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In the office, as I was surreptitiously surfing the net for online college reviews, I couldn’t help but notice my co-worker’s toe.  It seemed as if it had been run over by a speeding truck.  It was covered in a thick bandage and looked swollen as hell.  She told me she just had surgery on that toe, because of a nasty nail infection from a nail salon she recently went to. 

If in the past you have likewise fallen prey to supposedly experts who give careless manicures, here are some points to remember the next time you hit the nail salon:

Bring your own stuff.  It wouldn’t hurt to be scrupulously clean when having manicures.  Buy your own manicure or pedicure kit and bring it with you to wherever you get your nails done.    Don’t forget to disinfect your tools after each use, even if you’re the only one using it.  If you can, take off your old nail polish from your nails before going to the salon, or bring your own nail polish remover. 

Inspect the salon.  You don’t have to walk around with a magnifying glass in hand.  Discreetly check if their manicure tables and floors are clean, and if the trash bin is properly bagged and covered.  See if their disinfectant containers are clean.  

Be sure that the pedicure tub is cleaned after each use.  Check if the manicurists wash their hands before and after each client, and that each client washes his or her hands prior to the manicure. 

Take the extra time to make sure everything used is sanitary.  In the long run, it’ll spare you a big headache- and fungi-infested nails.

Try mixing some honey with a little lemon juice, and apply it to your lips. You can also change your toothpaste brand, as it may be a cause of your dark lips. When going out, be sure to apply lip balm to protect your lips.

To help lighten dark lips, mix half a teaspoon of pomegranate juice with half a teaspoon beetroot juice. Apply this regularly to your lips.

Make a smooth paste out of 2-3 almonds soaked in water overnight. Peel its skin off and grind it to a smooth paste. Add a bit of fresh cream and 2-3 drops of lemon juice.

Don’t lose hope. With these simple home remedies, you can bring back life to your lips.

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One of the most neglected body parts is our feet. But just because every other body part lords over it, doesn’t mean you have to neglect them. Remember, you wouldn’t be able to get from here to there without them. Yes, they’re more important than your new Blackberry playbook. So, it only makes perfect sense to take care of them. Here are a few natural ways to care for your feet:

After a tiring day, you can give your feet the pampering it needs by soaking them in a bowl of warm water with mineral salts. You may even add pebbles and roll your feet back and forth as you soak. That will give them a soothing massage. You can also add a few drops of lemon juice, rose petals or lavender oil to the water for a more relaxing effect.

To get rid of dead skin on your feet, rub them with a pumice stone. Wash feet well, then pat them dry and massage with a moisturizing lotion.

Just when you thought nothing can be more difficult than twisting your body into those challenging yoga poses, along comes an even more challenging predicament – deciding what to wear.  Saying that yoga has many health benefits is no longer a headline-maker, as we are all already well aware of that.  But if you don’t feel comfortable doing yoga because what you’re wearing starts pinching your body in all the wrong spots, then you won’t be able to fully reap the benefits of yoga.

When choosing yoga apparel, you can combine stylishness with comfort.  As you lug your yoga mat bags to class, you can still manage to effortlessly turn heads.

When it comes to tops, you can go with a sexy yet comfortable racer back tank top of a long sleeved tee.  For bottoms, you can wear Capri pants which have slits at the knees.  These slits help facilitate ease of movement and stretching as you do yoga.  Be sure that whatever you wear is neither too tight nor too loose.  The fabric should, of course, be breathable because you will be sweating it out.

What you wear will have a huge impact on how effective your yoga exercise will be.  Choose wisely, and be sure to try on your yoga outfit before buying it.

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On more than one occasion, I’m pretty sure you’ve experienced having a headache so bad that you want to bang your head on your rustic dining table just to help relieve some of the unbearable pain.  You may feel only one part of your head throbbing from the pain, and sometimes this is accompanied by nausea.  Those are the classic symptoms of a migraine.  

