Migraine Awareness Week

Yesterday saw the beginning of Migraine Awareness Week; seven days dedicated to a neurological condition that affects over eight million people in the UK.

This makes it more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined.

Migraine is one of the top 20 causes of disability, and the World Health Organisation recognises it as one of the most disabling lifetime conditions.

However, awareness and understanding is low.

Migraine headaches result from a combination of blood vessel enlargement and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around these blood vessels.

During the headache, an artery enlarges that is located on the outside of the skull just under the skin of the temple (temporal artery).

This causes a release of chemicals that cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery.

The Bowen Technique has had some great results with migraine sufferers.

Bowen is a natural, drug-free, non-invasive, complementary therapy that 'asks' the body to recognise the ailment and make the changes it requires as opposed to ‘forcing’ the body change.

During the 30-60 minute treatment, the Bowen practitioner makes small, rolling, movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at precise points on the body, using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that individual.

No hard-tissue manipulation or force is needed or used.

Between each set of moves, the body is allowed to rest for a few minutes, to allow it to absorb the information it has received and initiate the healing process.

One Bowen client said: “I just wanted to let you know how grateful I was for the kindness you showed me when I had a migraine.

“I slept really well on the night of the treatment and haven’t had a headache since!!

“Thanks again!”

Another said: “Bowen has helped to reduce the frequency of my migraine headaches.

“I have slept better and feel more relaxed generally.

“I understand the trigger for the headaches and Bowen has helped me to adjust my lifestyle accordingly (preventative measures).”

If you are interested in how Bowen Therapy can help you, visit http://www.bowen-therapy.co/to find a Bowen therapist near you or call 0844 561 7173.

Time to update your winter makeup bag: Furore tells you how!

Just by looking out of the window at the dreary, cold, grey day outside, its pretty clear that, despite it only being the 29^th of August, Autumn is officially knocking at the door! Gone are the days (if they really existed at all this summer!) of glowing, golden, dewy skin and that barely-there makeup look we’ve been perfecting since April, and as our tans give way to pale, dry, winter skin, its time to start rethinking our makeup bags. This might sound like a bit of a daunting task right now, but Furore are here to provide you with some handy hints that, providing you follow, ensure that you cannot go wrong this winter!

Firstly, right now is the best time to start trying out the big makeup trends for Autumn/Winter 2012. Starting early means that you will get the chance to perfect your look by the time the real bitterly-cold winds and epic snow storms kick in (which, being Britain, will probably be in about 2 weeks time…). With this Autumn’s big makeup trend being all things dramatic, dark and gothic, this head start is very much needed to ensure that you have time to tailor the look to suit you, and prevent you looking like Morticia Addams at the family Christmas meal. Why not try out Eastern Glo’s mineral eye shadows in Lavender and Jewel? These two are the perfect purple shades for you to play around with to ensure you create the best interpretation of this trend for you. Compliment this look with a berry lip, using Eastern Glo’s mineral lipstick in Passion, Chilli or Saffron, and you’ll look like you’re straight off the catwalk!

As well as looking good, with the elements at their worst in winter, it is of the utmost importance to treat your skin too. Swap your synthetic liquid products for mineral-based ones, like those at Eastern Glo. Mineral products are 100% natural, treating your skin to the nutrients that it needs to glow naturally, and allows the skin beneath to breath, preventing unsightly breakouts- and with Autumn/Winter being all about the perfect, porcelain skin, this mineral foundation gives you excellent, natural-looking coverage whilst keeping breakouts at bay, what more could you wish for?!

As well as updating your makeup bag to suit your winter skin, it also needs to be tailored to the extra 5 (or 10…) minutes devoted to duvet time over getting ready time on cold mornings, and include products that lend themselves nicely to the return of your ‘doing makeup en route to the office’ routine. To save on time, why not invest in Eastern Glo’s BB cream, the latest innovation in skincare and makeup? This BB cream covers your entire skincare routine in one swoop, acting as a moisturiser, foundation, highlighter and concealer, balancing out uneven skin tone and reducing the appearance of blemishes and wrinkles- perfect for makeup on the move (or on the bus!)

So, take our handy transitional makeup hints, and go forth and prosper this winter, safe in the knowledge that your make up bag is fully equipped for all that is thrown at it!

Let Eastern Glo save your winter makeup bag by visiting their website and snapping up their perfect winter products!
http://www.easternglo.com/index.asp

Don't let injury spoil your Olympic and Paralympic-inspired sporting quest!

The Olympics may seem like a distant, happy memory, but fear not, the Paralympics start today, hurray! Olympic fever is once again gripping the world, seeing us all glued to our television sets for more inspiring sporting endeavours, and glued to our computers as we frantically refresh the Paralympics website in an attempt to get our hands on an illustrious ticket to cheer on Team GB at the Olympic village.

