Feeling Short Of Breath Often? You Should Try These 5 Effective Home Remedies

If you tell your doctor about how easily you might be getting winded – he will probably link your being short of breath to a heart or lung issue, and he’d be right. Being short of breath^[1] can be linked to something as simple and commonplace as lung congestion or being overweight, and something as serious as heart disease and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

It’s a big world of medical procedures and scientific names – and to get to the bottom of your shortness of breath, you’d have to consult a doctor.

However, you can try a few tested and trusted home remedies for this to nudge your sinus cavities open and perhaps even clear the congestion in your respiratory system. Here are a few home remedies and breathing techniques you can try to alleviate the worst of the symptoms.

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise

Diaphragmatic breathing or abdominal breathing is a technique in which you try and hold the chest steady – letting air in and then expelling it from the abdomen – so as to strengthen the diaphragm for better breathing.^[2]

To perform this breathing exercise:

via Cleveland Clinic

1. Lie on your back on a flat surface like a bed with your head supported, and knees bent. Place one hand flat on your chest and the other below your ribs on your abdomen – this will help you feel you diaphragm’s movements.

via Cleveland Clinic

2. Breathe in slowly through your nose – making a conscious effort to keep your chest still and letting your abdomen move.

via Cleveland Clinic

3. Breathe out normally (or use the pursed lip technique as described below) letting your chest move as little as possible.

2. Pursed Lips Technique

The pursed lips technique^[3] is another breathing exercise that helps alleviate shortness of breath by improving ventilation and releasing any air bubbles trapped in the lungs. To do this exercise, sit comfortable erect in a chair and relax your neck and shoulder muscles. Breathe in slowly through the nose for two counts, keeping the mouth closed – inhale, one, two. Now purse your lips as if for whistling, and breathe out slowly through the mouth while counting to four – exhale, one, two, three, four.

via healthline

3. Steam Inhalation

Steam inhalation works best if you are short of breath because of cold, nasal congestion or even chronic lung congestion. Inhaling steam^[4] helps thin down the mucus and helps you eliminate it by coughing it up, or blowing your nose. There are plenty steamers available at your local pharmacy that get the job done – they are safe to use since the hot water remains covered.

If you don’t have a steamer then simply heat water to a boil and put it in a deep bowl, add in some peppermint or eucalyptus oil. Lean in towards the bowl, being careful not to burn your skin from the water or the steam and put a towel on your head to stop the steam for dissipating. Breathe in deeply for a couple of minutes. Repeat once or twice a day.

4. Have Some Black Coffee

Coffee is both a mental stimulant as well as a muscle stimulant. Which is why after a cup of strong, black coffee – you feel both refreshed and energized. Caffeine helps reduce any respiratory muscle fatigue and clears the airway marginally too.^[5] However, too much of coffee will increase your heart rate and have the opposite effect – stick to one espresso or coffee to alleviate any shortness of breath.

5. Go The Ayurveda Way With Fennel

According to Ayurveda, fennel is an expectorant, as in it helps you to cough up that mucus from your respiratory system faster, thereby clearing your airways and lungs and letting you breathe to your fullest extent. Fennel^[6] also has iron and so consuming fennel will help anybody with anemia get to a healthier iron blood level – and help them avoid being short of breath.

You can dry roast fennel seeds in a pan and then chew it down a spoonful when cool – it leaves a pleasantly sweet aftertaste. Else, add in a spoonful to a cup of hot water and let it steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink up, once a day – sweetening it with honey if needed.

Remember to consult a doctor before you try anything in case you are already on medication – and avoid anything you are already allergic to; for an allergy can actually worsen your condition and make you even more short of breath than you were to begin with.

Reference

[1]	^	http://ift.tt/1of5gw4
[2]	^	http://ift.tt/Zlwqtg
[3]	^	http://ift.tt/2gMMtbM
[4]	^	http://ift.tt/RjTbpt
[5]	^	http://ift.tt/2fGv8pb
[6]	^	http://ift.tt/2gMSHIX

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How Drinking Chicken Soup Can Protect You From Cold And Flu

Chicken Soup For The Soul may be a good read, but drinking this bowl of steaming hot goodness is a far better way to fight off colds and coughs. What we may brush off as an old wives tale, has found scientific backing from the experts – chicken soup is a good aid that helps fight off cold, coughs and flu. While it’s not a substitute for medicine, it is certainly one home remedy that’s very effective.

So how exactly does this steaming goodness work its magic on cold and flu? Let’s count the ways.

1. Give You An Antioxidant Dose

Chicken soup can fight off infections for it contains a natural amino acid called cysteine. A form of this amino acid, called N-acetyl cysteine, is a powerful antioxidant and as we all know, antioxidants strengthen immunity.^[1] So chicken soup, in effect, is a natural preventative as well as a treatment against the flu.

2. Clear Away The Mucus

In 1978, Marvin Sackner conducted a study which proved that chicken soup was more effective in clearing away mucus,^[2] rather than hot or cold water. The study was further followed up by research by Irwin Ziment in 1980; who went on to prove that this happened because chicken soup thinned down the mucus and then reiterated in 2000 by Stephen Rennard who argued that chicken soup reduced mucus in the lung and so aided the white blood cells in fighting off an infection.

3. Soothes The Respiratory Tract

It’s not just enough to have chicken soup though. If the soup is made spicy enough to bring tears to your eyes and give you a runny nose, it will help the body in clearing out the mucus by coughing it up. Most medicines that target congestion, dry it out, but more often than not, the congestion returns once the medicines are over.

If you clear the congestion from your lungs by slurping up some spicy soup – then you do your lungs a huge favor^[3] and they return it by not going into bronchospasms (cough) any more. The steam inhalation is another great help.

4. Reduce Body Inflammation And Pain

When you make chicken soup, the calcium and chondroitin of the bones leaches into the soup, which basically raises the calcium content of the soup in itself. Calcium and chondroitin have shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body^[4]– thus reducing the general body ache associated with flu.

5. Gives You A Protein Boost

Chicken is a great source of protein^[5] and since after making the soup, you debone the chicken and return the meat – the protein content remains untouched and in place. Having an easily digestible high-protein meal gets you the long-term energy needed to heal yourself, inside out. A bout of flu often leaves us feeling low on energy – a bowlful of chicken soup can go a long way in combating that.

The Perfect Bowlful Of Goodness

Different cultures have different versions of this flu-fighting wonder. But for those without a recipe, or a clue, it’s pretty easy to make a hearty chicken soup even if you are culinarily challenged. In a deep-bottomed pan, heat a splash of olive oil and add in a chopped onion and 3 crushed garlic cloves. Once the onions have turned translucent, you may choose to add a chopped carrot and a sliced celery stalk. Once the veggies have softened; add a whole, jointed chicken and enough water to completely submerge the chicken in.

Add in your favorite spices or herbs – thyme, lemongrass, rosemary, basil, cloves or bay leaves are a few good choices. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup boil over once and then simmer it for another 25 minutes. Strain the liquid out into another pot and then add the deboned flesh back into the soup. After another 10 minutes of simmering, check for salt and then garnish with a slice of lime and a sprig of rosemary.

Sip your way back to better health!

