Celebrities are often applauded by the media for how fast they shed pregnancy pounds, diet into teeny bikinis or get instantly thin for a movie or music tour.

While nutritionists worry about celebrities diets triggering anorexic behaviors in young women, there is a new danger for women in their 30s and 40s known as orthorexia.

While anorexia is severe restriction of any type of food and bulimia is the need to immediately purge food binges, orthorexia is an eating disorder tied to obsession over the purity of the food that enters the body.

Orthorexics often avoid entire food groups in order to lose weight.  Many of these entire food groups are essential to eating a balanced nutritional plan,.

Nutritionists highlight celebrity fads such as the blood group diet, which is advertised by Cheryl Cole, and the Maple Syrup detox diet, used by Beyonce and Naomi Campbell as two diets which might trigger orthorexia in some people.  Those on the maple syrup diet consume little else, but sugary water. This has none of the protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals needed to remain healthy. (more…)

Actress and Singer Tisha Campbell Martin Encourages Healthy Lifestyles for African-American Women By Joining With Yoplait®

Yoplait® Today Campaign Promotes Healthy Choices in the New Year

In an effort to encourage African-American women to take charge of their health by making beneficial food and lifestyle choices,  Yoplait teamed up with actress and singer Tisha Campbell Martin to roll out a new campaign, Yoplait Today.

The campaign, designed to encourage women to embrace a new year and a new self, will include Campbell Martin in radio spots and print and digital advertisements as part of a partnership with Essence.com.

In addition to the advertisements, Campbell Martin will also contribute weekly blogs to a special online community at Essence.com through February, updating readers on practical ways to incorporate the health & wellness theme into their own lives. (more…)

Sometimes the very best gifts are those which show special thought and tender loving care (TLC) and have been custom made.

The following massage oil recipe can easily be made at home.  The ingredients can easily be found at any local health food store or specialty store.

If you want to make your gift especially romantic find a sexy bottle for your mixture and decorate it with a red bow.

[amazon-product text=”Thymes Limited Edition Frasier Fir Red Candle 12 oz / 340 g” type=”text”]B0046HKUUI [/amazon-product]

To create a really special Valentine’s gift, purchase a few red scented candles and include that in your special massage gift package.   Or buy regular red candles and dress them with a few drops of vanilla or Ylang Ylang oil which will set a very loving and relaxed mood.

To really do it up right, consider covering your massage table with red silk or satin sheets and offer to provide the massage right on the spot.  Or if you’re shy, make the oil and include one or more gift certificates for a personal massage.  Let your imagination guide you. (more…)

First of all, what is tapotement?  It sounds very exotic, but in reality it’s a specific type of massage technique utilized primarily in Swedish massage.

Wikipedia defines tapotement as a rhythmic percussion, most frequently administered with the edge or cupped hand or the tips of the fingers.  When the edge of the hand is used it’s also called Hacking.  Finger methods including wiggling, drumming and lightly tapping on the body.  The name of the stroke is taken from the French word “Tapoter” meaning simply to tap or to drum.

Tapotement massage stroking and taping is primarily designed to release lymphatic build up in the back, shoulders, under the arms and other parts of the body where lymphatic drainage might be deemed appropriate and helpful.

Is Tapotement Helpful For Accelerated Hair Growth Or Reduced Hair Loss?

Is this type of sports massage helpful for the scalp to generate accelerate hair growth?  Many hair growth and hair loss experts recommend scalp massage as a way to stimulate the hair roots for reduced fall and stronger roots. But it tapotement the best massage methodology to utilize?

The answer to whether tapotement would help with accelerated hair growth or reduced hair loss is maybe.  Like all types of treatments designed to improve hair growth and reduce hair loss, there are a variety of factors involved. (more…)

I’ve tried just about every natural hair treatment imaginable since the late 1980s when I started growing my hair.  I was especially determined to find a natural hair lightener so I could keep my beautiful golden highlights without the damage hair lightening products bring.  I even went so far as to try rhubarb as a natural lightener.

Did it work?  That would be a big no although I managed to completely trash my kitchen with pots and pans as well as chopped up rhubarb.

(Image of walnuts – Haap Media Ltd – All Rights Reserved)

One of my brunette tressed friends, Eva,  has had much better luck than me.  Her hair is naturally dark brown but it tends to pull a reddish tint throughout the edges.

In the past she has experimented with a range of natural treatments with mixed results.  Yes, she’s worked with a professional hair colorist who combed a slightly darker temporary color through her strands.  I remember that because I rode home in the car with her hair wrapped up in a special color cap and a thin line of dark brunette color streaking down her cheeks.

