Healthy Hair on Youtube: MsTanish

I've been watching MsTanish for a few years now, and recently her hair has flourished out of nowhere.  This type 4 natural has managed to retain some serious length in the past year or so.  Do not be fooled by her height (taller than 5'10", I believe).  Her hair is fairly long ... and healthy!  In this particular video she discusses her detangling routine for loose hair that has tangled over the course of a few days.

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Mixology || Field and Sea Body Scrub

{Source}

Are you interested in mixing your own body scrub?  Well perhaps you can try the following recipe. (Recipe Source)

Ingredients
Kelp Powder--3 tbsp
Oatmeal--3 tbsp
Orange Peel, grated--3 tbsp
Sea Salt--3 tbsp
Sunflower Seeds, ground--3 tbsp
Grapefruit--3 drops
Sweet Almond Oil

Instructions
Save Sweet Almond Oil for later. Mix all dried ingredients and Grapefruit essential oil in a jar. Keep jar sealed until use. Blend with almond oil to a desirable consistency just before using.

FOR MORE Recipes: Homemade Body Scrubs, 250 Bath Body Recipes

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$3 billion GlaxoSmithKline and the IMPACT AWARDS

This week I received my flyers for the GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards 2013, which offer a range of awards ranging from one of £40k, to ten of £30k to reward charities’ excellent work to improve people’s health. There’s absolutely bucket loads of cash and the closing date for applications is the 21st September. The awards are offered in partnership with the King’s Fund and I’ve seen a number of arts/health projects proudly emblazoned with their award winning GSK logos over the years. Great opportunity in a time of austerity eh? But hold fire for a second, because haven’t GlaxoSmithKline been in the news for things other than philanthropy this week?

That’s right: as well as being fined $3 billion ‘after admitting bribing doctors and encouraging the prescription of unsuitable antidepressants (Paxil) for children’, they’re also expected to admit failing to report safety problems with the diabetes drug Avandia! GSK also ‘paid for articles on its drugs to appear in medical journals...’ 

It reminds me of the excellent work done by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare, (IQWiG) which I reported in my paper, A Brightly Coloured Bell-Jar and that showed Pfizer’s anti-depressant, reboxetine was no more effective than placebo,  and was "significantly less" effective, and was less acceptable, than the other drugs in treating the acute-phase treatment of adults with unipolar major depression. Yet, the published data on reboxetine overestimated the benefit of reboxetine versus placebo by up to 115% and also underestimated harm, concluding that reboxetine was an ineffective and potentially harmful antidepressant. The study also showed that nearly three quarters of the data on patients who took part in trials of reboxetine were not published by Pfizer until after they had been exposed by the IQWiG...

And yet, still many of us in the arts/health world talk, (with dewy eyes) about the gold-standard, randomized controlled trial, and the impartiality of the scientific journal. Let’s remember this: GSK have pleaded guilty to promoting drugs for improper use - and Pfizer were hiding the evidence that their medication was ineffective and potentially harmful. Both used scientific journals to promote their products and in the case of GSK, paid doctors to actively promote their products.

Why do we let ourselves be blindly pulled into the myth of the commercially driven scientific journals ‘objectivity’? That said, I’m sure the research of the majority of scientists is driven by a desire for clinical advance, but its the dominance of the pharmaceuticals that clearly muddy the waters. It’s worth noting that whilst GSK have been fined $3 billion, the profits on Paxil are already over $11.6 billion and from Avandia are $10.4 billion! So their offer of around £340k Impact Awards to charities, suddenly seems paltry in the face of their grotesque profit and potential harm, both to health and wellbeing - and on the ethics of clinical research and its dissemination.

Footnote: This week I saw the 1974 Alan Yentob documentary on David Bowie called, Cracked Actor, in which Bowie (apparently out of his mind much of the time on cocaine), talked eloquently about his Ziggy Stardust period, and how this work was research on how people surround celebrities, pushing them further and further, and plying them with drugs to produce more and more (Hendrix, Joplin et al). It set my mind racing on the cult of drugs, both prescribed and illegal. Which are more immoral? Then I read the GSK apology and received its offer of cash for excellence. 

For a far more eloquent account of the pharmaceutical dominance withn research, go to, one-time editor of the BMJ Dr Richard Smith. Always excellent.  

