Fashion Health Hazards
Is Fashion Hurting Your Health? Katherine Steinberg
Haute Hazards
Your favorite bag or pair of shoes might seem like the perfect summer accessory, but is looking hollywood chic worth the price of your health? With these helpful hints you need not give up your fashion forward look. We'll show you how to keep feeling as great as you look.
More Tips on Back Pain Relief
The Big Bag Theory
Large bags may seem both fashionable and practical. However, beware the size of your bag. It allows you to overload your back, neck and shoulders. Carrying a bag more than 10% of your body weight leaves you open for problems such as "muscle spasms, slipped disks and herniations," says Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, Spine Surgeon at NYU Hospital of Joint Disease. One way to beat the pain is to make sure you alternate the side you carry your bag on. Alternating will help distribute the stress more evenly.
Heal the Burn
When striving for those perfect bouncy waves that all the stars are sporting a curling iron isnt always your best friend. If you are in a rush it can be easy to accidentally scald yourself on the hot surface. In the event of a burn you could be left with an angry red welt. To speed along the process of skin renewal try using glycolic acid products, such as alpha hydroxyl products, to start peeling off the top layer of skin.
Use a Soggy Sock
Trying to fit your feet in to pointy shoes can leave you with incredibly sore feet, not to mention disrupt the line of your spine. The best thing you can do for your feet is to break in new shoes before sporting them on the town. Wearing your shoes around the house in wet socks will get them ready for wear in no time. The dampness in your socks will soften the shoe fabric and help mold the shoes to the shape of your feet.
Best Foot Forward
During summer youll want to treat your toes to a pedicure so they go out looking their very best. However, if the cuticles are cut back too much or the instruments used arent clean, you could wind up with a nasty fungal infection. In order to stave off the threat of infection make sure your feet are dry going in. Also avoid tight, closed toe shoes. Toe injury is the leading cause of recurring fungal infection to date.
Not So Well Heeled
Stepping out for a night in high heels might sound like a great way to spice up an outfit, but do you know what those high heels will do to your body? Dr. Goldstein says, "having a 3 or 5-inch heels with throw out your spine alignment and cause you to put more stress on your hips and your low back." Try to alternate wearing high heels with shoes that conform to the natural arch of your foot. Another route is to order special inserts called orthotics, which lessen the excessive pressure on your soles by changing the distribution of body weight.
Get a Better Bra
Summer is a great time to go strapless, but without the right support you may wind up hunched over instead of strutting your stuff. Without the right support you can find yourself in a great deal of neck and back pain. To help you pick out the right bra, get measured over your blouse by a professional in any large department store. Or, if youre a bit shy, you can use a bra size calculator in the privacy of your home.
Soothe a Tooth Ache
A white, bright smile is now easier than ever to get without paying a visit to your dentist. However, using over-counter-teeth whiteners can leave your teeth sensitive and achy. If you start experiencing increased sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures than soothe your teeth with fluoride or potassium nitrate treatments, often included in many "sensitive teeth" toothpaste formulas. Then sit back and sip your iced latte or hot chai tea pain free.
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