Author: beyondbparis

bali

10 Ways to Stay Safe on Holidays

Posted on by beyondbparis

When people go for a holiday the last thing on their mind is running into danger. However, when you are far from home in a strange environment or in a culture like Bali that is not familiar it is easy to run into danger or trouble without even recognising it.  And even if you do, it is not always easy to know the best thing to do to minimise the danger and so the results may be worse than they need be. Here are 10 ways to stay safe in Bali.

  1. Let someone know when you are going and when you are due back. Let them know what your itinerary is and if you change it, work out some way to let them know. Contact them often while you are away so they know you are safe.
  1. Make copies of all your important papers such as your passport, visa, travel tickets and so on. Then if you lose them you will be able to prove they exist.

Continue reading “10 Ways to Stay Safe on Holidays” →

Why Liposuction is Better than Laser Treatments for Fat Reduction

Posted on by beyondbparis

Sometimes, the term fat reduction is used interchangeably with weight loss. When it comes to liposuction this is cannot be done. Liposuction may cause weight loss and usually does, because the fatty deposits are sucked out of your body. However, it is actually done to improve the shape of the body by removing lumpy parts caused by fat, not for weight loss alone.

However, many people do delight in the fact that liposuction removes their love handles and other lumps and bumps caused by those fatty deposits that are so difficult to get rid of by diet and exercising. In fact, liposuction works much better than laser treatments for this type of fat reduction. Why?

It addresses the problem directly

Liposuction works by removing the fat directly without damaging the surface of the skin apart from where the cut is made. This leaves small scars, often only 3mm long, which heal quickly and fade away to nothing in most cases. While liposuction is considered to be invasive surgery due to the fact that it requires incisions, it can be a better choice than laser treatment because it is a more direct way of fat removal and more suitable to treatment of large areas.

Continue reading “Why Liposuction is Better than Laser Treatments for Fat Reduction” →

Beauty Tips

10 Top Beauty Tips

Posted on by beyondbparis

There are many things in this world that conspire to ruin our looks, from pollution in the air to the stress we deal with on a daily basis. Most women are interested in tips to make their skin glow and other aspects of the face and body look better than they would if left neglected. Here are 10 top beauty tips that will help you make the most of what Mother Nature gave you.

  • Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is one of the best ways to keep your complexion looking smooth. According to experts, the body is 70% water so getting plenty of this simple substance is vital, yet one of the easiest things to do.
  • Get plenty of sleep. If you don’t want bags under your eyes, you must have at least 8 hours of quality sleep per night. So make the bedroom dark and quiet and use bedding made from natural fibres so you don’t perspire all night.
  • Cut back on stress. Stress makes you frown and in no time those wrinkles between your eyebrows and on your forehead will become deep and obvious, making you look older than you are. If you can’t remove stress, take up meditation or yoga, or learn other ways to deal with it.
  • Use organic skin care and beauty products that don’t have chemicals such as Parabens in them. These chemicals are no good for your body or your skin. Many are carcinogens – linked to cancer. Other harsh chemicals to avoid are benzophenone, another carcinogen, butylated compounds (BHA) which are banned in Europe, Formaldehyde, Triclosan which is linked to antibiotic resistance and hormone disruption. There are too many others to mention here.

Continue reading “10 Top Beauty Tips” →

humidity-in-bali

How to Take a Break from the Humidity in Tropics

Posted on by beyondbparis

According to holiday experts Easy Villas, since it has a tropical climate, hot, wet weather can be expected in Bali. Often, the humidity is at 80-90%, which makes it a bit sticky for some people. Luckily, there are ways to take a break from the humidity in Bali, so you can enjoy your holiday more. Here are some of them.

  • Book your holiday for the winter months. Bali doesn’t have a winter as such, but during our winter, their season is not as hot and so not as humid.
  • Rest under the fan in one of the beautiful villas during the hottest part of the day, or spend an hour or two where there is air-conditioning.
  • Visit the highlands. Even if you just go for a day tour during your holiday it will give you a break from that sticky heat. Staying overnight will enable you to enjoy a good night’s sleep as the temperature goes down considerably then.
  • Avoid Christmas holidays in Bali. Not only is it lots more expensive, it’s hotter and more humid. The ideal months are May June and September, with April and October still being okay weatherwise. In these months the weather is kinder and so are the prices. July is school holiday time and very expensive.

