CBD Oil Dosage: How Much Should You Take?

Cannabidiol or CBD is an active compound found in hemp and cannabis. Unlike Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, CBD doesn’t have addictive and intoxicating effects. That’s why CBD oil is a preferred alternative option for treating a wide array of medical conditions, such as pain, insomnia, anxiety, and seizure disorders. Keith of The Hempire has had specific studies on the effects of CBD oil on mental health. However, the question is how much should you take? In this post, learn more about the right CBD dosage so you can apply what’s best for your needs.

General CBD Dosage Considerations

Since CBD is obtained or extracted from a natural plant, it’s generally considered safe to consume. Like any other herbal plant, CBD is a plant medicine, with therapeutic benefits. The right CBD dosage depends on a lot of factors that affect your bodily response, immediate effects, and outcomes.

Here are the important factors when determining the right CBD dosage for you:

  • Major complaint
  • Existing medical conditions
  • Body weight
  • Body’s response to CBD
  • Allergy or sensitivity

Standard CBD Dosage

The standard CBD dosage ranges from 10 mg to 100 mg per day. Standard doses are applicable for treating pain, infection, inflammation, arthritis, anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, autism, autoimmune disorders, multiple sclerosis, and other health conditions. It’s also the suggested dose for weight loss.

Here are the recommended standard CBD dosage guidelines:

  • CBD dose per day: 45 mg to 60 mg.
  • Use 15% or 20% CBD oil. One drop of the 15% CBD oil has 5 mg of CBD, and one drop of the 20% oil contains 6.7 mg of CBD.
  • For the 15% CBD oil: three drops thrice a day for a total of 45 mg of CBD daily.
  • For the 20% CBD oil: three drops thrice a day for a 60mg of CBD daily.

Staggered Dosage

Gradually increasing CBD dose or dose staggering is generally recommended for first-time users. One study points out that staggering drug dose is an effective way to reduce drug interactions, which also applies to CBD dosage.

Here are the essential benefits of CBD dose staggering:

  • Assess the initial effects or body reactions of CBD, most especially among first-time users.
  • Find out if you have allergy or sensitivity to cannabis products.
  • Precisely determine the right amount of CBD oil that fits your needs.

CBD Microdosing

The Father of Microdosing is Dr. Albert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist that first synthesized LSD and lived up to 102 years old. His long life was associated with his minuscule LSD doses during the last 20 years of his life. Microdosing complies with the medical standards of starting low and doing it slow. It aims to manipulate cellular receptors to gain the desired physiologic responses or therapeutic effects with less doses.

Here are the general CBD microdosing guidelines:

  • CBD dose per day: 0.5 mg to 20 mg for stress, sleep, nausea, headache, mood disorders, PTSD, and metabolic disorders. This CBD dose is also applicable as a daily dietary supplement.
  • Use 5% CBD oil for microdose. One drop of 5% CBD oil contains 1.67 mg of CBD. Taking three drops thrice daily will give you 15 mg of CBD, which is the average recommended dose per day.
  • Make dosage adjustments according to your tolerance level.

CBD Macro-dosing

CBD macro-dosing or therapeutic dosing involves high-range CBD doses of 50 mg to 800 mg of CBD per day. It is recommended to try koi CBD oil for treating seizures disorders, like epilepsy, cancer, liver disease, and other severe, life-threatening medical conditions.

CBD Oil Dosage Guidelines

Every person is different, that’s why you have to find the right CBD dose for you. The average CBD dose is 25 mg for most people. For first-time users, it’s best to start with the lowest dose and increase slowly until signs and symptoms improve. For treating medical conditions, it’s always advisable to consult your doctor before consuming CBD.

Here are the different methods of consuming CBD:

  • Oral Administration: CBD is not absorbed into the bloodstream. Expect to feel the effects or benefits of CBD about an hour after intake.
  • Sublingual Administration: It usually takes 20 minutes for the effects to kick in when taking CBD oil under the tongue.
  • Smoking CBD: The absorption of CBD via the respiratory system provides rapid relief. It’s highly recommended for those who prefer immediate relief and can’t tolerate oral and sublingual CBD administration.
  • Vaping CBD: Vaping devices are now available which are specifically designed for CBD use, ranging from e-liquid pens, portable vaporizers, to desktop units. This method of consuming CBD oil is recommended for medical patients.

Conclusion

The dose of CBD oil you need depends on your body chemistry. The effects and benefits of CBD hemp oil are influenced by the manner of administration and your body’s response to a particular dose. For treatment of medical conditions, seeking a doctor’s advice is highly recommended for the best results.