Featured photo credit: Pinterest via in.pinterest.com

Reference

[1]	^	http://ift.tt/2fGwNuT
[2]	^	http://ift.tt/2fGtqE9
[3]	^	http://ift.tt/2fGtrb7
[4]	^	http://ift.tt/1bJuyLW
[5]	^	http://ift.tt/265WZ5Q

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8 Tips for Creating New Habits

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

You are in a slump and decide you need to make some changes in your life. You decide that the time has come to really solidify your life goals and create some new habits in order to reach them. You realize that you are master of your own destiny and only you can change your life by changing your habits. Knowing you need new habits and creating them, however, is not always easy. The good news is that once established, your new habits will become automatic and you won’t have to think about them anymore. Your new habits will become your regular habits and will become part of your daily life. The following tips will get you started on your habit changing journey.

1. Start with one or two.

Focus on just one or two of your most important goals to work on in the beginning. In starting with just a few goals at first, you are less likely to become overwhelmed, disillusioned and possibly give up altogether.

2. Create smaller, manageable goals.

Rather than setting large, seemingly insurmountable goals, start with bite-sized, more manageable ones. If you want to lose 25 pounds, start with a goal of just 5. Build on the success of your smaller achievements.

3. Be accountable.

Buy a journal to list out your goals and write out measurable steps you need to take to achieve them. Keeping a journal holds you accountable over time. Keeping a journal also provides a clear written record of your progress and success, keeping you inspired as you go. You may see a pattern for obstacles you encounter and find ways to deal with them to ensure you don’t give up.

4. Plan ahead.

If working out consistently is one of your goals, join a gym close to your house or on your route home from work. Keep your packed gym bag in the car. If you tend to snack at the vending machine during the day, bring fruits and veggies to work so you have healthier options to turn to when you feel hunger pains. The more pre-planning you do and fewer excuses you have, the more likely it is you will follow through with your plan.

5. Replace old with new.

In order to circumvent the automation of your regular habit, consider replacing that habit with something entirely new. Instead of meeting for happy hour with the girls after work, talk them into taking an art or cooking class together. You will break up your regular routine, learn something new and create interesting memorable bonding experiences.

6. Reward your success.

Acknowledge your successes with something that is valuable and enjoyable to you. Put this reward on the calendar. If your goal is to run 3 days a week, schedule a reward, like a massage, for the end of the month when you have achieved your goal.

7. Get support from a buddy.

There truly is strength in numbers. If you have to be accountable to another person, you are much more likely to stick with your goal setting plan. Working on goals with a buddy also makes the experience more fun and enjoyable.

8. Give yourself some slack.

Habits are hard to change. If you slip up, forgive yourself and continue moving forward. Get up the next day and try again. Not giving up is truly the key to your overall success. Trust in yourself and don’t give up. If it’s meaningful to you, it’s worth your continued effort. Creating new habits will move you closer to achieving your life goals and is always worth the effort.

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How To Pick The Most Cost-Effective Charities For Your Donations On Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is on November 29th and is the biggest day for donations in the year.

But, how exactly do you give wisely on Giving Tuesday?

There are millions of charities out there. Some charities are local and give back to their immediate communities, addressing local issues like homelessness and poverty in cities around you. Others give back on a global scale and do good by addressing suffering and increasing abundance around the world through charities that address world hunger, disaster relief, epidemics and pandemics, etc.

So what does that mean for your donations? Well, every time you donate, you make a choice of how much good you want to do with your money. By making a donation, you are using your money to produce a certain amount of “good” in the world. By donating to a “less effective” charity, you are doing less good. This concept is known as opportunity cost in economics.

Don’t believe me? Let’s work through a specific example.

Let’s say you have two charities who share the same goal of saving children’s lives. Charity A spends $20 million per year to save 100 children from cancer. Therefore, Charity A saves 1 life at a cost of $200,000.

Let’s take a second charity – Charity B – that saves children from a deadly tropical disease, such as Against Malaria Foundation. Research shows that it takes this charity just under $3,000 to save a life, which means that for $20 million, it can save over 6,600 children! By using the metric of cost-effectiveness in saving lives, we can see that Against Malaria Foundation is 66 times more effective at saving children’s lives than Charity A.

Cost-effectiveness is a critical metric to use in evaluating how much good we can do with our money when giving back, since that’s how we can measure the amount of good done per dollar.

Let’s look at another example.

Make-A-Wish Foundation helps terminally ill children fulfill one grand wish. For example, they can take a child to Disneyland to be a Princess For A Day, or help the child be a Police Officer or Fighter Pilot For A Day, or another grand wish. Make-A-Wish has great stories that draw at people’s heartstrings and move them to donate over $300 million per year to their organization. Make-A-Wish spends over $10,000 on one wish, and the outcome, in terms of good being done, is a child and the child’s family having one day of joy.

In comparison, GiveDirectly does direct cash transfers of $1,000 to poor people in East Africa. With that amount of money, a family with several children transforms their lives. That kind of money can build a house and buy crops. Their children can go to school. They are healthier physically and mentally. According to rigorous research, the recipients of these cash transfers have substantially better lives. Giving money to GiveDirectly results in much more joy being created in the world than giving to Make-A-Wish. Yet, a lot more people donate to Make-A-Wish, because they fall for the narrative fallacy, which is our tendency to like and believe in something just because it has a good story associated with it. We fall for the story of addressing the wishes of terminally ill children, as opposed to achieving our actual goals of making the most difference for doing the most good in the world.

So how can you give wisely this Giving Tuesday to do the most good that you can per dollar?

There are high-quality nonprofit charity evaluators that serve as consumer report organizations to help donors choose the most cost-effective charities:

• The Life You Can Save uses a rigorous selection methodology to recommend a number of charities oriented toward poverty reduction. It has an impact calculator to help donors see the specific impact of their giving.
• GiveWell provides in-depth research reports on top charities focused on reducing poverty. Both The Life You Can Save and GiveWell give high marks to GiveDirectly and Against Malaria Foundation.
• Animal Charity Evaluators gives recommendations on the most effective charities to prevent animal suffering. It has recommended The Humane League, Mercy For Animals, and Animal Equality, and you can see its current top picks here.
• Giving What We Can unites a community of people dedicated to giving 10 percent or more of their money to effective charities.
• Intentional Insights provides articles, videos, and other content to help you make wise decisions about your donations.

By relying on these organizations, you can make sure you will give wisely this Giving Tuesday!

Featured photo credit: Woman giving apple/Flickr via flickr.com

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4 Tips For A Memorable Christmas Holiday Season

All around the globe, the approaching holiday season brings with it a few days or weeks of excitement. Merry moments and family-togetherness are its major features and most families would never afford to miss this. Everyone wants to have fun-filled and merry moments as always imagined all through the year. But, how do you really make it a “wow” experience? How do you intend to give the kids and every other family member moments to remember all through next year, so much so that they wish the next holiday season could be in the next few weeks? Just thinking about the season holiday and wishing it will be the best doesn’t make it so, but what you do or how you plan the holiday season does.

Many people still believe it’s all about showering family members and kids with gifts and “clothes” that makes the holiday. Well, check out their boxes or wardrobes and you would be amazed by what you see. Last year’s gifts crammed together in a dusty pile, if not left in the trash. Do you want to give the kids and family members a memorable holiday experience? These 4 tips should do the trick.

1. Attend holiday events with family

Holiday seasons come with numerous holiday-themed concerts in the neighborhood or miles away. Make it a tradition to spend quality time with family members by attending holiday events. These events help them meet and share quality time with others in the events, make quality friends if possible, and feature in shows and parades. Live holiday music performances in the neighborhood, high-school or holiday magic shows would be much longer remembered than anything else. There are numerous free fun events you can choose to attend in the community with your kids and have a wonderful and remarkable time. Never underestimate the value of family togetherness, enjoying each other’s company. And you definitely don’t have to spend much to make a memorable holiday experience, so don’t miss this one.