With all this sport around, and with even more inspirational sporting stories to come, we are all no doubt feeling inspired to get active ourselves! Whether you aim to become a Rio 2016 gold medal hopeful, leader of your local gym floor, lose a few pounds or just get a little bit fitter, the incredible successes of the Olympics, and the inspirational stories of Team GB’s Paralympic hopefuls have inspired a nation to take up sport. However, with all this sport comes the possibility of sports injuries; not ideal as you start off your burgeoning sports career! With the top sporting heroes of team GB even experiencing the wrath of sporting injuries, the women’s hockey team and men’s basketball team to name but a few, the possibility of sports-related injury is one that you cannot ignore in your quest to get active.

Why not let Bowen sort out your sporting injuries and ensure that your quest to get fit isn’t hindered by pain. Bowen therapy is a technique that treats deep muscular stresses by encouraging the body to recognise its injury and heal itself, as opposed to manipulating an unnatural muscular change. This ensures that injuries are treated efficiently, and is a treatment that is a lot more effective in the long-run.

A footballer that chose to have Bowen therapy for ongoing sports-related injuries to his back, groin and leg noted how beneficial Bowen has been to his sporting performance, stating “From the time I started having treatment until the end of the season, I scored 10 in 12 and from my point of view that says it all! I also didn’t miss a game through injury.”

So why not let Bowen help you in your sporting quest? To find out more about the treatment, and how it can help not only your sports-related pains, but many more complaints, visit their website: http://www.bowen-therapy.co/

A word of warning for Catwoman: your heels are causing Osteoarthritis!

A recent article in The Guardian had a stern word of warning for Gotham City’s leading siren, Catwoman: your sky-scraper heels are damaging your health! Partaking in causal every-day mortal combat in six-inch heels in cartoon world may all be well and good, but when transferred to the real world (and maybe removing the ‘mortal combat’ element), regular wearers of high heels may be inflicting serious damage upon their knee joins in the long-run.

Research carried out by Dr Casey Kerrigan for a Lancet study on the affects heels have upon leg joints has found links between prolonged wearing of high heels and the development of Osteoarthritis in the knee joints. Who would have though that a woman’s staple shoe for centuries could have such damaging affects on our health?! These findings were even shocking for Dr. Kerrigan herself, stating “I had no idea how shoes could have such a huge impact on knee-joint torques.”

Wearing high heels regularly over a period of time puts added pressure upon the knee joint, speeding up the wear-and-tear process that might usually occur much later in life. This degradation of the knee joint, or indeed the development of Osteoarthritis, causes pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and effusion, which leaves sufferers in a great deal of constant discomfort and unable to mobilise with ease. As The Guardian’s article suggests, Catwoman should possibly reconsider her sky-scraper heels, as soon she’ll be swapping them for a walking stick…

The Guardian’s advice to Cat Woman is to swap her signature heels in favour of a more practical pair of Doc Martins, however, if you’re not quite ready to ditch your feminine heels in favour of a clumpy pair of the Punk staples, but are worried about the damage this is doing to your knee joints, why not book yourself in for some Bowen Therapy? Bowen is a technique that releases muscular stress at a deep level, teaching the body to heal itself rather than manipulating unnatural change, meaning that the treatment is much more efficient in treating problems in the long-run. Bowen is proven to treat not only general muscular problems, including in the knee area, but is also incredibly affective in the treatment of Arthritis. This makes Bowen perfect for sorting out the stresses that heels put upon the knee joint!

For more information on how Bowen Therapy can help you, not only for Arthritis but for much much more too, visit their website: http://www.bowen-therapy.co/

Have you inherited the insomnia gene?

Doctors have identified a new group of people born without the ‘comfort’ genes needed for easy sleep.

This means they are immune to the feeling of warmth and relaxation which sends an average person off to sleep within 15 minutes.

Their genes are designed instead to maintain a state of mental alertness.

This makes normal, prolonged sleep impossible so they sleep fitfully, in only short bursts.

Even then, their lack of ‘comfort’ genes may mean they struggle to get comfortable, fussing about the bedding or finding their sleeping position.

There are other so-called insomnia genes — some cause repeated periods of wakefulness in the small hours of the night or at the slightest disturbance, or drive an affected person to leap out of bed raring to start the day at 4am, but leave them exhausted by 4pm.

Until recently, insomnia was considered a purely psychological complaint triggered by stress, grief, or sleep disruption as a result of shift work or jet lag.

But doctors are now unravelling the genetic explanation of why at least one-third of us have intermittent or constant sleep problems.

