Thursday, December 22, 2016

Common Bad Habits That Make You Lose More Hair

There are many reasons why your hair may be thinning. Thyroid problems and other hormonal imbalances can be the cause. Stress resulting from traumatic events like a divorce or health conditions like a pregnancy or a major surgery can result in severe hair loss.

But most of the time, it’s your lifestyle, your habits that make you lose more hair. Here are 7 of the most common ones:

1. Crash dieting

According to dermatologists, severe hair loss is one of the top symptoms in diagnosing anorexics. When the human body is starved of food, rather than making or maintaining its hair, it directs whatever little energy it has into the functioning of its most essential organs like the heart and the brain.

Since hair is primarily made of protein, a diet rich in lean protein like lentils, beans, fish, and chicken can help save your strands. About 25 to 30% of your total calories should be from the lean protein.

2. Mishandling Wet Hair

Many of us comb our hair after a wash to detangle and smoothen out the tresses. But this often leads to breakage as wet hair is more fragile.

It’s best to let the hair dry before brushing it and even then, don’t brush it 100 times a day as advised by the older generations. Tugging at the hair so much will result in plenty of breakage. [1] If you do need to comb your wet hair, use a comb, not a brush and be as gentle as possible.

3. Wearing Tight Hairstyles

tight

Image source

Tight hairstyles involving pulling your hair back into tight buns or a ponytail can damage your hair as these styles put excessive tension on the hair follicles. Constantly sporting such hairstyles can lead to alopecia, a medical condition where the hair follicles are permanently weakened and cannot grow [2].

Wear your hair down whenever possible. When you do tie your hair, ensure it is not pulling on your scalp. Change your hairstyle occasionally and use fabric made bands for tying them. Never use rubber bands to tie your hair as they can cause breakage.

4. Using hot styling tools

The high heat from blow dryers and other hair styling equipment can lead to hair damage. Never use curling irons or straighteners on wet hair. The excessive heat on fragile wet hair leads to hair breakage and makes the scalp more prone to hair fall.

It is best to limit the use of this equipment and allow your hair to air-dry as much as possible.

5. Taking oral birth control pills

The wrong oral birth control can damage the hair of women who are sensitive to hair loss due to hormonal changes during menstruation. If you are an androgen-sensitive [3] person, birth control pills containing androgens can cause your hair to fall out.

In such cases, you can switch to low-androgen index birth control pills. If you are doubtful, you can test for androgen sensitivity, all it takes is a quick cheek swab genetic test.

6. Scratching the Head

scratch

Image Source

If you suffer from dandruff, a lice infestation or an itchy scalp due to any other reason, the constant scratching to relieve the itch can cause cuticle damage which makes the hair fiber more prone to breakage.

It’s better to relieve the itch with over-the-counter products like shampoos with zinc pyrithione, tea tree oil or selenium. Visit a dermatologist if the problem does not resolve, they may prescribe antifungal shampoo or cortisone foam to help with the itching.

Reference

[1] http://ift.tt/2i7gFQl
[2] http://ift.tt/1SFKcP3
[3] http://ift.tt/1WDRPZo

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Foods That You Don't Know Are Making You Sweat More

Some people believe that profuse sweating is something that they have to deal with the rest of their lives. However, little did they know that there are triggers that cause them to sweat more than others.

If anyone desires to get rid of his or her excessive sweating, they have to look at their diet first.

The types of food you consume can be deciding factors that trigger excessive sweating. Taking out the specific food groups identified below from your diet is one way to reduce profuse sweating.

Spicy foods

chili

Is it hot or did you just eat something spicy?

To be honest, spicy food is known to make people sweat excessively, but not for the reason you’re thinking.

Spicy foods increase your metabolism which causes your body temperature to rise and make you sweat profusely. Generally, foods that ‘speeds up’ your metabolism do not so much speed things up as cause your metabolism to work harder to produce the end product.

Coffee

coffee

Drinking coffee can also cause excessive sweating. The drink contains caffeine, which is a well-known stimulant. While it is popular for powering most people to work early before day breaks, caffeine also stimulates your central nervous system. Therefore, not only does it jolt your senses, but it also jolts your sweat glands, which could cause you to break a sweat even before arriving at the office. Arriving at work drenched in your perspiration is not a good look for you in the office.

