is one such activity that will distract the mind from work. Such a distraction is good as it helps free your mind from stress and tension and completely refreshes it, such that you are ready for a new day at work.

Better Communication
Exercising reduces boredom and helps in increasing social interaction. With the release of endorphins and the feel good mood, one is capable of communicating better and interested in meeting different people, adding to one’s social life.

Improves Sleep
Exercising at the right time helps in improving the quality and quantity of sleep. A good sound sleep keeps the mind calm and even keeps you fresh for the next day. It even improves the sleep-wake cycle and the digestive system. Physical activity tends to prevent and even cures certain sleep disorders.

Improved Appetite
Sufficient exercising also brings one’s appetite under control and gradually improves the immune and the digestive system. Controlled food consumption helps in keeping an individual’s weight under control and brings a gradual increase in energy levels.

We have already spoken about the stress that one undergoes when dealing with a conversion disorder. I once knew someone who was a trained dancer, but every time she had to perform at a show, she would develop a severe pain in the leg a day or two before. This was probably because of her fear of performing in front of large crowds. As strange as it was then, it was understood much later that this was a conversion disorder. So while the physical symptoms can be related to the reason of stress, some other common symptoms of this condition (after exposure to a trigger) include the inability to speak, numbness and the inability to feel pain, paralysis (in some cases), and in very serious cases, seizures. To protect oneself from these symptoms again and again, here are some methods that should be followed.

Identifying Triggers and Avoiding Them
When that girl sought to be a professional dancer but feared the reaction of the crowd, not much could be done to avoid the trigger of pain. This was something she would have to deal with regularly, and to get over it, she would have to avoid performing amid an audience for a while as she sought professional help. On the other hand, if there are simpler things that can be avoided, they should be avoided. For instance, if someone starts to feel uncomfortable in large crowds, such areas should be avoided, at least for a while before the treatment can begin. Once other treatment methods are adopted, the person can be exposed to the trigger slowly and steadily.

Professional Help
Getting professional help is the next step to coping with a conversion disorder. Counseling and psychotherapy sessions are extremely helpful in identifying the root cause of the problem and then providing help dealing with these stressors. These sessions are particularly helpful in preventing a relapse into the condition. Psychotherapy helps explain to a patient that the problem isn’t as big as it seems, in terms of the trigger as well as the effect that it produces.

Avoiding Unnecessary Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are not only triggered by our deepest fears. Not being able to reach a particular place on time, the inability to cope up with relationships, and other such problems are also stressful. If an effort is made to avoid at least these stressors, the trouble with conversion disorder can be reduced to a certain extent. Any situation that will worsen an existing condition can wreak havoc on the mind and body.

A lot has been discussed about consumption of white, refined sugar and its health effects. It is not the actual glucose content in sugar that poses health risks. After all, we all know about the role of glucose in providing energy to the body cells. So, what is concerning about table sugar is the processing steps that deplete most of the beneficial nutrients from cane sugar, leaving behind simple carbohydrates only. Hence, any natural sweetening agent that can serve as an alternative of table sugar is always welcome in healthy eating. And a good choice is blackstrap molasses.

Calories in Blackstrap Molasses
A sweetening agent by nature, presence of high calories in blackstrap molasses is quite obvious. Serving one tablespoon of this sweetener yields approximately 47 calories, which comes from carbohydrates (12.2 g) alone. In case the serving size of blackstrap molasses is reduced to two teaspoons, it is sufficient to provide 4 g carbohydrates, which accounts for 32 calories. But the best part with this high calorie sweetener is that all the calories are contributed by carbohydrates and not fats. Also, having a low glycemic index, it doesn’t cause drastic increase in blood sugar level.

Nutrients in Blackstrap Molasses
According to data on blackstrap molasses nutritional facts, it is loaded with minerals and some vitamins. It provides an impressive amount of vitamin B6 (or pyridoxine). The good point with this sweetening agent is, presence of relatively low amounts of sodium. In one tablespoon serving of blackstrap molasses, the sodium amount yielded accounts for 11 mg. Also, this bittersweet liquid contains no cholesterol and saturated fats, which are prime triggers for cardiovascular ailments. Thus, the unsulphured blackstrap molasses is used for preventing various health problems.

Molasses contains a high percentage of essential minerals, making it an excellent alternative to white sugar. It serves as a good source of iron in the diet plan, especially for vegetarians and those who are at a high risk of becoming anemic. In fact, the amount of iron provided is more than red meat, and that too by ingesting lower calories. Including 2 teaspoons of this sweetener is enough to give 13.3 percent of the daily iron requirement. List of minerals isolated from blackstrap molasses along with the amounts yielded after serving 2 teaspoons is given below.

