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Green Fertility: A Breath of Fresh Air For Couples Trying To Conceive!

Looking to add cranberries to your diet? Try this natural supplement!

Looking to add cranberries to your diet? Try this natural supplement!
New study shows these cranberry chews beat antibiotics in the treatment of common urinary tract infections. Click the picture to learn more!

Your Perfectly Pampered Menopause

Your Perfectly Pampered Menopause
Don't suffer another minute! Click the photo to find the solutions that are right for you!

Go Glam - at a price you can really afford!

Go Glam - at a price you can really afford!
Click the photo to see fabulous designer jewelry -at outlet prices!

The Best Calcium/Vitamin D Supplements For Women's Bone Health - Click on any picture to learn why!

Look younger instantly! Seriously. This product takes years off your face with one swipe!

Benefit Cosmetics LLC

What's In Your Make Up Bag?

What's In Your Make Up Bag?
7 Tips For Choosing Safer Cosmetics: What Every Woman Must Know!

Amazing Sale on Natural French Skin Care! WOW

L'Occitane

Calling All Recessionista Divas!

Calling All Recessionista Divas!
Money saving beauty & style tips you won't belive! All Free! Click the photo!

BRAND NEW ! The Hot Flash Solution : A brand new book by mid life health expert Colette Bouchez

BRAND NEW ! The Hot Flash Solution : A brand new book by mid life health expert Colette Bouchez
Click the cover to find out more!

Bioidential hormones & Natural Estrogen: Learn more!

Bioidential hormones & Natural Estrogen: Learn more!
Click the photo to learn more about natural estrogen and the biological hormones that Oprah Winfry says changed her life!

Stunning Leather Laptop Bag or Briefcase! Very classy!


Say Goodbye to OOPS via the new DUETS Clinical Trial On Natural Bladder Control!

Say Goodbye to OOPS via the new DUETS  Clinical Trial On  Natural Bladder Control!
To find clinical trial sites in your area click the photo above or call 1-888-DUETS-08 for more info! Or visit www.DUETStrial.com for a weekly updated listing of available sites.!

More Hope In A Jar

More Hope In A Jar
Find out the hottest anti aging skin care ingredients!
TigerDirect
YourMenopause.com

FREE SKIN CARE ! REALLY !!!! You can't beat this deal!

Sephora.com, Inc.

FABULOUS FASHION JEWELRY !

FABULOUS FASHION JEWELRY !
Visit http://www.CountryDutchess.com

Making the HRT Decision...TODAY

Making the HRT Decision...TODAY
Trying t o decide if hormones are right for you? Here's what to discuss with your doctor...

Over 40? Top 10 MakeUp Tips!

Over 40?  Top 10 MakeUp Tips!
Top Hollywood make-up guru Michael Maron offers tips on how to make any make-up look better - and help you look younger - no matter your age!

Books by Colette Bouchez

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

Plus Size Style Advice

Plus Size Style Advice
Plus size fashion advice - learn how to look taller, thinner, more attractive, no matter your shape or size! A Red Dress Diary Exclusive!

For Shea Butter ...and so much more!

L'Occitane

Look Thinner Instantly

Look Thinner Instantly
Learn what you can do immediately to look thinner - it's not what you think!

Considering Wrinkle Injections?

Considering Wrinkle Injections?
Click the photo above to find out how the different types compare - their costs and side effects!

Inexpensive Anti Aging Fragrances!

Inexpensive Anti Aging Fragrances!
Click the bubbles to discover the shower gels and body creams that science says can take years off your perceived age! You'll look younger - without even trying! WOW!

Find out why critics are calling this book "the New Bible" of menopause!

Go Green - Be Gorgeous!

Yves Rocher Branding (120x60) Last Chance Shop: Yves Rocher's Biggest Discounts

Where Is Your MSG Hiding?

Where Is Your MSG Hiding?
To learn more about where the controversial food additive MSG maybe hiding in your foods, click the photo!

Reduce Mammogram Pain

Reduce Mammogram Pain
The cream used to reduce mammogram pain in the new study featured in the journal Radiology was Topicaine, minimum 4% lidocaine gel. Click on the picture to learn more about it - or buy it now online!

FREE! $10 in Groceries!

FREE! $10 in Groceries!
Get free groceries - and get em delivered! Save time, save gas save money - What's Not To Love? :)

Tootsie Rolls

Tootsie Rolls
Tips for taking better care of your feet - plus more info on the new "health " shoes!

The LowDown On Mineral Make-Up!

The  LowDown On Mineral Make-Up!
How "natural" is mineral make-up? Is it really as good for your skin as they say? Get the low down here! You'll be surprised what you learn!