2. Create humorous moments at home

For the holidays, there is never any place like home. It doesn’t really mean you must visit some movie shows and events before you can make special holiday memories. Keep in mind that some of the most remarkable moments can be created inside your house without even a step outside the walls with little effort and not costing much. You can simply create a magical holiday meal by dimming the lights, lighting candles on the table and playing holiday music on very low in the background while serving flavored sparkling juice and having humorous conversations. Hatchimal toys can help create a great humorous moment for fun loving kids after the magical holiday meal. This indeed would be a special night you and your family will remember for a long time.

3. Create time and prepare good topics for family discussions

Every memorable event has one special “conversation” which must not be left out. Having fun, visiting and featuring in shows and parades, having magical holiday meals are all great memorable moments but meaningful family discussions make up one special part that completes your perfect holiday experience.

Before going out on these events, setting the magical dinner table and anything else, make sure to have good conversation topics ready for these moments. This will help you share memorable moments with good conversations instead of griping about irrelevant things. Ask your kids what they like best about their holiday experience and what they don’t. Understanding what they know about the season holiday and if they think it’s worth the time and efforts put in to make it a success. Don’t be surprised by what a great lesson this may turn into afterward as each contributes their different opinions that may be beyond your imagination. With this, you will be convinced by how meaningful each event and activity put in place for the season holiday is and believe me, it’s worth it.

4. Focus on the moment, live in the moment

Yes. Every day brings lots to think of or memories in the past that is just sucking the air out of your lungs, but Christmas season is not the time to think about any of that. If you must enjoy the Christmas holiday season, you must live in the moment. It’s a merry season and don’t let anything keep you from being merry until the season is done. If there is anything to think about, let it wait until later. Out of your merry heart springs wonderful thoughts that could help beautiful ideas to curb your worries so don’t let these worries steal the joy away from here and now. And of course, the only way to truly make your family happy and leave remarkable moments is when you are happy yourself. Whatever affects you this moment might ruin the entire season for the whole family. That is the season you’ve planned so carefully so don’t risk it. Live in the moment and form sweet memories with friends and family.

The season is almost here. Best season wishes and I hope you have a meaningful holiday!

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4 Reasons Why Events Are Good For Running A Business

There is a litany of reasons why hosting a series of events is crucial for your business. For starters, the main objective of business events is to connect with the current and prospective customers, as well as, build business relationships with them.

Sales executives understand that sharing experiences are a great way to create and establish business connections. Events help to create a forum to cultivate those experiences. Below are four reasons for that hosting business events are good for business:

1. Generating Leads

Hosting an event is a surefire way of landing new prospects. While you’re at it, involve your sales team. There, your sales team can help come up with the most viable prospects in new leads. Moreover, they have a deeper and specific understanding of the potential leads. The sales team will conjure up custom signup questions that will pre-qualify people and companies attending the event. They’ll also help them through the signup process.

After they’ve signed up for the event, you should keep tabs on them to ensure the event stays in the front of their mind. Keeping in touch here does not mean the mere communication of event logistics (for example, the time and venue of the event). It also means impressing upon the prospective attendees the importance of the event and how it will help them overcome their challenges and achieve their goals.

Lastly, what do you think of charging a nominal fee up-front? Event organizers can attest that making an event free (intending to bring everybody on board) can prove counterproductive. On the other hand, charging a nominal fee upfront can ensure those who sign up for the event actually attend. Experience has shown that people tend to despise and undervalue free things.

A small financial commitment, on the other hand, will encourage them to show up for the event. Considering the fact that you can channel the nominal fee to cover some expenses, this has to be one of the most ingenious ways of killing two birds with a single stone.

2. Brand Awareness

Do you want to raise your brand awareness? There is no better way to do that than through hosting an event in that respect. That is the reason why lifestyle and fashion brands love launch parties and relevant events that give them the opportunity to convey the value of their product or brand. Your business, too, can use events to convey a brand message.

There is a host of ways your business can go about this:

• Showcasing your abilities: You can invite prospects to an event where you get to showcase your business’s expertise and creativity, especially if your business is in the creative industry. Use your skills to organize an awesome event that will wow and interest all the visitors that show up for the event.
• Network: Most businesses in the service-related industries thrive on pertinent connections. And, such businesses need to demonstrate to their clients and prospective clients how well-connected they are. Localizing a website or a business overall can be achieved with much success through events. If this is your goal as well, then assemble all the bigwigs you know in one room, and let all of them mingle and network accordingly.

At the end of it, you have demonstrated your business’s influence and reach. Wondering what nature of events to hold for this purpose? Well, conferences, award ceremonies, and dinners are ideal for this objective.

3. Education And Information

Sometimes it is necessary to educate and/or inform your client base, especially if you are rolling out a new service, or when there is a significant misunderstanding of something concerning your company or business.

“People may not appreciate the full spectrum of solutions or benefits one or more of your services offers until you educate them accordingly. For that reason, you should invite your clients and prospective clients to a conference, breakfast briefing, exhibition, panel debate, or a round table where you’ll have an opportunity to put things aright,” reports Seetickets.us.

4. Retaining Customers

You can use business events to project a poignant message of “Thank you” to the hearts of your most loyal and most valued customers. Has a supplier, partner, client, or staff member proven themselves an indispensable asset to your business? Organize an event to say a hearty “Thank you” to them. By doing so, you’ll keep them as customers for longer.

Take, for example, one business that arranged a surprise party at a restaurant for a loyal client who was a great source of referrals to them. The event provided a unique opportunity for the business to show how much it cared about the client. Moreover, it offered a rare opportunity for the business to meet the client’s extended network of friends and family.

Therefore, it is important to utilize milestones such as retirements, promotions, and birthdays to communicate your gratitude. That will definitely set your business apart as a company that cares about its customers.

Featured photo credit: Pixabay via pixabay.com

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5 Things To Consider Before Buying A Massage Chair

Massage therapy is one of the oldest and most effective practices to relax both your body and your mind. Massages prevent and relieve back, shoulder, and neck pain, soothe anxiety and depression, help maintain proper posture, and improve circulation. Among other things, massage therapy is especially helpful for desk workers.

Although it might not seem like it, desk workers have a very physically taxing job. All the stress, pain, and imbalance accumulated through long hours of sitting in a chair can manifest as neck, shoulder, and back pain.

Regular exercises, frequent stretching during work, sitting in an ergonomic and comfortable chair with proper neck and foot rests, and maintaining a proper position are all necessary when it comes to avoiding such ailments. However, nothing relaxes and soothes all the stress and muscular pain in your body quite like massage therapy.

Given its benefits, it should come as no surprise that more people have started including regular massages in their fitness regimen. Although massages are usually performed by massage therapists, massage chairs are becoming immensely popular due to their convenience, mobility, and time efficiency.

If you’re among those interested in enjoying the benefits of massage therapy and have wondered about the prospect of owning a massage chair, here are 5 things that you must consider before buying one:

1. Features

Massage chairs come with different features to choose from. Shiatsu massage chairs target pressure points all over the body with pressing, swaying, and rolling movements. Some offer Swedish massages that use light intensity kneading movements. Then there are zero-gravity chairs that recline to a zero-gravity position before providing the massage. Try out different chairs to find out which provides the best experience to you.

