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June 5, 2019

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Help these people get their belongings and property back

At the end of November 2019, I took over a friend’s business that was in distress.  He helps people in the Caribbean receive much-needed goods from their families in Europe. This has helped them improve their livelihoods. After taking over we have also decided to use this channel for charity.

His problem is that he got incarcerated due to custom declaration issues when traveling. This meant that containers that were heading to the Caribbean with belongings of dozens of people got stranded and some goods in the storages here in Europe where not being sent to the owners. Early December, we started helping the rightful owners of these belongings to get them back. In January 2019 we learned that there were 3 additional storages that were full of belongings that needed to be shipped.

We have currently spent up to 15000 Euros trying to help. We flew to the Dominican Republic to pay outstanding salaries to people employed and also to pay the lawyer to deal with the legal issues which we hired mid-December 2018 after finding out of the complications. We also got one container that was stranded in November cleared in February 2019. However, even more, complications have arisen along the way:

·         there is another container stuck in the Dominican Republic waiting to be cleared

·         there is one container stuck in Rotterdam that needs to be shipped off

·         we have to load more containers with the goods we salvaged from the three storages which we are now trying to send but need help to solve all of the issues and pay for extra labor done by employees

Many people are desperate and frustrated as you can imagine. We really need to get them their belongings as some of them have been waiting for close to six months.  Many depend on these goods for their livelihoods. We also want to be able to use this channel for charity work and at the moment we are stuck too.

Please help us raise 12000 Euros which will bring so much relief and joy to so many families in the Dominican Republic just trying to make ends meet and depend on these belongings.

Anything that you can give would be so gratefully received.

Thank you for reading and for your generosity.

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May 4, 2019

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Alternative Medicine

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How Artificial Blue Light Affects the Body

You may know that blue light naturally comes from the sun and is what makes the sky appear blue. Blue light is a short, but high energy, a wavelength that gives us energy and controls our sleep cycle. But did you know that artificial blue light that is emitted from digital devices is a lot stronger than the natural and can be harmful to the body? With laptops, cellphones, tablets, and even LED lights being a part of our daily lives, humans are seeing a huge increase in the exposure to blue light, beginning to understand some of the negative effects it has on the body, and how to avoid them.

Digital eye strain: Digital eye strain is a term coined by The Vision Council to explain the range of symptoms that one may feel with extended or simultaneous use of digital devices that affect vision and quality of life. The symptoms you may experience are dry eyes, blurry vision, headaches, and even neck and back pain. Think of all of the times during the day you may use your computer or phone – work, research, school, shopping, and browsing social media. Spending just two hours a day looking at your screen can cause blue light to affect you. While 43% of adults have a full-time job that requires a computer or tablet and a 2014 survey found that nearly 12% percent of teens report using their computers for four or more hours a day. Understanding digital eye strain is key to understanding the effects that blue light has on other areas of the body as well.

What can you do? To help reduce the symptoms you may feel from digital eye strain, try to filter and block the blue light around you. Apps like f.lux match the brightness and warmth of your computer screen to the lighting of the room you’re in to reduce strain on the eyes. You can also invest in blue light glasses to help filter out the wavelength from reaching your eyes to reduce dry eyes, blurry vision, and headaches.

The sleep cycle: Because blue light is a high energy wavelength that is emitted from the sun, it has controlled the sleep cycle for years. Blue light indicates to the brain when to release cortisol, the hormone that helps you feel awake, and the absence of blue light helps produce melatonin to help you sleep. With the introduction of LED light bulbs and electronics, that cycle is becoming disrupted because blue light is stopping melatonin from being released, making it harder to fall and stay asleep. There are a ton of negative side effects to the body when we don’t get enough sleep, such as heart disease, low libido, depression, memory loss, and even weight gain.