Over 40? Four MakeUp Essentials!

Over 40?  Four MakeUp Essentials!
Discover the 4 essential make-up items for every woman over 40!

Having a Hot Flash?

Having a Hot Flash?
Relax!! There's a brand new way to cool off - naturally ! Click the sun to learn more!

Mineral Makeup Brand Comparison

Mineral Makeup Brand Comparison
Learn how the selling brands of mineral make-up compare.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Never Too Late!

A new study shows it's never too late to improve bone health and reduce the risk of fracture. Read on to discover what you can do - and why it works at any age!


By Colette Bouchez

This week a new medical study offered just the kind of news I live to hear: That’s it’s never too late to look to Mother Nature for better health!

Indeed, in research published in the British Medical Journal researchers from the University of California Davis documented how taking vitamin D and calcium together can improve bone health and prevent bone breaks- no matter what age you are when you begin the therapy!

This is an important finding for several reasons. First, in the past many studies of vitamin D and calcium taken independently of one another frequently yielded conflicting results. While some found that either of these nutrients could reduce bone breaks and benefit bone health, other studies found they had little or no effect.

Today’s study found it is, in fact, the combination of the two nutrients - vitamin D taken together with calcium - that yields the positive bone health results.

“What is important about this very large study is that goes a long way toward resolving conflicting evidence about the role of vitamin D, either alone or in combination with calcium, in reducing fractures,” said co-author of the study, Professor John Robbins from the University of California, Davis.

But equally as important: The study also found you could get these same results no matter your age, sex, or history of previous fractures. In fact, everyone who took the combination supplements had a reduced risk of bone fractures!

“This study supports a growing consensus that combined calcium and vitamin D is more effective than vitamin D alone in reducing a variety of fractures,” said Robbins.

What also made this research even more significant is that it involved an analysis of 7 previous studies involving a total of more than 68,000 participants - 15% of which were men - so the base upon which to draw conclusions was vast. Moreover, by reanalyzing the data from all 7 trials in a single study researchers were able to clearly see that when participants took as little as 10 mcg of vitamin D daily along with about 1,000 mg of calcium bone health resulted! More specifically the combination of nutrients reduce the risk of hip fracture by 16% while the overall risk of fracture went down some 8%. Those who took vitamin D at a dose of 10 or 20 mcg alone - without the calcium - saw no reduction in fractures.

What makes the combination so effective say researchers is that while calcium is essential for bone health, it is vitamin D that helps deliver that calcium into the bones where it can be used to keep bones strong.
Bone Health and Menopause
All of this is extremely important information for women over 45 since this is when our bones first begin to weaken. That’s due to a loss of estrogen, which begins to drop as we approach menopause. What’s the link?

Much like vitamin D, estrogen helps our bones utilize calcium in what is known as the “remodeling “ process. This is the natural break-down and build-up of bone cells that occurs throughout our lifetime.

As we age, however, and estrogen levels plummet we also experience a drop in calcium absorption. And that me our bone breaks down faster than it builds up- and that in turn leads to weaker bones which fracture more easily. This is one reason that many doctors not only recommended women increase their intake of calcium as they age, but , until a few years ago, also recommended HRT - hormone replacement therapy, which helped replenish some of the lost estrogen and thus helped keep bones strong.

Now, however, while we know calcium is still important, we can duplicate the absorption effects of estrogen - without any of the side effects of HRT - by simply adding vitamin D supplementation along with the extra calcium.

And again, this is super important for women since, as we age, our risk of the bone thinning disorder osteoporosis - and it's accompanying increased risk of hip fracture - increases. Indeed, to date , some 75 million adults are believed to suffer with osteoporosis in the US, Europe and Japan - the vast majority of them women.

Moreover, with our diligence in avoiding sun exposure - or using heavy sunscreens when we do hit the sun - most of us are now vitamin D deficient. And that means even if you’re taking calcium supplements, you’re probably not getting the benefits or the protection you think.

If you don’t want to take either vitamin D or calcium supplements, then be certain your diet contains lots of calcium-rich foods, and be sure to get 20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure everyday. The body makes vitamin D from changes that occur in skin cells when we are exposed to direct sunlight.

If you do want to take a supplement, the study found that 800 units of vitamin D in conjunction with 1000 mg of calcium are all that’s needed to confer protection.

To learn more about choosing a bone health supplement, click here.

For more ways to live better, longer and healthier visit RedDressDiary.com - your source for health and beauty news for fabulous women over 40! Or visit CheapChicDiary.com to look fabulous on a tiny budget!


Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Reduce Wrinkles Naturally & Look Younger by 2011 !


If your New Year's resolutions include knocking a few years off your appearance, then read on to find 10 ways to reduce wrinkles and look younger by 2011 - naturally!

By Colette Bouchez

Whether you've just turned 40 and are seeing the  first signs of aging, or  you're 55 with skin that isn't exactly keeping your birthday a secret, seeking ways to reduce wrinkles is probably on your agenda for 2010.


At the same time, experts say, many of us are losing the wrinkle battle, watching helplessly as the glow of youth goes on the dimmer switch.

"Many women as well as men believe that aging skin is inevitable, but with the information and technologies we have today, you really can look as young as you feel," says Robin Ashinoff, MD, a dermatologist at the Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.


To help put you on the right path, Dr. Ashinoff and several other experts offer these 10 tips on what really works to reduce wrinkles!

How to Reduce Wrinkles: What You Can Do


1. Limit Sun Exposure To 20 Minutes Daily: Studies on identical twins have shown that sun can be your skins' number one enemy, particularly when it comes to wrinkles.  Dozens more studies have backed up the idea that spending more than 20 minutes a day in direct sunlight works to gobble up skin's collagen supply - which in turn causes the underlying structure to fall. And that means wrinkles occur on the surface of the skin.  What's more the effect is cumulative. So if you stop sun bathing beginning in 2010, and you follow some of the other restorative tips found here, by 2011 you'll definitely look younger!

2. Wear sunscreen. If you must go out in the sun, the American Academy of Dermatology says, wear sunscreen! It will protect you from skin cancer, and help prevent wrinkles at the same time.

3. Don’t smoke.  If you can't quit smoking for your health - maybe a quick glance in the mirror will provide some motivation!  Truth is,  everyday more studies confirm  that cigarette smoke ages skin . It does by releasing an enzyme that breaks down collagen and elastin, important components of the skin. Sibling studies done at the Twin Research Unit at St. Thomas Hospital in London found the brother or sister who smoked tended to have skin that was more wrinkled and up to 40% thinner than the non-smoker.

4. Reduce Stress.  While frowning can give you wrinkles,  the effects of stress go deeper than that! Yale dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, MD, says that when you are stressed you produces excess cortisol, a hormone that breaks down skin cells.  Relax more and get adequate sleep and  Perricone says, and you'll produce more HGH (human growth hormone), which helps skin remain thick, more "elastic," and less likely to wrinkle.

5. Sleep on your back. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) cautions that sleeping in certain positions night after night leads to "sleep lines -- wrinkles that become etched into the surface of the skin and don't disappear once you're up. Sleeping on your side increases wrinkles on cheeks and chin, while sleeping face-down gives you a furrowed brow. To reduce wrinkle formation, the AAD says, sleep on your back.

6. Get  reading glasses!  If you've been putting off getting those readers,  this is the year to do it!  Not only will you save your eyes, the AAD says any repetitive facial movement -- like squinting to read  your Ipod Touch or your new Netbook screen -  will overwork  facial muscles, forming a groove beneath the skin's surface. This groove eventually becomes the basis for those crows feet that seem to pop up during your 40's. Also important: Wear sunglasses. It will protect skin around the eyes from sun damage -- and further keep you from squinting.

7. Eat more fish -- particularly salmon. Not only is salmon (along with other cold-water fish) a great source of protein -- one of the building blocks of great skin -- it's also an awesome source of an essential fatty acid known as omega-3. Perricone tells WebMD that essential fatty acids help nourish skin and keep it plump and youthful, helping to reduce wrinkles.

8. Eat more soy! So far, most of the proof has come from animal studies, but research does show certain properties of soy may help protect or heal some of the sun's photoaging damage. In one recent human study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, researchers reported that a soy-based supplement (other ingredients included fish protein and extracts from white tea, grapeseed, and tomato, as well as several vitamins) improved skin's structure and firmness after just six months of use.


 9. Trade coffee for cocoa. In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2006, researchers found cocoa containing high levels of two dietary flavanols (epicatchin and catechin) protected skin from sun damage, improved circulation to skin cells, affected hydration, and made the skin look and feel smoother.

10. Eat more fruits and vegetables. The key, says Kraus, are their antioxidant compounds. These compounds fight damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules that can damage cells), which in turn helps skin look younger and more radiant, and protects against some effects of photoaging.

For ten more natural tips for reducing wrinkles visit YourMenopause.com.  For round-the-clock health and beauty news for women over 40 visit RedDressDiary.com - anytime!


Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.