New Year Resolutions For Brides to Be

Almost everyone makes some type of New Year’s resolutions. But for brides getting married in 2012, making some simple resolutions can mean more confidence during the big day.

One of the most common resolutions in the New Year is to lose weight. It is important, however, to make the resolution achievable. Brides should set a timeline for themselves and develop action plans for losing weight such as cutting out sugar and increasing their daily exercise.

Getting healthy and fit for a wedding means no worries about fitting into a wedding gown, and losing a few pounds makes any woman feel better, especially a bride. It might also be fun to set a long-term goal such as running a half marathon or entering another physical challenge. The challenge does not have to be completed before the wedding day, but setting such a goal might make exercising a little more fun.

Teeth whitening is another quick and easy resolution to make brides feel more confident on their wedding day. Teeth whitening can be done in a professional setting, but this tends to be costly. There are a variety of home teeth whitening systems that can be completed over a matter of weeks and are far less expensive than the office route. These systems have easy to follow instructions and involve teeth whitening trays or strips.

Proper skin care is a resolution that should be taken seriously for all brides. Starting a skin care regiment can reduce or eliminate blemishes and make the skin look younger. This regiment includes using an appropriate cleanser every morning, removing all make-up at night, moisturizing the skin daily and exfoliating at least once a week.

Drinking plenty of water, eight to 10 glasses a day, and decreasing caffeine consumption are other easy steps to improving a bride’s overall complexion. It might also be wise to consult with a dermatologist. Dermatologists can create skin care goals and recommend other treatments to improve the complexion. Switching birth control can help the skin as well, but brides need to consult a doctor before making this type of decision.

It might be easier said than done, but eliminating stress might be the most important resolution a bride can make. Wedding planning should be a fun experience and stressing out about the little things will not make this happen. Brides should find activities to help relieve tension such as jogging or start going to a yoga class to learn relaxation techniques.

No matter the resolution, brides need to find those that are easily achievable and will make their wedding day even more special.

Come Back to Nature

How integrative medicine is the best of both worlds

Nature and Life. These are two words that should be easy to define, but in today’s culture, the definitions become convoluted. With technology interfering, it is hard to figure out where life begins or ends, and where nature loses its place with civilization.

For example, Death should be the easiest thing to describe about life, but when technology is added, everything changes and the definition becomes foggy. With life-support technology, a machine can do the work the body can’t.  This makes one think, that if the machine were not on, then that person would be dead, so what makes him living now? Do the actions of breathing make one living or does the vision of that person’s soul? In many cultures, like in Japan and Taiwan, life-support is shunned upon because when the soul leaves the body, that person is gone.

This interference of technology is what makes the definition of nature just as tricky. The use of life-support is hindering nature from doing her job. It is sad that when someone thinks of nature, a forest scene comes to mind, and not humans. This should not be the case, humans are nature, and should embrace it. 

This lost sense of being a part of nature, actually has people doubting the laws and effectiveness of nature. For example, more people would chose to take multiple medications, before ever think about using herbal teas or a holistic cure, which are more body-friendly. What is so attractive about chemicals and medications that can barely be pronounced? Herbal teas and homeopathic cures sound friendlier. Natural remedies also, aid the body in healing; actually curing ailments, instead of just treating symptoms. This is not the case with conventional treatments.

This is why integrative medicine is such a miracle practice. It combines the best of the conventional and alternative treatments to produce a rewarding effect. Basically, “you can have you cake and eat it too”. While powerful drugs or therapies, like chemo and radiation, do their job on a specific location, alternative treatments heal the body as a whole, making it more receptive to treatment. Therapies, like Reiki, acupuncture, and massage, have proven to reduce negative symptoms, promote immune system function, and increase the overall well-being of the individual.

There have been many studies conducted over the years on the successfulness of integrative medicine with many different ailments and diseases. Many doctors recommend patients with an unfavorable cancer prognosis to adopt a complimentary therapy while undergoing conventional treatments. Patients with aggressive cancers have shown positive results when using integrative therapies.