When migraines happen while you’re at work or at an important occasion, what you want is instant relief from the debilitating pain.  At the onset of pain, you can take over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen to help ease your discomfort.  If possible, go to a dark and quiet room after taking medication.  This will help you relax, as sometimes, bright lights are the cause of migraines.  Applying a cold compress to where it hurts also helps. 

Migraines aren’t the end of the world.   Do know that it too shall pass.  But if you notice that your symptoms include impaired movement on one side of your body, or partial numbness, you should seek help from a doctor.

For some expectant mothers though, they find themselves on pretty tough terrain during the first months of pregnancy.  Morning sickness becomes a battle for them to overcome.  There are ways to help minimize this nasty feeling:

Go bland.  Avoid spicy food.

Always bring snacks with you wherever you go.  Soda crackers may work for you.  For some, chocolates help.

Eat frequent, light meals throughout the day to help prevent nausea, as this helps even out your blood sugar levels.

Some women swear by ginger to help ease their morning sickness.  Try ginger cookies, tea, etc.

Eat foods rich in Vitamin B.  Think bananas, avocados, whole grains.

What may work for some may not work for you, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying.  Experiment with the available options, and you’re sure to find one that works for you.  Just remember that your morning sickness will pass, and in the end, what you’ll have is a beautiful baby sent from the heavens above.

Continuous research and endless innovations made it possible to address and overcome these issues.  Recent studies have shown that electric blankets aren’t only safe for the user and the environment but actually beneficial to one’s health.  They’re also economical and convenient enabling one to potentially save thousands of dollars from heating costs every year.  Modern electric blankets such as those sold by Deals Direct are the improved types that emit very little electromagnetic radiation and provide even and stable heat all around.

One of the primary concerns of people wanting to get a tattoo is the pain factor. There have been numerous stories of people screaming out the door out of intolerable pain, or helpless crying while getting inked.

Truth be told, it’s not really so bad. It might help to know that only 1/16 of the needle actually penetrates your skin. Sometimes, the initial fear does help, as the body’s release of endorphins at the onset of fear helps to numb you a bit. After the first 60 seconds, it should be smooth-sailing.

It’s probably the fear of the unknown that overcomes anybody wanting to get a tattoo. Read up on the steps on getting a tattoo, so you’ll know what to expect.

Your reasons for getting a tattoo in the first place should overpower whatever discomfort you might experience during the process of inking. If you set your mind on the result, you’ll be better able to withstand whatever pain you may experience.

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Once more, you struggle for answers as you are faced with the million-dollar question: why is it more difficult to lose weight with age? Seemingly, not even the best weight loss pill can help you with your “heavy” problem. So, why is weight loss such an insurmountable obstacle as you grow older?

A lot of factors come into play here. One is the fact that your metabolism- the body’s ability to burn fat- slows down as you get older. Moreover, as you age, you tend to slack off or engage in less physical and calorie-burning activities. That combined with a decline in good dietary habits accounts for weight loss difficulty in older people.

You can still manage to overcome those obstacles through exercise or any increase in physical activity. At any age, your body needs to burn more calories than you take in, so keep that in mind. Do some moderate exercise at regular intervals and your body will start to burn off those unwanted calories. It could be as simple as taking walks after dinner or swimming a few laps in the pool.

Age is just a number, anyway. Try to think young, and you’ll feel young. Just remember to keep those muscles moving.

Now that you have grown considerably, you should be smart enough to know that those “posture practices” do not end.  If anything, we should all the more take care of our posture as we age.  It doesn’t matter whether your career is among the various pharmacy technician jobs, or your job entails you to stand for hours on end.  You have to always think about your posture.

When sitting down, make sure to keep your shoulders straight and do not slouch or lean forward.  Your neck, back and heels should all be aligned with each other, and both your feet should be firmly planted on the floor.

When standing, be sure that your body weight is directed towards the balls of your feet and not on the heels or toes.  Try practicing by standing against a wall, having your shoulders, bottom and back of the head touching the wall at the same time.