Health & Beauty

How To Break In New Western Boots And Prevent Them Hurting Your Feet

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education July 27, 2022

One of the biggest problems people can face when they first buy and wear new western boots is that the newness of the leather makes the boots somewhat rigid. The issue this causes is that feet can become sore as there is not yet enough flexibility in the leather to stop the boots from rubbing against feet and irritating them, or worse, causing blisters.

As the boots are worn, they become ‘broken in’ which simply means the leather starts stretching, creating flexibility, and this ultimately makes the boots comfortable and thus a joy to wear.

However, getting from the brand new stage to the broken-in stage can cause some people to almost give up on wearing their western boots because of the discomfort. For that reason we thought it would be useful to provide a few helpful tips on breaking in western boots and how to make the process quicker and easier for everyone.

Wear Your Boots

This might not be what you want to hear if your feet get sore when you wear your new western boots. However, refusing to wear your boots and leaving them sitting in the wardrobe is never going to see them broken in. If you can, wear them for a few minutes until the discomfort becomes a problem and take them off. Next time, wear them for a few minutes longer, and repeat for however many days are needed until they break in, and you can wear your boots all day.

Feb162022

5 Health Benefits Of Spending Time In Your Landscaped Garden

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education February 16, 2022

There are many reasons why people purposefully decide to use landscape design to enhance their gardens. It could be that they see it as an investment to increase the value of their property, they may be keen gardening enthusiasts, or they may simply want to improve the appearance of the exterior of their home.

Landscapers will tell you about one benefit of a landscaped garden, although many are unlikely to be aware of, is the positive effect that it can have on their health. By health, we are referring to both their physical and mental health. Now, you might be thinking we are talking about them growing medicinal plants in their garden, and whilst that can be done, we are instead talking more about specific health benefits that are derived from landscaping, as below.

Opportunities For Mobility And Exercise

Possibly the one health benefit that most people would identify as applying to landscaping is the opportunity it provides for mobility and exercise. Apart from being outdoors and walking around your garden, activities such as mowing the grass and maintaining your garden also require some physical effort. Your garden can also be a space where you can play sports or games with friends and family including your children, who will also benefit from these physical activities.

Growing Healthy Food

If you have set aside sections of your landscaping design to include the growing of vegetables and fruit plants, then you have another great opportunity to enhance your health. This time it will be due to you choosing to grow vegetables and fruits which are known to provide the most nutrition, especially if you grow them organically and without the use of chemical fertilisers and weed killers. Prime examples include kale, broccoli, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, and lemons.

Jan192022

5 Ways To Incorporate A Yoga And Meditation Sanctuary Into Your Landscaping Design

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education January 19, 2022

Ask any psychologists or health and wellness experts what activities are ideal for promoting mental and physical health; we are sure many would suggest yoga and meditation. Yoga is an activity that not only enables good joint and muscular health but the relaxation and meditation gained from it is perfect for promoting mental health too.

If you can have your yoga or meditation sessions outside in the fresh air, all the better; creating a sanctuary in your landscaping design is ideal.

Of course, you could participate in yoga and meditation by sitting on your lawn. Still, this article will explore five ways your landscaping design can incorporate a yoga and meditation sanctuary within your garden and, expressly, what features will enhance that sanctuary.

Ensure The Sanctuary Is Well-Shaded

Spending some time bathed in sunshine is good for you, but when it comes time for yoga and meditation hot sun is not ideal. It will be hard to clear your mind to meditate if you are hot, thirsty, and sweat beads running down your face and back, so your sanctuary should be well-shaded. This can be achieved by surrounding it with tall bushes or having a shelter built with a roof or covered with light fabrics to create shade.

Provide Yourself Plenty Of Space With A Focal Point In The Centre

Although yoga does not require a large area to run around, unlike other activities, you still need space and freedom to move around freely. This should be considered when designing your sanctuary. It should also have a natural centre where you can focus your body and your mind. Therefore the shape of your cover should be square, triangular, or circular, as these all have an obvious centre point.

Apr72021

5 Reasons Why Lasik Eye Surgery May Not Be Suitable For You

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education April 7, 2021

Lasik eye surgery is a fantastic route to take if you no longer wish to be burdened with wearing, cleaning, or replacing glasses or contact lenses in order to correct your vision. Whether you are long-sighted or short-sighted, being free to go about your daily routine without having to worry about your glasses breaking or your contact lenses becoming uncomfortable, makes a huge difference.

That is exactly what Lasik eye surgery can do for anyone who has the surgery. Now, that is the good news, but the bad news is, it might be the case that laser eye surgery from insighteye.com.au is not suitable for you. Unfortunately, there were a number of reasons why someone might not be recommended to have Lasik eye surgery.

This could be temporary, meaning it might be possible in the future, or it could be permanent meaning it can never be considered. Even so, there may be other options open to anyone for whom Laser eye surgery is not possible. One of these is Lasek eye surgery and another is intraocular lens implants

To check whether you fall into any of the categories of people where Lasik eye surgery is not suitable, here are some of those reasons.

You Are a Nursing Or Expectant Mother

Although pregnancy and having a child is a wonderful experience, sadly, it is not the time to be having Lasik eye surgery. The fluctuations in hormones that new and expectant mothers experience causes changes in the cornea, and there is also a risk that medication prescribed to help combat infection might harm unborn babies or newly born babies who are being nursed.

Mar292021

Advice If You Need Emergency Dental Care In Bali

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education March 29, 2021

Having the need for emergency dental treatment is never pleasant, even if it happens at home and you can call on your local dentist for help. However, there are often people who need emergency dental treatment when they are away from home, and on those occasions, the options are often not as clear.

One prime example of this is when someone is in Bali, either because they’re there on holiday, or they had otherwise planned to have other dental treatment, such as cosmetic dentistry. Regardless of why they are there, the question arises as to what you can and should do if they need for emergency treatment arises whilst you are in Bali.

The first piece of advice we can give you is not to panic, and that applies whether you are in Bali or any other country for that matter. All places you are likely to visit will have local dentists, and assuming you have some form of travel insurance, arrangements should be able to be made quickly for you to see a dentist as soon as possible.

Even without travel insurance that would cover your medical costs, in many countries, including Bali, the price of emergency dental treatment is a lot lower than it is in Australia, so should you need to pay for treatment at the time, the cost should be much less than you might have expected it to be.

One thing that might be somewhat confusing is determining what is classed as emergency dental treatment, and which treatments come under the umbrella of cosmetic dental treatment. If someone suddenly lost a tooth, they claim replacing it with a dental implant and crown, is an emergency, whilst others might say that should be considered cosmetic dental treatment.

A lost tooth certainly would be regarded as emergency dental treatment, as would any of the following symptoms or conditions if they arose:

Broken or cracked tooth
Missing or loose fillings
Misaligned or loose teeth
Lost dentures or bridge
Constant or severe pain in teeth and gums

Mar32021

Running with a Waist Trainer

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education March 3, 2021

If you find yourself fascinated by the idea of wearing a waist trainer from waisttrainersaustralia.com.au during exercise, you probably have a few questions. One of the more common questions is, can you run with a waist trainer? In short, the answer is yes. But there’s a bit more you need to know before you try it, so we asked the experts at Fitness Risk Management for their thoughts, and here they are!

Can You Wear a Waist Trainer While Running?

Buying waist trainers for exercise is something that many people do. However, some types of exercise can be more beneficial than others. For example, cardio workouts are the most preferred option for anyone wearing waist trainers.

So, you can wear a waist trainer while running. They stimulate core body heat, and the high compression of superior materials like latex can help you sweat harder. Your run may be medium-intensity, but a waist trainer can take it to that next level without you needing to put in all that much extra effort.

What You Need to Know Before Running with a Waist Trainer

Once you decide that you’d like to try running and cardio exercises with a waist trainer, there are several things to consider first; remember, you can sweat much more with a waist trainer than without one. What you sweat out, you must put in.

Remember to drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after your workout. If you typically work out during summer or warmer parts of the day, reconsider your timing.

Jan262020

Could Coffee Be Causing Your Migraines?

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education January 26, 2020

Migraines are a health problem that affects many people’s lives. Around ten percent of the world’s population suffers from them, and women more so than men. Research even shows that migraines can run in families and that everyday things can trigger them.

Some people find that particular food or beverages bring about a migraine, or even stress, a lack of sleep, hunger, or bright lights. Everyone is different, which is what makes managing migraines that much harder.

However, one thing that researchers are now discovering is that two caffeinated beverages are not associated with migraine odds, but three could be.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine, those who have three or more caffeinated beverage servings per day would be more likely to suffer from a migraine attack either on that day or the next. The dose and frequency play a role in this study too.

