The combination of neuropathy (the deadening of nerves) and poor circulation means that diabetics must take extra caution when it comes to the care of their feet. Even a small nick can quickly become infected and turn ulcerous; diabetes is, in fact, the number one cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputation. For this reason many diabetics are cautioned not to seek pedicures at all, and urged instead to visit a podiatrist on a regular basis to have their nails trimmed and nothing more.

What should be true for all your pedicure clients must be double true for diabetic spa clients. Baths and tools must be stringently and rigorously disinfected without lapse or exception – some spas even go so far as to insist that diabetic clients bring their own tools.

It is estimated that somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 million women over the age of 20 in the US suffer from diabetes; the introduction of podiatry within the context of a medical spa setting can be a good way to attract and care for this sensitive demographic.

It is a time of year when you are not only in competition with other spas but with a thousand other retailers. Every one of them is vying for the disposable income of not only your potential clientele but your regular customers as well. It is not a time of year when you can afford to let an opportunity pass you by.

Offer enticing seasonal spa treatments in the month of December. Regular customers who are feeling the financial pinch may be temped to come in anyway simply to give them a try rather than miss out on them. Seasonal treatments can also be used to offer lower priced treatments during a more competitive season without compromising the integrity of your year-round rates.

Finally, by adding special cranberry scrubs or pumpkin body wraps to your menu, you afford yourself a perfect opportunity to hit the social media trail –be it Twitter, Facebook or your mailing list– with a fresh message.

There are many excellent traditional spas out there, vying for the attention and patronage of your customers. There are also, in most urban centers across the country, a growing number plastic surgeons. Between the traditional spa and plastic surgeon’s office, there is no service offered at a Medi-Spa that can’t be found elsewhere.

So why does a client choose a medical spa over a plastic surgeon?

In 1966, noted psychology professor Abraham Maslow said, “It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” There is a sense, not altogether unwarranted in some cases, that if you go into a plastic surgeon’s office, every issue will be perceived as potentially a surgical/medical procedure, whereas at a medical spa, a full spectrum of solutions are available and therefore considered.

Some woman have, what they consider to be, entirely legitimate issues with the growing ubiquity of certain procedures such as breast augmentation. Many of these same women may not take issue with laser hair removal, chemical peels, or botox and would prefer to direct their business to establishments that offer medical but non-surgical procedures.

There is also a fear, in this case mostly unfounded, that a plastic surgeon will try to pressure a woman to consider procedures which they might not have considered on their own.

If as the owner of a medical spa, you compete against a number of local plastic surgeons, it is worth giving some thought to what is behind your clients’ decision to choose you over them. The more you know about your clients and their motivations the better you will be able to meet their needs in the future.

How it is achieved:
Bone health is achieved through activities, such as exercise. In addition, you maintain healthy bones by increasing calcium. Supplements are available, which include the FDA marked remedies to help reduce bone loss from natural aging.

Taking calcium is very important during our entire life.  Children should drink 2 cups of milk each day and adults 3 cups. Calcium in food is better to take than pills because you get more of it; food sometimes doesn’t have the right amounts in it due to the way it has been processed. Get that calcium in your body at an early age and keep it there. Besides calcium however, your bones demand a mixture of magnesium. You will also need a healthy dose of phosphorous. Vitamin D facilitates calcium to flow through the bloodstream. Free flowing bloods make a healthier you.

To improve bones, we also need to start at an early age getting plenty of vitamin D. As we get older, we have a tendency to stay out of the sun more. Don’t sit in the house all day. Rather try to get outside around noon and get some sun with all those vitamin D rays. Supplements can be used but again the sun is better. Maybe take a walk for 15-20 minutes each day to get the sun.

As we age into the later years of our life, we have to keep those bones strong. You can benefit from weight bearing exercise such as walking, jogging and bicycle riding. Keeping those bones strong will help you survive falls, which is one of the leading reasons for bone breakage or fractures, especially as we grow older.

Unfortunately, adolescents don’t realize the importance of taking care of bones. As adolescents pass puberty however, their bones start to decline. Once a person reaches 50, bone density decreases, which puts you at high risk of fractures, disease and breakage. As the bones weaken, the muscles and joints will also degenerate. Injures then can lead to gouty arthritis, arthritis, osteoporosis and so on.

The high-risks of bone fractures are well documented, with hip fractures being the most common injury among the elderly. Hip fractures may sound like a minor ordeal, yet the truth is hip fractures are responsible for some deaths.

Weak bones are avoidable even once you are middle age. It’s never too late to repair or mend our bodies.

Staying fit is the key to preventing risks of disease, hip fractures etc since the bones will stay healthy. In view of the fact, you want to consider a daily schedule, which includes activities and exercise. You want to keep those muscles free to move, since the muscles protect the bones. Stretch workouts and exercise will prevent your joints from feeling stiff as well, which joints support the muscles and bones.

When you exercise regularly, you maintain weight. As you start to age, the body fat increases to more than 30%. This is too much added weight for the muscles, joints and bones. Carrying around this kind of weight on the feet, legs, etc will cause problems later.

Maintaining your weight will also help prevent and lower risks of heart disease, bone disease, high-blood, high-cholesterol, and diabetes.

The FDA warned six U.S. based medical spas and a Brazilian company to stop making false claims about the drugs used in these procedures.

There’s no proof the procedures work and serious side effects can occur, agency says

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

Sold on the Internet and used by some spas, lipodissolve is a procedure that its proponents claim will eliminate fat. U.S. companies claim that the drugs used in the procedure are safe and effective, but these products have never been approved by the FDA, the agency said.

“We are concerned that these companies are misleading consumers,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a prepared statement. “It is important for anyone who is considering this voluntary procedure to understand that the products used to perform lipodissolve procedures are not approved by the FDA for fat removal.”

Lipodissolve involves several injections that supposedly dissolve and remove small pockets of fat from areas of the body.

Lipodissolve is also known as mesotherapy, lipozap, lipotherapy, or injection lipolysis. The drugs most often used are combinations of phosphatidylcholine and deoxycholate.

Sometimes other ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and herbal extracts are added into the mix, the agency said.

However, there is no “credible scientific evidence that supports the effectiveness of any of these substances for fat elimination, and their safety when used alone or in combination is unknown,” the FDA said.

The FDA has asked for a written response from the U.S. companies within 15 days outlining how they plan to correct the violations and prevent future violations. Failure to correct the violations could result in legal action, the agency said.

Each company has been cited for a variety of violations, including making “unsupported claims that the products have an outstanding safety record and are superior to other fat loss procedures, including liposuction,” the FDA said.

Also, some of these companies have claimed that lipodissolve can treat certain medical conditions, such as male breast enlargement, benign fatty growths called lipomas, excess fat deposits and surgical deformities.

“The FDA is not aware of clinical evidence to support any of these claims,” the agency said.

FDA officials have received reports of negative side effects from people who have tried the procedure, including permanent scarring, skin deformation, and deep painful knots under the skin in areas where lipodissolve drugs were injected.

Warning letters were sent to: Monarch Medspa, King of Prussia, Penn.; Spa 35, Boise, Idaho; Medical Cosmetic Enhancements, Chevy Chase, Md.; Innovative Directions in Health, Edina, Minn.; PURE Med Spa, Boca Raton, Fla.; and All About You Med Spa, Madison, Ind.

The Brazilian company receiving the warning letter sells lipodissolve products on two Web Sites: zipmed.net and mesoone.com, the FDA said.

The FDA also has issued an import alert against these Internet sites to prevent the drugs from being imported and distributed in the United States.

Still, one can reduce such disease by avoiding injuries to the muscles and joints.You can do this by avoiding accidents when possible, abuse, excessive alcohol, drugs, tobacco and so on. You can increase your health by exercising, eating healthy, socializing with positive people, and avoiding environmental toxins. Visiting your doctor is essential to prevent disease as well. When you visit your doctor, he takes the time to study your physical status based on the family history you gave to him. The doctor will consider family history, including hereditary diseases. Your doctor will take family history into consideration as he studies diagnostics, cures, prevention, and treatment to help you avoid disease.

As noted earlier, our body starts to refuse by age 35, which our sensory organs will also start to take a rain check. At this time, the eyes are affected since they cannot remain focused on objects up close. In medical terms, this condition is known as presbyopia. This is why you see many people in the world over the age 40 wearing glasses, contact lens, bifocals and so on. Still, you see the younger generation with these same needs, which is a clear sign that aging progression is starting earlier for some. This is a note signaling hereditary makeup, or lifestyle based on environment, etc.

Many people as they grow older lose a degree of hearing. In some instances, people go deaf after 40. This condition is called presbycusis, which is a sign of aging. Since this condition is common for those aging, it is natural to dislike things you once liked. For instance, if you enjoyed concerts when you were younger, and now find that you do not enjoy concerts at all, it is because your hearing has changed, which means that the high-pitch of hearing is affected, which slowly wore down the lower hearing tone. When hearing is impaired, it often seems like those talking are inarticulate. Since the hearing is tarnished, the person will hear speech differently. For instance, the use of K may sound distorted, which affects comprehension.

