Archive for the 'Aging and Anti Aging' Category

No More DoubleTakes Naturally Taking Care of a DoubleChin Takes Years Off Your Appearance

We all hate that double-chin that creeps up on is in mid-life….but, is there anything (besides surgery) we can do about it?

Here’s what I’ve found:

1) Lose 10 or 15 pounds. “The single best way to get rid of a double chin is to Lose Weight,” says Robert Kotler, M.D., a facial cosmetic surgeon and clinical instructor in surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Lots of people come to my office wanting cosmetic surgery. But if they just take off some excess weight, the problem usually diminishes to the point where they don’t need any more help.”

2) Get cropped. Long hair draws eyes to your neck, which, if you have a double-chin is exactly what you want to avoid. Pageboy cuts which curl under the chin are the absolute worst. “The rule is to keep it short, at or above the jawline,” says Kathleen Walas, fashion and beauty director for New York Citybased Avon Products and author of Real Beauty . . . Real Women.

3) Shoulders Back! Yes, a good posture is yet another way to help you get rid of a double chin. Sitting up straight and keeping your jaw slightly jutted is going to help keep that double chin away. When you give your jaw muscles too much slack it ensures that loose skin and body fat begin to accumulate there. Try an ergonomic chair to help you stay on the ‘up and up’ posture-wise at work.

4) Moisturize. Although moisturizing won’t prevent a double-chin, many women forget the neck and decolatage areas when cleansing and moisturizing. Be sure to give as much TLC to your neck area as you to do your face.

5) Makeup. To play down a double chin, play up another feature. Walas suggests using blush high on your cheekbones. Or, pay extra attention to your eyes using bright, tasteful shades of eye shadow. Apply foundation, if you use it, a shade darker under your chin and blend it well with your facial foundation. “That will make the rest of your face bright and attractive and your double chin much less noticeable,” Walas says.

Exercising…

Facial exercises can help that double-chin challenge and should be done once a day. This is a regimen which can be continued for life, or you can scale back to three times a week after a month of doing these exercises daily.

Some folks report that minor spots or blemishes appear after starting facial exercises, and yes, this is normal. You are stimulating the skin, increasing circulation, which in turn increases production of the skin’s natural lubricants and oils. This results in increased releases of impurities. This temporary side-effect will disappear very quickly once the skin is functioning efficiently again.

Skin cells, like some of us couch potatoes, tend to get lazy and stagnate. But, with proper exercises both we and our skin cells are once again activated to work with renewed vigor.

Neck and throat facial exercises

* A great exercise is to sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling while keeping your lips closed and begin a chewing movement. You will feel the muscles working in your neck and throat area – and will be truly amazed at the results. Repeat 20 times.

* Sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and relaxed. Start puckering your lips together in a kiss and stretch the kiss, as if you were trying to kiss the ceiling. Keep your lips puckered for 10 counts, then relax, bring your head back to its normal position and repeat 5 times.

* Sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and relaxed. Open your lips and stick your tongue out as if you were trying to touch your chin with the tip of your tongue. Keep your tongue out in this position for 10 counts, and then return your tongue and head to its normal position.

* Sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and relaxed. Next move your lower lip over your top lip as far as possible and keep it there for a count of 5. Relax and repeat 5 times.

* Lie on your bed, with your head hanging down over the edge. Slowly bring your head up towards your torso and keep it there for 10 counts. Relax and lower your head towards the floor again – repeat 5 times.

* Sit upright and face forward and while keeping your lips together, separate your teeth by dropping your jaw and then push your jaw forward, keep for a count of 10, bring back to starting position and repeat 5 times.

* Chewing sugar-free gum is a great way to help maintain good hygiene and fight off a double chin. Keeping your jaw and facial muscles moving and working is the key to preventing the build up of excess fat and loose skin. The muscles in your face responsible for keeping your jaw line tight are the same muscles that you use to chew and make facial expressions-chewing gum and making facial expressions will help retain that jaw line.

Sources:

getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-a-double-chin.htm

mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/44/24.cfm

Family Caregivers Get Reimbursed for Providing Your Homecare Services!

Many of us will gladly take Mom to her doctor’s appointments, administer medications, and check in if the need arises without a second thought. But with millions of loyal children caring for aging parents out of their own pockets, a little financial relief is welcome. Few family caregivers are aware that you can get paid – however small the amount may be – to care for Mom and provide homecare services. Due to the long working hours, however, some adult children caregivers have been forced to leave their full-time jobs or even scale back their hours spent on the clock, leading to a significantly reduced cash flow. Fortunately, if being a caregiver is causing a noticeable financial strain, there are homecare reimbursement programs that can help alleviate some of the burden. Keep in mind, however, that you must practice patience when applying for these programs – make sure that your application is up-to-date and all the necessary attachments are included before you send it so that delays aren’t any longer than necessary.

Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI)

Long-term care insurance, which functions as an indemnity program, only pays the insured the amount that was contracted at the outset, and regardless of homecare services that are received, will only pay that specified amount.