Using pre-baked crust saves time. Here is a simple recipe to make a grilled chicken pizza.

Ingredients
1 Large pizza crust
2 Cups grilled chicken (shredded or cut into small pieces)
1 Cup broccoli (sliced)
1 Tsp olive oil
1 Cup Mozzarella cheese
½ Cup Swiss cheese
Salt and pepper as per taste

Preparation
Start preparing by pre-heating the oven at 400 degrees F. Smear oil on the crust of the pizza and lavishly sprinkle the grilled chicken over it. Now arrange the broccoli above the grilled chicken. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the broccoli and bake it for 8-10 minutes. When the cheese starts to melt, remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle ½ cup of Swiss cheese. Bake the pizza for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese turns brown. Serve hot with chili flakes or oregano powder.

Note – There are many different ways to grill chicken. You could choose the one that best suits your taste.

Gourmet Pizza – Ham and Feta Cheese

Ingredients Continue Reading »

Anyone who has been around newborns knows that they sleep for a major portion of the day. That is a given. Why does that happen though?

Think about this, when a woman is going through labor and working so hard to bring the baby into this world, the baby is also working just as hard. For 9 months, it has lived in the womb without having to worry about anything and then suddenly one day it is forced to come out of its haven. The entire journey of pushing itself out of the body exhausts the baby. Add to that the fact that when it comes into the world it is suddenly assaulted by a thousand different stimuli like light and noise which are completely different from the safety and the darkness of the womb. Also, it has to now learn to feed itself which was never expected of him before. All these factors will induce a lot of sleep in the newborn and so they’ll spend a long time sleeping.

More importantly, it has also been proven that the baby’s brain develops most while they sleep and that is why a newborn will spend a majority of his time sleeping.

The Normal Sleeping Hours

So every newborn needs to sleep, but is it possible that a newborn can sleep too much? Hardly. The deal is that just as adults need 5-8 hours of undisturbed sleep at night to repair the bodily wear and tear, the newborn will require at least 16-19 hours of sleep for its development. It’s just that every infant’s sleeping pattern will differ. These 16-19 hours of required sleep will be completed according to the baby’s internal body clock. What does that mean? That the way every baby gets its required sleep will never be similar to the other babies. Some might sleep for a stretch of 3-4 hours then wake up for a feeding, while others might sleep through the night (though it is very rare). This is done irrespective of whether it is day or night. That is why in the initial months after a baby is born, it follows an erratic sleeping schedule. Erratic according to adults because they don’t follow that timing, but it is definitely not erratic for babies.

Newborns Sleeping Too Much – Need to Worry? Continue Reading »

Let Your Neighbors Know

It was relatively simple, all I had to do was let all my neighbors know that my vacations had begun and that I was looking out for a job as a baby sitter. I asked them to let me know if they ever needed my assistance for baby sitting their kids and they agreed. For those who didn’t have young children, they willingly offered to spread the message across to other community members who did have small children. The second way I let more people know was by enlisting my services, at the YWCA records.

Other Ways to Advertise

Well, advertising should be the answer to your question. It seemed like a good idea back then, fortunately it worked out favorably for me. Here are some things you can do: •All you need to do is make a single flyer and then get copies of it.
•You can choose as to who all you wish to distribute these flyers to, as they will contain information details about you. These details include your full name and phone number, so you should be careful who all get to access to your number. In order to make an attractive flyer, you might have to check for some babysitter flyer templates online.
•The most important fact that I remember while applying for babysitting jobs in my area, was to give complete details of my job requirements, which I suggest you should do as well. This is important because, it helps marginalize your task and the way in which you should be dealing with the kids of a particular age group.
•Let your flyer show clearly, the age bracket of the kids you are willing to baby sit.
•Never opt for baby sitting children who are a few years younger to you, because ego’s are bound to clash, which will end up getting the better of your patience.
•Always ensure that you leave a good impression on the children as well as the parents, so that they appreciate your work. This way the chances of them calling you again increase substantially.
•I also had to do some research so as to find out about the availability of babysitting jobs. The way I did that was, by reading the pin up posts, in libraries and coffee shops, that were left by people. I also left my flyers in the local library and play grounds so that parents could have a look at them.
• One of the best ways I found, was to take up a babysitter course that was being taught by Red Cross. You can try doing the same, as it really boosts up your reputation as a baby sitter among parents. They feel that you can be trusted and relied upon. It also shows that you are well trained and serious about your job. Continue Reading »