If you have yet to get into the spirit of National Women’s Health Week, now is the perfect time to start! After all, embracing a healthier lifestyle means a healthier you—and that means healthier skin, too!

Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym 7 days a week, especially if you’re just getting into the habit. In fact, there are a few small changes you can make today that can have a large impact on your well-being:

Take the stairs. Did you know that walking up a flight of stairs burns roughly 5 calories every minute? It’s true! This may seem like a small number, but it can start to add up. In fact, exercise has many great skin benefits, including increased blood flow and oxygen delivery to your skin cells.¹ You know that post-workout “glow” you notice? It’s real! So tomorrow, instead of making a beeline for the elevator, try the healthier alternative.

Supercharge your lunchtime salad. Eating fresh veggies is an important first step in improving your health, but you can kick the impact of that salad up a notch with a few simple additions. Try sprinkling flaxseed on top for an extra nutritional punch. Not only will you start to feel better, but your skin will likely improve as well. In fact, research has shown that consuming higher amounts of linoleic acid, the main ingredient in flaxseed, may prevent skin dryness.²

Drink lots of water. Believe it or not, staying hydrated is one of the easiest ways to feel great inside and out. After all, our bodies are made almost entirely of water, and with your skin being the largest organ, it should get plenty of hydration. Try to consume at least 8 glasses a day and watch what it can do for your skin!

Rest up. Many people have trouble sleeping at night, which can lead to professional and personal difficulties. If you feel fatigued, make an effort to catch a full 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night this week. This may mean closing the laptop and shutting off the television as much as an hour earlier than your body is used to, but you’ll thank yourself when you have the best morning and glowing skin the next day.

All of these changes can have you feeling great on the inside—couple that with the addition of an antioxidant serum like Obagi Professional-C Serum^™ to leave your outside feeling and looking just as fresh! Our Professional-C Serums are specially designed to deliver daily antioxidant protection, while leaving your skin feeling silky soft.

Do you have any secrets for staying healthy on a daily basis? Comment below and share your tips!

May has quickly arrived, which means it’s Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Considering the disease is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in the United States, it’s easy to see the importance of the initiative. Fortunately, skin cancer is also one of the most preventable forms of cancer. Before heading outdoors this summer, we encourage you to educate yourself on ways to maintain superior skin health.

In the meantime, here are some of the most noteworthy skin cancer preventative tips.

• Say no to tanning beds. Don’t believe the hype—just because tanning indoors is a controlled dose of ultraviolet radiation does not make it okay. Believe it or not, indoor tanners are typically less safe than the rays of the sun, as new high-pressure sunlamps can deliver as much as 12 times the annual UVA dose as natural exposure
• Don’t feel confident just because you’re young. While the average age of those diagnosed with skin cancer lies somewhere between 45 and 55, it turns out a quarter of all cases occur in people under the age of 40. So regardless of age, make sure you protect yourself—always use sunscreen and wear protective clothing while outdoors.
• Be vigilant with sunscreen—even if you’re not light-skinned. While it’s true that those with darker skin are less likely to develop the disease than those with lighter, fairer skin, the risk still exists for everyone. This is why it’s important for everyone to protect themselves. So lather up and protect all exposed areas with a broad-spectrum sunscreen, such as our award-winning Obagi Nu-Derm® Sun Shield SPF 50, before venturing outside. For all skin types, it applies with an elegant, matte finish that feels great on your skin.
• Check non-exposed parts of the body for signs of the disease. Believe it or not, melanoma can be diagnosed anywhere from the soles of one’s feet to beneath the fingernails. That’s why it’s important to regularly see your dermatologist and continually check your moles for signs of any changes.

Looking for more tips on how to best protect you and your skin? Visit the Skin Cancer Foundation at SkinCancer.org for more information!