...and moving away from medication for a moment:

START2

Start2 is an online creative wellbeing service, free to use. Start2 contains over 80 exercises that boost wellbeing and help us to live more creatively. Whether for personal or professional use, Start2 is aimed at anyone who wants to explore wellbeing through creative outlooks and activities. Visit them by clicking on the image below: www.start2.co.uk 

Case Studies Needed: 

National Alliance for Arts, Health and Wellbeing (England)

For the past couple of years, the North West Arts and Health Network has been working with partners across the country to develop a national voice for arts and health. This is due to launch in the autumn and a dedicated media campaign is being planned to coincide with this aiming to demonstrate leading arts and health projects and their impact on patients and the public.

The campaign, funded with the support of the King’s Fund and run by media agency SKV is looking for case studies which showcase the best in the field of arts health and wellbeing. We are looking to create a body of case studies which can be drawn on by SKV for press opportunities in different contexts and this means we need a variety of stories on a range of different subjects, demonstrating different points. With press attention in mind we are looking for examples which stand out, offer something new in context, demonstrate high quality work or offer real personal stories and insights which demonstrate the impact of the work. Because we will either have to be very responsive or be looking to demonstrate particular points, we cannot guarantee to use every case study we receive but we hope you will be happy to contribute to this important resource.

To let us know you would like your organisation or project to be included and for details on what to include in your case study submission, email artsforhealth@mmu.ac.uk 

RNCM Music for Health Programme

The Central Manchester University Hospitals Concert Series

Fri 13 July Royal Eye Hospital Atrium 7.30pm – 8.45pm

Ordsall Acapella Singers A four-part community choir whose programme will include songs as diverse as Imagine, Wonderful World and Nellie the Elephant!!
Sneak preview by clicking on the photograph below. 

PhD Opportunity in Nottingham 

www.nihrtcc.nhs.uk/cat/cdrf 

There is an opportunity for three year full-time PhD funding from the NIHR. We are looking for a potential PhD student to collaborate with us on a research project looking at the effectiveness of singing with people with dementia. The project is at a late stage of development and you will be supported throughout the application process. We need an applicant who is 100% committed to do doing a full-time PhD in Nottingham over three years. The prospective candidate needs to be a registered health professional i.e. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or the Health Professionals Council (HPC) (at the time the award is granted - this includes arts therapists). Naturally we are also looking for somebody experienced in singing with older people. The ideal person will probably have a good science/arts balance and already have a Masters degree (or first class Bachelors with evidence of ongoing study). Contact theo.stickley@nottingham.ac.uk 

...and returning to another kind of medication:

OLYMPIC SIZED THOUGHT OF THE WEEK 

The fast food chain McDonalds unveils its first sustainable restaurant in the Olympic Park, Stratford. It's the largest in the world and during the Games, will be the busiest in the world. Mmmm, the opiate of the massives (sp)

...thank you as ever...C.P.

Happy Healthy Independence Day (US)

By Stephanie of Infinite Life Fitness


Yes it is that time of year again!

Time to call your friends and family and plan a BBQ out at the park or at the lake. Just because it is a holiday does not mean you can ditch your healthy eating habits for the holiday celebrations. There as SO many HEALTHY options you can incorporate into your BBQ that will be tasty for you and your guest.

Here are a few things to consider when planning your menu:

• Lean Turkey Burgers
• Grilled Vegetables
• Boiled Shrimp (or you can grill it!)
• Watermelon (or other types of melons)
• Chicken Kabobs/Veggie Kabobs
• Corn on the cob
• Frozen Fruit bars (chop up fruit get a low calorie fruit juice and freeze it!)
• Strawberries and Berries with Light Cool Whip

Here are some other tips that may help you out:

• Watch what condiments you eat with! Try to stay away from ketchup and mayo and BBQ sauce! Try mustard or salsa or spices to help add flavor to your meals.
• Chicken and fish are some of the best choices of meats you can cook/grill for the BBQ
• This may be a far stretch but try the hamburger WITHOUT the bun! You can have it with mustard (or salsa) and put some lettuce on it (or you can even wrap it in lettuce!) This can help cut out the calories that are found in the bread.
• Grilled veggies are ALWAYS a good option. Try some onions, bell peppers, and squash (you can even add fruit like pineapple or mangos to add some great flavor!)
• Try to stay away from the macaroni salad and cole slaw! Those are jammed pack with mayo and other ingredients that make it a high calories side dish. Try some seasoned corn on the cob, grill mushrooms, or even so grilled sweet potatoes.
• Fruit salad can be a great dessert! Combine some of your favorite fruit with a dash of honey (or splurge and get some low fat whip cream) and you have a sweet healthy treat to snack on while you light your sparklers! You can even try Jell-O or frozen fruit popsicles!