Continue reading “How to Take a Break from the Humidity in Tropics” →

cosmetic-surgery

5 Benefits of Cosmetic Surgery

Posted on by beyondbparis

Cosmetic surgery is not about being vain; it is about making the most of your looks. Nature gives us all good points and bad points so making the most of the former and the lessening the impact of the latter will ensure we look our best. There are many benefits of having cosmetic surgery to overcome what is perceived as a bad point. Here are some of them.

  • More confidence. If you worry excessively about how you look, it usually means you lack confidence. You feel bad about yourself and think that others may look down on you because of how you look. Sadly, this could be true. These days people are more than ever conscious of their body image and strive for perfection, however unreal that may be.

Continue reading “5 Benefits of Cosmetic Surgery” →

bali-beach

6 Great Beaches For Holidays

Posted on by beyondbparis

There is no doubt that the beaches are some of the best attractions of Bali, especially for Australians who are known to be beach lovers. If you are going on a holiday to Bali, it is only natural to want to check out the beaches, no matter if you are a teen keen to go surfing or parents of a younger generation that loves to play on the beach and paddle in calmer waters.

Then there are all the other fun, water-related activities that you can do in and around the water and the beaches. So if sparkling water and long stretches of white sand are on your holiday agenda, here is a list of 6 beaches tourists love, but there are many more.

    • Nusa Dua beach is surrounded by luxury hotels as well as palm trees and wonderful gardens. It is safe as a beach can be for toddlers, with calm water and no currents likely to drag them out. The water is crystal clear for those who love to snorkel and if you are into surfing you can catch bigger waves at either end of this beach.
    • We hear a lot about Kuta beach because it is a very popular destination, especially for surfers. It’s not so good for swimming as the waves are too big, but there are plenty of beach parties and clubs that offer entertainment at night. Find it a bit further along the city line than Nusa Dua.

Continue reading “6 Great Beaches For Holidays” →

transfat

Fats and Trans Fats, and What Next

Posted on by beyondbparis

In November of 2006, the New York City Department of Health issued a citywide ban on the use of trans fats in restaurants. Another directive has been to post calorie counts on menus as well, but we’re not dealing with this subject today. It’s the fats issue that has me preoccupied.

First, let’s get our facts straight. Trans fats cannot be seen, nor bought at the market. They are technically known as trans fatty acids, and are part of some other fat or oil that can in fact be bought.

Fats are made of chains containing mostly carbon and hydrogen (there may be as many as 24 carbons in a chain). Each carbon has four bonds, and each hydrogen has one, so a single carbon atom can hook up with four hydrogen atoms. In a saturated fat chain, each carbon atom hooks up with two hydrogens and one other carbon (except the first and the last ones); in other words, saturated fats have only single bonds between carbons.

A mono-unsaturated fat has one double bond between two carbons only, and therefore is missing two hydrogen atoms.

Polyunsaturated fats have two or more double bonds between three or more carbons, and they are missing even more hydrogen atoms, which makes them liquid at room temperature.

Hydrogenation or partial hydrogenation is an industrial process that forces hydrogen back onto the carbon chain, thereby artificially saturating it again. It is that process that causes the appearance of the trans fats.

Continue reading “Fats and Trans Fats, and What Next” →

Is Breast Augmentation Right for You?

Posted on by beyondbparis

Many women who are dissatisfied with the size or shape of their breasts have breast augmentation surgery. Basically, silicone or saline implants are inserted into the breast after the cosmetic surgeon makes an incision in the breast. There are three possible places for this incision; under the breast, around the areola – the pink part – or under the arm.

While the surgeon must assess your particular body shape before deciding, most women have the incision under the fold of the breast where the scar cannot be seen. In any case, scarring is not a matter to worry about. The scars are not very noticeable and as they heal they become even less so.

Do it for yourself, not someone else

Before you decide on this kind of cosmetic surgery, you need to ask yourself why you want it and what you expect to gain from it. It’s important to only have it if you make the decision for yourself. Don’t be pushed into by someone else who is not satisfied with your body shape. It is your body and the only person who should want to change it is you.

Continue reading “Is Breast Augmentation Right for You?” →

energy-healing

Energy – What Is It?

Posted on by beyondbparis

Recently I was involved in a conversation between a physicist, Bill, and a former physician, Steve, who now does what he calls “energy healing.” I had a vague idea of what he meant by that, but Bill took umbrage. “The word ‘energy’ has a very precise meaning in physics and the physical sciences,” he said. “I see it bandied about in the most outlandish ways, to make it mean something it doesn’t. That really bothers me.” We went on a bit about this subject, and finally all agreed that there had to be another way to name what in the alternative healing field is commonly referred to as “energy,” as in energy healing, the energy in foods, good or bad energy, and so on and so forth.