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Skin cancer statistics. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/statistics/. Accessed April 30, 2012
2 Skin Cancer Foundation. Skin Cancer Awareness Month reminder.http://www.skincancer.org/media-and-press/press-release-2011/skin-cancer-awareness-month-reminder. Accessed April 30, 2012.
3 Skin Cancer Foundation. Skin cancer facts. http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts. Accessed April 30, 2012.
4 Melanoma Center. Melanoma statistics. http://www.melanomacenter.org/basics/statistics.html. Accessed April 30, 2012.
5 Skin Cancer Foundation. Myth vs. fact.http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts/myths-vs-facts. Accessed April 30, 2012.
6 Melanoma Research Foundation. Melanoma risk factors.http://www.melanoma.org/learn-more/melanoma-101/melanoma-risk-factors. Accessed April 30, 2012.

By Tina Haupert @ health.com

A few years ago, I worked in a 9-5 desk job in an office where the kitchen was an ever-present buffet of donuts, muffins, cookies and other larger-than-life pastries. I honestly can’t remember too many days when there wasn’t some sort of sweet treat tempting me to eat it. I often fell victim to those goodies when my stress levels rose, and instead of dealing with what was actually stressing me out, I temporarily masked my feelings with the treats. For a long time, I didn’t recognize this pattern was happening — until it led me to gain several pounds.

More from Health.com:
How the Pros Curb Food Cravings
Job Killing You? 8 Types of Work-Related Stress
Emotional Eating: The Trick to Staying Slim

Even now when I feel stressed, I still crave sugary carbs, which are loaded with calories and fat and not helpful when it comes to maintaining my Feel Great Weight. It’s not always easy to overcome those emotions, but these tricks have certainly helped me (and will help you!) get a handle on stress eating.

Know Your Triggers
When I felt overwhelmed by a monstrous to-do list or frustrated by a difficult project, I’d often find myself turning to sugary treats for comfort, but learning my motives was key for controlling those cravings. Once I was more conscious of these triggers, I started to change my eating patterns.

Ask, ‘I Am Really Hungry?’
When I feel the urge to stress-eat, I take a moment to assess my actual hunger. I’ll even ask myself: “Am I really hungry?” I know my physical and emotional hungers are different, so I try to wait out a craving to see if my hunger subsides.

Stock Up On Healthy Eats
If I am really hungry, I will eat a healthy snack, like a peanut butter and banana sandwich or Greek yogurt with cereal and nuts mixed in. The combination of healthy carbs, fat and protein satisfies my hunger while helping me feel more relaxed at the same time. Similarly, snacking on crunchy raw veggies like carrot or celery sticks helps me deal with my frustration without consuming a lot of calories.

Use Distractions
When my urge to reach for a sugary treat is really strong, I distract myself from the idea. I’ll either take a brisk 10-minute walk, listen to music on my iPod, read one of my favorite blogs or chat with a friend for a little while. Most of the time, doing one of these things calms me and helps me get a handle on my stress eating.

Pretend It Doesn’t Exist
Think: out of sight, out of mind. For example, if I know there are cookies in my kitchen, I’ll inevitably want to eat them as soon as I start to feel stressed. If I forget that they exist, the chances that I will turn to them for comfort drops considerably.

Be Healthy
This one might seem kind of obvious, but simply trying to be healthy in my everyday life helps me manage my stress levels and cravings. I try to exercise regularly and get adequate sleep each night, because I know if I’m tired or cranky, I’ll reach for food as soon as I start to feel stressed.

With Summer just around the corner, it’s a great time to take an inventory of your skin health and appearance.  During the hot summer months, especially here in Texas, it’s often useless to even attempt  to wear makeup.  It seems that with the high temperatures and humidity, your makeup has melted off of your face before you even get to your car!  Then you’re left with nothing to hide imperfections on your skin.  What if you could wear less makeup to begin with because you have nothing to hide?

There are several options available to help rejuvenate your skin and improve the overall appearance, but one treatment that I love is the Laser Genesis Facial.

The Laser Genesis Facial may be right for you if you have some of the following issues:

• fine lines
• enlarged pores
• hyper-pigmentation
• uneven skin texture
• poor skin tone

Laser Genesis is a treatment that addresses the textural changes associated with aging skin.  The laser energy stimulates dermal collagen regrowth and realignment so that pore size is reduced, cobble-stoning is flattened, and fine lines are softened.

Read more about the Laser Genesis Treatment both on our site here, as well as on the Cutera site, which is the company that provides the laser technology that we use here in my practice.

(www.huffingtonpost.com)

“Michael Pollan’s recent little gem of a book “Food Rules” inspired me to compile my own “rules” about what I’d like every person to know about how they can help avoid cancer – or slow it down if they have it.

FOOD RULES

1. Go retro: Your main course should be 80 percent vegetables, 20 percent animal protein, like it was in the old days. Opt for the opposite of the quarter pounder topped with a token leaf of iceberg lettuce and an anemic tomato slice. Meat should be used sparingly for taste, as when it used to be scarce, and should not be the focus of the meal.

2. Mix and match your vegetables: Vary the vegetables you eat from one meal to the next, or mix them together — broccoli is an effective anticancer food, and is even more effective when combined with tomato sauce, onions or garlic. Get in the habit of adding onions, garlic or leeks to all your dishes as you cook.

3. Go organic: Choose organic foods whenever possible, but remember it’s always better to eat broccoli that’s been exposed to pesticide than to not eat broccoli at all (the same applies to any other anticancer vegetable).

4. Spice it up: Add turmeric (with black pepper) when cooking (delicious in salad dressings!). This yellow spice is the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory agent. Remember to add Mediterranean herbs to your food: thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, mint, etc. They don’t just add flavor, they can also help reduce the growth of cancer cells.

5. Skip the potato: Potatoes raise blood sugar, which can feed inflammation and cancer growth. They also contain high levels of pesticide residue (to the point that most potato farmers I know don’t eat their own grown potatoes).

6. Go fish: Eat fish two or three times a week – sardines, mackerel, and anchovies have less mercury and PCBs than bigger fish like tuna. Avoid swordfish and shark, which the FDA says pregnant women should not eat because they contain a high concentration of contaminants.

7. Remember not all eggs are created equal: Choose only omega-3 eggs, or don’t eat the yolks. Hens are now fed on mostly corn and soybeans, and their eggs contain 20 times more pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than cell-growth regulating omega-3s.

8. Change your oil: Use only olive and canola oil in cooking and salad dressings. Go through your kitchen cabinets and throw out your soybean, corn and sunflower oils. (And no, you can’t give them to your neighbors or your relatives… They’re much too rich in omega-6 fatty acids!)

9. Say “Brown is beautiful”: Eat your grains whole and mixed (wheat with oats, barley, spelt, flax, etc.) and favor organic whole grains when possible since pesticides tend to accumulate on whole grains. Avoid refined, white flour (used in bagels, muffins, sandwich bread, buns, etc.) whenever possible, and eat white pasta only al dente.

10. Keep sweets down to fruits: Cut down on sugar by avoiding sweetened sodas and fruit juices, and skipping dessert or replacing it with fruit (especially stone fruits and berries) after most meals. Read the labels carefully, and steer clear of products that list any type of sugar (including brown sugar, corn syrup, etc.) in the first three ingredients. If you have an incorrigible sweet tooth, try a few squares of dark chocolate containing more than 70% cocoa.

11. Go green: Instead of coffee or black tea, drink three cups of green tea per day. Use decaffeinated green tea if it gets you too wired. Regular consumption of green tea has been linked to a significant reduction in the risk for developing cancer.

12. Make room for exceptions. What matters is what you do on a daily basis, not the occasional treat.

NON FOOD RULES

1. Get physical: Make time to exercise, be it walking, dancing or running. Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity at least 5 days a week. This can be as easy as just walking part of the way to the office, or the grocery store. A dog is often a better walking partner than an exercise buddy. Choose an activity you enjoy; if you’re having fun, you’re more likely to stick with it.

2. Let the sun shine in: Try to get at least 20 minutes of daily sun exposure (torso, arms and legs) without sunscreen, preferably at noon in the summer (but take care to avoid sunburns!). This will boost your body’s natural production of Vitamin D. As an alternative: discuss the option of taking a Vitamin D3 supplement with your doctor.