LTCI, which covers nursing home, home health care, adult day care services, assisted living facilities, and hospice care, offers payments to in-home family caregivers, though the insurance must include in-home care and/or homecare services coverage. In certain instances, LTCI requires that family caregivers complete a basic training program on homecare services and/or caregiving for elderly patients. Though almost all LTCI contracts include skilled, intermediate, and custodial long-term homecare services, don’t rely on this type of insurance to be your only fall-back when it comes to paying for in-home health care. Though for clarification, you should contact your LTCI company directly for details on its family caregiver reimbursement policies as well as what is needed to qualify.

Medicaid Cash and Counseling Program

A state-administered program, Medicaid is only available to low-income individuals and families who meet certain federal and state law eligibility requirements. In other words, if you have limited income and resources, applying for Medicaid relief is advisable; however, you must be able to meet specific eligibility criteria. Persons over the age of 65 with limited income and resources immediately become eligible as well as those who are terminally ill or live in a nursing home.

Fortunately, if the person you’re caring for is either eligible for or is currently using Medicaid, you may be able to receive direct payments from its Cash and Counseling program, though it is available only to family caregivers in select states, such as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. In some cases, the person you’re caring for may have too high an income, excluding him or her from the Medicaid program; some states, such as Georgia, Maine, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Oregon, have accounted for this oversight and offer similar programs to family caregivers (1).

Medicaid, aware that family caregivers are often the best care providers for Mom or Dad, will send a check directly to the recipient to reimburse for homecare services rendered, though this amount depends upon various assessments of overall needs and the average cost of in-home health care for that particular state. This money can also be used by family caregivers to purchase supplies, medical equipment, or even to pay for ADLs (activities of daily living). To find out if your loved one is eligible or for more information on the Cash and Counseling program, please call the National Program Office at 617-552-2809.

Making the Arrangement with Mom Official

Since money is involved, it’s recommended that family caregivers draw up some sort of short, typewritten contract that outlines the terms of the caregiving situation in depth, including the pay rate and frequency, job description and homecare services that will be provided, and how various expenses will be reimbursed (if applicable). Hiring an attorney or other legal professional will help all family caregivers involved create a legal document that prevents sticky situations from arising.

It’s also important to remember that this payment is viewed as income by the government, so all family caregivers must report their earnings each year as taxable income. Though the money received for providing homecare services is negligible, it will help to offset many of the costs associated with providing Mom (or Dad) with a loving, stable, and comfortable home.

Sources

1. http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0406AgingCaregivers.pdf

How This Anti Aging Skin Cream Naturally Stimulates Collagen Growth

If you already show signs of wrinkles and aging, read this article. If you are not yet showing signs of wrinkles and aging, read this article. Anti aging skin care should be of primary interest to everyone young and old. Those fine lines and wrinkles are going to appear or get worse at some point, so you might as well start using a good antiaging skin cream as soon as possible. Did I mention this goes for men and women alike? Well, it does. So, let me tell you what I’ve learned.

There are plenty of things you want to avoid in order to keep your skin looking its best. Here are a few. Spending too much time in the sun can lead to dry skin and, eventually, it also leads to uneven pigmentation. If you smoke, you will develop more lines around the mouth and the eyes. Starting an anti aging skin care routine now could help lessen the severity.

Oxygen is great! Personally, I love it. However, through a process called oxidation, it will do a fair amount of damage to your skin cells, as well as throughout your body. If you’re like me, you’ve tried some anti aging creams that claim to repair the damage. If you’re like me, you may have also tried taking in antioxidants as a way of to stave off the damage and repair the cells. And if you’re like me, you probably didn’t experience much success. Luckily, one company has recently developed an antiaging skin cream that penetrates deep into the pores and is rich in the right kind of antioxidants.

I became very interested in this New Zealand based company for several reasons. First, they have better cosmetic regulation rules than the United States; which means you get what they say you are getting. Second, they discovered that by creating an emulsified form of Coenzyme Q 10, a type of antioxidant, they could break the particles down to microscopic size which allows for deeper penetration. Third, this compound has also proven to give significant protection against UV-A rays.

This is a very significant breakthrough in anti aging skin care. You are constantly being exposed to oxygen and damaging UV rays from the sun. You can cover most of your body to provide a small measure of protection from the elements, but your face is almost always exposed.

Here are some more reasons I am interested in this company. Many manufacturers of antiaging skin cream put collagen directly into their product. However, topical application of collagen is a useless practice. Absorbing collagen through the skin will do nothing for you. The only thing that works really well is collagen re-growth. This company has developed a compound which stimulates the natural production and re-growth of collagen and elastin.

I love when researchers are dedicated to finding answers in nature. Listen to this. The research and development team has discovered that a naturally occurring protein in your body is responsible for collagen growth. They have also learned that a form of that same protein can be derived from the wool of native New Zealand sheep. In that form, the protein can be easily absorbed through the pores of your skin and, thus, stimulate the natural production and growth of collagen.

Being that the sheep are native to New Zealand, the homelanders quickly patented the formula. That means you won’t find this antiaging skin cream on any cosmetics shelf anywhere in the world. I consider that a good thing and here’s why.

The products are purchased directly from the company. That’s a good thing because when you cut out the middle man, you cut out the mark up. It’s great that they also happen to be one of the leading health supplement companies in the world.

So there you have it. If you show signs of wrinkles and aging, or simply want to avoid the experience, start using a good anti aging skin care cream now. Help your skin to stimulate and produce collagen at a healthy beautiful level once again and finally begin to look younger.