Massage chairs cater to different areas of your body. You’re probably not going to use all of the features of your massage chair so it is important to figure out which part(s) of your body requires special attention and buy a chair that caters to those areas. If you want a good foot massage, buy chairs that incorporate foot massagers. If you feel excessive pain in your neck and shoulder area, then go for massage chairs that focus on alleviating pain in your neck and shoulder.

2. Budget

Buying a massage chair is a hefty investment. The cost of a massage chair ranges from few hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars depending on a lot of factors including, but not limited to, its features, appearance, the manufacturing company, and the type and quality of materials used in the chair.

High-end massage chairs with several features, expanding air bags, aesthetically-pleasing appearance, top quality leather, USB ports, and music players can cost you well above $5,000.

But don’t let those prices scare you away from your investment. You can cut out features that you are least likely to use, sacrifice the luxury of in-built music players and USB ports, and compromise a little on the appearance to get a chair for a price that fits your budget more.

For example, if you only need to massage your back, you can buy a chair that does not have a foot recliner. Similarly, if you only need to massage your feet, buy a foot massager instead of an entire chair. The important thing is not to buy a chair outside of your means, but instead to buy a durable chair with the right functions that you can use frequently.

3. Location

Most massage chairs are huge, bulky furniture that you can’t just tuck anywhere. The living room is not generally where you keep the chairs because, despite the efforts of manufacturers to develop aesthetically pleasing chairs, they can disrupt the overall décor of your room.

Because they are for personal use, placing massage chairs in your home, office, or bedroom makes the most sense. However, your bedroom/home office has to have enough room to house a massage chair.

In addition to its bulky shape and size, the chair might also include head and foot recliners so you can’t necessarily put them in a corner or near walls. Make sure that you measure your room properly and calculate how much space you’re going to need for a chair before getting one.

Some massage chairs come with wheels so they can easily be moved around. With these chairs, you can keep them at a place while not in use and move them to a spacious area when you want to have a massage.

4. Durability And Ease Of Repair

Massage chairs consist of several moving parts, computer components, and wiring, so it is possible that things can go wrong. Considering how much money you might have to spend on the chair, you will definitely want a durable chair.

You are probably going to use your chair frequently so make sure that you get a resilient, heavy duty chair. Even if you may have to pay more for a durable chair, consider it as a quality investment. It is always better to buy a reliable and solid chair the first time than to regret buying a cheap and passable one that quickly needs to be replaced. This is especially true in the case of massage chairs.

Due to their size and weight, repairing a massage chair can be a formidable and expensive ordeal. As a result, you may end up paying more for the chair in the long run. Look for massage chairs with modular designs. This makes any repair work that might need to be done a lot easier. If a part of chair with a modular design is broken, then you can just remove that part and send it in for repair instead of paying to ship an entire chair.

5. Warranty And Customer Care

Before making a purchase, find out how long the warranty lasts and what it covers. At the very minimum, make sure they cover labor and parts. Also ensure that they offer a minimum of one month unconditional cash back guarantee. These warranties and cash back opportunities indicate that companies believe in the performance and durability of their products.

In addition, make sure that there is someone in the company that you can talk to regarding any problems that might arise. It always helps to have someone trustworthy to answer your queries if you have any questions or concerns about your chair. Companies manufacturing and selling quality products always have a chat service or a toll-free numbers for resolving customer concerns.

Featured photo credit: Flickr via c2.staticflickr.com

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The 4 Professionals You Must Hire For Your Budget-Friendly Wedding

Planning a budget-friendly wedding might seem like a challenge. Often times when planning a wedding with a budget, the first thing the soon-to-be bride and groom do in order to keep costs down is limit the use of professional services during the ceremony and reception. While limiting the number of people you have to hire can help you save money, there are some areas that truly benefit from adding a professional’s touch to the task.

Before you cut all of the professional services from your budget-friendly wedding, consider keeping these services to ensure you get the wedding of your dreams:

A Wedding Photographer

Many people are under the belief that anyone can capture a quality photo. While smartphone cameras and apps have allowed more people to explore their interest in photography, that doesn’t mean that just anyone can achieve a high-quality result. Photography is an artform after all and it requires a certain level of expertise in order to be done well. And since you only intend to get married once, failing to get the professional photographs you imagined means you missed your opportunity completely if you don’t hire the right person to take your photos for you.

Since capturing the memories of your big day are often critical, hiring a wedding photographer needs to be a priority. Not only are they familiar with all of the traditional poses most couples want, but they also understand how to ensure everyone looks their best in every shot. Their familiarity with wedding services also helps them anticipate when important moments are coming up, ensuring they are prepared to get that shot when those key wedding day moments take place.

A Wedding Cake Specialist

When people picture the cake at their wedding, a sheet cake from the local grocery store normally doesn’t quite come to mind. Many bakeries of this nature have limited experience creating the cakes more commonly seen at weddings. Additionally, many home bakers don’t have the opportunity to create multi-tiered creations often, so they may not be familiar with the intricacies of creating a proper supporting structure for such a large and decadent piece.

Credit: J. LEAL

So, if you have your eyes set on a more traditional looking dessert, then it is best to choose a bakery that creates delicacies for weddings on a regular basis. More than likely, they will work with you to identify less expensive wedding cake options that will suit your budget.

A Band or DJ

If your reception involves music playing throughout the night, then you might want to make sure this is handled by someone specifically hired to do the job. Many brides and grooms think managing the music/playlist for the entire evening is an easy thing to do, especially since many people can carry around thousands of songs in their pockets through their phones and music devices. But, unless you want to create a playlist for the entire reception, it can be worth the investment to choose a professional to manage and perform that task for you.

Not only can they ensure certain songs are played at the right time, but they can also take requests from guests while you’re enjoying your special night. If there are certain songs you don’t want to hear on your big day, you can provide them with a list of songs that are off limits too. That way, you don’t have to worry about a friend or family member taking over your smartphone to find the “Chicken Dance” if you really prefer it not be played. And sometimes, having that professional buffer can alleviate a lot of stress.

A Caterer (For Large Receptions)

Many people underestimate what it takes to produce food for large groups of people, especially if you are planning on having a full meal prepared and served. While smaller receptions might be manageable for those accustomed to cooking for large families, very few non-professionals have the expertise required to time and create a multicourse meal for hundreds of people.

If you have concerns about the food budget, but would still like options available to a large group, consider timing your ceremony to make only having hors d’oeuvres appropriate. Otherwise, choose food options that are less expensive for full meals. For example, chicken tends to be less expensive than most other meats, so you might be able to experience significant savings by choosing it over options like beef or fish as your entree of choice.

Featured photo credit: J. LEAL via jleal.eu

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Care is Life: 6 Essentially Necessary Virtues of A Good Caregiver

The essence of caring for the elderly is for them to get an opportunity to live another day, and giving and receiving good treatment requires forming a positive relationship that recognizes the importance of accepting others as our equals.

Old people living in a home or health care agencies require immense love and protection. Sometimes we overlook some qualities needed by old people to give them the assurance that we care and love them.

To be a good caregiver means a lot of things, this kind of job does not come easy as it requires enormous time and patience to get it right. I have painstakingly outlined some essentially important qualities one must possess to be a good health giver.

1. Honesty

Integrity, honesty, and truth are essential values that should define the life of every human being in every social relation. However, when we talk about caring for older people, this becomes an even more essential element, virtue, and quality. We are the eyes, voice, hands, and ears of the older adult under our watch and they trust us with their life as caregivers. Therefore, being completely honest is something very important older people require and should not be overlooked if we want to win their trust.

