Use this clever infographic to help determine how much protection you need.
Credit: Medscape.com
Dermatology Nursing. 2005;17(6):419-433.
Category: Uncategorized
May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month
PS, While I can’t diagnose skin cancer (out of my scope of practice), I do see a lot of skin. I am happy to take pictures or those hard to see places of “suspects” for you to send on to your primary care.
Click here to contact me for more information.
Self Care for Mom
Nothing says “slow down” better than a facial treatment!
Nancy and Monica here at Cypress both have amazing offerings for your relaxing spa day (and they offer gift certificates!).
If Mom is looking for a bit of help with a specific condition like headaches, TMJ pain and an overwrought nervous system, consider a “Fascia Facial” Wellness hour with Dr. Caroleigh (e-gift cards available).
If she can’t get to the spa, why not encourage Mom to retreat to the comfort of her own bathroom for some personal TLC? We offer many great Self Care items – face, hand, foot, eye and lip masks for you to create your own Spa To Go Bag – Let us know what you are looking for and we can help you create a staycation! Combine all that with her favorite slippers and robe, a few chocolates or other treats, and some music she loves – heaven!
Time focused on her will be treasured, trust us. 😉
Reduce Stress, for Health’s Sake
A little stress can be good for you, but when you’re constantly feeling under pressure — overwhelmed, anxious, totally frazzled — the effects can actually add up to something dangerous. If a clear, peaceful mind wasn’t incentive enough to de-stress, here are some of scary ways stress can wreak havoc on our bodies:
- Makes it harder for the body to recover from treatment
- Shrinks the brain
- Prematurely ages
- Affects gene expression negatively
- Spurs depression
- Increases risk of chronic disease
- Increases risk of stroke
- Increases risk of heart disease
- Makes colds worse
The reason why? It is hypothesized that stress reactions in the body also cause chronic inflammation. Some good news is that there are a lot of natural things you can do to reduce this chronic inflammation:
- De-stress: meditate, take yoga, go for a walk, call a good friend.
- Get some bodywork done: chiropractic, massage, and acupuncture all have calming effects on the nervous system and provide natural pain relief.
- Supplement: omega-3 fatty acids are essential to your physical, emotional and mental well-being. Antioxidants gobble up free radicals that “rust” our cells. Other supplements like bromelain, papain and curcuminoids modulate the body’s natural inflammatory cascade.
Need more information? Talk to your health care practitioner about natural anti-inflammatory de-stressors that would work for you!
May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month – Be AWARE
Click here for the Skin Cancer Organization
Click here for the Mayo Clinic and some pictures of examples
Click here for the American Cancer Society for more information and more pictures
BU – one of my favorite sunscreen brands
Solumbra – one of my favorite UV blocking clothing brands
The more you know, the more you can do to protect yourself.
Be well!
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month
With over 5 million cases diagnosed in the United States each year, skin cancer is America’s most common cancer. Fortunately, skin cancer is also one of the most preventable cancers. By sharing facts about the dangers of unprotected sun exposure and encouraging people to check their skin for warning signs, we can and will save lives.
Can Chiropractic Help with Osteoarthritis (aka Joint Degeneration)?
If you’ve had back pain or a stiff neck, whether from arthritis or an injury, you’ve likely considered seeing a chiropractor. While it’s true that chiropractors manipulate or adjust the spine to improve pain and mobility, the benefits may extend beyond the back and neck. By using varying degrees of force in an effort to adjust misaligned joints, chiropractors try to improve the relationship between the spine and nervous system, which they believe may affect the function of all the systems in the body.
But what should you expect from a chiropractor visit and is it safe for arthritis? If you’re looking for a non-medication way to take the edge off of those painful joints, chiropractic care may be for you, as long as you remember to listen to your body, and find a chiropractor that will listen to you and your wishes.
Most of what chiropractors do today is gentler than “cracking” backs or “popping” necks into place. In fact, there are many different techniques that chiropractors use to adjust the spine, joints and muscles with varying degrees of force.
If you have back, neck or other joint pain due to osteoarthritis, chiropractic is one of the safest therapies you can use, explains Scott Haldeman, MD, a neurologist in Santa Ana, California and Chairman Emeritus of the Research Council for the World Federation of Chiropractic.
During your first visit, the chiropractor should take a detailed medical history and perform a physical exam of every joint to determine what approaches are right for you. This will determine if chiropractic care is right for you and what the specific care may be most helpful.
In my office, I like to use a broad range of therapies, tools and exercises to help your body do the best with what you’ve got. Chiropractors focus on the relationships between structure and function; if the structure of a joint is not able to function optimally (like it arthritis), then it can’t work as it was designed, which can leave to pain, dysfunction and further degeneration. So, helping the joints move as well as they can with keep them as healthy as they can be.
One of the best ways to help with the pain and stiffness of degenerative osteoarthritis is to use deep heat and joint mobilization; the heat will help to increase the blood circulation to the region to increase the nutrient availability and the joint mobilization helps to “slosh” the viscous synovial fluid over the cartilage lining the joints (this is how the cartilage with its poor blood supply gets nutrients).
Heat and hand and foot rubs? Sounds pretty nice, right?
If this therapy speaks to you, consider a Cozy Up, or a Cozy Up 2 session. 30 -45 minutes of our Rejuvenation Room; resting on the far-infared heated jade stone therapy mat, wearing hand and foot masks of intensely moisturizing blend of macadamia nut and rosehip oils, shea and coconut butters while wearing heated and weighted mitts and booties. (the Cozy 2 includes 15 min of joint mobilization as well.) Deep heating may help improve circulation and soothe arthritis and muscle pain.
March 27 – National Scribble Day
You may think you’re not an artist because you don’t draw an object or a person exactly the way your eye sees it. Not true!
Author Diane Alber created this day in 2019 to show kids that even a scribble can be a work of art. (And you don’t have to be a kid to scribble, doodle, color, paint, etc. Just have fun and play!) I’ve dubbed my “style” of painting as splotches and doodles; it’s my easy way to be creative and have a little fun. At the end, I’m left with either a bunch of cards that I can send out to friends and family, to let them know I’m thinking of them, or cool rocks, that can be hidden into gardens or planters.
Inflammation and Antioxidants
Recently, I’ve been writing a lot about stress and inflammation. There’s a lot of inflammation in the world right now.. Chronic stress being a HUGE component of that!
Luckily, there are many things we can do to help ourselves lighten the inflammatory load.
Decreasing chronic stressors – poor diet choices, not enough physical activity, emotional hardships and feelings of being overwhelmed, smoking, etc… make long-term lasting changes. That change can take a longer time to become a habit however.
The most immediate way we can support our bodies is by increasing the antioxidants we eat.
Antioxidants are compounds produced in your body and found in foods. They help defend your cells from damage caused by potentially harmful molecules known as free radicals.
(When free radicals accumulate, they may cause a state known as oxidative stress. This may damage your DNA and other important structures in your cells.)
And, luckily, foods high in antioxidant are often delicious. Isn’t that amazing?
Here are 12 foods that are high in antioxidants, and are shown to increase your blood antioxidant levels to fight oxidative stress and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
DARK CHOCOLATE: Oh yeah! Chocolate can be good for you! (You probably already knew that, especially if you like chocolate.) Generally speaking, the higher the cocoa content, the more antioxidants the chocolate contains. And remember, moderation is key; a little treat goes a long way.
PECANS: a good source of healthy fats and minerals, plus contain a high amount of antioxidants.
BLUEBERRIES: are among the best sources of antioxidants in the diet. They are rich in anthocyanins (this gives them their dark blue color) and other antioxidants that may help reduce the risk of heart disease and delay the decline in brain function that happens with age.
STRAWBERRIES: Like other berries, strawberries are rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins and lycopenes, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease.
ARTICHOKES: Artichokes are vegetables with some of the highest levels of antioxidants, including chlorogenic acid. Their antioxidant content can vary based on how they are prepared (boiling may increased available antioxidants by about 8%, steaming by 15%. In contrast, frying my decrease available antioxidants significantly.
GOJI BERRIES: contain unique antioxidants known as Lycium barbarum polysaccharides. These have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, and may help combat skin aging.
RASPBERRIES: not a lot of human studies have been done directly on raspberries, but studies show that they are nutritious, delicious and packed with antioxidants. And like blueberries, they are rich in
anthocyanins so they likely have strong anti-inflammatory effects in the body.
KALE: one of the most nutritious greens on the planet, partly because it’s rich in antioxidants. Also, being a brassica, it’s full of sulfur-based molecules called sulforaphanes, which may help prevent cancer cells from conglomerating.
RED/PURPLE CABBAGE: is a delicious way to increase your antioxidant intake. Its red color
comes from its high content of anthocyanins, a group of antioxidants that have been linked to some impressive health benefits. (See above)
BEANS: fiber-rich, beans are an inexpensive way to increase your antioxidant intake. They also contain
the antioxidant kaempferol, which has been linked to anticancer benefits in animal and test-tube studies.
BEETS: are a great source of fiber, potassium, iron, folate and antioxidants. They contain a group of antioxidants called betalains that have been linked to impressive health benefits. (Not interested in eating beets, but interested in the benefits of beets? Standard Process has a number of excellent, whole food supplements, with organic beet roots and shoots as the first ingredient. Talk to you health care provider is supplementing is right for you.)
SPINACH: rich in nutrients, high in antioxidants and low in calories. It’s also one of the best sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, which defend the eyes from free radicals.
Adapted from Healthline, click here for article.
At the beginning to the end of the day, eat the rainbow! Your body will thank you.
Finding an “Aha” Moment
Mundane breaks or mind wandering can lead to creative solutions.
You may be on to something…
Dr Caroleigh Elliott, Chiropractic and Wellness 