Like I said there are dozens of healthy options you can still have your BBQ that will be delicious and nutritious! Try not to forget your salad and drink lots and lots of water! It is supposed to be hot in most parts of the country and you do not want to get dehydrated!

This is Stephanie with Infinite Life Fitness. Please feel free to stop by my site (infinitelifefitness.com) for more health and fitness tips.


Hope you have a happy and safe 4th of July!

3in6: Challenge Ends!

For the challenge guidelines, see this post.

The 3in6 Challenge ended yesterday! I won't be doing an official length check until August 1st (which marks my 6 month update since my nappiversary).  However, I can tell, that at the very least, my front hair has grown.  For some time, I thought it had reached its terminal length, but I was wrong.  

Will I be holding another 3in6 Challenge?  I don't know.  I feel that my hair is at a length that calls for a regimen change in terms of styling.  It is something I have to ponder over this coming weekend.   Thank you to all the ladies who joined in on this challenge.  I hope you found it successful!

Did you retain any length from this 3in6 Challenge?

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The lowest-mortality BMI: What is the role of nutrient intake from food?

In a previous post (), I discussed the frequently reported lowest-mortality body mass index (BMI), which is about 26. The empirical results reviewed in that post suggest that fat-free mass plays an important role in that context. Keep in mind that this "BMI=26 phenomenon" is often reported in studies of populations from developed countries, which are likely to be relatively sedentary. This is important for the point made in this post.

A lowest-mortality BMI of 26 is somehow at odds with the fact that many healthy and/or long-living populations have much lower BMIs. You can clearly see this in the distribution of BMIs among males in Kitava and Sweden shown in the graph below, from a study by Lindeberg and colleagues (). This distribution is shifted in such a way that would suggest a much lower BMI of lowest-mortality among the Kitavans, assuming a U-curve shape similar to that observed in studies of populations from developed countries ().

Another relevant example comes from the China Study II (see, e.g., ), which is based on data from 8000 adults. The average BMI in the China Study II dataset, with data from the 1980s, is approximately 21; for an average weight that is about 116 lbs. That BMI is relatively uniform across Chinese counties, including those with the lowest mortality rates. No county has an average BMI that is 26; not even close. This also supports the idea that Chinese people were, at least during that period, relatively thin.

Now take a look at the graph below, also based on the China Study II dataset, from a previous post (), relating total daily calorie intake with longevity. I should note that the relationship between total daily calorie intake and longevity depicted in this graph is not really statistically significant. Still, the highest longevity seems to be in the second tercile of total daily calorie intake.

Again, the average weight in the dataset is about 116 lbs. A conservative estimate of the number of calories needed to maintain this weight without any physical activity would be about 1740. Add about 700 calories to that, for a reasonable and healthy level of physical activity, and you get 2440 calories needed daily for weight maintenance. That is right in the middle of the second tercile, the one with the highest longevity.

What does this have to do with the lowest-mortality BMI of 26 from studies of samples from developed countries? Populations in these countries are likely to be relatively sedentary, at least on average, in which case a low BMI will be associated with a low total calorie intake. And a low total calorie intake will lead to a low intake of nutrients needed by the body to fight disease.

And don’t think you can fix this problem by consuming lots of vitamin and mineral pills. When I refer here to a higher or lower nutrient intake, I am not talking only about micronutrients, but also about macronutrients (fatty and amino acids) in amounts that are needed by your body. Moreover, important micronutrients, such as fat-soluble vitamins, cannot be properly absorbed without certain macronutrients, such as fat.

Industrial nutrient isolation for supplementation use has not been a very successful long-term strategy for health optimization (). On the other hand, this type of supplementation has indeed been found to have had modest-to-significant success in short-term interventions aimed at correcting acute health problems caused by severe nutritional deficiencies ().

So the "BMI=26 phenomenon" may be a reflection not of a direct effect of high muscularity on health, but of an indirect effect mediated by a high intake of needed nutrients among sedentary folks. This may be so even though the lowest mortality is for the combination of that BMI with a relatively small waist (), which suggests some level of muscularity, but not necessarily serious bodybuilder-level muscularity. High muscularity, of the serious bodybuilder type, is not very common; at least not enough to significantly sway results based on the analysis of large samples.