2. Respect

One of the most important qualities and must-have attitude for all caregivers that should be visible to all is to be respectful in all approaches. Such benevolence in your relationship with the older adult will help to develop comfortable close contact and complete trust. Showing absolute respect will make them honor you and respond accordingly when they’re needed to carry out any activity. Always give humane treatment that we would also want as fellow human beings.

3. Selflessness

Rendering selfless service means being available and willing to serve the elderly at all costs in such a way that we respond promptly to their request. A selfless service means a lot to old people as they tend to enjoy and feel more attracted to those who go out of their way to ensure they are satisfied. As a caregiver, look for ways to solve any problem and try to solve them effectively without protest.

4. Strong and Willing

Frequent contact with people with a high degree of dependence, cognitive impairment, and limited mobility leads to physical and emotional and physical exhaustion. Therefore, a good caregiver must have a positive strong will, psychological and physical strength in order to completely satisfy and meet the needs of older people.

5. Patience

An older adult with health challenges often requires a 24 hour home care service which comes with a high degree of patience; it takes a lot of time to offer a personalized treatment and also a challenging encounter to successfully cope with the moments of pressure and tension that may arise. Showing understanding, tolerance, and patience will always help us resolve the most critical conflicts and challenges faced by older people.

This is important because older people feel completely secure around those who are always willing and eager to help sort things out without complaining and getting upset.

6. Communication

A good caregiver should involve the older adult in their care. Maintaining an effective interaction generates confidence, tranquility, and security.

Knowing how to communicate properly and understanding how they feel is an important virtue that all caregivers must possess.

Lastly, it is imperative to stand firm and manage emotions when caring for the elderly, because this is a selfless task that demands effort, perseverance, and sacrifice. A good caregiver will meet the needs of the resident with diligence, effort, and generosity.

It is essential to take care of yourself in order to maintain proper care for the elderly. Your ability to pay attention to yourself directly affects how you pay attention to the needs of others.

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10 High Vitamin B12 Foods You Can Eat and Simple Recipes To Follow!

Vitamin B12 is the most complex vitamin that is currently known. It is a water soluble vitamin that helps to maintain the health of the brain and nerves, and it also creates your body’s red blood cells.

It is a very important vitamin, but most people don’t eat enough of it; studies have found that around 40% of Americans have a vitamin B12 deficiency. A deficiency can cause fatigue, depression, anemia, constipation, asthma, low sperm count and mania, and a long-term vitamin B12 deficiency can permanently damage the brain and nervous system. This is because a deficiency can cause the body to produce immature red blood cells that can’t carry oxygen.

Thankfully it is easy to include more vitamin B12 rich foods in your diet. This will help to boost your energy and reduce sugar cravings, as well as reducing depression. It will also lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, protect your body against cancer and reduce your chances of brain degeneration.

But which foods contain vitamin B12? The vitamin is manufactured by bacteria and it is only found in natural animal products, such as meat, milk and eggs. However, synthetic food options are now available, such as cereals and tofu. Although you only need 2.4 mcg of vitamin B12 a day, eating too much won’t cause a problem; the excess is either excreted or stored by the body for later use. These stores can last for up to a year!

If you have a vitamin B12 deficiency and you want to reduce your symptoms, try these foods.

10 Foods That You Should Eat If You Have A Vitamin B12 Deficiency

1. Beef Liver

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 83.1μg (1386% DV)

Per cup: 70.7μg (1178% DV)

Per Serving: 67.3μg (1122% DV)

Beef liver also contains vitamin A, and traces of minerals including zinc, copper and phosphorous. Click here to read the recipe for beef liver with caramelized onions.

2. Clams

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 98.9μg (1648% DV)

Per cup: 84.1μg (1401% DV)

Per serving: 187.9μg (3132% DV)

Clams also contain lots of potassium; three ounces of clams contains 15% of your daily recommended allowance! Click here to read the recipe for garlic clams.

3. Mackerel

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 19.0μg (317% DV)

Per cup: 16.2μg (269% DV)

Per serving: 16.7μg (279% DV)

Mackerel is a good source of vitamin B12, vitamin D and selenium. Click here to read the recipe for grilled mackerel with lime and ginger.

4. Beef

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 6.0μg (100% DV)

Per cup: 5.1μg (85% DV)

Per serving: 2.0μg (34% DV)

Beef is a great source of protein and zinc, as well as vitamin B12. Click here to read the recipe for beef goulash.

5. Silken Tofu

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 2.4μg (40% DV)

Per cup: 2.0μg (34% DV)

Per serving: 2.2μg (37% DV)

Tofu contains all eight essential amino acids, as well as lots of protein. Click here to read the recipe for tofu chocolate pie.

6. Skimmed Milk

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 0.5μg (8% DV)

Per cup: 1.2μg (21% DV)

Per serving: 4.9μg (82% DV)

Skimmed milk is a great source of vitamin B12, and it is also filled with calcium and vitamin D. Click here to read the recipe for skimmed milk chocolate pudding.

7. Eggs

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 2.0μg (33% DV)

Per cup: 0.3μg (6% DV)

Per serving: 0.36μg (6% DV)

Much like milk, eggs are also a great source of vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Click here to read the recipe for Spanish omelettes.

8. Crab

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 11.5μg (192% DV)

Per cup: 9.8μg (163% DV)

Per serving: 15.4μg (257% DV)

Crab contains vitamins B12, A, B and C, as well as zinc and magnesium. Click here to read the recipe for curried crab with chilli and coconut.

9. Swiss Cheese

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 3.1μg (51% DV)

Per cup: 0.86μg (14% DV

Per serving: 3.3μg (55% DV)

Swiss cheese is a great source of vitamin b12, calcium and protein. Click here to read the recipe for Swiss cheese meatloaf.

10. Bran Cereal

Vitamin B12 per 100g: 20.0μg (333% DV)

Per cup: 18.0μg (300% DV)

Per serving: 6.0μg (100% DV)

Bran cereal is rich in both vitamin B12 and fibre: in fact, there are 5 grams of fibre in one serving! Click here to read the recipe for All Bran muffins.

You should consult your doctor if your symptoms persist after introducing more vitamin B12 to your diet.

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Struggle with High-Blood Pressure? Try this "DASH" High-Blood Pressure Diet Plan!

If your blood pressure is constantly 140/90, or higher, that means you have hypertension, or high blood pressure. Since it mostly does not display any symptoms, the only way to know for sure if you have high blood pressure is to measure it regularly and visit the doctor to confirm the diagnosis.

High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” for a reason – you don’t feel any symptoms, but it can do a lot of damage to your body. It puts additional pressure on your heart and blood vessels, and may lead to several serious complications such as:

• Aneurysm
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Stroke
• Kidney disease

Having a high blood pressure requires changes in your lifestyle, with the diet being one of the aspects that can greatly influence this condition.

How food influences your blood pressure

Some types of foods can aggravate your blood pressure. You should stay away from foods that contain a lot of salt. You should reduce the daily intake of sodium to 1,500 mg. Furthermore, stay away from sugar, as it leads to obesity which in return increases the blood pressure. The American Heart Association advises limiting  the intake of alcohol to one or two drinks per day as this also causes the increase in blood pressure.

Foods that are high in potassium, magnesium and fiber should be a part of your high blood pressure diet as they can be natural remedies that help you normalize the blood pressure. There is a vast range of fruits and vegetables rich in those nutrients, thus you can easily incorporate them into your dietary plan.