Therefore, if you experience sweating and are a regular coffee drinker, it is best to (gasp) cut out coffee, and you may find yourself relieved with having drier clothes and body. If you cannot resist consuming freshly brewed coffee to start your mornings, then you should settle with chilled caffeinated drinks instead.

Fruits and Vegetables

fruits-market-colors

Followers of raw food and vegetarian diets will vouch for this because they are comprised of complex carbohydrates and fiber, fruits and vegetables use a greater amount of energy to digest than processed foods. This energy is created by metabolism which works faster to cope. Eating onions and garlic and anything that is high in vitamin B can also make you sweat a lot too. B vitamins raise the body’s internal temperature thus making you sweat more than normal.

Lean Proteins

food-dinner-lunch-chicken

According to Vanderbilt University, sweating due to a high consumption of protein is the body disposing urea. The substance is formed during a protein breakdown in the body, causing your body to sweat more than usual.

Turkey and chicken and fish are the greatest sources of lean protein as they develop naturally lower in fat than red meats. Research has shown that protein assists in boosting metabolic rate because, just like fiber, it is less easily digested and therefore burns more energy to digest which leads to sweating.

Alcohol

food-night-alcohol-beer

From a more practical standpoint, alcohol helps you drown your sorrows until you are in a drunken stupor. However, as you fill your body with alcoholic beverages, your blood vessels also widen. This process referred to as vasodilation causes your pores to enlarge, which gives way for sweat to come out easier from your body.

If you are lucky enough, instead of projectile vomiting due to so much alcohol, you’d be sweating bullets instead. Unless you prefer the other way around.

To recap, if you cut spicy foods, coffee, and alcohol out of your diet and regular daily routine, you may be surprised to notice a substantial decrease in the amount of sweat you produce.

So be cautious of what you eat and drink and cut off these foods in your daily routine to stop sweating so much and live the life that you want.

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Diarrhea Every Day? Maybe You Need To Avoid These Drinks

An unreliable digestive system is a nuisance. If you experience diarrhea on a frequent basis you will know how annoying and embarrassing it can be. Even if you have suffered with this problem for years, it can be fixed. Daily diarrhea is not normal and needs to be addressed as soon as possible. In this article, we will look at the first steps you can take in identifying the root cause of the issue and regaining your digestive health.

What causes diarrhea?

Diarrhea is the name given to loose watery stools. It can occur over a short period of time (this is referred to as “acute diarrhea”) or persist over several weeks (known as “chronic diarrhea”). It can be caused by a wide range of factors such as taking certain kinds of medication, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the after-effects of surgery, over-consumption of caffeine or alcohol and infectious diseases.

Ideas for quick fixes

As previously mentioned there are many reasons why you may develop diarrhea. The focus on this article is quick fixes you can implement by yourself. Remember that if your symptoms persist or worsen then it’s time to seek medical advice. You may have an infection that requires medical treatment such as antibiotics. However in many cases diarrhea can be treated via self-help measures.

Try cutting milk from your diet

Lactose intolerance is a common cause of diarrhea. Typically, sufferers will experience the onset of bloating, abdominal pain and diarrhea between 30 minutes and two hours following consumption of lactose-containing products. [1] Cut out all milk and dairy products for a week and see whether it makes a difference.

Some people can tolerate more lactose than others, so you may find that the occasional lactose-containing meal or snack isn’t much of a problem. Check ingredients lists with care because lactose is used in many prepackaged foods. Some foods you will want to avoid include:

Bread and other baked goods
Potato chips and similar processed snack foods
Margarine
Salad dressings
Candy
Protein shakes and bars
Processed breakfast cereals
Processed meats

Some people who are lactose intolerant find that they can tolerate fermented milk products because in their fermented state the lactose has been “pre-digested” prior to human consumption. Research carried out at Columbus University suggests that some fermented milk products contain enzymes that help people with lactose intolerance break down lactose efficiently. [2]

You may wish to try kefir, an alternative to regular yogurt that is made by adding grains from the kefir plant to regular yogurt. Regular yogurt that contains significant amounts of bioactive cultures can also be a good choice, as the bacteria support healthy gut function.