3. Banish bad chemicals: Avoid exposure to common household contaminants. You should air our your dry-cleaning for two hours before storing or wearing it; use organic cleaning products (or wear gloves); don’t heat liquids or food in hard plastics; avoid cosmetics with parabens and phthalates; don’t use chemical pesticides in your house or garden; replace your scratched Teflon pans; filter your tap water (or used bottled water) if you live in a contaminated area; don’t keep your cell phone close to you when it is turned on.

4. Reach out (and touch someone!): Reach out to at least two friends for support (logistical and emotional) during times of stress, even if it’s through the internet. But if they’re within arms reach, go ahead and hug them, often!

5. Remember to breathe: Learn a basic breathing relaxation technique to let out some steam whenever you start to feel stressed.

6. Get involved: Find out how you can best give something back to your local community, then give it.

7. Cultivate happiness like a garden: Make sure you do one thing you love for yourself on most days (it doesn’t have to take long!).”

Dr. Servan-Schreiber wrote the best-selling Anticancer, A New Way of Life.
He regularly posts Anticancer research & insight on his Facebook Page & Twitter Account

B Vitamins have many wonderful benefits, one of which is that they can help restore your energy.  I find that many of my patients are deficient in certain B vitamins due to the fact that they are a water-soluble substance and are not generally stored in the body in significant amounts.  Therefore, frequent supplementation is important. (If you haven’t been tested for Nutritional Deficiencies, I encourage you to learn more about it.  It will determine which vitamins your body is lacking.)

Have you ever had a B12 injection? It’s a great way to administer a large amount of this essential vitamin into your system.

We Offer 2 Types of B12 Injections in Our Office:

1.     Methylcobalamin

2.     MIC B-12 w/ AMP

This Contains:

• B12-Vitamin B-12 is an important vitamin that you usually get from your food. It is mainly found in meat and dairy products. Vitamin B-12 helps make red blood cells and keeps your nervous system working properly. It gives you a huge energy boost and helps you burn calories, as well as helps increase activity levels.
• Methionine- Sulfur-containing amino acid. It acts as a lipotropic agent to prevent excess fat buildup in the liver and in body.
• Inositol- Nutrient belonging to the B vitamin complex. It aids in the metabolism of fats and reduce blood cholesterol. Helps control mood and appetite.
• Choline- supports the health of the liver in its processing and excretion of chemical waste products in the body.
• Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) is an intermediary substance formed during the body’s process of creating energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from food. …consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit.

The benefits of B vitamins are numerous-Dr. Mercola has written some interesting articles about the use of B12 in the treatment of Alzheimer’s.  You can read about it here.

If you’re energy level is lower than you’d like, I encourage you to consider using B12 to help you feel your best!

Exfoliation is essential in maintaining your skin health and helping you look vibrant, fresh and healthy. It can be done in several different ways and to different degrees.

Here’s some great information about exfoliation from ‘A Woman’s Health’ Magazine:
“As we age, the process of cell regeneration slows down. This means that the body is slower to shed skin cells and generate new ones. When old skin cells start to pile up on the surface of the skin, it can leave skin looking dull, rough, and dry. Furthermore, the build-up of dead skin cells can result in excess oil and clogged pores, leading to blemishes and acne.
Proper exfoliation removes the barrier of dead skin cells clogging the skin and uncovers fresh new cells below. This opens the way for moisturizing products to penetrate more deeply into the skin, which makes them more effective. In short, a regular exfoliating routine will leave your skin looking fresh and healthy.”

In my practice, I offer several options to help achieve proper exfoliation. An aesthetic consultant can help you determine which would be the best option for you.

Microdermabrasion
Our Microdermabrasion treatments work by gently exfoliated the skin with medical grade aluminum oxide microcrystals, creating a polishing effect which leaves the skin smooth and silky. The gentle massaging effect also stimulates the blood flow to the skin surface, which enhances skin cell renewal and the regrowth of collagen. At the same time the increased blood flow creates a flushing effect, cleansing below the skin’s surface, leaving the patient’s skin looking vibrant and healthy. To learn more, click here.

Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are a quick and easy way to reveal a fresh new layer of skin. They’re used to treat a variety of skin concerns such as acne, dull dry skin, hyper-pigmentation and prematurely aging skin. We would determine which peel would be most effective for your needs. It would then be applied and in the days following the treatment, the top layer of your skin would begin to peel away, revealing a fresh new layer underneath. This will improve the overall appearance and texture of your skin.
To find out more about our Chemical Peels, you can click here.