What can you do? Sleep is vital to our health, to help yourself steer clear of blue light before bedtime, there are a few things you can do. Firstly, remove the LED bulbs from your bedroom so that isn’t the last light you’re exposed to before wanting to go to sleep. Try to avoid using your phone and television at least an hour before bed; to help wind down, read a book, listen to music, or meditate. If you can’t abstain from using your phone, turn on the night mode that comes equipped with most smartphones now. This will dim the brightness on your phone and remind you when it’s time to go to bed at a time set by you.

Premature aging of your skin: Although research is still ongoing, dermatologists have found that blue light affects the skin similarly to other light rays like UV rays. Looking at your screen and extended use of your phone next to your face while you’re talking on it can cause hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, redness, and worsened elasticity. Just like the other ways, it affects the body, blue light’s high energy can cause the skin to produce more pigment. Plus, when we don’t get enough sleep (which we’ve learned can happen due to blue light exposure!) our skin suffers from dehydration and lack of cell regeneration.

What can you do? With new research on the effects of blue light on our skin coming out regularly now, skincare brands are providing products to help boost elasticity and reduce hyperpigmentation. Look into moisturizers that protect against blue light, UV rays, and even pollution like this one to protect yourself and nourish your skin.

Natural and artificial blue light is a part of our everyday lives but anything in excess isn’t always good for you. With increasing exposure to artificial blue light, digital eye strain, sleep deprivation, and aging skin are just some of the negative effects you may be suffering from. No matter how you feel blue light may be affecting your body, it’s important to protect against these symptoms to be healthy and feel your best.

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April 9, 2019

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Detached Retina- Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

When the retina (a thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye) pulls away from the usual position, this emergency situation is called as the retinal detachment. The retina is a light sensitive membrane and has an important function of converting the image to signal and transmitting it to the brain via optic nerve. The retina, along with lens, cornea and other parts of the eye and brain are responsible for producing normal vision.

In case of retinal detachment, the layer of blood vessels providing nourishment and oxygen gets separated from the retinal cells, which severely affects the vision. It is extremely important to get it treated on time else the risk of permanent vision loss increases if left untreated or if the treatment is delayed. Some of the warning signs of retinal detachment are- tiny specks that drift through field of vision or appearance of several floaters. It is a case of medical emergency, so contact your eye doctor immediately in case of any sudden vision changes.

Detached Retina Symptoms

There are several warning signs of retinal detachment which pop up before it occurs or has advanced, but it does not cause any pain. Some of the symptoms are-

  • Shadowing effect which appears like curtain pulled over the visual field
  • Gradual reduction in peripheral (side) vision
  • Blurred vision
  • Photopsia, which is flashes of light occurring in one or both the eyes especially when looking to the side.
  • Sudden appearance of floaters or tiny specks which seem to be floating before the eyes.

Detached Retina Causes

The three main causes of detached retina are-

  • Rhegmatogenous – it is one of the most common type of retinal detachment which occurs due to a tear or hole in the retina. The hole formed enables fluid to pass through and get collected near the retina. This pulls away the retina from the underlying tissues and the areas from where the retina detaches stops functioning due to the loss of blood supply. This severely affects the vision.

Rhegmatogenous detachment usually occurs due to ageing. The gel-like material present inside the eyes (called as vitreous) changes consistency and even shrinks becoming more of a liquid, due to ageing. Usually, the vitreous moves away from the surface of the retina. This condition is known as PVD (posterior vitreous detachment). As the vitreous peels off the retina, it might tug on the retina forcefully causing retinal tear. If left untreated, the vitreous passes on to the space behind retina, resulting in the detachment of retina.

  • Exudative- the condition where fluid accumulates behind the retina without causing holes or tears are called exudative. It can be caused due to injury to the eye, age-related macular degeneration, inflammatory disorders or tumors.
  • Tractional – when the scar tissues grow on the retina’s surface, this type of detachment occurs. As a result, the retina gets pulled away from the back of the eye. This type of detachment is commonly observed in those who have poorly controlled diabetes or other medical condition. Diabetic retinopathy treatment is performed to prevent vision loss due to diabetes.