Reduce your caffeine intake

Caffeine can act as a laxative, meaning that if you suffer from chronic diarrhea it ought to be among the first substances you reduce in your diet. It’s easy to drink many cups of tea and coffee throughout the day and miss the link between what you are drinking and your bowel’s responses. Try alternating your caffeinated beverages with water or switch to decaffeinated versions of your favorite hot drinks.

Stick to sensible limits when it comes to alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol results in stomach inflammation, also known as “gastritis.” This can result in diarrhea. Moreover, drinking to excess also has a detrimental effect on the pancreas. When the pancreas becomes irritated and inflamed, the knock-on effects include digestive impairment and stomach pain. It’s important to note that pancreatic inflammation is not treatable, [3] so it is vital to keep your alcohol intake within safe limits.

The above self-help tips should help in maintaining a regular digestive system. Remember that in order to reap the benefits you must be consistent in making good dietary and lifestyle choices.

Reference

[1] http://ift.tt/2i0q1R1
[2] http://ift.tt/2i7gK6A
[3] http://ift.tt/2i0oD0q

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Do Looks Really Matter in Closing Sales and Climbing the Ladder?

job interview

We often hear that it doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. However, such conventional wisdom may not always apply in the workplace. Studies indicate that your physical appearance can have a significant impact on your choice of career and professional advancement.

People of all ages, from schoolchildren to office workers, are perceived based on their looks, notes researcher and author on physical attractiveness, Dr. Gordon L Patzer.[1] “What you look like—or, more importantly, how your looks are perceived (by others and by yourself)—shapes your life in dozens of subtle and not so subtle ways from cradle to grave,” says Dr. Patzer. In his studies, he illustrates this with examples of cuter newborns, who will be embraced more, and fifth-graders who are treated more leniently by their teachers because they have more pleasing facial features.

Similar trends can be observed in the workplace. Unsurprisingly, women often feel stronger pressure than men to maintain an attractive appearance. A study conducted in 2005[2] by sociologists at NYU found that if a woman gains a noticeable amount of weight, she is likely to see a decrease in her earnings as well as in her professional status. This is less often the case for men, with whom society is much more forgiving.

According to this study, “body mass is also associated with a reduction in a woman’s likelihood of marriage, her spouse’s occupational prestige, and her spouse’s earnings. However, consistent with past research, men experience no negative effects of body mass on economic outcomes. Age splits show that it is among younger adults where BMI effects are most robust, lending support to the interpretation that it is BMI causing occupational outcomes and not the reverse.”

Inversely, women will sometimes find that being too attractive can hinder their professional advancement. The same study notes that women who are deemed “too attractive” are not taken seriously, and viewed with suspicion by both their male and female colleagues. There is no way to gauge the ideal level of attractiveness, but it is evident that from an early age and throughout their careers, women are held to much higher levels of scrutiny than men.

One challenge that both men and women share is aging – older workers in certain fields must compete with younger people whose naturally youthful appearances make them seem more qualified to keep up with current trends in technology and business. For more mature professionals, that can mean going under the knife. While cosmetic surgery has long been considered the sole preserve of Hollywood superstars, the popularity of surgical and minimally invasive procedures has risen significantly over the past years. Botox, for instance, has seen a 335% rise in popularity[3] among men since the year 2000.

Cosmetic surgery is not a cheap endeavor, costing tens of thousands of dollars for certain procedures. However, if spending lots of money now could mean making more money in the future, then it’s not much of a surprise that people are willing to take that financial risk. “The competitive job market is often cited as the main motivating factor for men to get plastic surgery,” says Dr. Douglas Steinbrech,[4] a New York plastic surgeon who caters to a predominantly male clientele. “Men are definitely paying more attention and investing more into their appearance than before. In order of popularity, they are lining up for nose jobs, eyelid surgery, breast reduction (gynecomastia), liposuction, and face-lifts. Men now account for more than 10 percent of plastic surgery patients.”

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but with proper grooming he can still win prizes.

Featured photo credit: Pexels via pexels.com

Reference

[1] Dr. Patzer’s study: http://ift.tt/2i7hWXZ
[2] NYU study: http://ift.tt/2i0pK0n
[3] Botox in men: http://ift.tt/2i7f8tF
[4] Dr. Steinbrech: http://ift.tt/1AAXlN5

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Increase Video Conversions with These Marketing Tips

Video marketing has changed the way we interact with content because this format is more practical. For example, instead of reading text tutorials, you can follow through on a video lesson easily helping you accomplish your main task at hand.

