“Amazon delivery!  Wahoo! My new shadow from ColourPop is here, Spiker.” Val chimes to her pet lab as he barks his approval. She then rips open the package and being smart and savvy, peruses the label. “OK. Label. Let’s see what you say. Everyone is telling me to READ YOU. So here goes.” Val scrunches her face as she skims the listing. The ingredients do not seem to be making much sense.   “OK. I’ll admit I do not understand the ingredients but, then, who does? “ Val explains to Spiker as she nuzzles his ears. “All my friends are using cool eyeshadows…

This is a reminder. Cold Water Power works. Repeat. Repeat. Take a cold Shower. When things get heated good advice is, ‘Take a cold shower and calm down.”  Cold water does reduce stress.  Cold water can prevent you from getting sick in a number of other ways too. At the start of Covid, I wrote Add Cold Showers to Your List . In case you shivered at the thought, please reconsider. Summer weather makes cold showers more desirable. But it is not easy. A healthy immune system is important. People who take cold showers will swear that they are healthier for it.…

Salmon, kale, eggs, tuna. All high in Retinol. Cheese. Liver, Cod, Squash. All high in retinol. Aka Vitamin A, an essential. When consuming fatty acids, we also consume the fat-soluble vitamins, like retinol. Our skin needs it. Today, with Covid precautions that dictate recommended products on the skin, we need all the help we can get. Since time began, oils containing natural retinol, have been rubbed into the skin to help soothe, moisturize and heal. Africans apply shea butter. Islanders: coconut. Inuit: whale fat, bear grease. Mediterranean’s love olive oil. Moroccans, argan.…

“Is This Product ‘Dermatologist Tested’?” An understandable query for one who is trying to make sure the product is ‘approved’ by people in the know. BUT, if the true nature of the question was really understood, there would be no question. Because both question and answer mean nothing. Seeing the term ‘dermatologist tested’ on a label or in advertising should actually reduce the product’s credibility. It is a marketing ploy to infer that the product has actually been tested properly by qualified people. Not always so. A company can ask a dermatologist to sample…

The jury is out. The world can’t decide. On masks: (views to date) The Czech Republic: masks mandatorySlovakia, Bosnia-Herzgovina, Morocco: masks mandatoryAustria: must wear a mask to enter a supermarketNew Zealand disagrees with masks and says personal hygiene is what is bestThe USA recommends simple cloth coverings.  We all know Trump said he would not wear one though. But as long as Americans come out and vote, he doesn't care.China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan: masks strongly encouraged. Hong Kong claims the spread of the virus was slowed because of the…

The groceries are outside on his front porch, awaiting retrieval. The challenge is how to safely tote them inside? On the screen is a U Tube Doctor demonstrating one method. The viewer watches, with certain trepidation, as conflicting advice has flooded the media. The concern is the packaging? The food? Covid contamination?  Worry over how long germs stay on cardboard, plastic, metal? The U Tube Doctor is stressing the importance of the 20 second soap washing. The viewer agrees. When the U Tube Doctor grabs the Lysol and starts spraying, the viewer straightens up and increases…

Her shift was soon to begin. An emergency doctor, prepared for battle. Feet encased, monkey suit secured, hair harnessed, face masked. Glove? Only one? No time to search. Grabbing another, she greets her first patient of the day. An hour later her nurse giggled, “We found the missing glove, Doctor.” But why had no one said anything?  Perhaps the baby the doctor gently prodded and probed and soothed did enjoy the distraction of the plastic five finger mobile. Babies do see all. But the father had made no comment.  Perhaps he was unaware of a proper protocol, if any…

With Covid-19, soap is even more of a necessity. Handwashing for 20 seconds or longer is not an easy feat. One trick is to sing Happy Birthday to yourself twice while enjoying the lather. Choosing what soap to wash with should be a huge consideration. I have taken excerpts from an article I wrote last year.  Soap or detergent? Liquid or Bar?  It is a good time to highlight the pertinent points Real soap is natural.  Detergent is synthetic Detergents became popular during and after the world wars, when animal and vegetable fats were in short supply and…