To show you how extensive this argument is, let me quote from the online encyclopedia Wikipedia (under “energy”):

Non-Scientific Energy

The term “energy” is widely used in a spiritual or non-scientific way that cannot be quantified.

To mathematicians, engineers and scientists, the word “energy” has a strict and quantifiable definition. Any usage of the word that violates this definition must be termed pseudoscience. They argue that the mixing of the non-scientific and scientific definitions of the word creates confusion.

Examples of pseudoscience are mysticism and parapsychology in fields such as acupuncture and reiki. Paranormal researchers will often refer to “psychokinetic energy” when attempting to explain paranormal phenomena or the concept of a spirit or soul.

Continue reading “Energy – What Is It?” →

bali-holiday

12 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Holiday

Posted on by beyondbparis

Bali is a popular destination for Australian tourists because it offers an exotic location with lots of beaches not too far away from our own shores, which means you don’t waste precious holiday time travelling.  It also offers much in the way of different cultures and food, bargain shopping opportunities, different and exciting things to do and see and lots of fun for everyone.

But just like a holiday to any other part of planet Earth, a holiday to Bali should be well-planned and organised to get the most out of it. It would be a shame to miss out on something you really wanted to see or do because you forgot to include it, or ran out of time to get there. So here are 12 ways to get the most out of your Bali holiday.

  • Do your research early on and decide what you want to see the most. You won’t be able to fit it all in, so choose carefully. Write it down so you don’t forget.
  • If you are going with your partner, take it in turns to choose what to visit; that way you will each have a fair share of things you like.
  • Keep away from the local alcohol as it is much stronger than any other kind. If you intend to get drunk, designate one of your group to be the responsible one and look out for the others. Two would be better.

Continue reading “12 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Holiday” →

natural-therapies

The Mainstreaming of Natural Therapies

Posted on by beyondbparis

One medicine for all is historically a very recent development of the 20th Century. In the United States in the 1800’s, there were many different types or “schools” of medicine, including homeopaths, herbalists and many others, all of whom incorporated local folk remedies in their repertoire. Homeopathy became very popular during the 19th century, and claimed many adherents. In those days, medicine was practiced by all types of people, including many women, black, working class, and poorer people, so that all communities were served. There were sixteen women’s medical schools by and ten black medical colleges by 1900. The family doctor also knew folk remedies and herbal medicines, and had learned much from personal experience.

In 1917, Abraham Flexner came out with the “Flexner Report” which called for the standardization of medical education and practice, proposing that it should be built around laboratory science and clinical experience. In addition, it proposed standards of professional behavior, and the exclusion of women, black, and the poor from practice. Homeopathic doctors and herbalists were frozen out of the mainstream.

Continue reading “The Mainstreaming of Natural Therapies” →

Healing

Path to Healing

Posted on by beyondbparis

The first time I tried it I was about eight years old. My father had had a heart attack after World War II had ended and I was about six. We were living in Holland. In those days, people with heart disease were put in bed rest for months on end. My father used to get angina pains in his chest, and besides a nitroglycerine pill, he used the services of a woman to do laying-on of hands on him and take the pain away. It seemed to give him relief.

A couple of years later, because of all kinds of complicated circumstances, we emigrated to Argentina. There was no woman there to lay her hands on my Dad when he had chest pains. One day he was really suffering, and I felt really bad for him, so I decided to try. I put my hands on his chest and concentrated, wishing the pain away. Soon enough I began to feel a nasty pain creeping up my arms. “Ah,“ I thought, “so this is what it feels like.“ When it got to my elbows I did what I had seen the woman in Holland do — I shook my hands to get it out, and lo and behold, the pain left me. My father said he felt better.

After that, I decided to use this new skill with great care, only when needed. I used it for my father, and occasionally for my brother when he had a headache. But then, when I was nineteen, my father died in my arms, and I decided that I wasn’t very good at this healing business, so I quit using it.

Continue reading “Path to Healing” →

judge-not-your-neighbors-by

Judge Not Your Neighbors By Their Diet

Posted on by beyondbparis

Pretty much all of us who get into “healthy eating” do it, at least for a while. It’s an inevitable part of the process. We do judge others by what they eat, and harshly most of the time. Like when we are in line at the supermarket with our paper goods and light bulbs, and look at what’s in the baskets of the other customers — “Aw, gawd, how can they EAT that junk! And their poor children . . . !”