The combination of a BMI=26 with a relatively small waist is indicative of more muscle and less body fat. Having more muscle and less body fat has an advantage that is rarely discussed. It allows for a higher total calorie intake, and thus a higher nutrient intake, without an unhealthy increase in body fat. Muscle mass increases one's caloric requirement for weight maintenance, more so than body fat. Body fat also increases that caloric requirement, but it also acts like an organ, secreting a number of hormones into the bloodstream, and becoming pro-inflammatory in an unhealthy way above a certain level.

Clearly having a low body fat percentage is associated with lower incidence of degenerative diseases, but it will likely lead to a lower intake of nutrients relative to one’s needs unless other factors are present, e.g., being fairly muscular or physically active. Chronic low nutrient intake tends to get people closer to the afterlife like nothing else ().

In this sense, having a BMI=26 and being relatively sedentary (without being skinny-fat) has an effect that is similar to that of having a BMI=21 and being fairly physically active. Both would lead to consumption of more calories for weight maintenance, and thus more nutrients, as long as nutritious foods are eaten.

‘...the best architects are hermaphrodites.’

What a quote! And it’s grabbed your attention, hasn't it? I've just listened to Desert Island Discs with the Architect Charles Jenks, who amongst other things, discussed his late wife, Maggie and the development of the wonderful Maggie’s Centre's. If you don't know them, please click on the image above, and to listen to the interview on BBC iplayer, click on the image below...Excellent stuff!

ANNE BASTING EVENT is FULLY BOOKED
Please note that we're only taking reserve names only now.

FIDGET 

• Is it true that sitting’s killing?
• Can Fidget turn people’s perceptions of chilling on the sofa on it’s head?
• Can we redefine people’s understanding of how to be fit?
• Can small steps today take us on a longer path tomorrow?

Michael Pinsky is a renowned British artist, whose international projects have created innovative and challenging works in galleries and public spaces. His role as artist, urban planner, activist and researcher make him the ideal visionary to create innovative mediums to challenge our perceptions of what is really happening when we simply sit! For more details of this excellent interactive project that has been developed with the LAHF, please click on the sedentary image above!

UNESCO Observatory: CALL FOR PAPERS

International perspectives on the development of research-guided practice in-based arts in health

Health has become a recurrent topic in discussion of the role of the arts in society,   fuelled by a growing body of research into links between culture and flourishing.  In community arts in particular there has been a widespread development of projects addressing health issues.  This is a distinct area of activity operating mainly outside of acute healthcare settings and is characterised by the use of participatory arts to promote health.  There are indications that this work is developing in response to health needs of communities in differing cultures and healthcare systems around the world, but so far there is little mutual knowledge or connection of the work at an international level.

This issue of the e-journal aims to draw together well-researched case studies of community-based arts in health projects from different parts of the globe.  Each case study should explain the motivation for the work undertaken and its sensitivity to context and cultural diversity, the partnership structures and ethos developed in its delivery, and the research methodologies used.  Submissions are particularly invited that reflect multidisciplinary knowledge of the application of arts development  to health and flourishing  communities from the perspectives of applied arts, public health, anthropology, social geography, education and other disciplines. Please click on the (non-olympic-related) Human Torch above for details.

COLLECTIVE ENCOUNTERS JOB OPPORTUNITY

We are looking to recruit a highly experienced Participatory Arts Facilitator to lead on the delivery of a six month project which will see substantial outreach work undertaken with people with mental health issues living in St Helens. This is an exciting commission from St. Helens Council which will culminate in a site-specific performance in a library in December 2012. Click on the image below.

ARTISTS’ INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND

The Arts Council England has announced that its new Artists' International Development Fund is currently open for applications.  Through the £750,000 Artists' International Development Fund the Arts Council offers grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 to individual freelance and self employed artists based in England to build links with artists, organisations and/or creative producers in another country.  The fund is open to individual artists, including creative producers, curators and editors.  Although the Artists' international development programme is aimed at individual artists, small groups of artists who normally collaborate in their work can also apply. This could include, for example, musicians and visual artists who usually create work together, or writers and their translators. 

The closing date for applications is the 5th October 2012. Read more by clicking on this image. 

...and finally, a lovely song from the Great Mexican composer Alvaro Carrillo, and performed by Monsieur Perine, in Bogota, Colombia. 



Life is...