How to Look Younger Now Without Wrinkle Creams or Surgery

How to Look Younger Now Without Wrinkle Creams or Surgery

Yes, you read that correctly -- finally, there is a vitamin D producing system that I can recommend...
In case you didn't know, taking a vitamin D supplement is not the optimal way to regulate your body’s vitamin D levels.
On the other hand, many experts (including me) believe that there are no health concerns with regard to vitamin D concentration associated with sun exposure.
That's why I feel that the best way to make sure you don't end up with too much or too little vitamin D is to produce it in your own body, by getting some exposure to beneficial ultraviolet A and B rays, like those produced by the sun.
And, as an added benefit, you'll also help give your skin a more healthful glow.
Tanning beds produce ultraviolet A and B rays as well...
And yes, I've been asked many times if there is such a thing as a tanning bed that won't put you at risk.
My answer was always: A tanning bed can be useful, but in my opinion most commercial tanning beds can be a cause for concern.
You see, there are potential problems associated with them that may have a negative impact on your health:
• X-Rays -- These rays, emitted by the ends of the bulbs, are a form of radiation, and can be potentially hazardous.
So although they produce the same beneficial ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays as the sun and add a pleasant tone to your skin, I've always believed that the best source of those beneficial rays is the sun itself, in moderation.
You see, the UVB rays from the sun help your skin to produce up to 80% of the vitamin D in your body. Your body simply can't make vitamin D without exposure to UVB energy.
And the UVA rays produce a tan that not only makes your skin more pleasing in appearance, but is also your body's natural defense against sunburn.
That's right. Your skin is designed to tan as a natural bodily function!
But for many of you, getting ample sunlight just isn't an option. You have busy lives that don't allow for getting outdoors a lot, much less sunbathing.
And depending upon where you live, it could be cold out, raining out, or cloudy for weeks on end... you get the idea.
I knew that if they could find a way to shield those harmful emissions and make a convenient and affordable tanning system, there'd be a huge demand for it.
Guess what?
They finally did it. And that's great news for you because now you can get this beneficial energy in the most convenient place of all -- your own home!
Put a little sunlight into your life, anytime you want to!

Wait A Minute! I'm Supposed To Avoid the Sun's Rays These Days, Right?

Despite the health benefits you can derive from the sun's ultraviolet rays, they've still gotten a lot of undeserved bad press lately.
Everyone from health officials to your well-meaning friends seems to have the same advice: The sun is your enemy. They tell you that it will wrinkle your skin and cause you to look older prematurely -- even increase your risk of cancer.
It is true that anything, no matter how healthy it might be for you, can be harmful in excessive amounts. Remember:
Always avoid overexposing yourself to the sun's rays! This applies to tanning beds or systems as well.
You should definitely avoid sunburn at all costs.
With that being said, in moderation, ultraviolet rays from the sun or a tanning system can have many benefits for you.
On the other hand, in my opinion, avoiding the sun's ultraviolet rays can have detrimental effects on your health simply because you are depriving yourself of the solar nourishment you were meant to have.
Of course, the amount of exposure depends on you, so if you're not sure, start out by getting just a few minutes a day and gradually build your way up.
Just don't expose yourself long enough to get sunburned. Make your exposure to vitamin D-stimulating rays a positive one.

Avoid the Winter Blues with "The Sunshine Vitamin"

Why does it seem that more people are "under the weather" during the months November through March?
Or why many people feel fatigued and run-down during that time?
Coincidence? I don't think so.
During that period, in most of the United States the sun won't stimulate vitamin D in your body, due to its increased distance. Your vitamin D levels can drop as much as 50% in the winter.
Depleted of vitamin D, your immune system may not be up to its full potential, leaving you more susceptible to certain health concerns. In fact, I strongly believe that vitamin D deficiency is a growing epidemic!
Vitamin D has demonstrated support for:
• Your healthy immune system
• Your cardiovascular system
• Your prostate
• Helping increase your level of white blood cells
• Your healthy skin
Your body doesn't produce vitamin D on its own. You need exposure to ultraviolet rays to stimulate the production of vitamin D in your body.
Yes, there are vitamin D supplements on the market, but I feel that the best place for you to get your vitamin D is from ultraviolet B rays.
Many of these supplements are synthetic, which you should avoid. Also, vitamin D in excessive doses can lead to other health concerns (visit my website to learn more about that).
So get some exposure -- the good kind!
Guess what? The Vitality Tanning Bed is an excellent sources of UVA and/or UVB rays...

Want to Reverse Your Wrinkles? Then Go To the Light... For Younger Looking Skin

There's another way that light benefits you, specifically light produced in 633 nanometer (nm) waves.
When you are exposed to light in this 633 nm range, your skin cells are naturally stimulated, leading to the production of collagen, elastin and certain enzymes that support your skin.
As you age, collagen and elastin break down and you begin to see wrinkles, creases and folds in skin that was once taut.
This process may accelerate if you smoke or have poor eating habits.
Light in the 633 nm range pulls collagen back to the surface of your skin to fill in lines and wrinkles, and help reverse the appearance of aging.
Also, light in this range helps strengthen the walls of the small blood vessels in your skin, which results in improved oxygenation and detoxification. Hydration is increased, and the ability of your skin to retain moisture improves.
Improved natural healing and the creation of healthy conditions for your skin will follow.
Another important effect of 633 nm light is that it affects the permeability of the membrane of your skin cells. What this means is that it becomes easier for the important active ingredients of topical skincare products to pass through the walls of your skin cells, increasing their effectiveness.
In a nutshell, light in the 633 nm range can improve the clarity, tone and texture of your skin, basically giving you a more youthful appearance.

Foot Levelers Custom Orthodics

Foot Leveler Orthodics

An 'orthotic' is a device designed to restore your natural foot function. Many 'biomechanical' (walking) complaints such as heel pain, knee pain and lower back pain are caused by poor foot function. Orthotics re-align the foot and ankle bones to their neutral position, thereby restoring natural foot function. In turn this helps alleviate problems in other parts of the body.
In addition, orthotics give a more even weight distribution, taking pressure of sore spots (e.g. the ball of the foot, corns in between toes, bunions etc) and they provide some shock absorption.

Why We’re Different
Foot Levelers orthotics are not ordinary orthotics. In fact, they are named something different because they are something different.

What are Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers?
Our Stabilizers are shoe inserts that support all three arches in your feet thereby creating a stable foundation upon which to build proper body posture. Each is custom-made to stabilize your spine and pelvis by correcting the specific imbalances in your feet.

It’s Not Just About Foot Pain
You don’t have to experience foot pain to be prescribed Stabilizers. In fact, imbalances may occur even if your feet feel fine. Before you know it, you’re suffering from pain and fatigue in other areas of the body, often due to postural misalignment that results from imbalances in your feet.

The Process
At Foot Levelers, we custom design our Stabilizers through an impression or imaging process, depending on the preference of your healthcare professional.

1. Your doctor will get an exact impression of your feet using a digital foot scanner.
2. We will then determine which Stabilizers are right for you, based on the results of the scan or cast. A variety of styles are available for all activity levels and shoe styles.
3. The casting kit or digital scan is sent to the Foot Levelers laboratory.
4. Skilled technicians build your custom-made Stabilizers using 16 precise measurements based on their analysis of your feet. Your lifestyle, age, weight and activity level are all considered when we create your custom-made Stabilizers.
5. The Stabilizers are sent back to your healthcare provider, who will show you how to wear and care for them.

Foot Levelers’ custom-made Stabilizers help promote a healthy, natural, skeletal alignment for total body health.



Patients with certain types of spinal problems benefit from custom made orthotic support (SPS Stabilizers, Shoethotics®, or Sandalthotics®). These devices stabilize the foundation of the pelvis and spine by first addressing structural problems with the feet, thereby reducing abnormal forces and stresses, while enhancing structural and functional relationships.

Understanding Human Biomechanics:

* The joints and muscles of the body function most efficiently when they are in physical balance. Principles of engineering have shown that with any physical entity, whether it is a bridge, a building, or the human body— Structure dictates function.
* The body is a biomechanical kinetic chain where abnormal movements at one line, or joint, can interfere with proper movements at other joints.
* During standing and walking, our bodies are subjected to natural forces and postures that can inflict mechanical stress and strain throughout the interrelated chain of joints and muscles.
* When foot imbalance is present, there is a negative impact on the knees, hips, pelvis, and spine. Some patients must have these abnormal forces reduced before they can achieve improved spinal function.

Understanding Pronation:

* Pronation describes the rotation of a body part downward or inward. It is actually a normal motion that occurs when walking; however, if it happens excessively, pronation can cause global postural problems. The major cause of over-pronation is a decrease in the arch height.

Postural Effects from Imbalances in the Feet:

* A loss of arch height will cause a flattening and rolling in of the foot— this is termed pronation. Because everything is connected, the bones of the leg also inwardly rotate.
* Excessive rotation of the bones of the leg (tibia and femur) will cause unnecessary stresses on the knee as well as twisting of the pelvis and spine. If the pronation is more prevalent on one side, there can be a resultant unleveling of the pelvis and a functional scoliosis.
* Tilting of the pelvis places tension on muscles and connective tissues, which can eventually lead to chronic back problems.
* High levels of heel-strike shock can result from breakdown of the body’s natural “shock absorbers.” The shock wave then transmits up the kinetic chain causing painful symptoms all the way up to the head, slowed recovery of leg and spine injuries, and aggravation of other conditions.

