Aging

Varicose Veins

Varicose veins is a medical condition where the veins have become enlarged and twisted. It commonly occurs in the legs, especially the superficial veins, although may be found in other places.  

  

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The most common cause is standing for long periods of time. As the veins become chronically distended, the valves found within the veins that are responsible for preventing backflow stop working. Because the valves are less efficient, blood pools in the veins which only increase the dilation. Now blood is just sitting there making the area appear swelled. This alteration in the anatomy carries out several effects: 

A. Because blood is pooling in the veins, less blood is going to the heart and being pumped to other regions of the body. Blood carries oxygen and nutriments that body parts need to perform.

B. Blood that is pooling in the area is not oxygenated. As a result, the skin within that area is lacking oxygen and nutriments, making it thinner and eventually reputing (venous stasis ulcers). Venous stasis ulcers are hard to treat because of the restriction of fresh blood. 

C. When blood remains confined in an area with minimal movement, the risk of a clot forming increases (deep vein thrombosis). This may problematic as the clot may dislodge (embolus), travel through the circulatory system and get stuck in the lungs (pulmonary thromboembolism). This means that the clot is occluding an artery found within the lungs and so areas following that clot are not getting any blood/oxygen. This stresses the heart.   Pulmonary thromboembolism is not a disease itself, rather a complication of varicose veins.  

Food. Science. Truth. Politics. 

Misleading Labels 

Maple leaf: “no added preservatives”—Nitrate precancerous in the form of cultured celery extract

Danone’s DanActive: “help strengthen your natural defenses” & “scientifically proven”—claims without proof

Carnation Breakfast Essentials: “healthy morning drink” –it contains too much sugar (38g)

Oasis Health Break CholestPrevent juice: “intended for people concerned with cholesterol” & “drinking 2 glasses of juice was equivalent to consuming 80 oranges or 22 kg of broccoli” (statements was removed after the implication of Canadian Food Inspection Agency) – although companies may add plant sterols for cholesterol claims, 2 glasses everyday = 1.5 kg of sugar a month. People with high cholesterol are advised to lower sugar consumption.

McCain Pizza Pockets: "wholesome ingredients that contain no artificial colours or flavors"—too much fat and salt, more than fast food (not exactly wholesome).

Praeventia cookies from Leclerc: “tasty, nutritious snack”—advertising the benefits of antioxidants that is not entirely proven by medicine.

Kraft Canada Inc.’s KD Smart: containing omega-3 as the company claims to improve brain and heart health. Firstly, these omega-3 benefits only accompany fish-based omega-3 and not the plant-based version. Also, someone would have to consume 177 servings of KD Smart it absorb the same amount of omega-3 contained in a piece of fish.

Wonder Plus White Loaf with Fibre: "provides Canadian families with the taste and softness they love plus added fibre and the nutrition they need."—the bread contains only the ground-up hulls of whole oats which does not have the same nutritional benefit of whole grains.

Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain bars: "golden baked crust of wheat and whole grains mixed with a variety of fillings made with real fruit"—12 g of sugar and the first ingredient is white flour rather than whole grains.

Campell’s Healthy Request soup: “contains whole grains and vegetables and 25% less sodium than other soups”. The container contains 750mg of sodium which is more than half of the daily recommended amount.

Take Home Message
Claims are good because they can cue you into buying healthier products, however they might be false. Therefore, consumers must refer to the regulated parts of the packaging being the Ingredient list and Nutrition Facts table to get the bigger picture. Claims are optional and only meant to highlight a particular nutriment found within the Nutrition Facts Table. Use the %DV as a guide in product comparison.

This information was based on the following link http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/10-misleading-food-product-labels-in-canada-1.1142301

Tanaka Massage 

Massages are known for their pain and stress relief/management benefits but, they may also help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, especially the Tanaka Message. How? Messages stimulate blood flow to the area promoting the nutriment/waste exchange of cells (lymphatic drainage). Invented from the Japanese make-up artist, Yukoko Tanaka, it seems impossible for this massage to yield anymore benefits. Surprisingly, the Tanaka massage also promises to contour the face, reducing dark circles, "puffiness" and defining the face's natural dimensions.

Notice that in the image above, the subject's skin appears tighter. There is also a significant reduction in the puffiness beneath the eyes and the nos appears "lifted". The skin in the area of the chin is not as loose after the treatment as well as the part of the cheekbone closest to the ear is slightly more defined. Consider that this image only reflects on the effects of the Takana massage after 3 months. The benefits may be more prominent after a longer period of time. Also, the Tanaka massage is a complementary therapy therefore, it would be incorporated into someone's lifestyle and would not be forgotten after (X) time. because the benefits of the Tanaka massage are a result of lymphatic drainage, one must massage daily for optimal results. Again, lack of compliance ends with the reappearance of the natural effects of aging. Message the face with an oil to reduce irritation. View the following videos to learn how to massage: