23 April 2009

    The Main Squeeze: Grapefruits


    Ring in the new year with this refreshing fruit that is good for your clients in so many ways. The perfect time for a resolution is January, a month that offers the opportunity to adopt more healthy choices for yourself and your clientele. And embracing the benefits of grapefruit, a citrus fruit discovered in Barbados in the 18th century, is a great way to begin.

    The grapefruit was named to reflect the way the fruit is arranged when it grows—hanging in clusters, similar to grapes. Many botanists think the fruit is actually a result of natural cross-breeding between the orange and the pomelo, and Florida, California, Arizona and Texas are all large producers of the fruit. It also can be found in Israel, South Africa and Brazil.1

    In the kitchen
    Grapefruit is a large citrus fruit that is categorized as white, pink or ruby. It is juicy, tart and tangy with an underlying sweetness, and it is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, potassium, folate and vitamin B-5, and contains lycopene.1

    Long thought to help people lose weight, a recent 12-week study from the Scripps Clinic confirmed that adding grapefruit and its juice to your diet three times a day can increase weight loss. Its flavonoid content also helps fight against free radical damage, which results in aging.2 Grapefruit can be enjoyed alone for a healthy breakfast, as well as in entrees, desserts and salads. And a big glass of grapefruit juice is a low-calorie, nutrient-dense juice choice.3 One detail to note about the consumption of grapefruit: It is important to encourage clients to check with their physicians before consuming grapefruit and its juice because it can make certain pharmaceutical drugs more potent, possibly leading to dangerous results.

    As a spa cuisine ingredient, grapefruit is both commonly and uniquely used throughout the industry. Lavish Mobile Day Spa in West Bloomfield, Michigan, offers a spa party menu that features Shrimp Salad with Avocado and Grapefruit, and Wellness Spa in Shanghai includes Steamed Prawns, Cottage Cheese, Pink Grapefruit Salad and Sunflower Seeds in its Nature’s Own spa cuisine lunch. The Spa at the Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania’s Circular Dining Room features duck confit with grapefruit consummé as a specialty dish, and Beef Bresaola with Pink Grapefruit and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper is on the appetizer menu at D’Italia Restaurant at El Dorado Royale spa resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Clover Honey-Glazed Pink Grapefruit graces the dessert menu at Laguna Beach, California’s Studio at Montage Resort & Spa, and check out the recipe for Grapefruit and Shrimp Caesar Salad from registered dietician and spa nutritionist Kathie K. Graham, RD, and Chef Chenel Dorival, Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami.

    Grapefruit can be a tangy treat for the skin, too. The vitamin C content in grapefruit and its juice may help build collagen, reducing wrinkles and enhancing skin’s strength and elasticity.2 Also, in a recent study, grapefruit extract was shown to act as an effective skin lightener, although more research is being done to make sure there aren’t any stability issues with this powerful antioxidant.4

    Used in a variety of different treatments, spas are taking advantage of the refreshing benefits of grapefruit. At Buhl Mansion Guesthouse & Spa in Sharon, Pennsylvania, the Contour aromatherapy bath treatment helps stimulate skin’s metabolism to release water and toxins using grapefruit, juniper, birch, palmarosa and cypress, and the Ultimate Urban Body Mask offered at The Spa at Trump at the new Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago caps off with a massage application of grapefruit, rosemary and cypress aromatherapy oils. The Perfect Contour Anti-cellulite Treatment from Club Sport in Walnut Creek, California, combines grapefruit, basil, black pepper, hyssop and clary sage to help slim the body, and at New Age Health Spa in Neversink, New York, the Babassu Sugar Body Polish features a scrub infused with grapefruit, jasmine and bergamot. The Chardonnay and Grapefruit Massage can be enjoyed at the wine-inspired Vineyard Creek Spa in Santa Rosa, California, and at the Satori Spa at Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai, the stimulating pink grapefruit and juniper berry body mask enhances the Satori Extravagance treatment. The Camelback Signature Facial at Camelback Spa Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona blends grapefruit, mandarin orange, cranberry and pomegranate for an aromatherapeutic experience, and at Green Lake, Wisconsin’s Evensong Spa at Heidel House Resort, men can enjoy the rejuvenating body scrub that combines mineral sea salts, grapefruit and thyme to refine skin texture. The Agave Body Glow at The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, uses the spa’s signature scrub infused with grapefruit essential oil and natural agave extract for a full body polish. Also, take a look at the step-by-step how-to for the Grapefruit-Mint Signature Treatment from The Secret Garden Inn & Spa in Weaverville, North Carolina.

    From candles to cellulite cream, professional skin care products are also getting in on the grapefruit revolution. Nature Pure Labs offers the LipoMelt Grapefruit Hippophae Body Polish, and Spalasium offers Grapefruit Organic Essential Oil that is uplifting and addresses cellulite. Yon-Ka Paris offers a Ylang Ylang-Grapefruit-Thyme option in its Candle Therapy collection, and Kashwére soy candles offers a Ginger Grapefruit scent. Éminence Organic Skin Care’s Vitamin-C Collection features a Pink Grapefruit Clarifying Masque to heal blemishes, Pink Grapefruit Vitality Masque to revitalize skin and Grapefruit-C Gel to calm inflammation, and GlyMed Plus’ Sal-X Exfoliating Cleanser uses grapefruit to re-energize environmentally stressed skin. The Refreshing Citrus Pedicure Soak from Orly uses grapefruit, honeydew and orange extracts to refresh tired feet, and Sonya Dakar’s Red Grapefruit Wash removes impurities and dirt without causing dryness.

    Inside and outside
    For beauty both inside and outside, grapefruit offers a refreshing resolution for 2009. Share the good news with your clients by adding grapefruit to your treatment menu, spa cuisine menu or retail section and uplift while improving your clients’ health.

    Six ways to make Spa-going more Affordable.


    By Liz Plosser
    1. BE WEB SAVVY. Join as many spas’ e-mail lists as your in-box can stand, and troll their sites frequently—most post specials and discounts. Recently, Channing’s Day Spa ran a $50 promotion on massages and facials (regularly $90 and up, channings.com).

    2. VISIT AT OFF-HOURS. “Mornings and midweek are the slowest times at spas,” says Lynne McNees, director of the International Spa Association. For example, exhale offers 50 percent off all 60-minute facials and massages booked at 8am, seven days a week.

    3. GO WITH FRIENDS. Booking with pals boosts your odds of scoring a deal. “Call the spa manager and say, ‘I’m coming with friends, and we’d love to know what kinds of group specials you can offer us,’?” advises McNees. Bigger groups garner bigger deals: At Honey Child, ten buddies can split a $400 package of ten massages, meaning rubdowns are just $40 each.

    4. PLAY THE NEWBIE CARD. “If you don’t see a deal listed online for the spa you want to visit, call the spa director and tell her you’ve never been in but would love to experience the spa,” McNees says. “If you don’t ask, you’ll never know what could’ve been.” At Tirra Salon & Spa, first-time clients who mention the deal when making their appointment receive 20 percent off their visit.

    5. REFER A PAL. Spas offer referral bonuses when your friend visits and cites your name. Urban Oasis mailed us a $20 coupon toward our next massage when a buddy followed our rec. Booyah!

    6. BUY IN BULK. Spas also offer serious savings for folks who stock up on multiple sessions. At That’s the Spot, you get a 10 percent discount when buying a series of five massages. If you don’t see an enticing package, ask the spa director if she can create one

    Peruvian Maca Root


    Maca root, Lepidium meyenii or Lepidium Peruvianum, is a nutritious Peruvian root crossing over from health care to the beauty category. In supplements, it was originally associated with fertility and virility claims; Inca warriors are said to have eaten it before battle to fortify themselves. More recently, maca root has been positioned as a superfruit with the ability to reduce stress and assist with weight loss or hormonal changes. Maca root is rich in essential minerals, fatty acids and amino acids.