The research team, led by Elizabeth Mostofsky, ScD, analysed data from 98 adults who suffered from episodic migraines. Episodic migraines are around 14 headaches per month, and chronic migraines are defined as 15 or more per month.

Each study participant had to fill out an electronic diary twice-daily for six weeks. In it, they recorded when they drank caffeinated beverages, the timing of them, their lifestyle factors, and descriptions of the migraine attacks.

Jan32019

Top Designer Dental Treatments for 2019

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education January 3, 2019

Technology is more advanced now than it has ever been before, and the dental industry is proof of that. Gone are the days when blacksmiths were your local experts at performing dental implant procedures. In their place are qualified cosmetic and general dentists who know how to create that winning smile and take care of your oral care needs. Find out below what are some of the most common designer dental treatments in 2019.

Invisalign

According to top Perth cosmetic dentist dentalosogentle.com.au, braces have been around since 1728, but have changed in design and function since that time. Even in the last decade, braces technology has evolved rapidly. Instead of only metal braces, you can take advantage of clear, convenient and affordable Invisalign.

These braces are designed to have a minimal impact on your life while straightening your teeth for that winning smile. What’s more, you can remove them at a moment’s notice to continue eating the foods you love. They are easy-care and a preferred option for many in 2019.

Caps and Veneers

It’s incredible what the dental community can achieve when they put their minds to it. You used to have to put up with gaps, imperfections, chips, and cracks, but now you don’t have to. Dentists have designed and made caps and veneers that adhere to your teeth. They hide your imperfections, leaving you with a brilliant set of pearly whites that lift your self-esteem.

Dental Implants

Even the design of dentures has come a long way. In 2019, more and more people are choosing dental implants over the more traditional dentures. If you are only missing a few teeth, your dentist can insert an implant into your jawline before putting a tooth on top. Find out the difference between dental impacts versus veneers, and which one would be best for you.

Jul32018

How to Straighten Your Teeth

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education July 3, 2018

As an adult or a teen, you may find yourself looking in the mirror wondering how to make your teeth that little bit straighter. According to Dentists, not everyone has the benefit of naturally straight teeth, so it might be time to see your dentist to find out the various options available. You may be surprised to know that braces, while on the list, aren’t your only option of dental care.

Retainers

If overcrowding in your mouth is causing your teeth to be crooked, then your dentist may recommend retainers. Retainers not only help to straighten your teeth, but they can stop them from shifting while repairing your bite at the same time. To fit retainers in place, a dentist uses dental cement which holds them in your mouth. It’s a comfortable, long-term solution that can often be more suitable for overcrowding than braces are.

Palatal Expanders

A dentist will often recommend a palatal expander for children with mouths that will be too small for incoming adult teeth. The expander widens the arch where your upper teeth are, creating additional room and allowing teeth to move into a more natural position. Using dental cement, your dentist will secure the expander to the top molars, creating pressure on the jaw, so new bone grows into place. Palatal expanders are, for the most part, invisible and produce minimal discomfort.

Braces

The most effective way in which to straighten your teeth is with braces. However, braces are no longer as intrusive as they used to be – much to the delight of children and teenagers. Thanks to a brand known as Invisalign, most people won’t even know they’re there. What’s more, appointment times with Invisalign are 50 percent faster.

May232018

Why You Should Talk To Your Dentist About Teeth Whitening

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education May 23, 2018

Teeth whitening is not something that should be done without consulting your dentist first, especially if you have had dental work done on your teeth in the past. There are several reasons for teeth to look discoloured or stained and some of those reasons will not respond to any whitening agent at all. What are they?

Dental decay. Decays can make your teeth look as if they are stained, but the cause of the discolouration goes deep into the tooth. The decay must be filled before any whitening treatment is undertaken. Bleach can make a dental cavity worse.
Caps or crowns. If you’ve had a broken tooth replaced by a cap or crown, it can become yellowish compared to your natural teeth, but whitening methods don’t work on it because it is not made from enamel and dentin, like normal teeth are. So while the surrounding teeth may become whiter after treatment, the cap will remain the same colour. In fact, it will probably look dingier in comparison.