The Bowen Technique is a natural, drug-free, non-invasive, complementary therapy that can help stress and sleeping problems.

Rather than 'making' the body change, Bowen 'asks' the body to recognise the ailment and make the changes it requires.

During the 30-60 minute treatment, the Bowen practitioner makes small, rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at precise points on the body, using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that individual.

No hard-tissue manipulation or force is needed or used.

Between each set of moves, the body is allowed to rest for a few minutes, to allow it to absorb the information it has received and initiate the healing process.

Bowen is known for its soothing qualities for physical complaints; however it is an extremely relaxing experience that can have many emotional benefits too.

One client said: “I heartily recommend the Bowen Technique to anyone who wants to remember how it feels to wake up refreshed; looking forward to the new day knowing you can deal with whatever it may bring.

I am now feeling much better, fitter and younger than pre-treatment. Thank you for revitalising me!”

Read more testimonials from people who used Bowen for insomnia and grief here

If you suffer with sleep problems and are interested in how Bowen Therapy can help you visit the website to find a Bowen therapist near you or call 0844 561 7173.

Prince William's hair loss gets a lot of attention thanks to Justin Bieber

Poor Prince William’s hair-loss has been brought into the spotlight as of late, with American pop star, Justin Bieber mocking the Prince’s thinning locks. In an interview last week, Bieber is quoted as saying with regards to Prince William’s hair-loss, “I mean, there are things to prevent that nowadays, like Propecia…You just take Propecia and your hair grows back. Have you not got it over here?”

Unfortunately for the Prince, and sufferers of hair-loss alike, it would appear that Justin Bieber is no hair restoration expert, and his recommendation of Propecia is by no means a fail-proof, magical solution to male hair loss problems. Dr. Asim Shahmalak of the Crown Clinic in Manchester has commented upon Prince William’s hair loss, predicting that he will be bald by the age of 40, and stating that drugs such as Propecia, although having the potential to slow down the hair loss process, are not able to restore lost hair. Dr. Shahmalak comments Prince William “would have to take Propecia for the rest of his life and it would not help him grow new hair.” Dr. Shahmalak also comments that drugs, such as Propecia, have more affects upon the body than purely trying to prevent hair loss, stating “Around two per cent of patients who take Propecia suffer side affects, such as loss of libido.” Although drugs may appear to initially be an easy, quick fix for hair loss, it is clear that they are by no means a guaranteed, efficient way of restoring hair and preventing the loss of hair in future.

Although hair-loss drugs such as Propecia may not be the answer to your hair loss problem, there are solutions available on the market to give you back the confidence that hair loss has taken away. Dr. Richard Chaffoo comments “a noticeable receding hairline can seriously affect your self-esteem and impact your quality of life. Thankfully, advances in technology are changing the game.” Indeed, in this modern day and age, drugs are no longer the only option to solve a problem, and extensive technological advances mean that you can eradicate the problem of hair-loss from your life. One such advancement is the MHT® offered at HIS hair. This is a non-invasive skin-pigmentation treatment that effectively camouflages hair loss, restoring your confidence.

For more information on this treatment and to find out how it can really benefit your quality of life, visit their website: http://www.hishairclinic.com/

Confidence is a woman's greatest asset...

A recent article in the Daily Mail published the results of a poll carried out on 1000 men, asking them whether they preferred women with or without their makeup on. And the result? 73% of men bravely admitted that they prefer their partner with their makeup on- we’re sure you’re all shocked…

And the makeup look that came out as the firm favourite amongst the male population? The smoky eye. This classic makeup look, a common occurrence on the red carpet for celebs of all ages, was said to give women a ‘timeless’ look, and that it made them appear ‘sexy and mysterious’ to the opposite sex. Other makeup looks that came up trumps with the male population were boldly painted lips and a clear, fresh complexion.

Although the results of this poll should be taken with a pinch of salt, and  shouldn’t make you instantly run to the nearest mirror to amend your tried-and-tested makeup look by frantically lining your eyes with as much Kohl liner you can possibly get your hands on, it does tell us a lot about what a little bit of makeup can do for women’s confidence. A subtle smudge of eyeshadow, a flush of blusher, or a little help from some inconspicuous foundation has the ability to really boost a woman’s confidence- and we all know that’s a woman’s sexiest weapon! As the Daily Mail article quotes Escential.com beauty editor, Emma Leslie, as saying, ‘there’s nothing more sexy than a confident woman, and make-up- even if just a bit of mascara or cover-up- can make a woman feel so much more empowered.’ So whether your look is a bold eye, statement lip, sculpted cheekbones, or just a subtle barely-there glow, use your preferred tools to enhance your natural beauty and shine like a star!