Perhaps the reason we are so critical is because we judge ourselves unkindly. We have judged ourselves not good enough and in need of an overhaul, and the diet will set us right. I believe that if it were not so, we couldn’t stick to the effort it takes to change our diet, our lifestyle, to make a political statement through diet, or even to eat for “spiritual development.”

Nevertheless, our assessment may be correct, and the tool as well. Our blood sugar may be erratic, our cholesterol may be too high, or we know we need more fiber in our meals. A more appropriate way of eating may be extremely helpful. But believe me, from one who’s been there, there are sequelae to a dietary commitment, a wake of consequences that may last for years.

Continue reading “Judge Not Your Neighbors By Their Diet” →

water

Tap Water or Bottled? The Fluoride Issue

Posted on by beyondbparis

The New York Times published what seemed to me a somewhat cranky Op-Ed piece on August 1, 2005, called “Bad to the Last Drop,” by Tom Standage. Mr. Standage, who is the technology editor of The Economist, conducted a blind taste test of ten bottled and tap waters with his friends. The result? They couldn’t tell which was tap and which was bottled, so their conclusion was that “people cannot tell the difference between tap water and bottled water,” therefore, they are wasting their money when they buy the latter.

This was a very poor test, in my view. I remember when I lived in Argentina, as a youngster, and commuted between two cities, Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata. I spent my teenage years in the latter, which is a seaside resort, and the tap water seemed just fine. Then I went to Buenos Aires for college, and the tap water there was vile! After a while I got used to it, and it seemed normal. Then I would return to my home town, and the tap water there was vile in turn! Until I got used to it, and then it became normal. As I moved twice a year — college, recess, summer, etc. — my relationship with the waters swung widely, and every time the taste took getting used to.

Continue reading “Tap Water or Bottled? The Fluoride Issue” →

New Concepts in Diet

New Concepts in Diet II: The Old Traditions

Posted on by beyondbparis

I have been teaching for more than thirty years that we should eat according to the tradition of our ancestors, in addition to other concepts.  Much of my work was based on a book I read in 1967 called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration,by Weston Price, a dentist.  Dr. Price traveled the world over in the early ‘30’s, studying the diets of eleven different population groups and the condition of their teeth.  He found universally that those peoples who lived on their native diets had fine teeth, well-developed dental arches, and easy childbirth;  those who had adopted the refined food of Western civilization (sugar, white flour, canned vegetables, jams and pastries) found themselves with a steep rise in dental problems, difficulty with childbirth, and crowded teeth and malformed jaws in the children of mothers who ate this way.  The Price-Pottenger Foundation has kept this important work in print all these years.

Continue reading “New Concepts in Diet II: The Old Traditions” →

Food-and-the-Mind

Food and the Mind

Posted on by beyondbparis

The hold on the mind is so tenuous. I’m always amazed to see how well people communicate, make decisions, implement plans, and generally do things, considering that it all depends on a fleeting neurotransmitter, a capillary that remains open, a couple of neurons that speak to each other. The tenuous hold can wobble with a simple fever, not even so high — 101′ or so — which disturbs the sleep and confuses the brain, giving rise to all manner of babblings and strange irrelevant thoughts. The mind wobbles with the lack of food, the absence of sufficient nutrients, proteins, carbohydrates; it shakes with stimulants and drugs, with familiar foods, with an overdose of sugar, an excess of caffeine, a chocolate pig-out. And what of the well-intentioned drugs of our medical system? So many strange substances go into our bodies, float in our bloodstream, come calling at the blood-brain barrier asking to be let in. When they are, does their presence disturb the finely calibrated pathways of neurons and neurotransmitters? Do the substances we inject into our children find a way into their brains, there to cause havoc and knock over relay stations or damage those pathways forever?

Mind and body are not two. Mind-troubles do relate to body matters. Let us be clear about that. How do they relate? For the longest time the relationship was only intuited, accepted by the “wholistic” thinker as obvious, but without the so-called “hard science” (visible particles that can be seen and classified by more than one person) to support it. Then in the 70’s and 80’s the particles that make sense to scientists — neurotransmitters — were discovered, and mind-brain studies took off like a rocket.

Continue reading “Food and the Mind” →