    Within the beauty category, maca root first emerged in 2002, in hair care products such as Andean Products MacaOption shampoo and conditioner and later in facial care. It remains a niche ingredient; however, in the past three months, maca root has provided the key active ingredient in several new European skin care brands, including the Body Shop’s new range for men.

    Condensé launched a collection of 19 natural beauty products for face and body with 100% natural actives and no parabens, phenoxyethanol, mineral oil or artificial colorants. The Normal to Combination Skin line includes a Deep Moisturizing Cream with black tea ferment and maca root. It claims to nourish and soften the skin, refill wrinkles and stimulate fibroblasts.

    Pure Altitude Bio-Organic range is the new line from French alpine spa brand Fermes de Marie. Its Maca Root Elixir draws on the brand’s signature antiaging edelweiss active and adds organic maca root and daisy extract. This ECOCERT-certified product claims "to help tired, strained skin recover radiance, suppleness and vitality.”

    Nuxe Nuxuriance antiaging Re-densifying Emulsion features araucaria seeds, bakau plant cells, maca root and tetrapeptide dermican. This day cream focuses on the energizing capabilities of maca. It is designed for women who have skin “weakened by hormonal variations.” It contains 79.7% ingredients of natural origin and the new Nuxe preservative system. It is free from parabens, phenoxyethanol, mineral oils, coloring agents or ingredients of animal origin.

    Maca root’s association with virility makes it a fitting ingredient for a men’s grooming range. As noted above, in fall 2008, The Body Shop released a range of skin care, deodorants and shaving products for men named after maca root. The Maca Root Energetic Face Protector with SPF 15 is described as a “dynamic defender” with energizing maca root and moisturizing Brazil nut oil from Peru and Guatemalan aloe vera.

    YESforLOV is a range of products for sensual well-being that associates pleasure with skin. It includes skin care, protection and intimate games. While maca is not included in the skin care products, it is featured in the Libido-Vitamins, a dietary supplement designed to act on libidinal energy and the well-being of the sexual organ tissues. It is formulated with natural extracts of maca, ginseng, damiana, guarana, cinnamon and L-arginine, and claims to be dosed to regenerate, stimulate and heighten sexual energy.

    Unlike many ingredients—especially superfruits—that traditionally move from food and beverage to beauty, maca root crossed almost directly from health care to personal care. Its use is limited in the food and beverage category. Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD) reveals that it has appeared in fewer than 10 launches in the past five years, mostly in energy drinks and snacks in the United States.

    The emergence of maca in skin care echoes Mintel’s findings that the beauty category is looking beyond superfruits to lesser-known natural ingredients with health benefits. Actives claiming to boost energy, cell longevity or immunity are ripe for growth as the beauty food trend develops.

    New Study Shows How Skin Temperature Can Affect Sleep..


    In healthy people, both sleepiness and vigilance show a relationship with core body temperature and skin temperature. When core body temperature is high during the daytime, skin temperature is low, which translates into optimal vigilance. Conversely, when core body temperature is low at night time, skin temperature is high, which correlates to optimal sleep. Among those suffering from narcolepsy, however, direct manipulations of their skin and core body temperatures affect their vigilance and sleepiness, according to a new study.

    The study, authored by Rolf Fronczek, of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam, and Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands, focused on eight patients who were diagnosed with narcolepsy with cataplexy and suffered from excessive daytime sleepiness. The subjects' vigilance was measured using the Psychomotor Vigilance Task, and their sleepiness was assessed with the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test. Meanwhile, their skin temperature was mildly manipulated using a thermosuit, while their core body temperature was manipulated using hot or cold food and drinks.

    According to the results, patients were better able to maintain vigilance when core body temperature was increased than when it was lowered, indicating that vigilance in narcolepsy can be altered simply by altering the temperature of food and drinks. Also, the ability to maintain wakefulness was better when skin temperature was lowered than when it was increased. Therefore, the process of falling asleep in narcoleptic subjects was able to be influenced by gently cooling or warming their hands and feet.