Feb202018

Youthful Skin with Herbs

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education February 20, 2018

Many people embrace getting older, calling each wrinkle on their face a memory or special event. Those who prefer to retain their youthful glow and innocence, however, often find themselves reaching for creams, lotions, and potions, to help. Did you know that synthetic, human-made products are not the only option? There is an abundance of organic skin care ingredients and herbs to help keep you looking younger for longer. Add the following to your next shopping list.

Basil

If you’re a fan of pesto, soups, and flavoursome oils, then you will no doubt be familiar with using basil to enhance meals. You will be pleased to learn that basil is not only useful for taking your dish to a new level, but retaining your youthful looks, too! Basil includes a lot of vitamin K and flavonoids – both of which strengthen bones and protect your cell structure. If you haven’t already tried pesto in your pasta, or basil in your soups, then now’s the time!

Coriander

Even though there are hate groups dedicated to coriander or cilantro, this herb has more benefits than you think. It might be time to jump off the hater bandwagon and try it for yourself! Coriander is an anti-inflammatory herb that can help your body to digest fats, lower cholesterol, and improve your blood sugar levels as well. It’s also beneficial for giving your skin a younger, more vibrant appearance.

Nov252017

The Effect of Addictive Drugs on the Brain

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education November 25, 2017

Drug addiction is a physical problem that can’t be recovered from by determination or ‘trying’ harder. It usually requires undertaking drug rehabilitation at a facility for the best results, especially if counselling for other problems is also undertaken. Taking drugs has a physical effect on the brain that is part of why addiction happens.

When drugs are taken the brain is flooded with the chemical dopamine, known as one of the ‘feel-good’ chemicals. This is the same effect that happens when we indulge is pleasurable activities like eating and spending time with our loved ones. Only with drugs, the amount of dopamine released is far greater. Basically, the brain is overstimulated.

What happens next is because of this over stimulation the brain tends to make less dopamine and it also lessens the ability of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it. So the person who is taking the drugs becomes more tolerant of them and must take more to get the same amount of ‘high’ they got in the first place. But that’s not all.

When other things that once made them feel good are done again, the result is much less of the feel-good effect than usual. Thus, eating, spending time with loved ones and so on don’t make the person feel good like they used to. Because they don’t get the same feelings of pleasure, they turn to drugs even more in order to have that feeling.

Aug152017

8 Points to Remember About Drug Addiction

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education August 15, 2017

While the thought of a loved one or anyone else suffering from drug addiction may make you feel bad, there is almost always hope. Most drug rehab centres have great programmes to get the addict off drugs and heading back to a normal life. If you know a person who is addicted to drugs, picking a drug rehab facility and encouraging them to get treatment is essential; the sooner they undergo treatment the more successful it will be.

Here are 8 points to remember about drug addiction:

In spite of the many harmful consequences, drug addicts cannot get off the drugs on their own, just by trying harder. It is a chronic disease where drug use is compulsive and uncontrollable due to changes in the brain.
Brain changes continue to occur while ever the person takes drugs. This can lead to behavioural changes such as lack of self control and the inability to resist the urge to take more drugs.
Drug addiction is a relapsing disease. If the addict relapses it means the treatment regime was not successful and should be changed the next time.
Most drugs cause the brain to produce an oversupply of the chemical dopamine which is what causes the intense pleasurable ‘high’.

Jul22017

The Day and Night before Rehab

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education July 2, 2017

If you’re planning to go to rehab, well done! Respect.

Thousands of people know that heading to drug rehab to get control of their lives back was the best decision that they ever made. What a large percentage also know, is that the night before rehab, was scary. But they got through it, and changed their lives for the better, and wouldn’t want it any other way.

You’re about to leave your life for a designated amount of time, you will be with strangers, you contact with the outside world will be limited and possibly monitored, you don’t know what’s going to happen at drug rehab, what will the people be like, what will they make you do, and withdrawal looms, how is it going to feel, will you be able to bear it?

Mar302017

What is Root Canal Treatment?

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education March 30, 2017

Root canal treatment is needed when a decay is left untreated for a long time and the infection gets into the root of the tooth. You will need to see a dentist to treat the tooth to remove the pulp where the nerve is. This essentially leaves the tooth without feeling and it will lose its colour and go greyish, but it will remain in the socket and can be used for many more years.

This is better than the alternative of having it pulled out and missing the use of the tooth, which will impact your ability to chew food properly. And if the tooth is visible when you smile, you’ll have an unsightly gap there, so you’ll want to have a part-plate made to replace it and this will be a further expense, not to mention it takes a while to get used to having a plate.