Not to mention, sites like Vimeo.com and YouTube.com have made it easy for us to post cool tutorials which not only build our audience, but help promote our brand and credibility. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some top marketing companies who are trying to utilize video formats to increase engagement on their website. They do this in two ways.

First, they’ll put together an information video to post on their website, and will shoot an email with attachment to existing customers.

Secondly, they’ll post the video on YouTube.com making sure it’s been optimized correctly to increase brand awareness. You simply create an account on YouTube.com, upload your video, and then make sure you have the right keywords related to your video. You’ll be surprised how effective this strategy is in getting your brand across to millions of people around the world. If this is something you’re planning to do, then it’s important you utilize the following video marketing strategies which I’ll outline below.

Research Topics

It’s important you focus on creating a video which answers common problems within your niche. I’ve noticed this type of content attracts the most engagement because it solves a major problem people are having within your niche. Compile a list of questions by visiting forums to look for a trend in the type of questions being asked. You can also email your subscribers asking them to fill out a survey attached where you ask what topic you should write about next.

Also, contact other top bloggers in your niche who have experience asking them for insight on what’s trending since they’ve been around longer. I’m sure they’ll be able to provide you with a cool list of trending topics you should be focusing on going forward.

Focus on Audience

Just like your content, it’s important you create your videos for your audience not yourself. By now you should have a clear indication of what type of content your audience loves and where they are around the world so you don’t run into a language barrier. If language is an issue, then you can hire an editor to convert the video into a language your audience will understand.

Now that you know your audience, it’s important you create a video which appeals to them because this will increase social shares, engagement and links to the video. Ask yourself these common questions before creating a video:

  • Who is my audience?
  • What type of value are they looking for?
  • What is the purpose of this video?
  • How long should it be to get my point across?
  • On which video platforms should I upload my video?
  • What format should the video be in to get the best quality? (we’ll explore this later)

Make The Video Educational

When creating videos, you’ll have a lot of options like presentations, product introductions, and short clips, however I found the highest converting are those which are educational. The purpose of these types of videos is to educate the audience through case studies, live experiments, how-to, etc.

The substance and/or value gained from such videos is priceless which is why they have such a high attraction rate. It’s been said that educational videos tend to have 55% more engagement in the form of links, social shares, comments, and sales then any other type of video.

The next time you create a video, find ways to make it educational by incorporating a case study or experiment to help illustrate your main objective or point.

The Right Video Format

At one point, I was uploading videos in the lowest format because I didn’t know what type of negative effective it would have on my engagement. That year I must have lost 10% of my overall readership which is a lot when the potential audience is the world.

Video format is just like “font color” or “font spacing” because when content is hard to read then your audience will just leave because there is NO shortage of other valuable content online. Using the same principal, it’s important you upload the highest quality video because this will make it easier for people to watch and pull out value. Video’s can be uploaded in FLV, MOV, QT, AVI, HD.

For Youtube.com make sure the content can play in high-definition 720p-1080p since this is probably what your competition is uploading video’s in. For more information on converting to YouTube, please check out this blog section which illustrates how to convert to and from YouTube.com.

Call-To-Action

YouTube, several years back, integrated the ability for people to add a direct link within the video and description. It’s important you take advantage of this integration and link back to your main page, content, or product. Make sure it’s in the call-to-action format because this is where most of the conversion will occur. Use phrases like – “click here”, “free trial”, “learn more”, “limited time only”. There is also a way to format the call-to-action text so it stands out increasing the likelihood of a conversion taking place.

Final Thoughts

Above I have gone through some of the fundamentals of high converting videos. Make sure you start to apply each one the next time you are creating a video for your content, service or product. Just make sure you have an analytical tool in place to check for conversions so you know what’s working and what’s not. Your main objective is to engage your audience so you build your brand, credibility and increase your bottom line (profits).

Featured photo credit: Laura Lee Moreau via unsplash.com

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I Wish Everyone Could Take These 10 Advice As Early As They Could...

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