Who are at risk?

  • Previous eye disorder or disease which includes uveitis or lattice degeneration (thinning of peripheral retina), retinoschisis.
  • Severe eye injury in the past
  • Eye surgery or cataract removal in the past
  • Extreme myopia (nearsightedness)
  • Family history
  • Detachment of retina in one eye in the past
  • People above the age of 50 years

Detached Retina Treatment

Surgery is often required to repair a detached retina. For minor tears and detachment, minor surgery may be required at the doctor’s clinic.

  • Cryopexy – this process involves freezing with intense cold. The eye specialist applies a freezing probe outside the eye area over the retinal tear site. The scarring caused helps in holding the retina in its place.
  • Photocoagulation – Eye specialist performs a procedure called photocoagulation with laser in case there is a tear or hole in the retina but the retina is still attached. The laser is used to cause burns around the tear site so that the scarring affixes retina to the back of the eye.
  • Retinopexy – eye specialists repair minor detachments with the help of retinopexy. The procedure involves putting gas bubbles in the eye, so that the retina moves back to its normal place, which is against the wall of the eye. After the retina moves back into its position, doctor uses freezing probe or laser to seal the holes.
  • Vitrectomy – in case the tear is large, vitrectomy procedure is applied. In this, anesthesia is given to the patient and is performed as an outpatient procedure. Patients may be required to stay in the hospital overnight. The eye specialist removes scar tissue or abnormal vascular and vitreous using a small tool. The retina is then put back to its proper place using a gas bubble. Retinopexy or Cryopexy is performed during this procedure.
  • Scleral buckling- the severe detachments require eye surgery in the hospital. The sclera buckling process involves placing of band around the outside of the eye so that the wall of the eye is pushed back into the retina. This helps in getting it back in its place for complete healing. Scleral buckling is often done along with vitrectromy. Retinopexy or Cryopexy procedure is performed during sclera buckling.

Diagnosis

Thorough eye check up is performed to diagnose retinal detachment like-

  • Ability to see colors
  • Physical appearance of the eye
  • Eye pressure
  • Vision check

Also, the ability of retina to send impulse to the brain and blood flow throughout the eye and retina is checked.

Author Bio

Hello Readers !! Natalie and Caitlyn Bell are the founders of Healtholine, They started Healtholine to provide a platform where they could share informative articles related to health, technology, fitness, beauty, weight loss etc Natalie is a featured author at various authoritative blogs in the health and fitness industry. Connect with both sisters to know more

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October 26, 2018

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Exercising

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Three Reasons Not to Wear Your Jewelry While Working Out

There is a reason why we call them precious gems- they are of great value and sentimental pieces we wear day to day. Your jewelry is an investment and something that should be cared for, especially if you live a fit and active lifestyle. Below you will find some reasons why it is important to remove your jewelry before breaking a sweat in order to maintain their safety and sparkle.

Damage

When you’re at the gym your main focus should be getting in a good workout, not keeping track of where you might have dropped your expensive gold and diamond wedding band. Depending on what type of metal your ring is, working out on machines can cause significant damage. Specific metals such as titanium might be able to tolerate direct contact from lifting heavy weights, due to its hardness. However, softer and more favored metals like gold and silver can easily be bent out of shape from any sort of encounter. In addition, any plated jewelry you wear could also be damaged, causing the top layer to mix with your perspiration resulting it to become worn out or faded much faster. If you are ever unsure of the type of metal(s) your rings are, consider taking advantage of education pages that online jewelry sites have, such as Blue Nile. Resources like these can be very beneficial, especially when you are in search for your wedding bands and want to find the right metal that will fit best with your lifestyle.

Now, if you do decide to make the smart decision to workout without your jewelry, consider leaving it at home in a safe and secure place. Even leaving them in a locker at the gym can expose your jewelry to theft, so you’re best bet is leaving it behind.

