Buying organic products is surely a modern trend. People start to be aware of chemicals we ingest and breathe each day, which could be the cause of so many cancers and other chronic ailments. If we can’t stop breathing and we can’t all move to less polluted places, at least we can be more careful with things we eat and we use for hair or skin care. Modern Organic Products, also known as MOP is a range of hair care cosmetic products which are based totally on organic ingredients, providing protection for the user as well as for the environment. MOP was founded in 1998 by a famous hair stylist, David Raccuglia. His purpose was to offer consumers organic products that are highly performing, despite the fact that they don’t contain those chemical active ingredients that are so effective, which are contained in non-organic personal hygiene products.
What Are Organic Products?
Organic refers to the production process of foods or of the ingredients which enter into the composition of beauty and cosmetic products. It means that the plants are not treated with pesticides or with growth hormones and that they aren’t genetically modified organisms. Organic practices forbid treating livestock with antibiotics and demand that all animals are kept in conditions close to their natural habitat and not in narrow pens or cages without day light. Organic farms are certified by third party organizations, which is a guarantee that their products are really what they claim to be, free of toxic chemicals.
Modern Organic Products Ingredients
MOP takes pride in carefully selecting ingredients for their hair care products, so the consumers enjoy a pleasant experience and well-being. Each ingredient serves a purpose. For instance, apple extracts acts as humectants, bananas are deep conditioners, carrot improves scalp condition, chamomile acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, wheat protein strengthens and repairs damaged hairs. Other ingredients are artichoke, avocado, black beans, black currant, burdock, cucumber, dandelion, nettle, maple syrup, grapefruit, honey, raspberry, red clover, orange, mango, licorice, lemongrass, watercress, rosemary, horsetails and many others.
The MOP range contains the following products:
Shampoo:
- Mixed greens shampoo for normal to dry hair
- Lemongrass shampoo for fine hair
- Basil mint shampoo for normal to greasy hair
- Pear shampoo for sensitive scalp and for babies
Conditioner:
- Mixed greens conditioner
- Lemongrass conditioner
- Basil mint conditioner
- Pear detangler
Hair Treatment:
- Extreme moisture, which is based on certified organic banana and apple juice
- Extreme protein, based on organic wheat, black beans and olive oil
- Leave-in conditioner
Styling products:
- Orange peel molding cream
- Defining cream
- Form foaming gel light hold
- Form foaming gel heavy hold
- D-curl
- Pomade
- Styling tonic
- Lemongrass lift
All the above belong to the MOP core products range. Two more ranges are available: C-system, with sulfate free cleansers and antioxidant protection, and Glisten, with shine enhancers and weightless moisturizers. MOP is actively promoting its products, so more and more hair styling salons are expected to switch to organic hair styling and care over the next years.
The company was featured in hair styling magazines such as Celebrity Hairstyles or Hair and in other women’s magazines such as More Magazine, Town & Country, O, The Oprah Magazine or Domino. Alternative Medicine also published an article about the C-system firm finish hold hair spray. Even Penthouse had an article in the September 2006 issue about the MOP foam forming gel light hold. The Modern Organic Products website offers a series of style tips which can be useful to girls who want to switch to an organic lifestyle and need some guidance in using such products. The style tips include detailed explanations of the main benefits of each product and of the hair types and their special care needs.
Ionic air purifiers are appliances that electrically charge air molecules with negative ions, also known as anions, thus ionizing them. An ionic air purifier bases its functioning on the static electricity principle: airborne particles are attracted to the purifier’s electrode, thus resulting in a better air quality for people breathing inside the respective room where this machine is functioning. As people are becoming more concerned with their health, such units were quite successful and many consumers wanted to buy one for offering themselves and their families a better air to breathe. Most of them never thought of the products safety or efficiency.
The efficiency rate of ionic air purifiers was contested back in October 2003 by Consumer Reports. The publication reported that conventional HEPA filtration systems are much better performers than ionic air purifiers. One of the air filters that was given a “fail” by Consumer Reports was the Ionic Breeze air purifier, manufactured by The Sharper Image. Although the air purifier met HEPA guidelines, its CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) seemed to be too low to be acceptable. The Sharper Image was heavily affected at that time, their shares falling dramatically that day.
The purpose of this article is not to go deeper into this issue of The Sharper Image financial troubles or bankruptcy, but to offer a review of the Ionic Breeze air purifier and of ionic air purifiers in general, for those readers who might be interested to know more about such appliances, or even to purchase one for their home.
Ionic air purifiers like the Ionic Breeze have a collector plate which attracts airborne particles of dust, pollen, pet dander and other allergens. If you make sure to clean the blade regularly, the device would be efficient enough as to make an average sized room safe for an allergic person. This can be a good solution for families with pets and with allergy sufferers. That’s because the allergen, the substance that triggers the allergic reaction is actually the pet dander, which is spread all over the place when the dog is running. When the allergic person inhales the infested air, her body starts the “fight” for annihilating what it thinks to be an enemy, using weapons such as swelling, itching or increased blood pressure.