Pet Waste Management in the UK – Prospects and Challenges

Pet waste is a growing public health and environmental risk. According to a report commissioned by the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, 13 million UK households (45%) keep pets of some kind. Cats and dogs are each kept by 8.5 million households (these numbers are not additive, as some will of course keep both).

pet-wastes

Can those of us who want both the joys of animal companionship and waste minimisation, find ways to cut down, or better manage, the huge amount of pet waste generated in the UK every year? With so many cats and dogs in the UK, pet waste must represent a significant mass of organic matter within the residual waste stream.

Does this waste represent a floater in the residual waste stream by necessity—due to inherently unpleasant and possibly dangerous characteristics of the waste—or is it only there out of convention and squeamishness?

I’ve written before about the relationship between waste management and squeamishness, and talking about faeces really brings the point home. There are some undoubtedly nasty pathogens present in pet faeces, notably the parasites Toxocariasis and Toxoplasmosis. But might these be safely killed off by the temperatures reached in anaerobic digestion (AD). If so, provided any litter and bags were made of organic matter, might pet waste be collected along with food waste?

I began by contacting a local authority waste officer, but was told that no one had asked this question before, and that I might be better off talking to AD plant operators. This I did, but most seemed similarly baffled by my query. However, one mentioned that AD digestate goes through a pasteurisation process, where it is heated to a temperature of 70oC for one hour, in order to make it safe for land application. I also attempted to contact some technical specialists in the field, but to no avail.

There are some theoretical indications that this pasteurisation should be sufficient. Hanna Mizgajska-Wiktor and Shoji Uga’s essay Exposure and Environmental Contamination states: “Anaerobic waste treatment kills Toxocara spp. eggs at temperatures in excess of 45oC”, well below the 70oC mentioned by my operator. The susceptibility of Toxoplasma to heat is less clear, although numerous internet sources suggest this can be killed in meat by cooking at 66oC. So far, then, I haven’t confirmed or falsified my initial inkling, and so the collection of pet waste in the municipal organic stream remains a theoretical possibility.

Motivated dog owners can already turn their pet’s waste into a resource within their own home. The website London Worms explains how you can turn your dog’s poo into rich and useful vermicompost, although it warns that the results will only be suitable for use on non-edible plants.

Foul Pay

Household pet droppings may still be largely fated for disposal, but even when binned this waste is at least moving through proper waste management channels. Unfortunately, not all pet poo is binned, and we have real data measuring public perceptions of the disamenity resulting from dog fouling. For most, the presence of this unwelcome waste in our streets, parks and footpaths is of much higher concern than its diversion from landfill. Therefore, it is necessary to make use of biodegradable dog poop bags to keep our environment clean.

A 2011 Defra-funded study on local residents’ willingness-to-pay — via an increase in council tax — for improvements across a range of environmental factors found that dog fouling was the third most important issue out of the presented range (with litter and fly-tipping taking first and second place). Surveys were conducted in inner-city, suburban and rural/semi-rural areas around London, Manchester and Coventry.

In order to move from the current level of dog fouling to the best possible scenario, it was found that inner-city residents would on average be willing to pay £8.87 per month, suburban residents £7.79 per month, and rural residents £2.72. Combining these figures with population statistics allows us to place a disamenity value on dog fouling. National statistics only allow for an urban-rural split, but based on a 2012 Defra rurality study which found that 18.9% of the population lives in rural areas, we can calculate that across England we would collectively be willing to pay £462m per year to achieve best case scenario improvements in dog fouling.

This somewhat crude calculation gives an indication of the perceived disamenity of dog fouling. Presenting the matter in terms such as these may allow economically minded policy makers a means of engaging with this important street scene issue and evaluating the costs and benefits of interventions.

Food for Thought

Let’s wash our hands of poo (with plenty of soap and warm water) and look to the other end of the pet waste problem. According to a report published by WRAP, the UK uses around 75,000 tonnes of primary packaging annually. This holds 1,263,000 tonnes of wet and dry cat and dog food, of which 9,000 uneaten tonnes are thrown away. Although this wasted food constitutes less than 1% of the total sold (if only we were as careful with food for human consumption) the estimated cost to the consumer is still £21m a year.

WRAP examined a number of designs intended to cut to down on the amounts of both pet food and packaging thrown away. A major problem with packaging design is the need to account for portion sizes, which vary from animal to animal and change depending on age and level of activity. Single serve packaging may actually lead to regular food wastage if the portion provided is too big for a particular pet; indeed, this is a problem I am experiencing with my own cat, whose appetite seems to fluctuate wildly. Re-sealable packaging that allows owners to dish out meals in accordance with the changing appetites of their pets is therefore preferable.

The material that packaging is made of is also significant: for example, relatively heavy tins are recyclable, whereas lightweight plasticised plastic foil packets are not. Pet food and its packaging can be pushed up the waste hierarchy by simply choosing a recyclable and resealable container which will allow them to adequately provide for the appetite of their pet. However, these issues are likely to be given less weight compared with health, convenience and cost in the minds of most householders. The onus has to be on manufacturers to develop packaging which is both low cost and easily recyclable. A recent development in this area for cat owners includes durable stainless steel litter boxes, which eliminates the need to purchase and replace plastic boxes.

