Frank Body Scrub - A Review

For the last two months or so, I've been using this unique body scrub called Frank. He's a pretty cool guy if I may say so myself. Not only because of his good looks but his inside as well. Frank is all natural, paraben-free and smells absolutely scrumptious. So forget about those nasty chemicals that you can't pronounce anyway. Pardon my French but this is the real shit that we're dealing with here.

The ingredient list is actually so simple that I can write it all in this post without boring you to death. Which is exactly what I intend to do. Frank contains: coffee, almond oil, water, salt, brown sugar, orange oil, vitamin E and natural fragrances. That's it. Are you impressed yet? As if that's not enough, this scrub leaves you with a scent as if a ginormous coffee bean with arms and legs were to give you a long, cuddly hug, and leave its dark, musky aroma for you to keep. Oh, it even brings out the hugely embarrassing poet residing deep within me.

How does it feel on your skin then? Well, amazing. There's no irritation at all plus the scrub leaves you soft as a baby's bottom even if you forget to apply body lotion afterwards. We have the almond and orange oils to thank for that I guess. I could also add that I have very sensitive, dry skin that won't stay silent if treated badly. I swell up like a balloon, get glowing red marks everywhere and physically hurt if I use the wrong products. Though I can't speak for everyone, I can certainly assure you that Frank has been very kind to my skin, unlike many of his counterparts.

I know what you're thinking now, "She is totally getting paid to write this!" Let me be 100% honest and say that I will not receive any compensation whatsoever for this post. Frank Body did send me a free sample of their scrub to try and review but that was it. Mark my words, I will never ever recommend anything that I don't believe in. Ever. I do turn down product proposals on a daily basis, just because I don't believe in what some companies have to offer. Anyways, I hope this post wasn't all too boring to read and that some of you might even find it helpful.

Have a great day!

Is Meat Unhealthy? Part VI

In this post, I'll examine the possible relationship between meat consumption and cancer risk.

Is cancer risk even modifiable?

Cancer is caused by the uncontrolled division of a population of rogue cells in the body.  These cells essentially evolve by natural selection to escape the body's multiple anti-cancer mechanisms.  

To a large extent, cancer appears to be a numbers game.  The human body contains about 37 trillion cells.  To get cancer, all you need is one cell that develops key mutations that allow it to shed its built-in restrictions on cell division.  The older you are, the more time you have to accumulate mutations, explaining why cancer risk rises sharply with age.

Unlike other common non-communicable diseases, we don't know to what extent cancer is caused by modifiable diet and lifestyle factors vs. bad luck that's completely outside our control.  Some cancers, such as lung cancer, are typically linked to lifestyle factors like cigarette smoking-- yet the majority of cancers aren't so easily understood.

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Health impact assessment of traffic noise in Madrid, Spain

Environmental Research Volume 137, February 2015, Pages 136–140

Highlights 

• The results obtained tend to question the WHO health protection threshold values. 

• This study highlights the importance of traffic noise to the health in large cities. 

• These results serve to highlight the need to implement noise-abatement measures.

Abstract

The relationship between environmental noise and health has been examined in depth. In view of the sheer number of persons exposed, attention should be focused on road traffic noise.

The city of Madrid (Spain) is a densely populated metropolitan area in which 80% of all environmental noise exposure is attributed to traffic.

The aim of this study was to quantify avoidable deaths resulting from reducing the impact of equivalent diurnal noise levels (LeqD) on daily cardiovascular and respiratory mortality among people aged ≥65 years in Madrid.

A health impact assessment of (average 24 h) LeqD and PM_2.5 levels was conducted by using previously reported risk estimates of mortality rates for the period 2003–2005: 

For cardiovascular causes: LeqD 1.048 (1.005, 1.092) and PM_2.5 1.041(1.020, 1.062) 

For respiratory causes: LeqD 1.060 (1.000, 1.123) and PM_2.5 1.030 (1.000, 1.062).

The association found between LeqD exposure and mortality for both causes suggests an important health effect. A reduction of 1 dB(A) in LeqD implies an avoidable annual mortality of 284 (31, 523) cardiovascular- and 184 (0, 190) respiratory-related deaths in the study population.

The magnitude of the health impact is similar to reducing average PM_2.5levels by 10 µg/m³. Regardless of air pollution, exposure to traffic noise should be considered an important environmental factor having a significant impact on health.

Paywall: For full article click here

Health Impact Assessment Practice and Potential for Integration within Environmental Impact and Strategic Environmental Assessments in Italy

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2014, 11

ABSTRACT Avoiding or minimizing potential environmental impact is the driving idea behind protecting a population’s health via Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs). However, both are often carried out without any systematic approach. This paper describes the findings of a review of HIA, EIA and SEA experiences carried out by the authors, who act as institutional competent subjects at he national and regional levels in Italy. The analysis of how health is tackled in EIA and SEA procedures could support the definition of a protocol for the integration of HIA with EIA and SEA. Although EIA and SEA approaches include the aim of protecting health, significant technical and methodological gaps are present when assessing health systematically, and their basic principles regarding assessment are unsatisfactory for promoting and addressing healthcare concepts stated by the WHO. HIA is still poorly integrated into the decision-making process, screening and monitoring phases are only occasionally implemented, and operational details are not well-defined. The collaborative approach of institutions involved in environment and health is a core element in a systematic advancement toward supporting effective decisions and effective protection of the environment and health. At the Italian national level, the definition of guidelines and tools for HIA, also in relation with EIA and SEA, is of great interest.  

OPEN ACCESS

For full article click here 

European Public Health Conference 2015

The 8th European Health Conference will be held in Milan, Italy, from the 14 to 17 October 2015.

Main theme of the conference is:

Health in Europe - from global to local practices, methods and practices.

For further information click here.

Follow on twitter: @EPHConference

FITNESS IS MORE THAN THE PHYSICAL

Fitness involves more than how much weight is lost or reps in a set that can be accomplished.  Being a fit person involves discipline for each day, creates awareness, and instills conscious living. Fitness is a lifestyle and goes way beyond the physical.   Having the desire to obtain a quality life and following through on that goal really defines being healthy and fit, and when the focus remains in that direction, we set ourselves up for feeling and looking our best for life. 

We put so much pressure on ourselves to squeeze into the tiniest jeans or boast the largest biceps, that we tend to forget how being fit is supposed to feel.  A fit and healthy body should be free or minimized of pain and many people do not realize just how good we are supposed to feel, and instead accept and accommodate pain on a daily basis.  A fit lifestyle includes physical exercise but not of the nature that will injure our bodies and create chronic setbacks, and eating healthy nutrient dense foods that provide our bodies with healing qualities.  Rest is also on the menu for a fit body and a very important part of the program.  Without proper rest and sleep, our bodies will not recover from the demands placed on it through workouts, stress, and the overall daily grind.  Balance of work and play is also a part of a healthy lifestyle and forgetting how to reach our inner child is sadly lost through the busyness of life.  Taking an active rest day enjoying the outdoors, or a shutdown day complete with pajamas and movies may be the trick to recharge the mental batteries. 

We all can enjoy our life and live a healthy lifestyle at the same time. This is the absolute truth and is accomplished by simply being consistent with our choices and follow-through.  Being fit does not take working out seven days a week for several hours a day and eating boiled fish and broccoli.  This is far from what living a healthy lifestyle looks like.  When our thoughts are on taking the best care of ourselves, the enjoyment of living this life flows naturally like breathing.  The desire to purchase fresh healthy foods and try new recipes is more of an exciting thing to look forward to and not a curl your lip up downer for a Friday night.   Also, when that is combined with finding an exercise program that is enjoyed and works for your body, nothing feels better and provides a positive mental outlook.  The balance of life through play and rest can’t be emphasized enough because life is about quality and feeling our best. 

When the focus is on health and improving the quality of our life, the “fit” part of that equation happens along the way.  Letting go of the stress of wanting to look a certain way tomorrow and concentrating on how good being healthy feels will eliminate the frustration and pressure that we too often place upon ourselves.  Living a healthy lifestyle encompasses everything that we do on the daily and the fact that we are physical beings does not mean that the emphasis on fitness is all about the physical.  Our awareness of the importance of being a healthy person, what we are consuming, how we move our bodies, how we think and act, and the balance we create for ourselves are all included within the definition of fitness.  What do you think about that and hopefully this has opened your eyes to a new attitude when it comes to being a fit person?

Me and My Hubby

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Happy Stay Healthy New Year!

Darla

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Food Reward Friday

This week's lucky "winner"... croissants!!

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