Safety First

Safety and comfort are important aspects to consider before wearing your jewelry at the gym. Whether you are someone who enjoys an intense, sweaty workout or would rather spend it taking it slow and steady, we can all face risks. For instance, running with a loose necklace on can easily get caught in your hair or constantly hit you making for an unnecessary distraction. Or maybe you are attempting to box or lift with your rings on? There is bound to be some discomfort. If you are someone who feels lost without your wedding ring on, then consider replacing your actual ring with a substitute band like these ones from Groove Life to have your mind at ease.

Hygiene

Hygiene is another important factor to recognize in your everyday routine, not just at the gym, but also in scenarios like wearing your wedding band every time you shower as well. Make sure you handle your jewelry properly to maintain beautiful brand new quality to it. After all, what better place for gunk and greases to stick to than something that’s always stuck on you? Sweat is another element that can cause damage to metals, such brass and alloys, which are both frequently found in jewelry. For rings, platinum and gold are good alternatives due to the fact that they are tarnish resistant and won’t leave residue on your finger. Regardless of your end decision, intensive and proper washing will help guarantee your jewelry stays as elegant as possible.

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October 4, 2018

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Sleep Your Way to a Healthier Weight

Cutting calories and working out are well-known ways to lose weight. Recent research shows, however, that another factor could significantly affect weight loss: sleep. Here are the ways that better sleep can lead to a healthier weight, and how to achieve it.

Avoids overeating

Missing your ZZZ’s can cause decreased levels of leptin, the hormone that gives a sense of fullness or satiation. This can increase appetite, often resulting in overconsumption. Similarly, levels of the hormone that makes you feel hungry, grehlin, increases when you are sleep deprived. This combination is what causes most tired people to eat an additional 300 calories a day than those who are well-rested.

Leads to better food choices

When people are tired, they’re more likely to reach for the easiest, tastiest food available, often in the form of high-fat snacks loaded with carbohydrates. This “eating for pleasure” sense is heightened in the afternoon for those who are sleep deprived and can lead to significant weight gain over a prolonged period of time.

Helps process sweets faster

Sleep deprivation can cause the food processing parts of your cells, the mitochondria, to shut down. This means that the sugar in your comfort foods just sits in your blood, raising your blood sugar levels. Your mitochondria are also what regulate your metabolism, or the number of calories burned for energy every day. Getting sufficient sleep can help maintain healthy mitochondria, and therefore, prevent weight gain.

To get better sleep…

Pay off your sleep debt. Most Americans don’t get the recommended eight hours of sleep every night, but it can be mostly made up over the next few nights. Over the weekend, go to bed at your usual weekday time, but then sleep until your body naturally wakes up the next morning. You will probably sleep for longer than usual, but it should go a long way in calibrating your sleep schedule.

Make sure you’re supporting these efforts with the best sleep essentials possible. Use a high-quality mattress and top it with pillows that are soft but supportive to help prevent waking up in the middle of the night.

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August 8, 2018

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Body & Mental Fitness

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4 Ways You Are Making Your Hair Fall Out

It is not all about your mom’s dad when it comes to hair loss. There are number of ways  you could be onsetting the process without even knowing. Before the age of 21, ¼ men will begin to notice thinning or loss of hair. This is something that is extremely common, but can really put a dent in your confidence. To keep the hair you do have on your head, try avoiding these mistakes.

Hold Back That Shampoo

Washing your hair with shampoo every day may make you feel clean, but it could be doing damage to your hair. Over time it begins to strip natural oils which are in your hair to make it retain moisture. If you do this too often, your hair can turn brittle and weak.

 

Unless your scalp is extremely oily, try opting to rinsing your hair with shampoo every other day. If you are concerned about the smell, try putting a few drops of rosemary essential oil onto your fingers and massage it onto your scalp while in the shower. According to Healthline, rosemary essential oil has anti-inflammatory properties and promotes nerve growth. Most importantly, it can improve circulation on the scalp, which can bring blood to hair follicles and prevent them from falling out.