Love pets, hate waste?

People love animals, but are rather less keen to engage with pets as an environmental issue. Leaving aside questions of whether it is sustainable for so many of us to have pets at all, there are clearly ways in which we can reduce their impact. The convenience of single serving pouches of pet food seems to win out over more recyclable and waste-avoiding alternatives, although pet owners might be willing to change their choices if presented with a better option.

While worrying about recovery options for cat poo might seem somewhat academic, it may be easier to tackle than dog fouling. It might even help to tackle the common psycho-social root of both issues. Cultural distaste perhaps lies behind the lack of information available on dealing with household pet waste, and the persistence of dog fouling as a street scene issue.

Things were very different in Victorian London when “pure finders” earned a living by seeking out doggie doo to supply the tanning trade. But for us this kind of waste is a disagreeable fact of life which we deal with as simply and with as little thought as possible. But as a nation of animal lovers, it’s our responsibility to engage with the waste management issues our pets present.

Note: The article is being republished with the kind permission of our collaborative partner Isonomia. The original article can be viewed at this link

Hair Extensions: Your Hair, But Better!

Hair extensions have become a popular way to make your hair longer and fuller. Many stylists use this solution to create seamless, and gorgeous hairstyles for many occasions. Check out the ultimate guide to hair extensions!

most popular hair extension methods

What are the most popular hair extension methods?

Hair extensions should be tailored to your needs, hair condition, color, lifestyle, and budget. You may choose from many different methods. What are the best methods of hair extension?

1. Tape-in

It’s one of the safest hair extension methods. The biggest advantage of tape hair extensions is that the tapes are reusable. The result is very natural and lasts between 6-8 weeks, and the application lasts about 30 min.

2. Hand-tied

The hand-tied method is recommended for thick hair. It includes multiple rows of wefts, which are sewn to the attachment points. This method is natural-looking and comfortable. You can wash them, as well as blowdry, and style them. The move-up appointment should be held every 4-8 weeks.

3. Clip in

Clip-ins are a great solution for those, who don’t want to wear extensions on a regular basis. It can be taken in and out without a visit to a hair salon. This method is very comfortable and versatile. You can use the extensions multiple times, wash them, and style them.

4. Cold fusion

It’s a method that uses small cylinders to pull a small section of hair through. The hair extended using this method looks natural, but it’s mostly recommended for strong, thick hair. The application doesn’t require any glue or heat. The application lasts from 4 to even 6 hours.

How to choose the best hair extensions?

You can search for extensions in the professional online shop, so you can adjust them to your hair color, and length. When choosing the perfect method, first you need to decide whether you look for a permanent or temporary effect. To perfectly blend in with your hair, make sure you buy extensions that are similar to your hair texture and color. A good online store gives you a wide choice of straight, wavy, or curly extensions.

Your new extensions should be the same color as your natural hair. In a great quality store, most colors are available – white, black, blonde, brown, or even red. Then, you need to choose your new length. It depends mostly on your height, but the most popular are 20in hair extensions that hit the lower back.

Don’t forget the quality. Choose good quality hair that you can wash, style, and blow dry. Add the chosen hair extensions’ weight to your cart, order using your computer or mobile device, and enjoy your better, beautiful hair!

10 Small Ways to Make a Big Difference in Waste Reduction

At this point, pretty much everyone is aware that plastic drinking straws are bad for the environment, namely the animals that inhabit our oceans, rivers, and lakes. But that’s just one small aspect of the global waste problem we’re currently facing.

Becoming aware of the impact of straws began a major change in the way we drink beverages. Similarly, understanding how other wasteful behaviors negatively affect our world should help us all reduce our waste and become better consumers.

While it will take major changes amongst the masses to turn our trajectory around, it all begins when individuals start adjusting their personal habits.

Start making an impact on our Earth by reducing your waste generation in these 10 small ways:

1. Reduce Consumption

The first step to reduce waste? Reduce consumption. Start by logging where you are spending your money. Notice which areas cost the most and begin reducing in that area. Once you improve there, find the next budget category to tackle. By simply buying less, we can make a big difference.

2. Avoid Plastic Wrap

Instead of relying on plastic wrap to preserve food or make it portable, consider other eco-friendly alternatives, like Super Bee beeswax wraps. These can be washed and reused over and over again. They work for anything including sandwiches, partially used produce, and a bowl of leftovers.

3. Shop with Reusable Bags

You should strive to always bring your own shopping bags rather than getting a single-use one from the store. This will cut down on the clutter in your house and save a few bags in the process. If you forgot your bags, opt for paper instead of plastic and find a way to re-use it afterward.

4. Support Local

Locally made products require much less packaging, shipping, and manufacturing overhead. Buying these kinds of products supports lower-waste businesses and contributes positively to the environment. Farmers markets are great for purchasing delicious produce without any packaging.

5. Whatever You Do, Don’t Litter

Of course, you should never litter. Throwing trash on the ground with the assumption that someone else will pick it up is incredibly flawed. You should always pick up after yourself. In addition, you can make a difference by simply picking up after those who haven’t.

6. Reuse Food Containers

If your takeout is transported in non-environmentally friendly packaging, find a way to reuse it. Even if you only find one more use for it, you will have just doubled its life span and done a small part in reducing waste.

7. Start Your Own Garden

One way to really reduce the amount of wasteful packaging you consume is to start growing your own food. This will be a fun hobby, provide nutritious food, and cut your produce-related waste down to zero.

8. Stretch Your Groceries

Challenge yourself to stretch your groceries an extra day or two. This practice can help save you a nice bit of money each year and will ensure you’re using what you already have rather than consuming more.

9. Repurpose Furniture

Instead of buying a new couch, consider just reupholstering the fabric. Finding ways to repurpose old furniture cuts down on heavy item shipping costs and reduces the large amounts of waste that commonly come along with these types of products.

10. Recycle

If you’re not already, get on the recycling bandwagon. By separating your recyclable waste from your general trash, you can give many of your consumer products a second life!

Also Read: The Role of Bioenergy in Waste Minimization

Conclusion

Even if you are unable to accomplish all of the things on this list, working towards a few sustainable development goals can make an impact. By becoming more mindful of how we consume and waste products, we can slowly improve Earth’s environmental state.

Couples Therapy: A Therapeutic Tool To Rebuild Relationships

Conflicts occur in almost all relationships since it is very difficult for two different people to view the same thing from the same perspective. If handled properly, divergent views can bring partners together; however, they may drift away if relationship conflicts are not resolved amicably in the early stages. The steep rise in relationship breakdowns has led people to search for therapeutic solutions and couples therapy is playing a key role in saving marriages and conflict resolutions. Read on to know more about couples therapy and its benefits in mending relationships:

marriage-therapy

What is Couples Therapy?

Couples therapy, sometimes also known as marriage counselling, is a kind of psychotherapy in which a relationship therapist makes use of therapeutic tools to assist partners analyse their relationship, identify and resolve conflict and improve relationship efficacy.

The main areas of disagreements between partners include distancing, Internet addiction, in-laws, infertility, jealousy, controlling behavior, money fights, parenting, chronic health issues, abuse, and sex-related difficulties.  For example, some couples, after years of marriage, avoid each other and coexist as roommates after years but couples therapy can reignite the relationship.

What does a marriage therapist do? The marriage therapist talks to both the partners, identifies the key relationship problems and devise a plan to solve those problems. It is to be noted that therapist’s goal is not to resolve the issues but to devise a communication method for partners to solve mutual disagreements during and after therapy. It is also very important for the relationship therapist to develop trust with each partner without alienating the other.

The therapist focuses on a particular issue and actively participates in resolving the conflict through a solution-focused and change-oriented approach.  Needless to say, both the partners must participate in couples therapy actively.

Couples usually go for marriage therapy only when the chill in their relationship has reached dangerous proportions. It is advisable to go for marriage therapy in early stages of the relationship, as it is more challenging, time-intensive and more difficult for long-term partners to come to a mutual understanding on contentious issues lingering for years and years. Infact, resentful feelings are difficult to be reversed if they continue for a long period of time.

Steps Involved in Couples Therapy

Therapy can help in healing relationships. Some people need only a few sessions while others require months to resolve the conflicts. Here are the key steps involved in couples therapy:

Step 1: Collect Basic Information

It involved asking standard interview questions regarding the relationship history, family history of each partner, employment, cultural background, prior counselling experience and chronic health issues. This step is important for the couple to become comfortable with the therapist.

Step 2: Goal Setting

Since this counselling is a joint venture meant to understand the relationship, the therapist assists the couple in identifying the issue(s) that will be the focus of treatment, establishing treatment goals and devising the treatment plan.

Step 3: Treatment

The therapist helps the partners to get a better understanding into the dynamics of the relationship conflict, and their respective roles in conflict resolution, thus helping them to change the way they perceive the relationship and each other. Since behavioral change is a crucial aspect of couples therapy, the therapist often assigns homework to each partner to apply the skills learned in therapy to their day-to-day interactions.

Step 4: Goal realization

The ultimate goal of couples therapy is to help partners get insights into relationship issues, develop a conscious relationship, increase emotional expression and develop the skills required to communicate, brainstorm and problem-solve with each other more effectively and amicably.

Conclusion

Couples therapy is an effective tool to restore broken relationships. It helps partners to understand each other and their relationship as a couple, besides developing essential relationship skills, such as trust, patience, forgiveness, communication, selflessness and stress management.