In other words, a person older may here the CH in a word, such as Chute Up, and think that someone is telling them to shut-up. The CH is distorted. You can help those with hearing difficulties by learning sign and body languages to help them relate to you. These people can also benefit from hearing aids, or Assistive Listening Devices. The devices act as hearing aids, since it allows a person to block out noise in the background while focusing on the speaker.  We see natural healthy aging in this picture, yet in some instances aging signs are unnatural. For instance, if you incur lung cancer based on your history of smoking, or being around second-hand smoke, then the cause is unnatural.

As a person grows older his or her, weight changes as well and more so for those with family history of obesity. The body fat starts to change up to 30% by the time a person reaches 40. The changes affect the body tremendously, since this is the start of wrinkles and other natural aging signs.

Different wraps are suitable for various skin types and conditions, based on the client’s health considerations and personal desires.  Herbs, minerals, essential oils, sea salts, mud, aloe vera and seaweed are ingredients frequently used in body wraps.  Popular body wraps include Moor mud wraps, mineral wraps, chocolate wraps and seaweed wraps.

During a wrap, the pores are cleansed and opened before the wrap is applied.  A body wrap is usually applied to the arms, legs, neck and torso of a client. Sometimes the skin is brushed to get rid of dead skin cells and stimulate the client’s circulation. The chosen body wrap treatment is applied and the client is wrapped, often with plastic, towels or sheets.  The wraps takes about 20 to 30 minutes and then the client is rinsed in a wet room with a shower, on a wet table or with a Vichy shower.  Moisturizer is applied to maximize the treatment.  Both before and after a body wrap, clients are encouraged to drink six to eight glasses of water daily to optimize the benefits from the treatment.  Clients are discouraged from eating fried or sugar foods and drinking alcohol for 48 hours after body treatments to get the most from them.

Benefits of body wraps include boosting lymph system and metabolism, smoother skin with a glow, reduced cellulite, soothing to aches and pains, detoxification, body contouring, weight loss, temporary inch loss, skin softening and skin tightening.  Clients will feel and look noticeably better after spa body wraps.

Plazan Natural Skin Care Products list themselves as the “world leader in placenta skin care products.”  Since 1991 their skilled experts including doctors and other professionals in the medical, biological and pharmacological sciences have worked in structures at the academy of sciences for Russia.  They won a grant for innovative activity for their research in biologically active placental cell tracts and are the only company officially recognized as the developer of placental cell preparations by Russia’s Ministry of Health.

About Plazan

Plazan places a premium on quality control giving them unquestioned credibility.  Their ingredients undergo rigorous testing to assure that they are of high quality and meet all standards of both the Russian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.  They also develop their products without using physical, electromagnetic or chemical intervention.  Plazan has an openness policy as a guarantee of their customers’ quality of product, believing that the quality of their products will set them apart from the competition.

About The Products

The professional skin care products of Plazan are used by beauticians, skin care therapists, salons, clinics, cosmetologists, dermatologists and aestheticians all over the world.   Available products in the line include a high quality placenta mask system and hydrolizat of placenta’s albumens.  They also carry hyaluronic acid and elastin collagen complex.

What Makes Plazan Skin Care Products So Good?

Plazan prides itself on being one of the very few manufacturers in the world offering skin care products that are enriched through the use of placental cell components, which are 100% compatible with the skin’s biological processes and are therefore effective at hydrating, nourishing and stimulating the cell’s metabolism.  Plazan products also include Dibunol, a powerful antioxidant.  In addition Plazan uses non-aggressive techniques in production to assure total preservation of all of the properties of the active ingredients.  Plazan products contain no damaging male hormones, such as androsterone or testosterone.  The levels of female hormones are optimized to correct imbalances and stimulate the synthesis and regeneration of cells.  Clinical testing has demonstrated visible results in as few as six weeks.

The Product Guarantee

All Plazan products carry a satisfaction guarantee.  Any product that your customer is not satisfied with may be returned within thirty days of the order date for a full cash refund.  Goods must of course be returned in their original container.

Why Placenta Cells?

Plazan’s experts have determined the health benefits to skin of using placenta material gathered from maternity rooms, and always get consent forms for the use of the placentas.  Their teams have found that cell growth and metabolism can be stimulated in this manner, and that tissue can be renewed and scarring improved through use of these products.

Aveda Corporation was founded in 1978 and is today owned by Estee Lauder.  Their product lines include Shampure, Rosemary Mint, Pure-Fume and All Sensitive.  Natural essential oils are key to their quality.  According to the company founder, “Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility- not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.”