Foods that increase your blood pressure	Foods that help normalize blood pressure
Canned soups	Bananas
Pickled vegetables	Apricots
Deli meat	Potatoes
Frozen pizza	Spinach
Sweets	Green beans
Canned tomato products	Beets
Red meat	Oatmeal

Regulate your blood pressure with DASH diet

DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a dietary plan that aims to reduce the foods that can spike up your blood pressure and it introduces various types of food that contain nutrients that can bring benefits to people suffering from high blood pressure. It was designed by the USA National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with the aim to reduce blood pressure but it was found helpful with weight loss, reducing cholesterol and controlling diabetes, and for six years in a row it has been proclaimed as the best diet by US News and World Report.

The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat or nonfat dairy, whole grains, lean meat, fish and poultry, nuts and beans. It follows recommendations on the sodium intake and the consumption of healthy nutrients. It has been evaluated by numerous researches.

The DASH plan includes:

Type of food	Number of servings for 1600 – 3100 Calorie diets	Servings on a 2000 Calorie diet
Grains and grain products (include at least 3 whole grain foods each day)	6 – 12	7 – 8
Fruits	4 – 6	4 – 5
Vegetables	4 – 6	4 – 5
Low fat or non fat dairy foods	2 – 4	2 – 3
Lean meats, fish, poultry	1.5 – 2.5	2 or less
Nuts, seeds, and legumes	3 – 6 per week	4 – 5 per week
Fats and sweets	2 – 4	limited

High blood pressure diet plan

With many available recipes, it is easy to incorporate DASH plan and to have a diversified high blood pressure diet that suits your taste.

Breakfast

Applesauce French Toast

What you need:

• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/4 cup non-sweet applesauce
• 6 slices of whole wheat bread

How to prepare:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and soak the bread slices, then cook them over a lightly greased skillet until they become golden brown. Serve it with some light yogurt.

Lunch

Pizza in a Pita

What you need:

• 2 pieces of whole wheat pita bread
• 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella cheese low on sodium
• 1/4 cup of tomato sauce
• Vegetables of your choosing

How to prepare:

Preheat the oven at 3500F (or 1800C). Split the bread into two pieces and put the tomato sauce, cheese and vegetables. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake it in the oven for 7-10 minutes. Serve it with some nonfat milk, and treat yourself with some cantaloupe afterwards.

Snack

Blueberry muffins

What you need:

• 1 – 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of raw oatmeal
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of dry milk
• 1/4 cup of oil
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup of frozen blueberries

How to prepare:

Preheat the oven at 3500F (or 1800C). Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in two separate bowls. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix a little, then add the blueberries and mix again. Put the mixture into a muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes.

Dinner

Brown rice burgers

What you need:

• 2 cups of cooked brown rice
• ½ cup of chopped parsley
• 1 cup of finely grated carrot
• ½ cup of finely chopped onion
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 beaten eggs
• ½ cup of whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

How to prepare:

Mix all ingredients, except the vegetable oil, in one bowl, and divide the mixture into 12 patties. Put the vegetable oil into a skillet and heat it. Cook the patties for 4-5 minutes on each side. You can serve the burgers with side dishes such as baked potato, or a salad, such as a tomato spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Treat yourself with some delicious fruit afterwards.

Before taking any actions in treating your high blood pressure, you should consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis and get some helpful medical advice.

Featured photo credit: https://unsplash.com/ via unsplash.com

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Is Your Swollen Stomach Belly Fat Or Bloating? 4 Questions To Find The Answer

For those of you who have ever suffered from a swollen stomach, you will be aware that this can be an uncomfortable and emotionally distressing experience. What you may not know is the root cause of this. While many believe that it occurs as the result of excess belly fat, it may actually be the manifestation of bloating.

It is important to distinguish between these two issues, as both have entirely different triggers and are indicative of potentially diverse health problems. A lack of knowledge and understanding may also cause you to use the wrong approach to deal with the problem, which could exacerbate the issue and the symptoms you are forced to manage.

How Can you Tell the Difference Between Belly Fat and Bloating?

When presented with a swollen stomach, the first step is to monitor your symptoms to determine what is the most likely cause. This can enable you to make an informed decision on how you deal with the problem, ensuring that you pursue suitable courses of treatment that deliver the desired result.

With this in mind, here are four important considerations when attempting to distinguish between belly fat and bloating:

1. Is the Swelling Localized or Widespread?

To begin with, examine your stomach visually. Is the swelling localised, or can you identify bulges in other places on your body? If you answer yes to the former, you are most likely suffering from bloating that has targeted the stomach and the abdominal regions. If you notice additional bulges elsewhere and particularly on the thighs, hips and buttocks, however, you are probably carrying excess fat.

2. Is Your Swollen Stomach Firm or Spongy?

At this point, take the time to press your stomach and focus specifically on the most pronounced areas of swelling. As a general rule, stomach fat will feel spongy and malleable when pressure is applied, whereas bloating usually makes your abdomen appear tight and noticeably firm. As a result of this, anyone who can grasp more than an inch of your stomach, it is probably carrying excess fat.

3. Is the Swelling Constant or Intermittent?

The duration of your swelling is also a key indicator of the root cause, as fat cells build up over time and are likely to remain constantly. In contrast, bloating occurs in intermittent periods, meaning that the shape of your stomach may fluctuate throughout the course of each day.

4. Is the Swelling Painful?

On a final note, it is important to check whether or not the swelling is accompanied by pain. After all, bloating is almost always a painful experience to some degree or another, whereas excess fat is not known to cause any physical discomfort. The presence of excess gas is also a symptom of bloating, particularly if it coincides with the expansion of your stomach.

How Can you Deal with a Bloated Stomach?

Establishing your precise symptoms should offer a clear indication into the root cause of your swollen stomach, and at this stage, you can begin to plot a clear course of action. This is crucial, as the failure to distinguish between fat and a bloated stomach causes many to categorise swelling as a trivial and unimportant problem that only impacts on their physical appearance.

This is a significant oversight, as a bloated stomach may also be indicative of a serious health concern known as dysbiosis. This refers to an imbalance that exists between good and bad bacteria within your stomach, where unhealthy and unnatural organisms such as yeast and protozoa become prominent in the intestines and alter the bodies fundamental nutrition patterns.

This imbalance, which hinders the growth of the 400 organisms that are naturally found in the stomach, can cause a multitude of health complaints in addition to bloating (including indigestion, diarrhoea, nausea, iron deficiency, stomach infestations, fatigue and even skin conditions).

So if you have determined that your stomach is bloated rather than covered in excess fat, here are some initial steps you can take to manage this problem:

1. Stay Hydrated At All Times

Let’s start with the basics, as when you are not drinking enough fluids, your body automatically retains water to prevent dehydration. So, by maximising your fluid intake and drinking at least six, eight-ounce glasses of liquid each day, you can remain hydrated and prevent the retention of water. Just be selective about the drinks that you consume, with the best bet being to focus on water and avoid sugary or artificially flavoured drinks.

2. Consume Largely High-Protein Meals

Similarly, high-protein meals can also reduce water retention and alleviate the symptoms of bloating. This is because such diets promote the elimination of fluids through urine, helping tissues to dry out over time. This is particularly effective for women, who are most likely to suffer from water retention and subsequent bloating.

3. Reduce your Carbohydrate Intake

In case you weren’t aware, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains the most common digestive disorder in the world, affecting an estimated 14% of the global population (most of whom are undiagnosed). Bloating is a common symptom of this ailment, but even if you are not suffering from IBS, this conditions may offer an insight into the root cause of your problem.