5 Ways to Shop For Food Responsibly

Nowadays, we can get food from the four corners of the Earth. If you want tropical fruit during the winter, you can get it. You’ll never run out of oranges, mangoes, or bananas. While these fruits and other imported foods are delicious, it’s important to eat the foods local to your area.

Shopping for and eating locally grown food is stellar for the environment and your health. However, it’s a bit difficult to navigate these days when most common items are imported. Let’s go through some tips to become a responsible food consumer:

locally-grown-food

1. Research Food Local to Your Area

First things first, get to know what crops grow best in your area. Do some googling and go to the library to find resources. Talk to people at your local grocery store.

Figure out which foods grow during the specific seasons and tailor your diet to suit the standards. Buy some cookbooks that have recipes specific to your area if they’re available.

2. Go Into the Store With a Game Plan

Going into a grocery store can either be a terrible burden or a fun experience. Most of the time, we enter huge establishments that push certain products towards consumers due to profits. Those who consider grocery shopping burdensome should craft a plan of action.

locally-grown-food

You’ve already looked into local foods in your area. Now, you can craft recipes based on the ingredients. Plan what you’re going to cook for the week before you go shopping. Then, you can shop efficiently without succumbing to sales prices or food from far away.

3. Use Online Marketplaces Run by Farmers

While being responsible for your food choices involves eating mostly locally, some imported delicacies are hard to resist. Go easy on yourself. While you should avoid going into huge grocery chains and buying exclusively imported foods, you can splurge every once in a while.

If you want to buy certain foods that need to be imported, consider using online marketplaces. These stores are partnered directly with farmers. That way, you can enjoy imported foods while supporting farmers directly.

4. Go to Your Local Farmers Market

While grocery chains are great for certain products, there’s nothing like a farmers’ market. At a farmers market, you are directly exposed to the foods grown in your area. While farmers maintain a huge presence in these markets, you’ll also see other vendors as well.

food-waste-college

Organic food is a modern, healthy part of a sustainable lifestyle.

You’ll be able to buy locally made dips, chips, and other snacks. Plus, you can also buy crops or plants from certain individuals if you have a green thumb.

5. Buy Less

When transitioning to the life of a responsible food consumer, you’ll have to adjust to buying less every week. A responsible consumer does not overbuy. The individual buys what they need, whether that can be accomplished in one trip to the store or several.

The more you minimize food waste, the better you’ll feel. However, take baby steps and don’t feel too down if you have waste.

Become a Responsible Food Consumer

The task of being a responsible food consumer seems impossible, but it isn’t. The journey will take a while since you’re changing your habits and mindset, but it’s worth it. When you follow the steps to be more responsible, your body, mind, and the earth will thank you.

Take your time, make small changes every day, and have fun in the process. Maybe a love for cooking or baking will pop up while you are in the process.

RF Treatments: What You Need To Know About Latest Technology

With time, the skin is sure to show the signs of aging. It will loosen up because the skin will lose the key proteins or elastin and collagen, which are responsible for keeping the skin firm. This is the reason why we see skin sagging, wrinkles, and the creepy appearance on our neck, hands, and the face. There are many anti-aging therapies that can help. There is plastic surgery, but it is costly. The recovery time is also long.

Radio frequency skin tightening

There are dermal fillers too. If you are looking for a non-invasive treatment, then you can go for Radio Frequency (RF) technology. RF treatments are very effective for cosmetic purposes. The latest RF technology will boost the collagen protein in your body, tighten the skin, and give you an anti-aging effect. RF treatments can work also on other parts of the body for reducing circumference and cellulite. But does it work really?

What Is RF Technology?

RF treatment or Radio Frequency (RF) skin tightening is a non-invasive way to achieve skin tightening and make you look younger. The procedure can be carried out at the doctor’s office. The professional will use a wand connected to a machine, which creates radio waves. The doctor will pass the wand over the body and apply the waves to the skin. The device will heat the deep skin layers (dermis) of your body to produce collagen.

The technology combines PEMF or Pulsed Electro Magnetic Fields and MP-RF or Multi-Polar Radio-Frequency to stimulate the production of collagen. They are both completely safe. The result will be reduced skin sagging, wrinkles, and fewer fine lines.

The radio waves will heat the dermis level between 50 and 75 degrees C. Studies have revealed that the body will produce heat-shock proteins if the skin temperature is maintained over 46 C for three minutes or more. The passing of RF energy into your body is not just safe, it is also painless. It also works for people with all skin types. Patient satisfaction is very high, which is why RF technology has become so popular in the United States and in many other western countries.