Benefits of Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers:

* Properly fitted Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers support the foot to control excessive and unwanted pronation and supination. This helps to reduce unwanted stress on the body.
* Improved shock absorption reduces repetitive stress on joints and muscles, permitting smoother function and decreasing arthritic symptoms.
* Use of Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers represents a long-term, yet cost-effective intervention for many types of functional and structural problems.

How Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers Work:

* Wearing Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers inside your shoes is similar to placing a shim beneath the leg of a wobbly table: it adds support to eliminate unwanted motion in the entire structure.
* The foot is formed of three distinct arches, which create an architectural vault. The result of supporting these three arches is improved stability and postural integrity.
* Flexible Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers encourage optimal muscle and nerve function by guiding the feet through a more normal pattern with each step taken.

About Foot Levelers’ Spinal Pelvic Stabilizer (SPS) Orthotics:

* Foot Levelers, Inc., a leading supplier for 50 years, creates custom-made, flexible Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers to match each patient’s unique needs.
* Using weightbearing impression images of the feet in the position of function (either from a foam casting kit or a digital scanning system), along with instructions from the healthcare professional,
* Skilled laboratory technicians create unique Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers designed to correct and support areas of weakness.
* The combination of flexible, yet supportive and durable construction materials ensure that the stabilizers will both guide the feet when walking and provide support during long periods of standing.
* Unlike other stabilizing technologies, which use rigid materials to force the feet into a theoretical “ideal” position and may result in muscle atrophy and abnormal nerve proprioception, Foot Levelers’ allow controlled, supported movement for the dynamic human body.

Vitamin D better than vaccines at preventing flu, report claims

The risk of children suffering from flu can be halved if they take vitamin D, doctors in Japan have found. The finding has implications for flu epidemics since vitamin D, which is naturally produced by the human body when exposed to direct sunlight, has no significant side effects, costs little and can be several times more effective than anti-viral drugs or vaccine.

Only one in ten children, aged six to 15 years, taking the sunshine vitamin in a clinical trial came down with flu compared with one in five given a dummy tablet. Mitsuyoshi Urashima, the Japanese doctor who led the trial, told The Times that vitamin D was more effective than vaccines in preventing flu.

Vitamin D was found to be even more effective when the comparison left out children who were already given extra vitamin D by their parents, outside the trial. Taking the sunshine vitamin was then shown to reduce the risk of flu to a third of what it would otherwise be.

Altogether 354 children took part in the trial, which took place during the winter of 2008-09, before the swine flu epidemic. Vitamin D was found to protect against influenza A, which caused last year’s epidemic, but not against the less common influenza B.

The trial, which was double blind, randomised, and fully controlled scientifically, was conducted by doctors and scientists from Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo, Japan.

The children were given a daily dose of 1200 IUs (international units) of vitamin D over a period of three months. In the first month children in the group taking the vitamin became ill just as often as those taking the dummy tablet. But by the second month, when the vitamin level in the children’s blood was higher, the advantage of the vitamin was clear.

The Japanese scientists, writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, say that the anti-viral drugs zanamivir and oseltamivir reduce risk of flu infection by 8 per cent in children who have been exposed to infection, compared with a 50 per cent or greater reduction with vitamin D.

Anti-virals are also too expensive, and possibly too toxic, to be given to the population as a whole whereas vitamin D has additional benefits. The sunshine vitamin not only prevents bone fractures but is also believed to reduce risks of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other illness, including various bacterial as well as viral infections.

The Japanese finding supports a theory that low blood levels of the sunshine vitamin occurring in winter explain why flu epidemics generally peak between December and March.

Vitamin D activates the innate immune system, enabling the body to produce several proteins such as defensin and cathelicidin which trigger cell activity and disable viruses.

Dr Urashima said: “Vitamin D and vaccine work by quite different mechanisms. Vitamin D enhances innate immunity while vaccine enhances acquired immunity. So we do not have to select only one way of prevention, rather we should do both ways, I think.”

Dr John Oxford, professor of virology at Queen Mary School of Medicine, London, said: “This is a timely study. It will be noticed by scientists. It fits in with the seasonal pattern of flu. There is an increasing background of solid science that makes the vitamin D story credible. But this study needs to be replicated. If it is confirmed we might think of giving vitamin D at the same time as we vaccinate.”