Bikini Wax Types

The idea of a bikini wax may intrigue you, excite you, or possibly scare you. Many women would like to clean up their bikini region with a little hair removal before summer hits and they have to put on their skimpy bikini, but they do not know what waxing services are out there. Many have heard the term before, but there are several different types or options from which to choose. Before you head to the salon, it is good to get a grasp on the different types, so that you will be able to explain the professional spa technician exactly what you are wanting.

The Basic Bikini Wax - If you are going for your very first wax, the simple regular type is most likely what you are wanting. This is the most basic type and basically just removes any hair that would lie outside of the average bikini line. You can typically leave your underwear on for this procedure, or you will wear the salon's disposable underwear. Then wax will be applied to your upper thigh areas and to the hair below your naval. The Basic is a good choice for beginners who simply want to groom that area before they have to wear a bikini out in public.

French Type Bikini Wax - The French type goes a little bit farther than your basic waxing. This style removes all of the hair that the basic removes, and then some. After a French, you are typically only left with one small vertical strip of hair, often referred to as a "landing strip". Women who like to wear very narrow types of underwear or bikinis often choose this method of waxing.

Brazilian Bikini Wax - It is, by far the most famous type because it really takes the process to the next level. A Brazilian wax typically means the removal of your genital area hair, front and back. In some cases, a small strip of hair is left, as in the French types, but you would want to let your waxing technician know if you would prefer that before hand. Women who like to wear thong style underwear or swimwear, and need to remove hair from their front and backside, choose this waxing type.

The Sphinx or Hollywood - The Sphinx style, also known sometimes as the Hollywood Bikini Wax, gets its name from the hairless breed of cat, also called Sphinx. This method of bikini waxing is quite simple; it is the removal of all of the hair, from all areas of the genital region, from front to back. This style of waxing is for women who do not want to ever have to worry about pubic hair showing, or for those who simply do not like having body hair.

It is important that you choose the type that is appropriate for you. If you are just starting with bikini waxing, you might start with the basic bikini waxing and work your way up from there.

Why Compression Clothing?

Compression clothing can be used for many different reasons and has a wide array of benefits. Compression clothing simply means special garments that are very form fitting. They are often made of a spandex-type of material. Benefits of compression clothing when used for an athlete are things like reduced probability of injury, maintaining body temperature, reduced build up of Creatine kinase, reduced muscle movement, and moisture wicking. There are also benefits to people with severe varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis. Compression clothing can aid in keeping blood from pooling which aggravates these conditions.

Compression socks or stockings are designed to prevent and help stop further progression of venous disorders. Compression socks work by putting pressure around the limb which in turn keeps veins from being overly distended. Keeping the veins at a normal size promotes better blood flow and keeps legs from feeling achy or heavy. The most common use of compression socks or stockings is for achy legs, edema, varicose veins, spider veins, deep vein thrombosis, and pregnancy, among others. The stockings come in size classes that range from 10 mmHg to greater than 50 mmHg. They come in over the counter varieties as well as higher compression prescription varieties. Styles are sock, knee-high, thigh-high, and pantyhose.

Compression sleeves increase blood flow to the arm. They can help prevent arm injury, aid in keeping swelling down, and help alleviate pain. They come in many colors and a variety of different weights and fabrics. Some compression sleeves cover only your arm while others cover your arm as well as the palm of the hand, leaving only fingers exposed. Lotion may be used to help put the sleeve on and adhesive might help if there are issues with the sleeve slipping down your arm.

Juzo is a popular brand for compression wear. Juzo compression wear offers stockings, Lymphedema garments, silver garments, prosthetics, and orthopedic devices. Juzo compression wear is latex-free and are made from Lycra material. They offer covered compression fibers inside and out which makes them much more comfortable to wear than similar products by other brands. This also aids in the ease of putting the garments on and taking them off. Latex-free means the garment is able to be machine washed and put in the dryer on low heat. Garments should be washed daily to keep them clean. Juzo compression garments come in a wide variety of sizes and styles and if needed can be custom made to fit any size or shape.

Stroke Prevention: How to Create Your Strategy

It's one of the worst fears - that the niggling little headache is really the beginning of something horrendous - a stroke. You begin picturing how you'll manage if you're paralyzed, unable to speak, unable to walk or even more, or worse - you'll end up dead.