Sep22016

What is in Botox?

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education September 2, 2016

A toxin from the bacteria that causes botulism is used to make Botox or botulinum toxin type A. Botox is well known as being used by celebrities and others to reduce or prevent wrinkles. It does this by paralysing the muscle into which it is injected. The effects are not permanent as the body works to remove this toxin, even though it is in a very weakened form. The amounts used are very small and in a diluted state, which is why Botox work is very safe to do, even though it springs from the toxin of a bacteria that causes food poisoning.

The many uses of Botox

Botox is not only used in the pursuit of smooth skin. It can be used to alleviate the symptoms of many nasty diseases and conditions, including migraine, upper motor neuron syndrome, blepharospasm, (uncontrollable twitching of the eyelid) and bruxism (teeth grinding), underarm sweating and overactive bladder, to mention just a few.

Generally speaking, it works to paralyse or weaken a muscle that is working more than it should, or to relax a muscle that is too tight. Or it can work by blocking a nerve that is causing some kind of problem, making sufferers’ lives that little bit easier to bear.

Sep22013

5 Reasons to Consider Liposuction

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education September 2, 2013

Not everyone is considered to be an ideal candidate for liposuction. You may think that only obese people would be accepted for the procedure, but in fact, doctors often advise a different method of weight loss for those who are too overweight for liposuction. This is because liposuction is not really done in order to lose weight; it is done to restore your body to a more acceptable shape. In order to do this, the fatty deposits that are causing the problem must be removed.

Doctors will want to speak to you about the reasons for having liposuction done and they also need to examine you to see if your problem is one that liposuction will really help. So if you are considering undergoing liposuction, here are 5 reasons why doctors would consider you to be a good candidate.

May62013

Complexity in Health and Medicine

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education May 6, 2013

Getting vindicated for announcing bad news years before anyone recognizes them is a bittersweet validation.

I spent almost 8 years, from 1990 til 1997, writing a book that never got published. It ended up being 700 pages long, after three major re-writes, with hundreds of references, and a clear but unpalatable message. The working title, which went through many changes, was “Raising Healthy Children.” The original title was actually “The Fourth Generation”.

What was the message? Essentially, it was “be careful with the drugs of pharmacological medicine – they could make your children really sick. And they’ll make their children sick and their children’s children too, until the fourth generation.” With much research in the biomedical literature, I had uncovered numerous issues that at the time very few people addressed. Among them were the following:

Aug222012

Complementary/Alternative Medicine: The People’s Choice

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education August 22, 2012

I used to think of it as “the underground health economy.” For those of us who have been involved in complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM) for ten or more years, there was little surprise in David Eisenberg’s findings, published in the January 1993 New England Journal of Medicine, that a sizable portion of the public was using these therapies. The surprise was in just how large a portion this was – one in three, or 33% of the population — and the amount of money this group spent out-of-pocket: more than 10 billion dollars, exceeding what was spent on all hospital visits throughout the country.

Eisenberg’s paper unleashed a torrent of reaction. This was one large market! The alternative side beamed and glowed – and grew. Mainstream health professionals and physicians who had long been in the alternative closet came out in droves, now that there seemed to be a demand. “Alternative Medicine” conferences were organized, and journals were born, such as Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, spearheaded by Larry Dossey, a physician who had been paying attention to these issues and writing books on them since at least the early ‘80s.

May22011

A Bug In The Dark

Health & BeautyBy Espresso Education May 2, 2011

Our language is so curious. “I have a bug,” we says, and the mental images can be varied: we hold a small cage with a little bug in it; we cradle a bug in her hands; a bug sits in our throat. The latter is probably the closest to what we mean: an invisible organism (bacteria or virus) has taken hold of us, attacked our integrity, and caused us to have certain symptoms such as a cough or a stomachache. The image is compelling, but is this really how we get sick?

Our notions of sickness are peculiar to our time and culture. Immersed as we are in this culture, these notions have the aura of absolute truth. We KNOW that bacteria exist: smart people see them under the microscope, and are able to influence them in one way or another. We KNOW that certain bacteria or viruses are associated with the appearance of certain symptoms: smart people tell us so. They also tell us that the fact that the “bugs” appear together with the symptoms means that the bugs caused the symptoms.

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