While the temporary color did a great job, she still continues to experiment with natural darkening treatments which enhance her natural brunette, but covers the slight tinge of red which pops out throughout the ends.   (more…)

While there’s lots of great hair care information on the Web, there’s also a lot of misinformation which if not tempered correctly, can actually harm your hair in the long term.

One such piece of misinformation is a range of Do It Yourself (DIY) Scalp Scrubs created from a variety of natural ingredients ranging from white and brown sugar to Epsom Salts, bentonite clay, salt, sand or similar grainy substances.

(Image of brown sugar from Haap Media Ltd – All Rights Reserved)

While it might sound fabulous to whip up a great scalp scrub from yummy ingredients like brown sugar, yogurt, shea butter or coco butter, when you use ingredients which are coarse, they can actually damage the scalp, the roots and even the hair’s cuticle.

Not everyone will agree with my hypothesis but personally I have seen and heard of several cases where DIY scrubs would actually leave the scalp red, tender or even raw if scrubbed too aggressively.  (more…)

During winter months hair can feel more dry and moisture starved than at any other time of the year.  When hair is moisture challenged hair experts often suggest incorporating regular deep conditioning treatments.

(All images courtesy of Celebrity Hairdresser Barbara Lhotan – All Rights Reserved)

While straw like strands may initially respond positively to rich conditioners, some hair consumers report that regular deep conditioning treatments make their hair feel more dry then before they were deep conditioned.

Deep Conditioners With Proteins, Softening Agents And Silicones

It may sound crazy, but in some cases you can actually deep condition your tresses too much.

Why?  The majority of deep conditioners contain a high concentration of proteins, softening agents and silicones (cones).  Deep conditioners often contain dimethicone, a heavier silicon, which is popular because of its super slippery properties which can instantly make hair look and feel better.

Silicons are actually designed to leave a protective barrier on hair.  As a result, sometimes this may be experienced as a light film build-up on the strands. (more…)

Chateau Lorraine fully utilizes powerful antioxidants found in wine grapes

Los Angeles, CA — Lewis Laboratories recently unveiled Chateau Lorraine, a new line of natural skin care products that utilize powerful antioxidants including resveratrol found in wine grapes.

The grape extracts used in the Chateau Lorraine products are super-concentrated in a special process that maximizes their potency and effectiveness, providing unmatched beneficial ingredients in every drop.

The new line includes an antioxidant body lotion, grape seed body oil, intensive body butter, nourishing body wash and grape seed body polish.

“Because of our experience in creating some of the world’s most well-known skin care products, we were uniquely able to develop this special product line,” said Ron Lewis, CEO of Lewis Laboratories. “This is the world’s first skin care product to fully maximize the benefits of the wine grape.”

The company’s proprietary Vinizome technology transports these rich ingredients more deeply into the skin than any other skin care product available. The Vinizomes encase the active ingredients, ensuring they are protected until they are absorbed precisely where most needed, providing moisturize, nourishment, renewal and protection. (more…)

The Brazilian Blowout is the latest version of the wildly popular Brazilian keratin treatments.  One of the downsides of the traditional Brazilian chemical treatment is that you can’t wash your hair for up to 72 hours after the treatment is applied.

Not only can’t you get your hair wet or wash it, you can’t put anything in your hair which will crease it.  That includes barrettes,jaws, claws, ponytail elastics or bobby pins.

(Image of Jennifer Aniston – DC Media – All Rights Reserved)

It also means you can’t tuck your hair behind your ear or sleep with your hair bunched up or else you will create unwanted creases.

The solution?  Many people are abandoning the more traditional Brazilian treatments for the Brazilian Blowout which takes as little as 60 minutes and allows you to immediately wash your hair.

How does the Brazilian Blowout work?  A customized Keratin formula is applied to the strands.  The Keratin coats the strands with proteins while also filling in all the little holes and gaps in the hair that have occurred due to various environmental, chemical and styling abuses.  In a sense the Keratin is like applying spackle to holes and cracks in the wall. (more…)

Just Say Now is one of the groups promoting the legalization of marijuana in California in 2010.

Initially Facebook (FB), considered the most influential social networking site around, accepted advertising from the Just Say Now group to help promote the legalization of pot.

(Image of Dutch marijuana leaf – Haap Media Ltd., – All Rights Reserved)

In fact, FB ran the legalization ads from August 7th to August 16th which generated 38 million impressions.  The Just Say Now’s fan page grew to over 6,000 members in very short order, but then FB suddenly withdrew the ads.

Poof.  One minute the ads were there.  The next they were gone.  The problem?  The marijuana leaf.

Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said “The image of a pot leaf is classified with all smoking products and therefore is not acceptable under our policies.”  Noyes’ comments were express in an email to Just Say Now, which was published on various news sites and on the Web. (more…)