Radiofrequency Procedures

RF procedures take between 20-45 minutes. There is very little downtime and almost no side effects. There can be just a bit of redness for up to a day. You will get an even result without any surface irregularities that can be a problem with some other technologies. However, it is best to avoid RF treatment if you have rosacea, a condition that causes flushing, blushing, or visible blood vessels on the face. Also avoid RF if you are sensitive to deep heat on your body or if you have broken capillaries or blood vessels.

1. Radiofrequency Ablation Procedure

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) can achieve many other objectives. It is good for reducing nodules, tumors, and such other body growths. The Radiofrequency Ablation procedure can treat both malignant and benign tumors, chronic venous insufficiency of the legs, and also chronic neck and back pain. It is very effective for pain relief.

The RFA procedure is like a needle biopsy. Here, a needle-like probe will be inserted into the body. The radio frequency emissions will be sent to the surrounding tissues that will eventually kill these nearby cells. The body’s natural immunity will remove them as the cells die. This will cause an internal reaction to shrink the nodule.

The professional therapist will use ultrasound or another imaging technique to place the probe at the tip of the right location. Such radio frequency treatments can be done in an outpatient setting or at the doctor’s office. General anesthesia is not required. However, the person may administer some medicine that will help you relax. A numbing agent may also be applied on the skin area where the probe is going to be inserted.

Usually, you can return home on the same day and go back to your normal routine in 24 hours.

2. RF Technology for Skin and Body Treatments

RF technology can provide many skin and body treatments. It mitigates the body’s natural decline of collagen with age and boosts its production. With every decade, the body may lose about 10 percent of the total collagen. RF therapy can correct this. It can improve the skin, lift its appearance, and make it appear tighter. Of course, the efficacy of radio frequency skin tightening will be different for each person, depending on the body part that is treated and the modality used. Many younger patients also opt for this therapy to increase the reserve of collagen in their body.

Skin tightening is a common goal of radiofrequency therapy. It can also re-texturize the skin when micro-needling is combined with it, which reduces acne scarring on the face and also the stretch marks on the body.

RF Technology for Skin and Body Treatments

Fat reduction, particularly when it is combined with radio frequency skin tightening allows body contouring on the face and elsewhere for the skin. Venus legacy RF technology and treatments like truSculpt ID and EmSculpt NEO are now very popular.

So, there are many applications of RF technology. It can be used for skin tightening, wrinkle reduction through a radio frequency facial, cellulite reduction, double chin, and others.

Benefits of Radio Frequency

There are many cosmetic and health benefits of RF therapy. RF technology for face can reduce the fine lines and wrinkles. There are many other benefits too. For example, the low frequency waves can fight sun damage. Collagen in the skin can get broken down because of overexposure to the harmful UV rays of the sun. The treatment will stimulate the production of collagen and rejuvenate the skin, which is why it is such a popular cosmetic skin care treatment. Besides, increased level of collagen will tighten the loose skin, which can help you get the body shape you want.

It also increases the level of hyaluronic acid, which is a natural moisturizer in the skin. Its rising level will make you appear younger. It will also make the wrinkles and redness fade away.

RF is less expensive compared to other invasive procedures. There is no healing time.

Radio Frequency Treatment Side Effects

There are only a few minor side effects of radio frequency treatments. In some patients, it can cause breakouts because of the heat that targets the deep layer skin. In very rare instances, it has also caused unintended fat loss by targeted the body’s fat cells, especially from heating the wrong layer or over-aggressive heating. Some patients may experience contracture around the neck region if the procedure is not carried out well.

Human exposure to radio frequency waves is considered safe, which is why RF treatment has been approved by the Food Drug Administration (FDA) and also by the American Cancer Society. It is a very effective facial treatment and can also be applied to some other body parts. The side effects, if any, are generally minor that go away quickly.

Take precautions and be careful after the radio frequency treatment and everything should be good.

Top 5 Tips For Reducing Waste in Your Home

Reducing waste in your home is more important now than ever. As the environment is becoming more in danger because of greenhouse gases, climate change, and pollution, the need for humans to reduce their carbon footprint is imperative. However, even if people want to make an effort to save the environment, many people don’t know where to start and how to go about changing their everyday lives in order to become more eco-friendly.

Starting in your home is a great way to begin working towards an eco-friendly lifestyle. A custom home builder in Cherry Hill New Jersey, said, “Making your home environmentally savvy can mean installing something as large as solar panels or it can mean something much smaller; like using reusable shopping bags at the grocery store and not buying plastic products. Either way, making your home eco-friendly is important.”

Reducing waste in your home is easy and will have an outstanding impact on the environment. Here are some quick and easy tips to keep in mind that will help you reduce waste in your home:

1. Start Composting

Starting a compost pile creates less trash by recycling leftover food that would otherwise go in the trash. The point of a compost pile is to put the leftover, and even expired, food back into the earth rather than letting it sit in the garbage or in landfills.

benefits-composting

 

A compost pile is easy to start, all you need is a bin and some extra space. After you’re done eating something (as long as it isn’t meat, a milk product, or greasy processed food), you can put it in this bin and then incorporate it into your garden or yard every few weeks. Your food won’t go to waste and your garden/yard will get the nutrients it needs.

2. DIY Beauty and Household Products

Buying less plastic products is another great way to reduce waste in your home. However, most beauty and household products are packaged in plastic containers which makes reducing plastic in this way a major obstacle.

A possible solution to this issue is making your own beauty and household products like floor cleaner, and toothpaste. Making your own natural deodorant is also a great way to reduce waste generation.

Though buying the ingredients to make these products may create a small amount of waste, the ingredients are easier to buy in bulk so you will have to buy them less frequently and will be able to create ample amounts of beauty and household products.

office-cleaning

Creating homemade products is also a great way to ensure you aren’t getting chemicals in your products that are damaging to the environment and will create waste or harmful toxins.

3. Meal Plan

Food waste is a huge issue in households. Often, between ¼ to ½  of a household’s weekly produce, meats, and milk products are thrown out at the end of the week. This is preventable with the incorporation of meal planning and meal prepping in your life. By starting a meal plan, you will only buy what you need and will be less likely to waste products because they expired.

food-waste-management

This will generate less waste in terms of food that will end up sitting in a landfill but also in terms of plastic packaging waste that food is packaged in.

4. Repair Instead of Replace

This is an easy way to create little waste in your home that many people don’t think about. When something in your home breaks, whether it is a small kitchen appliance or something large like a heater or part of a couch, take the time to repair it instead of getting a new one. If you repair an item, the original one won’t make its way to a landfill and you will get more life out of your products.

If an appliance or piece of furniture is unable to be repaired, make an effort to recycle some of the important parts; or, if you are in the market to buy a replacement, look online for used products or go to a secondhand store. This will create less waste and will also save you money.

5. Cancel and/or Recycle Junk Mail

Easy and free, by canceling and recycling junk mail will immediately reduce waste in your home. Most people don’t even look at the junk mail and toss it right in the garbage can. Canceling subscriptions only requires a phone call or email and will significantly cut back the waste that is generated in your home.

If you receive junk mail that is not sent to you via subscription and you are unable to cancel it, make sure to at least recycle it.

Eliminating junk mail will also help with decluttering your coffee tables and countertops, an added benefit to helping the environment.

Bottom Line

There is always room for improvement when trying to improve your lifestyle in terms of creating less waste. These tips are a great way to start making an impact on saving the environment before it’s too late. Reduce the waste in your life with minimal effort and small, simple changes.

How Do You Know if a Supplement is Good Quality?

Many various nutritional supplements are available on the market today. People often seek out supplements to live a healthier lifestyle, but the process can be complicated and challenging because so many options are available. Supplements are an essential part of the diet for many people who are deficient in specific nutrients.

how to select dietary supplement

People may not realize that the FDA does not have the same oversight over nutritional supplements and vitamins as over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Even though they are labeled with the store’s name, vitamins and supplements sold under the store’s private label are still very likely to have been produced by reputable private label supplement manufacturers who also produce supplements for national brands.

Drugs, however, must meet a much stricter set of requirements. The FDA prohibits the marketing of supplements from treating, diagnosing, preventing, or curing any disease. As a result, supplements should avoid making disease-related claims, such as “lower high cholesterol” or “treat heart disease.”

Some dietary supplements may include fillers or lack the appropriate amount of a vitamin or mineral. Low-quality components are avoided for a good reason. There are both high-quality and subpar products accessible. With our help, you can determine whether a supplement is high-quality.

Invest In Products From Reliable Manufacturers or Sellers

Customers who shop at well-known retailers will likely find supplements made by recognizable national brands. Moreover, people who purchase supplements from a reputable retailer, as opposed to an independent sales consultant or marketer, run a lower risk of being overcharged for the products. It is one of the many advantages of shopping at a well-known and respected store.

Locate The Label Bearing The USP or ConsumerLab Designation

There are third-party organizations that take supplements more seriously than the FDA. More specifically, some organizations perform tests to ensure that dietary supplements and vitamins do not contain any fillers and are not manufactured in unclean or contaminated environments, which could lead to the inclusion of microbes or even heavy metals in the product’s constituents.

ConsumerLab and the United States Pharmacopeial Convention Dietary Supplement Verification Program (USP) are the two most reliable third-party organizations. However, ConsumerLab’s stamp of approval is the one that is most likely to be seen in stores, even though USP is widely regarded as the most reputable monitoring organization.

Consider Supplements or Vitamins That Are Domestically Produced

Since the FDA does not stringently regulate dietary supplements, the origin of the ingredients is not necessarily a reliable indicator of the product’s quality or safety. On the other hand, dietary supplements produced in the United States from ingredients sourced within the country have a lower risk of containing harmful chemicals or toxins than those manufactured in other countries.

