Saunas Then And Now

The origin of the sauna is lost in the mists of time, but its history goes back over 1,000 years. The nomadic peoples of Finland had a primitive type of sauna around the first millennium that was made by building a fire inside a tent-like structure. When the heat had built up and the fire was out, people would enter the sauna to bathe. This was very similar to the American Indian sweat lodge.

This type of sauna evolved into a smoke sauna -- a small building with a stone fireplace inside with a hole in the roof for the smoke to escape. The smoke sauna was commonly used until the 1920s, when it started to be replaced by the modern form of sauna. The smoke sauna, however, has enjoyed a recent revival in Finland. Many people consider it to be the finest type of sauna. The modern introduced a new type of stove which allowed the rocks to be heated without being placed directly over the fire flames. This allowed the fire to burn while the sauna was being used. The earliest stoves of this type used wood as a fuel, but later models used electricity.

 

Types of Saunas

Saunas can be built in many shapes and styles. They can be separate buildings or they can be installed in a house or apartment. Traditional saunas use separate wooden structures.

The worldwide popularity of saunas has spurred innovative new designs. One of the most unusual is the portable sauna; a folding sauna that can be used almost anywhere. The folding sauna is just big enough for 1 person to sit in. There is a hole for your head and slits for your hands if you wish to read or talk on the phone while you are enjoying this sauna. Another unusual design is the barrel sauna. This is a small cabin constructed using barrel-making techniques, which holds 6 to 8 people. Barrel saunas can be installed either inside or outside the home.

Infrared saunas have been used since the 1960s. The heating source here is an infrared heater. Unlike traditional heaters that heat the air in the sauna, infrared heaters heat objects and people, but not the air. Since infrared offers deeper tissue penetration, its proponents believe infrared saunas have superior health benefits.

 

Sauna Construction

Almost every type of sauna is made of wood. The walls, ceilings, floors and benches are all made from a wood such as cedar or hemlock. The only non-wood materials are the stove and the rocks that are heated on the stove.

The sauna creates a dry heat--usually between 150 degrees and 200 degrees F. From time to time, water can be thrown on the rocks. This creates a cloud of steam, which has the effect of immediately raising the temperature. The sauna can be heated with an electric or wood stove. Wood stoves are traditional in the countryside, but most urban saunas use an electric heater. Whatever the type or construction, you owe it to yourself to treat yourself to a sauna. It may just become your favorite mode of relaxation.

Natural Beauty; The Benefits of Holistic Skin Care

What is holistic skin care? It’s a regimen that recognizes that your skin is not just the outermost layer of your body it’s also a reflection of your body’s internal state. Rather than just treating the surface symptoms, such as wrinkles, sallow skin, acne, dry flakes, and so on, holistic skin care aims to target the root problems in an effort to revitalize and rejuvenate the entire body. As a result, you don’t just see an improved appearance; you also feel more energized, clear-headed, and physically fit.

Prescription Drugs Vs. Holistic Treatment Options

Holistic skin care sometimes gets a negative reputation from mainstreamers who prefer to prescribe drugs for virtually every condition they encounter. The trouble is, most prescription medications and medical fixes have isolated effects, failing to take the whole picture into account. A strong oral anti-acne drug like Accutane might have the effect of reducing superficial skin oiliness and reducing acne, but only at the expense of the liver. Botox injections may plump up the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but the effects are temporary and the safeness of the procedure is questionable.

Now what if you knew that eating salmon 10 times a week could not only plump up your skin and fill out wrinkles but also make your hair more lustrous, diminish blemishes, and improve your elimination system? Would you still opt for that Botox needle, or would you start making salmon part of your weekly diet plan?

And what if you were told that dry brushing your skin each morning before jumping in the shower could revitalize your sluggish circulatory system, boosting your energy, empowering your immune system, ridding your body of toxins, and clearing your head and skin? Would you keep taking dangerous antibiotics for your acne when simply sloughing your legs and arms with a loofah could dramatically improve your complexion? (And did you know that taking antibiotics can actually throw your whole system out of whack, killing off the good bacteria that are essential to digestion ultimately clogging up your elimination system and worsening your complexion?)

Certainly, some medicines are modern miracles, providing cures to people who would otherwise be condemned to suffering. But in this day and age, medications are so over-prescribed (and often inappropriately prescribed) that it is good to be wary before popping another pill. Many physicians in the West don’t know much about natural treatments options or alternative solutions to common skin problems. It is well within your rights as a patient to research them and discuss them with your physician or dermatologist if you so choose.

Caring for Your Skin the Natural Way

In your attempts to improve the condition of your skin, start by looking inward. Don’t just think about how you look think about how you feel.

Are you irritable, congested, upset, depressed, stressed out? If so, topical treatments alone may not do the trick. You’ve got to exercise, drink plenty of water, dry brush your skin and perhaps even get regular massages as a way to recharge your batteries, boost circulation and improve your mental state. How we look is a reflection of what’s going on inside, and that includes both our physical and our emotional health.

Pay attention to your diet a much neglected aspect of life in our modern day and age. Make sure you are eating foods that feed your skin, not foods that work against your body. Avoid excessive sugars, white flour and processed items, which trigger dangerous inflammation. Junk foods and fast foods are a big no-no. Limit your intake of meat, which essentially rots inside your gut; instead, choose plenty of veggies and fruits they will help sweep out your colon, improving absorption of nutrients and boosting your energy levels. Eat lots of oily fish, like salmon, to give your body the essential fats for proper functioning.