Older models of the Ionic Breeze air purifier were producing ozone as a byproduct of the air purifying process. However, with the new technology incorporated in the Quadra silent air purifier with ionic breeze, ozone is no longer an issue thanks to the OzoneGuard, a catalyst that keeps the ozone emissions within the safe limits. This newer model is also better in its capacity of collecting airborne particles, because it features three collector blades which are electrically charged, plus two driver blades which help directing the particles into the trap.
The question if such appliances are healthy or not, if they are simply neutral or if they could generate unpleasant side effects, is difficult to answer. This is rather a personal observation: if you’re an asthma sufferer and you notice that an air purifier helps you breathe better, then for you it’s good. If you feel like your condition is worsening when the device is in use, then you should stop using it. Most of all, be it you suffer from asthma, allergy or another chronic condition, you should always seek for medical advice prior to attempting any change in your micro-climate. This includes also the use of an air purifier, be it HEPA or ionic. You never know what the doctor is going to say, so it’s better to ask first and purchase later.
Toric Bifocal Contact Lenses - Are They Right for You?
Written by janet
If you suffer from astigmatism and also develop presbyopia as you get older you will need a way to correct both conditions. Toric bifocal contact lenses are made for just this situation. In the past the only option in this situation was to wear eyeglasses, but nowadays you can have the convenience of wearing contact lenses specially made for those with both these eye problems.
What is Presbyopia?
As we grow older the lenses in our eyes become more rigid and cannot focus so easily on closer objects. This is called presbyopia and it is something most of us will experience as we age. The first symptom most people notice is that they need to hold books and papers further and further before they come into focus. Bifocal glasses have been used to correct this problem for many years but until recently bifocal contact lenses were not an option. Toric contact lenses are used to correct this problem and nowadays there are many options to choose from.
You can obtain toric lenses in either rigid gas permeable (RGP) or soft types. They are different from other types of lenses as they are not perfectly spherical and need to be worn with one side up and the other down. They are usually made slightly thicker on the bottom so that they naturally take up a correct position.
What is Astigmatism?
This eye condition is caused by the cornea, or sometimes the lens, that is not perfectly spherical. This leads to blurred vision and may also cause eye strain or headaches. It can be corrected by wearing corrective glasses, surgery or by using toric contact lenses. Until recently toric contact lenses were only available in RGP types but nowadays soft lenses are also available. You can also find toric lenses in extended wear, daily or even colored contact lens types. Although soft contact lenses are easier to wear and usually more comfortable RGP toric lenses do give slightly better vision.
What about Toric Bifocal Contact Lenses?
If you have astigmatism and need to wear contact lenses to improve your vision you may find that as you age you also start to have problems focusing on close objects. So you will need a contact lens to correct both these problems and nowadays bifocal toric contact lenses are available. These types of bifocal lenses are a combination of toric lenses to correct the astigmatism and bifocal or multifocal lenses to correct the presbyopia.
Not everyone finds that toric bifocal lenses are suitable for them and fitting this type of lens is harder than other types so you will need to be patient while your ophthalmologist makes sure that you are getting the correct prescription. Lenses of this type will also be more expensive than many other types. For those with fairly severe astigmatism you will usually be offered an RGP lens.
Conclusion
Instead of wearing eyeglasses, those who suffer from astigmatism or presbyopia can now wear bifocal lenses which many people find much more convenient. Now even if you suffer from both of these conditions you can opt for toric bifocal contact lenses which, although more expensive than other types, will allow you to have great vision without the inconvenience of glasses.
Image by D'ashley-Heather
Chiropractic software is nothing else than a medical billing software customized to fit the needs of a chiropractic business office. When choosing the office management software program, a chiropractor, like any other kind of medical doctor, needs to take into consideration the specific needs he or she might have, and not only look for the cheapest solution.
Criteria for choosing the chiropractic software
Newer practicing chiropractors often fall into the trap of choosing their software exclusively by price. Then, as they progress in their day to day work, they realize the gaps such a cheap or free solution often has in what the office management is concerned. Another common trap is represented by discounts and promotional offers some software developers come up with from time to time, only to lure the doctors of chiropractic to buy their programs. After the promotional period ends and prices go up to the normal level, they might end up by being higher than in the case of better programs which were never discounted so heavily.
These are the main criteria to take into account before buying chiropractic office software, or any other type of business management software:
The software features must cover your practice needs
As a chiropractic practitioner, you are the one who knows best what needs to be tracked and recorded into a computer system, in what your patients and your daily work flow is concerned. If you need to know when you did the last chiropractic adjustment to a certain patient and how did his health improve or not after that, put this on the list. Sit down and make a thorough list of all these requirements, without worrying if there’s any piece of software out there to match your long list of needs.
You should know that there are two types of chiropractic software: online and offline. The online programs will require an internet connection for your office and that connection has to be reliable, because you can’t afford to have it not working for longer periods of time. This is why the offline solutions are probably better, as they are installed on your computer and they can be used within your intranet network or on your stand-alone computer, without needing any connection to the outside world.
After you have prepared your list, you can go on with your research, see what software is available and send a briefing to all those developer companies, asking them for a price quotation for a program that does everything you’ve been thinking of.
The software developer should offer good after sales support
Just buying a software and getting it installed on your computer is surely not enough to make sure that you can actually use it. You'll need training to be able to learn all details, then you'll need active support from the software vendor, in order to make sure that all problems you may encounter in using it will be solved as quickly as possible by the support team. Sometimes, the training of a certain number of users (such as the doctor, the office assistant and two other members of the medical team) is included in the software price, some other times it's not, therefore you always need to check on this when you make your budget.
Another point to check is whether or not the updates and upgrades of the software are free or not, and if they aren’t free, what kind of bonus can you get once you become a loyal customer.
Price matters, but it's not top priority
Nobody says you need to pay huge amounts for your chiropractic software, just like that, with your eyes closed. This is why it’s important to do your research very well and to ask for quotes from all developers you can find and which fulfill the quality criteria. You’ll then choose the cheapest from the best, in order to get the best value for your money. Besides, if some software includes features you don’t need, why pay more for things you’re never going to use? Would you buy a plane only for using it on highways, supposing you were able to do it? Absolutely not. Why then would you buy a software full of bells and whistles your small chiropractic office is never going to need?
Chiropractic software features comparison
Here’s a list of several features most chiropractors want, and another one with specific software program names, so you can have a starting point in your research:
- Billing and accounting
- Scheduling
- Appointment reminders
- Reporting flexibility
- Referral letters creation
- Inventory management and control
- Document scanning
All these features and probably more can be found in the following chiropractic software solutions:
- Eclipse Chiropractic Billing Software
- Lytec Medical ChiroChart
- EZ BIS Chiropractic Office Software
- SOAPe Platinum
- TGI Solutions
- Chiropractic Advantage Software
- MediSoft Chiropractic Billing Software
- Satori
- ChiroPad
All above mentioned programs offer a free trial version, therefore you don’t have to fear you’re not going to like your software which costs you that much. Some of them, like Eclipse Practice Management Software from Galactek, are supported by free training videos which customers can watch in the support section of the developer’s website.
If you choose wisely, you’ll have the best organized paperless office, thanks to your chiropractic software.
Many people find that contact lenses are much more convenient than glasses, easy to use and comfortable but they need to be looked after carefully. So what are the different types and what do you need to know to care for your contacts? We've put together this short guide to help you.
Different Types of Contact Lenses
Contact lenses come in a range of types including daillies, monthly or extended wear contact, hard and soft contacts. Soft lenses vary in the amount of water they contain which may be low, under 50% or high, over 50%. Hard lenses are gas permeable but much less popular noawadays than soft contact lenses.
Hard contact lenses last longer than soft contact lenses, perhaps lasting for years. Soft contact lenses, on the other hand, need replacing much more frequently depending on the type. Some kinds can be used for extended wear, up to 30 days and can be left in overnight. A big advantage if your vision is very poor! Daillies, as the name implies, must be removed and cleaned every day and cannot be left in overnight.
Contact lenses are designed to correct a range of vision problems. Toric lenses are designed to correct astigmatism, spherical lenses correct short-sightedness and multi-focal lenses correct presbyopia. If you wear bifocal glasses you can use multi-focal lenses as an alternative.
Whichever type of vision problem you have you will need to consult an optician to diagnose and prescribe the correct contact lenses for you. Most people nowadays purchase their contact lenses on the internet as they are often cheaper and you have a huge range to choose from.
Caring for Contact Lenses
- Always wash your hands, rinse thoroughly and dry before putting in your lenses. Traces of sopa or chemicals on your hands or on your lenses can cause stinging or burning.
- If you are having difficulty putting in your lenses try not to force them. Put some solution into your hand and rub the lens gently in it. Put a small amount of solution on the lens before you try again to insert it. It should now be easier to put in.
- Always keep your lenses in fresh solution when you are not wearing them. The solution is desgined to remove protein so if you have the kind that need removing overnight soak them in the solution. Leaving the protein on the lenses can result in eye damage.
- To keep your eyes moist you may need to use a saline solution or re-wetting drops. Some contact can dry out the eyes and cause discomfort. Keep some re-wetting solution with you so that you can easily remedy the problem should it occur.
As long as you care for your lenses correctly and only wear them for the length of time they are designed for you will find them comfortable and safe for your eyes. The freedom that comes with throwing away your glasses is wonderful, so if you have been hesitating about trying contact lenses, go ahead! You won't regret it!
Image by Dustin C Oliver