Dermaplaning
Dermaplaning may be a treatment that you haven’t heard as much about, but it’s very effective and patients see wonderful results. A technician uses a surgical blade along the surface of the skin to lift and slough away dead skin skins, encouraging cell turnover. This is also a wonderful treatment because it helps eliminate fine hairs on your face. The result is lovely, glowing skin. I also recommend dermaplaning be done before many of our laser treatments to enhance their efficacy. You can learn more here.

At Home
I strongly encourage my patients to cleanse with Clarisonic facial cleansers to maintain exfoliation on a daily basis. These products are far more effective than manual cleansing; the brush head rotates at a speed of 300 movements per second and can remove 6 times more makeup than cleansing normally would.

By having a consistent exfoliation routine, you’ll help your skin look and feel it’s best!

Think of it like having a personal trainer for your brain.  Our NeurOptimal Neurofeedback treatment will help train your mind to work better, to organize your thoughts and overcome ineffective thinking patterns.

Alzheimer’s and dementia are becoming more prevalent in our society and I speak with many patients who are concerned with the topic of aging regarding their minds, not only in the rest of their body.  Please read this excerpt from the Zengar website, which is the company that we work with to provide the NeurOptimal treatment to our patients.

“As our body ages it goes through physical, chemical and biological changes. The brain is no different. While mental fitness is important at all ages, it is especially relevant after age 40 when a number of anatomical changes begin to adversely impact our brains. Structural and chemical changes, memory loss, loss of neural circuitry, loss of brain plasticity, loss of white and gray matter and an overall thinning of the cortex are all well documented age-related phenomena that can impact our mental, emotional and physical well-being. Fortunately, these age related effects can be slowed down and even reversed. NeurOptimal® trainers in Europe, North America and Australia have worked with thousand of clients who have enjoyed anti-aging benefits. Clients have experienced renewed creativity, increased intellectual power, improvements in memory and greater focus and concentration. NeurOptimal® is a key component in any plan that focuses on reducing the ravages of aging and works further by supporting other changes, such as dietary shifts, supplementation with vitamins and minerals, bio-identical hormone balancing, staying socially active and intellectually engaged, and exercising regularly.”

Further Education

To learn more about the NeurOptimal Neurofeedback system, you can visit the Zengar website.

Read more about how the treatment can help you on our website here and here.

Oprah even mentioned Neurofeedback therapy in O Magazine.

The temperature is rising as Summer approaches and hemlines are creeping up, revealing legs that have been hidden away for the winter. Do you like what you see?

It can be a telltale sign of aging: spider veins.  Many of us see them appear as we get older, but there are actually many causes, such as:
• Medical history: Heredity is a key factor, as well as being born with weak vein valves

• Hormonal changes

• Pregnancy: Both the increase in the amount of blood in your body during pregnancy and the pressure the growing uterus puts on veins can cause them to enlarge. Spider veins generally increase with each pregnancy.

• Obesity: Carrying extra weight can put pressure on the veins.  Yet another good reason to get down to your ideal body weight.

• Lack of movement: Standing or sitting for long periods of time forces veins to work harder to pump blood to your heart.  Sitting with your legs crossed or bent can increase the risk of spider veins as well.  It’s important to keep moving.  If you have a sedentary job, take a walk around the office a couple of times an hour to increase blood flow.

• Sun exposure: Can increase the risk of spider veins on fair-skinned faces…another great reason to use a good quality SPF!

As you can see, there are some factors that you have control over and some that are unavoidable.  So what do you do if you have issues with veins on your legs?

Today’s advanced laser technology allows us to eliminate spider veins through a simple treatment that involves heating the blood vessels that are visible.  It’s quick, easy and most people only need 1-2 sessions to improve the look of their legs.  The treatment is very effective-some results will be seen instantly and some will develop over the months following treatment.  You can read more about our Laser Vein Removal treatment by clicking here.  To learn more about the laser system that we use for this treatment, please visit the Cutera site as well.