More specifically, indigestible carbohydrates known as FODMAPS are known to drastically increase stomach bloating and exacerbate the symptoms of IBS, so reducing or at least modifying your carb intake can lead to a dramatic improvement in your condition over time.

What if You are Suffering from Belly Fat?

For those of you who find that they are simply carrying excess belly fat, here are some tips and techniques that can help you to trim this and restore a healthier physical form:

1. Avoid Refined Sugar and Simple Carbs

Interestingly, those carrying excess belly fat should also look to manage their carbohydrate intake carefully. Avoiding ‘simple’ carbs that are loaded with fat is a good starting point, as it eliminating the type of refined sugar found in chocolate, sweets and so-called energy drinks.

2. Create a Protein and Fibre Rich Body

The cultivation of a protein and fibre rich body can also help to reduce stomach fat over time. Protein is known to reduce unhealthy food cravings by 60%, for example, while also boosting metabolism by between 80 and 100 calories. A diet containing soluble and viscous fibres also triggers a slower and more effective digestion process, making you feel fuller for longer and maintaining a reduced, natural appetite.

Just remember that fibres are similar to carbohydrates in terms of their complexity, so you will need to determine which ingredients are the most conducive to fat and weight loss.

3. Combine Diet with Exercise

When looking to trim body fat, exercise is a key consideration. This should be aligned with diet to achieve the optimal results, although it is important to strike the ideal balance between cardiovascular and muscle work-outs. Performing abdominal exercises alone is not enough to reduce belly fat, as you must engage in high-intensity activity to burn the fat and reduce the circumference of your weight.

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How To Sleep With A stuffy Nose? A Complete Sleeping Routine To Save Your Night!

Sometimes it can feel like it is impossible to have a good night’s sleep when you have a stuffy nose. This can affect your body and your mind, causing you to feel fatigued and irritated.

But why does this happen? A stuffy nose is normally caused by sinusitis, which is often referred to as a sinus infection. Sinusitis causes headaches and pain around your eyes and nose, as well as a stuffy nose and even tooth pain. These symptoms can be even worse if you also suffer from allergies.

If you’re fed up of not being able to sleep, don’t worry. There are lots of tips and tricks that you can use to make it easier to sleep with a blocked nose.

Here’s everything that you need to know about how to sleep with a stuffy nose.

How To Sleep With A Stuffy Nose: A Complete Routine From Day To Night

1. During The Day

Don’t drink caffeine after 2PM. Caffeine is a stimulant that can keep you awake until the early hours, and it’s also dehydrating which will make a stuffy nose and sinus pain even worse. Stop drinking caffeine at 2PM so that your body has the chance to rehydrate and relax before you go to sleep.

Use a nasal spray. An over-the-counter nasal saline spray will keep your nasal passages moist, which will be less irritating for your nostrils than dry air. You can also use a humidifier to keep the air moist in your room so that your nose is less likely to be irritated.

2. In The Evening

Drink chicken soup. Studies have found that chicken soup contains a compound that helps to reduce nasal swelling. Chicken soup is also easy to digest and it is very nutritious, so it can help to increase your body’s natural defense against the microbes that are causing your stuffy nose.

Take a hot shower. Steam is a great way to clear your nasal passage, throat and lungs, so taking a shower before bed should help to reduce your symptoms before you try to sleep. You can also use a boiling pot of water to clear your passages; simply put your head over the pot and put a towel over your head to trap the steam. A few minutes of breathing like this should quickly clear up any mucus in your nose.

Drink peppermint tea. Peppermint tea will soothe a sore throat and loosen mucus in the throat. If you buy fresh peppermint you can also soak the stem in boiling water for another hot drink that will help to relive a stuffy nose.

3. Before Bed

Make sure that your bedroom is cool and dark. If you are struggling to sleep, light and noise will make it even harder. Make your room cool and dark so that you can focus on falling asleep without any distractions.

Prop up your head with pillows. One of the best ways to get rid of a stuffy nose is to sleep with your head elevated by a few pillows. If your head is above your heart it will decrease the amount of blood pooling in the nose, which helps to reduce any nasal swelling. Lying flat will also cause mucus to build up in your nose which makes breathing even more difficult.

These tips are ideal for most people who are struggling to sleep due to a stuffy nose, but some people will need to speak to a doctor about their nasal problems. If you have had severe sinus and nasal pain for more than a week alongside a fever you should speak with an ear, nose and throat specialist about treatment.

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6 Commonly Ignored Tips Essentially Important When Caring For Older People

Living and caring for an aging parent is a challenge that concerns the whole family. Elderly people are like children, they need attention, love, patience, and to be respected and valued so that they can live a happy life. However, that does not mean that we should make them feel inferior.

Most people and agencies who take care of the elderly agree that taking care of an old person is a moral duty that should not be avoided.

Here are 6 usually ignored tips that will come in handy and help you get alongside them if you have an aging parent or loved one at home or in a health care aid agency that will help them stay alive.

1. Treat Them Nicely

Elderly people get easily upset when we treat them with disdain and this affects their entire well-being. Always watch your actions, inaction, and reactions. Old people get upset when we treat them as children – just because they are forgetful, it should not mean that we should use that weakness against them. Do not remind them of how weak and slow they are, it is disrespectful.

Avoid reproaches, criticism and scolding. Treating them badly will only frustrate, embarrass and make their condition worse.

2. Engage Them In Very Light Exercise

Try to get your age parent to have some light physical activity like taking a very short walk, once in a while. Physical exertion must be performed at their convenience during the day, so as to stimulate blood circulation.

Provide physical and cognitive stimulation to the elderly. Don’t allow them to stay all day in bed or seating in their chair. Therefore, caregivers should engage and encourage and assist elderly people to take a walk, and exercise lightly like swinging arms only as much as his or her body system can tolerate.

3. Eliminate Idleness

Idleness breeds illness, try to engage elderly people and motivate them with some daily task. Research has proven that if older and elderly people are engaged in activities, this will give them an extra motivation to live. As a caregiver, search for a project you can do alongside them once in a while or every day – this will help keep their brain active.

Spend a bit of one-on-one time with them like looking at a photo together, talk about their past, knit a scarf, watch a movie, listen to music.

4. Perfect Home Lighting System

Older people easily get moody, but the right lighting system at home will go a long way in affecting their mood. Use lights that are not too bright but not too dim either. Ensure you use a lighting system that will encourage them and not make them depressed. If the elderly person is concerned about the expense of light, ensure you reduce the light and keep the entire house bright.

When it’s dark, always keep it bright until they need to sleep. Keep the lighting switch at their reach close to their bed so they could use it at will.

5. Show Concern Over Their Health

It is common for an older adult to consume several kinds of pills, which can get them confused on their dose. Also, there is usually a tendency towards self-medication, this is very dangerous. Thus, it is necessary for you, as a family member or caregiver to take control of all medication-related situations.

It is recommended that you keep a routine check on each medication. This way, you are showing concern about their health, and let everyone know the schedule of each medicine and how to administer them.

Talk to them about how they feel over particular treatment and ensure you keep a profile of what they tell you as this will assist the doctors to help them get better.

6. Talk with Them

Older people are usually ignored because they oftentimes lack the ability to keep a conversation alive. Talking will help keep their minds awake and active while greatly improving their quality of life. If you are visiting, try talking to them and watching the TV. Older people have a lot of experience to offer in a conversion even though they are always repeating the same stories or the same complaints. A poll by Emmanuel O. Victor, on the effect of listening in a relationship, showed that listening is love.

