Wellbeing
Wellbeing | It's All About You!
Wellness, and wellbeing in general, is something I've been curious about for a while. (It's all over Pinterest!) It seems to encompass the whole natural skincare movement. And while I've always been attracted to the holistic aspects of nursing - treating the whole person as opposed to just the "sick part" - it seems to me that there is a whole lot of marketing behind WELLNESS. And very little science.
Don't get me wrong.
I know science isn't always right. We're always learning. For example, scientists have been after a cure for Alzheimer's for years. No one knew / knows the cause, but if you follow the studies, it's looking more and more like Alzheimer's is caused by a virus. (Neurosurgeons have a much higher rate than the rest of us, so maybe they're exposed during surgery?) A vaccine is in animal testing right now and hopefully will make it to the human testing phase.
And sometimes what we're told is just plain wrong. Like when we were all told to follow a high carb, low fat diet. Now some people blame that exact advice for the huge spike in diabetes. I still feel angry about that one! It's also why I'm hesitant to publish any articles about diets or weight loss.
But I digress.
Natural and wellness / wellbeing seem to go hand in hand right now. The biggest problem I see with this is that the people in sales and marketing know that all things "natural" or "organic" sell. They know that if they can convince you their product is better or safer, you'll buy. But just like anything else, sometimes the product is good. Sometimes it isn't.
Some marketers use the lack of a standard definition to their advantage. They know many people assume the word "organic" means the same thing in cosmetics as it does in food. I know I did! But it's just not true. Learn more in our post, How to Tell if Your Organic Skincare Really Is Organic.
That's what I'm trying to do with this WELLBEING category - sort out what really works from all the marketing hype. It's hard because often there aren't studies to back products. If I can't find any proof, I'll tell you. But remember, a lack of proof isn't definitive. It may just mean that no one has spent the money to prove their product works YET. It could also mean that we don't know how or why a product works.
Here's an example. Many people think that peptides in skincare don't work; but there's good reason to believe that they do! Based on the scientific rules that we currently use (The 500 Dalton Rule for Skin Penetration), peptides shouldn't work because the molecules are too large to penetrate skin. Yet somehow peptides DO penetrate the top layer of skin. They send signals to our cells to tell them how to function - allowing neuropeptide skincare products like Erasa XEP 30 to make my wrinkles look so much better!
So without further ado, below you'll find some articles about wellness and wellbeing. I hope they help! Thanks for reading!
Amy Takken, RN & Founder, Masterpiece Skin Restoration
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) & Menopause | Why Treatment Is Changing
I’d been feeling crummy for a few years. I didn’t really know what was wrong, but I felt like my body had been hijacked. It wasn’t acting the way it usually did.
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Braces Affect Bone Structure, Health and Beauty | How I Found Orthotropics
Braces affect bone structure, health and beauty. I discovered this the hard way. My daughter was 7 when her dentist said that she was missing 3 adult permanent teeth. Two were on the bottom jaw, one on the left side and one on the right. One was missing on the top jaw on the right side.
As it turns out, she inherited her missing teeth from me. I didn’t have wisdom teeth – and in high school thought I’d hit the jackpot (especially when watching my classmates in horrible pain from having their wisdom teeth extracted).
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Tattoo Safety | 13 Ways to Stay Healthy When You Get a Tattoo
Tattoos can be really beautiful. But they should be safe – and they shouldn’t affect your health!
There are lots of things that I love about tattoos. I love it when they’re beautiful, like the one in the picture on the left. And I love that they’re being used to camouflage mastectomy and c-section scars. They can disguise areas of discoloration and stretch marks. And microblading makes people VERY happy.
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4 Ways Sugar Damages Skin + 9 Ways to Fix It!
Most of us feel guilty eating the occasional cupcake – they’re so YUMMY! Sometimes indulging is worth it! But in recent years scientists discovered that – in addition to packing on the pounds – sugar damages skin. So if you were looking for that little extra incentive to cut sugar out of your diet, read on!
Our skin gets damaged by sun exposure. You know that. But did you know that sugar damages skin? The high sugar (candy, soda) and high glycemic index foods (white bread, pasta) we eat age us.
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Do Dairy Products & Milk Cause Acne?
First, Let’s Talk About Acne. It’s
the most common skin disease of our western civilization. It affects over 85% of teenagers. And 54% of women over the age of 25 have acne.
For years we were told that diet does not affect acne. But more recently that theory has changed.
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8 Science-Based Health Benefits Of Meditation You Didn’t Know About
From the outside looking in, meditation doesn’t look like much.
However, meditation is so much more than just sitting quietly for a few minutes at a time. It’s about focusing your energies, breathing more mindfully, and clearing your thoughts.
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Antioxidants | What They Are + Why Your Skin Needs Them!
Our bodies have a natural reservoir of antioxidants that protect and repair skin. But as skin is damaged by things in our environment like sun and pollution, our antioxidant supply is quickly depleted. Without antioxidant protection, skin cells are damaged causing changes in the health and look of your skin.
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14 Low Cost (& No Cost!) Beauty Tips for Your Skin
These days, celebrities are busy showing off their makeup free selfies. They’re getting so much attention that I could see easily see this trend going mainstream. So how can you get glowing skin – and skip the foundation? And is there a way to do it without spending a fortune? These beauty tips should get you off to a great start!
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How Vitamins C and E Work Together to Fight Skin Damage
Ahhh . . . There’s not much better than a beautiful, sunny day. I used to be a sun worshiper, but that changed when I turned 20 and developed a spot on my arm. It was peeling a LOT and made me nervous. I went to my mom’s doctor who quickly removed it. I remember her saying the skin in that spot, “was changing.” It didn’t turn out to be skin cancer, but I think it would have in time.
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Disclaimer:
The Information provided on our website is not medical advice and should not be viewed as such. By law, only a medical doctor can diagnose or give medical advice. As a registered nurse, my goal is to educate, so I provide information on skin care, skin care products, and skin care treatments. If you have any condition that concerns you, please see a medical doctor. While most skin conditions are benign, some - like melanoma - can be deadly. If there is any doubt, please, please consult your physician. Thank you!