Stressed Out

Between relationships, money and your job, there are plenty of reasons why stress can make its way into your life. Stress can begin to impact your entire body, but when it comes to your hair it can certainly assist in the process of it falling out. Your hair has developed a growing and resting cycle. When stress creeps into your life it has the power to disrupt this rhythm, resulting in possible clumps of hair falling out.

Mental health is extremely important and something that is often overlooked. Spend some time working on your mindfulness by trying some simple meditations. These mental health apps help to clear your head, lower your blood pressure and focus on the present. This will keep your head filled with hair.

Cut Out The Product

Men often opt for hair gel, waxes and pomades to get that stylish finish they are looking for. It might not be damaging your actual hair (if you wash it out), but what it could be doing is putting strain on your scalp. If you begin to do this for a while, the pores on your scalp and your hair follicles can become clogged.

Keeping your scalp clean is very important as this can create the inability to grow hair or even lead to an infection on your scalp. To avoid using so much product, speak with your barber about the shape of your head and what hairstyle would go well with that. No one should have to use product every day. Let your hair breathe.

Change Up Your Diet

When you are looking to make a change for your body, first examine what you’re putting into it. Protein is what creates keratin, the protein that hair is made out of. Lack of protein in a diet can cause your hair to become brittle and cause breakage. If you want a healthy head of hair, try eating more spinach.

dieting vs detoxing

This superfood is loaded with folate, iron and vitamin A, all of which are beneficial to hair growth. Vitamin A is important because it assists the skin glands in producing sebum. Sebum is an oil that will moisturize the scalp and keep hair feeling thick and healthy. Also, studies have shown that lack of iron has been linked to hair loss. Iron helps to send red blood cells through the body carrying oxygen. This will boost your metabolism and aid in growth and repair.

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August 1, 2018

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10 Tips for Better Health Even When You’re Obese

detox vs dietBeing overweight or obese doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to good health and well-being. Naturally, the best thing you can do to improve your overall health and well-being and to decrease the risk of various diseases is to work hard to lose weight.

However, most people make various mistakes when trying to lose weight thus jeopardizing their health. Throughout this article, you will get to see 10 different ways to stay healthy or to improve your overall health and well-being even when you are overweight or obese. Let’s start.

  1. Exercise

Regardless of your weight, size, or age, physical activity is essential for good health. A sedentary lifestyle is associated with excessive weight gain, weakening of muscles and joints as well as heightened risk of numerous diseases.

If you’re overweight or obese, you usually think that regular exercise is something you can never do mostly because you don’t believe you are strong enough to do it. Luckily, there are many things you can do to become physically active.

You can start by taking nice walks every day, opt for stairs instead of elevators, or by consulting a personal trainer who can create a list of exercises based on your shape and weight. Optimal health requires a healthy diet and exercise, and these two aspects of a healthy lifestyle go hand in hand.

  1. Create a list of your eating habits

affordable groceryAccording to CDC improving your eating habits is a key factor in maintaining or strengthening your overall health and losing weight. To improve your eating habits, you have to know more about them. Keeping a food journal is a good way to get to know your eating habits and determine what you should change.

Food journal should contain everything you eat and drink throughout the day. Most people discover they tend to overeat when they are stressed out, depressed, or when they are coping with unprocessed emotions.

All these habits have a direct impact on your overall health and weight as well. Besides keeping a food journal, you should also:

  • Highlight bad habits
  • Identify triggers that make you make those unhealthy and bad eating habits
  • Identify different things you can do to avoid triggers
  • Replace unhealthy habits with healthy alternatives.
  1.  Make weight loss shake

Weight loss shakes are delicious and healthy tools for improving your health and losing weight. These nutrition power bombs offer the abundance of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that your body needs to function properly.Shakes

These shakes speed up your metabolism thus contributing to weight loss. Plus, they’re easy to make which means you can have healthily started your day and still have plenty of time to get ready for work.