Finally, several types of research by psychologists and experts point out that elderly people feel happy and safe if they are respected and cared for by their own family or home health aide agencies. Also, provide a safe environment by removing objects that could cause injuries or obstructions. Install railings in the bathroom to assist them while bathing.

As caregivers, if we treat elderly people right irrespective of their health challenges, we are in actuality giving them a reason to smile and live for another day.

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Hoarding: A Classified Mental Health Disorder, Do You Need Help?

I once knew someone very close to me who suffered from what we now know as the Hoarding Disorder. Had we known at the time that what he suffered from was well beyond his control, we might have been able to give him the help he needed. Sadly, we just thought he was being stubborn and eccentric.

Knowledge of hoarding was very minimal at one point, and was not considered a disorder of its own until the New DSM-V (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition) came out.

If someone you care about is showing signs of hoarding, let them know you understand. Embarrassment can play a key role in Hoarding Disorder, and feeling the need to hide from their family or loved ones will further increase symptoms.

Hoarding Warning Signs

From my experience, hoarding doesn’t happen over night. Subtle signs will start showing, and it’s these signs that need attention before the situation becomes larger and more impossible to control.

•  An unnatural attachment to items
• Great discomfort in letting others handle or touch the items
• Uncontrollable and helpless against collecting more and more items
• Extreme uneasiness, reluctance and refusal to discard anything
• Unorganized, incapable of knowing where to put their possessions
• Embarrassment over their living situation
• Secluding themselves from friends and family
• Depression and feelings of helplessness
• Eventually takes over their lives

Hoarding, Causes, and Consequences

Hoarding is a mental illness, and was categorized within the OCD spectrum. However, with the new DSM-V, hoarding has been classified in a spectrum of its own, and acknowledged as a disorder that requires treatment. Often, a childhood traumatic event is the stressor that contributes to hoarding. This, in a way, is therapeutic, as their possessions provide a feeling of safety. However, it simultaneously increases conflicted feelings. The disorder itself causes anxiety and depression.

Other Disorders

Hoarding is very closely associated with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), anxiety, depression, and personality disorders. Psychologists say the behavior is a coping mechanism.

Quality of Life

As you can imagine, this disorder can control one’s life, in the same manner as addiction. Their fix may provide momentary relief, yet creates a much greater problem in the long run. In time, the items they have accumulated become far larger themselves. The piles become higher, the pathways from one room to another become more narrow, and eventually, the clutter is in a way, swallowing them alive. The kitchen and bathrooms can become unstable due to the hoarding. Items collected can range from several old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, used ziplock bags, old store coupons, newspapers and endless recycling to broken furniture, and everything in between. The individual is unable to organize their possessions. Piles will accumulate, and health becomes extremely compromised within the living conditions.

Chinese modern artist Song Dong came up with an amazing solution for his mother’s lifetime collection of possessions. He displayed all his childhood homes’ items that his mother had collected from shoes to cans and from broken kitchen utensils to a surplus of clothing hangers. This art installation is called ‘Waste Not’ and was displayed at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. His mother Zhao Xiangyuan (1938–2009) was pleased to see her collection displayed with pride. Her hoarding was triggered by the death of her husband.

Criteria for Diagnosis

• Extreme difficulty discarding items
• Severe anxiety in the idea of discarding items
• Discarding of items contributes to feelings of major loss and mourning
• Extreme anxiety with the thought of something accidentally landing in the trash
• Regularly going through the trash to check
• Severely interferes with regular life functions such as work, relationships, health
• Very possessive of their possessions
• The hoarding is not a result of another mental illness

There Is Help

With a new social understanding of the Hoarding Disorder, there are specialists that can help. They have seen it all, and understand the disorder, they can help those suffering under the weight of their possessions. There are organizations that can help remove the items for donation to others that would get good use from them. As well, there are organizations that can get the individual’s home back to a place where they can live, and not just exist. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been found to be successful in maintaining a clutter free mental state. And one very important factor to remember is that no one with this disorder is alone!

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4 Bulletproof Strategies That Are Key to Achieving Your Lifelong Entrepreneurial Goals

The most successful entrepreneurs are driven, highly motivated and goal-oriented individuals. They always have a clear vision of what their end-goal is, whether it’s being the most dominant player in the industry or offering a unique service that others have shied away from. Merely starting a company is not enough to have a successful career. You need to be able to sustain it. Sadly, 90% of startups fail within the first 5 years, and only 10% are able to find success. At times, failure comes due to poor planning, at times due to sheer bad luck.

While the new government is said to be planning to change some rules regarding businesses, the basic formula for success remains the same. Without much ado, let’s have a look at what you need to find success in this the business world.

1. Clearly List Short and Long-term Goals

Setting goals is one thing, but do you plan to track them with the passage of time? Do you have any systems in place to keep you on track?

So you’ve listed down your goals. That’s great! You now need to break them up in increments, setting up short-term goals that will act as a platform for achieving long-term goals.

Write down what goals you’re accomplishing this year. Take a step back and think… is there anything in particular you should be doing this month in order to meet that goal? Think again – what should you be doing this week that will take you a step closer to your monthly goal?

A number of entrepreneurs tend to fail when it comes to achieving goals because their thought process or strategies are flawed. They may be setting goals, but it doesn’t quite inspire them to aim high or set unusually high expectations. Don’t fall for that. Be practical and set attainable goals, and continue to track those goals.

2. Set Deadline-oriented Milestones

So you have clearly articulated goals but it doesn’t end there – you’re not just in the business of setting goals but achieving major milestones. Pick a realistic timeframe and estimate by what date you’ll be achieving a particular milestone.

In addition, set intermediate milestone periods to act as reference points along your entrepreneurial journey. For example, if you plan to gain about 20% market share in the first quarter, the goals revolving around that will take you to your very first milestone. Done! Cross it off your list and move on to the next one. Keep your chief milestone in mind all the while.

Remember, there’s no such thing as unachievable goals, only unachievable deadlines. Give yourself time, stick to that timeframe and deliver the goods.

3. Don’t Run Away From Change

Every year holds promise – new technology and trends, legislation, ever-changing needs of consumer groups and industries, etc.

New innovations in the market might completely change consumer behavior.

If you’re far-sighted enough to realize that change is inevitable and you’ll need to embrace it, you are in the black. For example, what are your customers talking about? What do they desire the most? Are there any real benefits you can add to the marketplace?

Try to be on top of these things and you’ll achieve one of your greatest lifelong goals as an entrepreneur: continuing to generate revenues and having people approach you as “the go-to guy”.

4. Come to Terms With Your Purpose

It doesn’t matter if you’re a solo entrepreneur or an entire corporation – this one is absolutely critical for long-term success.

Aside from the generating revenue bit, you really need to know why you’re in this. And this sense of purpose and vision needs to be shared all across your team.

Sit down with a cup of coffee, find a nice view to gaze at and think about how you want to bring change into the world. How will your product change lives? Is your primary purpose just to educate and spread awareness or do you also want to add a touch of luxury and convenience to people’s lives?

You will probably not come across a single successful entrepreneur today who hasn’t made it big without a well-defined purpose. You see, when you define a purpose for doing business, you’re setting a standard for what direction you need to move in.

So once you have set clear and measurable goals, sync them with your purpose and then stick to your guns.

In the entrepreneurship game, you need to have a sense of purpose and fulfill that purpose through meaningful goals which will help you reach your end goal or grand finale, if you will. Embrace change when needed and honor your deadlines to achieve lifelong success as an entrepreneur.

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