Greater Quantities Are Not Always Preferable

RDAs for vitamins and nutrients are frequently misunderstood, leaving many people with an inadequate supply of essential vitamins and nutrients for healthy cellular function. Moreover, many supplements boast of high concentrations of vitamins and minerals in their ingredients.

On the other hand, some vitamins and nutrients can harm health if consumed excessively. Ask your physician or dietitian to determine which vitamins and nutrients are most important and how much to finish regularly.

Ultimately, it’s best to avoid dietary supplements that provide far more of a particular nutrient than is required daily.

Take The Supplements In Moderation

Although many people choose to supplement their diets, experts still believe that modifying one’s diet to include more healthful foods is the most effective way to meet one’s nutritional needs. Nevertheless, there are times when a person’s diet on its own isn’t enough to meet their needs, and this is when they require supplements. People can shop confidently, knowing their supplements have been thoroughly vetted for safety.

6 Tips to Help You Design an Eco-Friendly Bedroom

After you’ve tackled some of the major infrastructure projects that will make your home greener, you’re going to want to start working through individual rooms as well. Small, simple changes throughout your house can help make your home more eco-friendly.

Right now, harmful toxins and chemicals are probably lurking all over your bedroom. With a few changes, you can turn your bedroom into a healthy, sustainable space that you can enjoy for years to come. Here are 6 tips to help you create a sustainable bedroom:

1. Consume fewer materials with recycled furniture

Instead of buying new furniture for your bedroom, extend the life of an existing piece of furniture! Head to a thrift store. You’ll likely be able to find a few high-quality pieces that have lots of life left in them.

By buying used furniture, fewer materials will be consumed to build new furniture. Another positive of buying used is that any toxic paint or stain will have already had time to off-gas.

When buying used furniture for your bedroom, don’t settle for the first piece you see. Shop around and find furniture that is built to last. Many prefer antique wood furniture because it was built to higher standards than today’s furniture.

2. Eco-friendly mattresses are easy to find

Most mattresses are filled with toxic chemicals, including flame retardants and formaldehyde. These toxic chemicals are released into the air, which could lead to you breathing them in for hours while you’re sleeping.

Non-organic mattresses are known to lead to health problems such as chest tightness and trouble breathing.

Luckily, several companies are starting to produce organic mattresses for side sleepers, hot sleepers, and everything in between. These types of mattresses are eco-friendly and free from toxins.

Look for mattresses that are composed of organic wool, organic cotton, and natural latex. If you’re unable to afford a new eco-friendly mattress, air out your current one outside to help with off-gassing and use a dehumidifier within your room.

3. Plants improve air quality

Plants are a great addition to any room. They look pleasant, add natural odors to the room, and can also improve your air quality.

Certain types of plants can help purify your air. They reduce CO2 and increase humidity. Adding a plant to your room can get rid of that stale, toxic air and improve your health.

Plants that you might want to consider for your bedroom include peace lilies, Boston ferns, snake plants, and aloe veras. All of these plants can purify your air and are easy to take care of.

4. Go green with natural bedding materials

With such a wide choice of materials available for your bedding, you might wonder what the most eco-friendly option is. You’re going to want to look for sheets and comforters that are made of organically grown materials that are free from chemical dyes.

Hemp is a popular choice for sheets. Hemp sheets are breathable and can also help protect against dust mites.

For comforters, consider organic cotton or wool. Cotton comforters are great for the summer, because they’re lightweight and breathable. Wool is a popular choice for the winter because it holds in heat.

5. Stay away from toxic paint

Painting your room is a good way to quickly freshen up your space. Unfortunately, most paints emit harmful VOCs into the air.

Now that we have a better understanding of how toxic paint is, many companies are producing eco-friendly paint options. Look for paint that uses natural pigments and that is low in VOCs and biocides.

Many assume that eco-friendly paint only comes in natural shades, but this isn’t true. You can get paint in most colors. If you’re struggling to pick a color, most stores will provide several smaller cans of paints so you can test it on your walls.

6. Hemp rugs are stylish and natural

While there are carpets made of renewable materials available, not everyone wants wall-to-wall carpeting. Rugs are a great way to quickly make hardwood or laminate floor cozier.

The fibers of the fast-growing hemp plant are used in a variety of items, including in rugs. Hemp rugs are durable, come in a variety of natural colors, and are mildew-resistant. They’re also very easy to maintain—they just need to be vacuumed regularly.

Some people find hemp rugs to be stiff, but the material does soften over time. Other natural-fibers used in rugs include jute, seagrass, and sisal.

Final thoughts

It’s time to get rid of those toxic chemicals in your bedroom! Being mindful of what materials you’re using in your bedroom and focusing on improving your air quality are among the steps you should take to create an eco-friendly bedroom.