Do you need some ideas? Not to worry, here are 3 recipes you can use to make your shakes for weight loss.

#1 Mango smoothie

  • Mango cubes – ¼ cup
  • Ripe avocado (mashed) – ¼ cup
  • Mango juice – ½ cup
  • Fat-free vanilla yogurt – ¼ cup
  • Freshly squeezed lime juice – 1 tbsp
  • Sugar – 1 tbsp
  • Ice cubes – 6.

#2 Blueberry Shake

  • Skim milk – 1 cup
  • Frozen unsweetened blueberries – 1 cup
  • Cold-pressed organic flaxseed oil – 1 tbsp.

#3 Peach smoothie

  • Skim milk – 1 cup
  • Frozen unsweetened peaches – 1 cup
  • Cold-pressed organic flaxseed oil – 2 Tsp.
  1. Eat regularly

Overweight or obese people and even individuals who don’t want to gain weight make the same mistake – they skip meals. After all, if you skip meals, you can’t gain more weight, and you will easily shed those extra pounds.

Wrong! Skipping meals makes your body to store fat faster regardless of the size of the portion. Plus, your body requires a variety of healthy nutrients throughout the day to remain healthy.

  1. Use reliable weight loss supplement

Dietary supplements are available in all drugstores, and you can also buy them online. They are made of natural ingredients and usually contain herbs which have been used for medical purposes for centuries. With that being said, you should bear in mind that not all weight loss dietary supplements are created equal.

Some of them are effective, while others include bold claims without proving the effectiveness. Effective weight loss pills prove their reliability by providing a complete list of ingredients.

Before you buy any dietary supplement, you should consult your doctor first. Remember, if there’s no list of ingredients; skip the product and move on to the next one.

  1. Drink water

If you want to stay healthy, then drinking water throughout the day is extremely important. Water doesn’t only help your body function properly; it can also improve your weight loss endeavor. According to Authority Nutrition, drinking water boosts your metabolism by 24 – 30% over a period of 1-1.5 hours thus helping you burn off more calories.

  1. Drink green tea

Green is one of the healthiest beverages in the world which is why you should have a cup of this tea at least once a day.

This healthy beverage is abundant in powerful antioxidants which improve your overall health, memory, and concentration and detoxify your body.

Did you know that most weight loss supplements and teas for weight loss contain green tea? Take a walk to the nearest store and buy this tea to start a healthy lifestyle today.

  1. Use smaller plates

Overeating doesn’t only make you gain weight at a faster rate. It is also associated with:

  • Diabetes
  • Increased risk of stroke
  • Cardiovascular diseases
  • High blood pressure etc.

When you use big plates, your mind makes you eat until the plate is empty. It plays a trick on you making you think you’re not full just yet. Now, it’s your turn to trick your mind, and you can do it by using smaller plates.

Instead of a big plate, opt for a smaller one and eat smaller portions of your breakfasts, lunches or dinners.

This practice can improve your health by preventing overeating, and it can help you lose weight. French women are famous for their elegance, and the obesity rate in this country is significantly smaller than in the US.

Their secret is simple – they eat different foods using smaller plates and avoid refilling once the plate is empty. You should try this as well.

  1. Eat fruits and vegetables

Instead of pizzas, burgers, French fries and other unhealthy foods, you should make sure your diet contains more fruits and vegetables.

They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients essential for your health. Plus, they contain antioxidants which inhibit free radicals thus protecting your body from oxidative damage.

  1. Eat more fiber

Fiber-rich foods are essential for your health and weight loss. Why? It’s because fiber stabilizes bowel movements and improve your digestion.

Regular digestion is crucial for improving your health, and it’s a significant part of weight loss. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of fiber as well as whole grain products.

 Conclusion

Being overweight or obese makes you more prone to various diseases including the most severe ones. To avoid this scary scenario, there are many things you can do to improve your overall health and losing weight at the same time. It’s important to remember that all you need to become healthier is strong willpower and lifestyle adjustments.