Loving Your Luscious Locks

Kate M. Serrano

 They say the hair is our crowning glory. Some conditions and medications does not only affect the body, they can cause serious damage on the hair too. How the hair looks says a lot about a person’s health. Here are some “hair issues” worth considering and some easy prevention steps.

Dandruff.  Doctors are not sure how we get it but a theory suggests that it may be due to an overgrowth of fungus, stress, weather conditions or obesity. Although the itching and flakes can be quite embarrassing, dandruff is not contagious. Anti-dandruff shampoos may be used to decrease the build-up of dandruff, and there is no right or wrong shampoo for this. You may need to try several dandruff shampoos to see which one works best. If it doesn’t help, it’s time to consult your doctor.

Sun Damage. Too much exposure to the sun can make hair brittle, break and split easily. Worst, it can make it dry as a mop. Hair care products are to be chosen carefully especially for those with thinning hair. It is important to choose a shampoo that provides sunscreen protection. And for days when you need to be out in the sun for long, it doesn’t hurt to wear a hat or bring along an umbrella.

Crash Diets. In extreme cases, crash diets can cause hair damage. Hair needs a good dose of protein and vitamins to stay healthy and often times low calorie diets do not provide the sufficient nutrients it needs. If vitamin deficiency is high, this could result to hair loss. To help keep hair healthy and shiny, your hair food list should consist of salmon, walnuts, spinach, carrots, oysters, whole grains, vegetables and cashew. And the double whammy – anything that is good for the hair is also good for the heart.

Overstyling. You may look like Barbie popping out of a magazine but too much blow drying, ironing, coloring, bleaching and even over-brushing weakens hair. This makes hair dry and dull. It may not cause permanent damage but over-styling may lead to a point where your only option is to cut off your locks and start over.

Hair care may often be neglected in our effort to look good at all times but the formula is very simple. When it comes to hair, doing less leads to a healthier tress.

A cancer killer

By : Daniela Silva

Grape seed extract is a marvelous natural ingredient in the fact that it attacks cancer cells and leaves the healthy cells unharmed.

A common type of berry, the grape was introduced into America over 300 years ago; with 8,000 varieties of this berry the primary types of grapes originate from America and Europe. With only 100 calories within a cup grapes offers a considerable amount of vitamins K and C and packed full of antioxidants

Grape seed extract originates from the seed of the grape and gives benefits to those with cardiovascular conditions such as poor circulation and high cholesterol, it has been found to be useful with diabetes related eye disease, loss of vision, and swelling associated with injury. In current events grape seed extract is being examined for its potency in the treatment of leukemia and Alzheimer disease.  

Past research on the seed extract has shown that the grape seed extract  is a solution for a wide variety of cancers including colorectal cancer. Foods rich in flavanols; such as grapes apples and varieties of berries are proven to greatly reduce the risks of colon cancer.

Advanced cancers and grape seed extract

The compounds within the grape seed extract react and particularly aims for various cancer cells; with an increase of colorectal cancer, the study is very timely for a ample amount of people.

By the time this cancer is found, people are in the late stages of cancer, but with further study it is shown that less grape seed extract is required to kill cancer as compared to early stages of cancer. It is strongly believed that this process is done by oxidative stress on the cancer cells.