Statistically speaking, it's entirely possible - after all, strokes are one of the leading causes of death. Referred to in medical parlance as "cerebral vascular accidents, or CVA's, and now often called "brain attacks", by whatever name they are labeled, they leave in their wake a path of devastation, disability and death. In the United States, strokes are the leading cause of adult disability. And, they're on the rise. About three quarters of a million occur each year and one third of these people die.

Who in their right mind would sign up for such a fate? Clearly, putting a good stroke prevention strategy in place is a smart move. But what to do?

First, understand what stroke is: The arteries going to your brain from your heart and the veins that return it are like a hose carrying fluid (blood). Strokes can occur either because of a problem in the hose, such as it leaking or breaking, or a problem that blocks the flow of the fluid. Therefore your stroke prevention strategy needs to have two aspects:

• keeping the internal "hoses" in strong, open and in good repair, and
• keeping the fluid moving through them thin enough to flow well not to create blockages.

To keep the "hoses" strong and in good repair, certain nutrients are key. Since arterial walls are made of connective tissue, health practitioners may recommend products that help build, repair and strengthen connective tissue, such as;

• magnesium, which helps relax constricted smooth muscle inside the arterial "hoses"
• whole food concentrate vitamin E, or
• products rich in the "P' factors of the vitamin C complex, such as bioflavonoids
• a high quality omega -3 oil that will pick up and carry minerals out of your and allow them to either be used or eliminated instead of settling in and hardening your arteries - a clear set up for a stroke.
• herbs that strengthen connective tissue, such as Gotu Kola
• dietary changes that reduce inflammation, which narrows the internal open space (lumen) of the "hose".

To keep the fluid moving through the arterial "hoses"and thin enough to flow readily. This means creating a strategy that prevents your platelets - blood cells that play a critical role in bleeding - from becoming 'sticky' and developing into clots. Once clots form, they block the flow inside the hose (arterial flow), cutting off the blood supply to your brain and resulting in the second kind of stroke.

Many health practitioners have had excellent success with nutritional products that assist protein digestion, Typically these protein digesters, when used as digestive aids, are taken with meals. However, when taken for stroke prevention, they should be taken between meals, on an empty stomach. How does this work?

Since clots are made of the protein fibrin, the enzymes in protein digesters help break down the fibrin-based clots and plaque in human arteries. This has been demonstrated to work in rabbits, where the product used was bromelain, an extract from pineapple that helps break down protein.

When poor arterial flow results from the body having difficulty recycling its fluid wastes, there can be a number of factors at play. Here are some of them along with strategies that can address them:

1. Poor digestion in the stomach, suggesting that dietary changes may be needed so that foods ingested are those that benefit your particular body. Digestive aids may also need to be taken with meals;

2. Clogged kidneys that are having difficulty filtering wastes, suggesting a need for nutritional and herbal products that help break down the molecules that are clogging the tiny filtration tissues of the kidneys;

3. Toxic bowel, one of the factors at play when blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels are high, suggesting a need for products that acidify the intestines, increase presence of healthy "bugs" or flora that clean up the environment, high chlorophyll-containing products (especially because they neutralize the highly toxic guanidine produced in the toxic bowel, etc.;

4. Too much calcium in the blood stream rather than in the bones and tissues where it is needed, suggesting omega 3 fatty acid support, or possibly nutritional support for the parathyroid gland;

5. Old, indigestible iron in the blood, suggesting a need for products high in phosphorus and other particular minerals that tend to alkalinize the body and remove the iron;

6. Stone formation, which is the body's way of attempting to remove from circulation materials such as calcium, iron, protein (uric acid), bile, metals, drugs, and junk food and synthetic vitamins. Stone formation suggests the need for a combination of products that may include choline, phosphorus, and bile thinners; and

7. Chemical contamination, which thickens and slows blood flow, as in mercury toxicity (secondary to leaking silver amalgam dental fillings, or consuming contaminated fish, for example), pesticide residue, etc. This situation suggests strategies that support the body in cleaning up the contamination, which need to be targeted to the specific contamination.

Note: these strategies are presented as summaries for educational purposes only and are not intended as substitutes for medical care. Always consult your health practitioner before embarking on a course of action. The best stroke prevention strategy is one that is both informed and targeted, meaning it's based not only on knowledge about strokes and their treatment in general, but also about your body in particular. Making such an investment could save your life.