As you eat, try this simple and yet incredibly effective tip: chew your food thoroughly. Don’t just chomp a few times and swallow. Instead, chew at least a dozen times on each side of the mouth. Most of us don’t break down our food into small enough pieces, and this can wreak havoc on our digestion by hindering the body’s absorption of nutrients. You may be surprised to find that this simple change has a considerable impact on how you feel and how your skin looks.

Give the Holistic Approach an Honest Try

If you’re used to quick fixes and easy prescriptions, it may be hard to accept the idea that deceptively simple changes like the ones above, in combination with natural topical treatments and vitamin supplements, can have a major impact on your health and your skin’s condition. But just give them a try and you may be shocked at how quickly your body transforms. The human body is astonishingly resilient and fast to respond to positive changes you’ll see the proof in your mirror!

Erectile Dysfunction Being Punched by Viagra Blues

Nothing in the world excites you better than sex…it’s an irrepressible desire…you can not run away from sex by any means. Sex is an ultimate enhancer as well as a drastic depressor; sexual dissatisfaction leaves you in vulnerable position.

A good sex is a sensational experience; it rejuvenates your mind and body and increases your self-belief. But there are times when little Johnny does not supports you, you desperately want it but you can’t have it, and this is the time when manhood is at stake.

In medical terms the problem is christened as Erectile Dysfunction, it is defined as the inability to keep up erection essential for sexual gratification, to be a bit more precise, it can be categorized as temporary or short term erectile dysfunction or permanent erectile dysfunction. About 150 million men around the world are under its grasp, its thoroughly different form other sexual problems related to orgasm or reluctance towards sex.

Some vital factors contributing to erectile dysfunction are:

• Diabetes, high cholesterol, and early stages of heart disease can cause erectile dysfunction.
• Emotional disorder, problem in relationship.
• Socioeconomic issues.
• Smoking and alcoholism.
• Lack of frequent erection.

Taking impotence on your self esteem can hamper your professional as well as personal lives, it may not have a permanent cure but it is easily treatable. Online prescription pill such as Viagra is remarkably successful in the treatment of ED.

The miraculous blue pills (Viagra) hit the market hit the market in 1998 and since then it has dominated the global male impotence market. Viagra has been successful in treating 65%to 70% cases of impotence; this fact has further enhanced its popularity. Viagra belongs to a group of drugs that contain PDE-5 inhibitors, which work by relaxing the blood vessels and allowing blood to flow into the penis. The result is a natural erection.

Viagra is available in 25mg, 50mg and 100mg tablets, to be taken as per recommended by the doctor. Take Viagra 30 minutes before sex and enjoy its effect for the next five hours. A heavy meal and alcohol consumption can increase the time taken for Viagra to effect. Viagra can lead to serious side effects such as headache, mild facial flushes and upset stomach. Other effects noted are a bluish tinge to vision, blurred vision and light sensitivity, although these are far less common.

Viagra is strictly restricted for women and children. Adolescents who are not suffering from erectile dysfunction should not go for Viagra as it can lead to dangerous adverse effects. Kill erectile dysfunction before it kills yours and your partners flourishing relationship, take the magical blue pills and enjoy the sexciting consequences.

5 Healthy Ways to Prevent and Heal Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are a common dermatological problem in both sexes of all ages. Stretch Mark scars are formed when our skin needs to be stretched quickly. A sudden weight gain, pregnancy, puberty, height gaining, and sudden weight loss may cause cases like that. The inner layer of the skin tears as the normal production of the major protein that makes up the connective tissue in our skin, collagen, is disrupted. Trying to heal the wounds, the skin is increasing the amount of collagen in the overstretched tissue, resulting in those familiar pinkish lines.

 
If you are in one of these situations, watch out, you don’t want to see these lines on your skin later. Stretch Mark Treatments are often ineffective and in some cases very expensive. It is better prevent than to treat, so here are some prevention tips for you:

• Follow a balanced diet. Keep your weight gain within the recommended range, as sudden weight gain or weight loss is the most common cause of stretch marks as well as other health problems. If you have weight problems or sudden weight changes consult your doctor or dietician.
• Drink plenty of water. Hydration is important for your overall health and it is critical to healthy skin. Skin needs water for elasticity. Dehydration makes skin looking dry, lined and feeling delicate, being vulnerable enough for stretch marks and scars.
• Vitamins are a certain way to ensure proper nutritional status and shiny strong skin in and out. All vitamins are essential for healthy skin but you can make sure that you take enough of the skin beneficial vitamins; Vitamin A is critical for normal life cycle of skin cells, vitamin C, iron and copper which are important for the synthesis of collagen, folate is important for rapidly dividing skin cells, Vitamins B1 and B2 are critical for energy production in the cells and vitamin B12 is essential for a variety of synthetic processes in the cells.
• You can also use a body brush to massage the areas where you have or want to prevent stretch marks from appearing, such us the thighs, buttocks, breasts and arms. This massage will increase circulation to the area, adding points to your efforts.
• Moisturize your skin externally. You can apply several moisturizing creams and oils. Daily massage the area with a substance of your choice. Olive oil, vaseline, vitamin E cream, different types of butter such us cocoa butter, coconut butter and shea butter will do fine. There are also special creams marketed especially for stretch mark prevention, formulas that are designed to help enhance collagen production and support the dermis. These moisturizers will help keep your skin supple and elastic plus serve as nutrition for your skin.

 
Finally, keep in mind that the appearance of stretch marks is not entirely in your hands. Heredity and skin complexion is also important. Stretch marks are the result of a healthy body trying to heal itself. So, if despite your efforts you continue to see stretch marks on your skin, do not despair. You are a healthy individual and your marks tell a story. There are always new treatments waiting for you to try, and cosmetic science is always progressing rapidly in this direction.