Thursday, April 28, 2011

I saw Miley Cyrus and Here's What Happened

I've always been starstruck.  Seeing celebrity makes my heart beat a little faster.  Living here in the midwest, my opportunities for seeing celebrities is limited.

I am also noticing that I am starting to worry a bit more about safety. Especially when I am with my kids.  Yesterday, my kids and I were at Los Angeles International airport waiting to go through security.  The lines were long, long, long and actually snaked through an entire hallway and down the staircase.  It was unbelieveable. Tempers were high as people feared they would miss their flights.

We finally reached the security checks.  People were putting their bags on the rollers to go through the xray machines.  I looked around and noticed an extremely scuzzy looking guy with a baseball cap and three cameras with zoom lenses.  What can he possibly be taking photos of I wondered?  No one else seemed disturbed. When I presented my license to the security guard, I asked who is that person taking pictures.  I also wondered why he was being allowed to do so. The answer was that he was a paparazzi. Miley Cyrus was just a bit ahead of us in line.  Sure enough there she was a darling looking young woman.  I pointed her out to my boys who recognized her but told me they wished she was a pokemon. 

In the interim, I was quite frightened of the paparazzi that I thought was up to more nefarious dealings that I felt my anxiety levels grow and grow and grow. When we exited the security area, my heart was really beating up a storm -- that old fight or flight syndrome.  Fortunately, I had a teeny little vial of lavender with me in purse that I was using on my dermatitis that I picked up on the beach.  I breathed in the lavender aroma with deep breaths and I could feel my heart beat slowly returning to normal. Essential oils work. They work everytime.  Contact us at http://www.omstonearomas.com/ for more details.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Spring Break is Here and Teens are in More Danger than Ever. Whats a Parent to do? Throw them a lemon life saver

Marketing Students' Study Finds Teens Ignoring Risks of Tanning

 
Teens continue to visit tanning salons despite being aware of the dangers, a study released today reveals. The study was conducted by Beachwood High School marketing students on behalf of the office of Bryan J. Michelow, MD FACS, a Beachwood, Ohio-based, board-certified plastic surgeon.
The results of the study regarding teenage attitudes toward tanning beds reveal that 33 percent of the 55 teenagers interviewed admitted to being aware of the dangers of ultra violet light in tanning salons, yet they continued to visit them.
 
“The results of these focus groups reveal that kids are hearing the message about the link between skin cancer and tanning beds but choosing not to listen,” says Dr. Michelow, who commissioned this study after he had seen a leap in the number of deadly melanomas and basal cell cancers in young adults. “Young people don’t realize that the foundation for healthy skin is laid down early in life. Melanomas can appear in adults as early as their mid-20s. Melanoma can be fatal and basal cell cancers can be disfiguring, requiring a great deal of reconstruction,” adds Dr. Michelow, who repairs the damage to the face, skin and limbs following excision of cancerous lesions.
 
Dr. Michelow hopes to use the results of the study and the marketing strategies recommended by the Beachwood High School seniors to inform teenagers and their parents about the importance of maintaining skin health.
 
The Beachwood High School students recommended a tipping point approach to educating teens about healthy skin. Their research suggested that teenagers are highly influenced by their peer group and long to fit in to these groups. They recommended a marketing and advertising campaign based on teenagers desire to be accepted and been seen as cool.
 
Beachwood High School’s marketing class is taught by Mrs. Jean Getz. Her college-level class, is part of the Mayfield Excel TECC Consortium, a unique collaborative educational effort among six east-side school districts. Each year, students present a client with a complete marketing package that includes market research, a SWOT analysis, and recommendations for an integrated marketing plan to promote the product or service.
 
Dr. Michelow’s practice engaged Mrs. Getz’s marketing class at Beachwood High School to explore extending preventative skincare services to teenagers.
 
“The students did a wonderful job,” said Dr. Michelow.  “We learned that teens are hearing the message about healthy skin but they are not necessarily listening.  Mrs. Getz and her class helped us understand the teen thought process when it comes to skincare and what was important to them in product and services."
This collaboration was mutually beneficial. Jason Edwards, company and class president said, “The opportunity to work with Contemporary Cosmetic Surgery was a great experience.  We were able to not only work with a paying client but also to apply what was learned in the classroom in a real-world setting, by generating focus groups, conducting primary and secondary research and creating ads.”
 
Solly Popish, another senior, agreed. “I had a lot of fun working with Contemporary Cosmetic Surgery," she said. " I learned how to gather information, perform focus groups and design advertising.”
The study’s findings are of particular relevance as Ohio State Representative Lorraine Fende (D) District 62 (Willowick) and Representative Courtney Combs co-sponsored Ohio State House Bill 119, requiring a physician’s prescription for teenagers under the age of 18 who would like to use tanning booths.  Currently a teenager less than 18 years old must present a parent or guardian’s signature to the tanning salon prior to being allowed to use the Ultra Violet (UV) beds.
 
The number of skin cancer cases in the United States has increased from 500,000 in 1991 to 3.5 million per year.  Experts say that 20 minutes in a tanning bed is the equivalent of basking in two-three hours of midday sun. Eighty percent of the damage to the skin is caused prior to age 18.
 
Should House Bill 119 pass and become law, it will be the most stringent in the nation. Lobbyists such as the Indoor Tanning Association are vigorously opposing the bill.  Teenagers under the age of 18 comprise 10 percent of tanning salon customers. Barring them from using the tanning beds would take a big bite out of tanning salon earnings, which are already lean. A similar bill, regulating teen use of tanning booths by young teenagers was defeated in 2009. The Bill was supported by Miss Ohio 2009.
 
Companies marketing to teenagers face a dual challenge; raising awareness of their product, service or message among teens, while earning the approval of the parent who still guides their child’s purchasing decisions. Last year’s marketing class worked with Doner Advertising, the world’s largest private advertising agency, to perform market research for Doner’s clients, Things Remembered and Arby’s Restaurant.
 
Lemon essential oil help in that it is excellent in a carrier oil to soak up sebum from teen skin.  However, lemon is highly photo toxic and can cause sun burn. Teens using products with lemon essential oils must always wear sun screen even on cloudy days. They also cannot use tanning beds during this time.  No one wants to risk a burn on their face.  
 
Lemon is highly energizing and uplifting.  Its an excellent way to steer young people to activities other than lying prone on a sun bed!  Please go to http://www.omstonearomas.com/  or http://www.drmichelow.com/ for more information. 

When He Bores You. Spruce Things Up.

If you are married and he bores you, you obviously have a problem.  If you are feeling an extraordinary amount of resentment it is time to see a therapist.  However, if it is just a dull throb and your relationship is in the doldrums and you can live with it there are tricks to enliven your significant -- or possibly insignificant other.

Change often revitalizes a stagnant relationship and that change doesn't have to be a significant one. We will leave the communication techniques to the therapists, psychologists, coaches and social workers to analyze.  However, there is significant reseach in psychoaromatherapy. 

Psychoaromatherapy is the study of how aromas work on the mind and change a dynamic, or many dynamics. There are companies infusing their company's hallways with essential oils to calm the air.  Adding aromas to your home and living areas can help you spruce up your relationship.  Especially by diffusing black spruce.
The chemical in essential oils are what gives the oil it scent and actions.  Black spruce is a woodsy scent reminscent but sweeter and milder than eucalytus radiata (the two combine, relax and help you focus). 

The fresh aroma diffused through your home will at least give you something to talk about.  It will calm you and perk you up as well.  For more information visit http://www.omstonearomas.com/

Monday, April 11, 2011

Is Your Dog a Red Dog or Blue Dog? Lavender Wins at the Polling Booth

Its true.  Just like dogs begin to look like their human parents, they have begun to identify with them politically.  Once liberal minded mixed breeds are crossing party lines to bark down collective bargaining, as economic cuts are biting into thier little luxuries.  Taking a contrarian position are AKC purebreds.  They are looking down their snoots at their mongrel brethern as uneducated red state rednecks.

While pundits in the dog world have been predicting this state of affairs for sometime,  no one was prepared for red dogs going snout to snout over the new tea party initiatives. Some red dogs are howling that red dog politicans are going too far while other red dogs are licking their chops over the new legislation regarding unions 

With an interesting take on the Ohio union's slogan, "We are Ohio,"  delicate breeds from minature dobermans to hardy mountain dogs have devised a slogan of their own  "One Woof for Ohio."  Conservative dogs view the slogan as another distressing move toward socialism.  The leader of the conservative tea party pack, a mixed breed part shelty part mystery dog pictured below sporting a blue harness, perhaps as a respectful nod to the opposition, has sniffed at accusations that all red dogs care about is their own territory.



The end result is dogs unleashing their fury at one and other, leaving dog parents wondering how they can get their best friends to keep their opinons under their collars. Fortunately there is an answer:  Lavender essential oil.  

Lavender has sedating effects on both dogs and humans.  Lavender oils can comprise around 40% of a chemical called Linalool. This chemical has been shown to have a potent sedative effect when the vapors inhaled.
It is thought lavender supports relaxation by increasing the activity of alpha waves within the back of the brain. Alpha waves the expand awareness and slow the brains activity to a more relaxed state.  Experts say a dog's brain functions similarly to human's without a human's intellectual capacity.


Lavender, which should not be used internally can have a very calming effect on dogs when they are anxious or frightened.  Dogs have thin skins and also a highly developed sense of smell.  Subtle aromatherapy is an excellent way to deliver the relaxing benefits of lavender to your dog without overwhelming him or her with the aroma of an essential oil. 


OmBones(tm) are small, artisan made white clay "bones" which easily absorb essential oils.  They are adhered to a charm listing all of a dog's wonderful characteristics which can be customized with your dog's name and phone number. Add the included drop of lavender essential oil to the "bone" and help your dog find peace.  Aroma can last up to two weeks and can be refreshed when needed.  OmBones can be washed gently with soap and water. Only $10.00 at http://www.omstonearomas.com/

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Why Have Sex? Get Motivated with Ylang Ylang

Why Have Sex?  That's a good question.  Especially if you have been in a long term relationship, sex seems like one addtional chore or obligation that one needs to make time for in their busy life. Its really easy to loose interest in it, once it becomes same old, same old.  Agreed?

Well, having sex is a good idea merely because it is a good way to burn alot of calories fast. It is also  a good way to keep your relationship on track.  What can you do if you simply don't feel like it?  ever...?

Counseling is out of our realm but Ylang Ylang is one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs and can help you get motivated for the big 15 minutes or so you will need to be engaged. 
Ylang ylang is a gentle oil that is rich in esters.  It sooths the nervous system and allows you to relax.  Another reason it is not a whole essential oil, meaning that it is processed differently from other essential oils. In a 2005 study ylang ylang was found to reduce the pulse rate while at the same time increasing alterness and arousal.  All good conditions for having sex. 


So now we've established that we must have sex for diet and for our relationship.  We've established that ylang ylang works on relaxing the pulse rate as well as the nervous system while at the same time increasing alertness and arousal, so how do we use this very powerful smelling oil?

It can be used in an inhaler along with other essential oils.  The chemicals of the scent will travel immediately to the brain and into the limbic system where ylang ylang will begin to do its work.  Ylang ylang can also be added to a lotion along with other oilsin a blend that it won't over power.  Check out http://www.omstonearomas.com/ for intstructions on how to blend. Happy Luvin!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Yes, Certain People Should Not Use Lavender

Lavender is an essential oil that can be used safely by many people to relax, for skincare, for burns and to add a pleasant aroma.  However women who have had estrogenic based cancers should refrain from using lavender.  Lavender is a highly estrogenic oil.  

There are other essential oils that are estrogenic such as clary sage.  Stay tuned and a we will post more.