Aveda  offers education for salons associated with them as a way of assuring that skin care professionals are well aware of the ingredients and the efforts made at the highest quality standards.   Aveda also offers various treatments that are unique  to them only. The Aveda Hydrotherm massage for instance   is a massage which takes place on heated, water-filled cushions and has become  a trademark for the company. All Aveda certified treatments include the exclusive usage of Aveda made and approved products.

Partnerships With Indigenous Peoples

Aveda formed a partnership in the mid 1990’s with the babassu nut breakers of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil.  They began acquiring certified organic babassu to utilize as a base in creating rich, foaming cleansing elements called babassu betaine.  These elements offer wonderful, luxurious results and fit in well with Aveda’s declared mission, to support sustainable organic agriculture, provide ecosystem protection and to form partnerships with indigenous communities to encourage economic independence.  This collaboration has worked out very well for both groups, exceeding initial expectations.  The local collective sells Aveda babassu oil made to the high standards they need and both sides win.

Natural Oils

The rose and lavender oils Aveda uses also have a wonderful story. They come from flowers from the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria.  The valley where they are grown is near the village of Tarmichene, and is home to the Enio Bonchev rose and lavender essential oil distillery.  These oils are extra sweet due to soil botanicals.  The factory was founded over a hundred years ago by Enio Boncev, and ceased operation when the communists took over the country. But, with their new found freedom the distillery reopened.  Bonche’s son-in-law repurchased the land and opened again for business.  The result has been a partnership with Aveda resulting in economic independence for the area and an improved standard of living for the workers, as well as the return of a proud tradition.

Click here to read the previous installment of this blog series on professional skin care products

Lack of activities can prevent you from living healthy. When you do not enjoy activities, you may feel fatigue or find it difficult to sleep at night. When you awake in the morning, you may feel tired until you finally fall asleep. As we, age our body change and we have to make changes to accommodate our lives.

Having a good night sleep makes the mind think more clearly. A good night sleep also boosts your energy while controlling your weight. You can also make decisions with less stress. Sleeping well at night makes our immune system stronger to keep us healthier.  Researchers have proved that a good nights sleep is necessary for our health.  Researchers have found that lack of sleep reduces the growth hormones in our bodies, since it changes muscles to fat. Sleep overall is most important, yet it stands behind activities. To improve your health, try walking each day.

Walking will help to loosen our muscles, reduces stress and depression along with anxiety. By reliving these things, it will help us to sleep for a longer and deeper period.  So, when we wake up in the morning we feel happier and more rested.

When you exercise, you get a good night sleep, which promotes metabolism. Without the right amount of sleep, our bodies crave energy. Our body will release insulin or glucose into the bloodstream, which slows down metabolism. This action causes the body to gain weight, rather than control weight.

When a person feels exhausted, they will feel weak and repressed from enjoying activities. This leads to additional problems. Sleeping right balances out our bodies giving us, more energy leading to more activities that will satisfy our sleep needs.

What to avoid:
To rest proper and feel active you must reduce your intake of caffeine, nicotine, harmful chemicals, such as over-the-counter meds that keep you awake, alcohol and so on. The chemicals and substances will keep you awake. Try to avoid drinking anything after 8 p.m. in the evening. Nicotine should be avoid if possible, yet if you must smoke try to avoid smoking after 8 p.m.

Start a walking program in the morning to help wake you up, while boosting your energy. You will feel better since the joints will feel flexible enough to move freely. In addition, walking will help you burn fat and calories. You’ll notice a big change in how you feel the rest of the day.  Start out walking at a slow steady pace for as far as your comfortable.  Each day pick up the pace a bit and walk further. Just remember when walking that you want to work up to a steady brisk walk to make you sweat but not out of breath. Take a short walk before and after meals to calm your nerves, and burn calories too, it will give you energy, relieve that stress from the long day and help you sleep.

If you start a walking program for yourself, it is a lot more fun if you have someone to go with you. Talk to that neighbor you don’t know and maybe they’ll walk with you. Just think about it; you’ll be acquainted with someone new, talk about new things will relieve stress and get in you exercise as well. This might help that neighbor too who maybe hasn’t seen or talked to anyone in a couple of days and than they can sleep better at night.

After walking that brisk walk your doing be sure to cool down. When walking at a vigorous pace your heart rate will go up and it needs to be back to normal. Just walk a bit slow and relaxing until you’ve cooled down.

If you can’t go to sleep at night instead of getting up and turning on the TV try pacing around the house. Do some stretching and shake your arms and legs. Even walking around the house can relax you especially when everyone else is in bed and you can relax more.