    "Patients with narcolepsy lack a specific neurotransmitter in their brains. This neurotransmitter is responsible for the regulation of the sleep/wake rhythm. That is why narcoleptic patients fall asleep during the day, but have problems sleeping during the night," said Fronczek. "Sleep and skin temperature are tightly related, as everybody who ever tried to go to bed with cold feet will know. Earlier researchers discovered that in healthy people, the temperature of the distal skin--hands and feet--not only increases just before falling asleep, but also influences sleep itself. Warm hands and feet thus promote sleep. Our research shows that, surprisingly, the temperature of the hands and feet of people with narcolepsy is on a high level throughout the day, a level that is normally only seen in healthy people just before falling asleep. We normalized this abnormal pattern of skin temperature using a specially designed thermosuit that can differentially manipulate the distal en proximal skin temperature with warm or cold water. In this way, we were able to decrease daytime sleepiness and improve vigilance. This could lead to new therapeutical applications that can help to alleviate some of the symptoms of narcolepsy."

    Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes people to fall asleep uncontrollably during the day. It also includes features of dreaming that occur while awake. Other common symptoms include sleep paralysis, hallucinations and cataplexy. About one out of every 2,000 people is known to have narcolepsy. There does seem to be a genetic link to it. It is very rare for more than two people in the same family to have this sleep disorder. It affects the same number of men and women.

    The article "Manipulation of Core Body and Skin Temperature Improves Vigilance and Maintenance of Wakefulness in Narcolepsy" was published in the February 1 issue of the journal Sleep. Adapted from materials provided by American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

    15 April 2009

    4 Ways to Find a Job in This Economy..!!!


    Whether you are currently working and are looking to make a change, or you’ve lost your job and are eager to get back into the workforce, this is a challenging economic climate. You can find a job, but you need to do things that your peers are not. Let me share with you four things that will help you stand out:

    1. Stop taking it all personally.

    It’s frustrating to apply for positions and not get any responses. The truth is, hiring managers and recruiters are being inundated with resumes and applications right now. The fact that they haven’t replied to your application has nothing to do with you. By personalizing the situation, you waste time and energy, often with the end result of feeling bad about yourself. Realize that if you want to stand out from the competition, you’ll have to stop wasting time and focus instead on the next best action to take.

    2. Ask for feedback

    Find out how you can improve your chances of being hired. When you get those opportunities to speak to employers make sure you ask for specifics: Do you have feedback on my resume? How did I do in the interview? What advice do you have for me? What can I do differently to stand out next time? Many employers welcome this as an opportunity to help someone out

    3. Be proactive.

    Don’t just apply for jobs online or e-mail your contacts asking for leads. Pick up the phone and make sure you follow up each contact. Call your network of friends and family and remind them of what you are looking for, and ask if they are willing to help. Be sure to ask for focused assistance. Don’t just ask them to pass on any leads they come across. Instead, ask if they have contacts in the field you are interested in or a company you would like to know more about. Will they make an introduction? If you’ve had an interview and are wondering what happened, stop wondering, pick up the phone, and find out. By following up, you demonstrate initiative and remind a busy hiring manager who you are.

    4. Get out of the house and meet people.

    You may feel uncomfortable with the whole idea of networking. Here’s another way to look at it. It’s about getting to know people and having them get to know you. Don’t go to functions because you feel you should. Find gatherings of people with whom you have an affinity: alumni, special interest clubs, exercise groups, community associations, classes, etc. Make it your intention to simply meet people—don’t weigh yourself down with expectations! Be open to people and to having them get to know you. We help people we like. For someone to like you, they need to get to know you. Be interested in people and what’s going on in their lives. Give yourself the gift of sharing something about yourself. If you keep the focus on building relationships you’ll naturally connect with people who will want to help.
     

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