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I Don’t Take My Hair for Granted Now

There was a point in my life where I got very depressed because of my hair. That may sound pretty silly, but it was still valid for me. My hair was gorgeous at one point, very thick and long. I took such good care of it, but then it started thinning. I did not even know that was possible. I thought that since I had thick hair, it would stay thick for the rest of my life. That is not true though. I finally saw an aesthetic doctor in Singapore when I started seeing my scalp, which is something that I never thought I would see.

I had done my research on thinning hair, which is how I knew what type of doctor I needed to see. Continue reading “I Don’t Take My Hair for Granted Now”

Make the Diagnosis: At Least this Groom Doesn’t have Cold Feet

(MedPage Today) — Just a few days after returning from his honeymoon at a Brazilian beach resort, a 29-year-old man went to his primary care doctor complaining of extremely pruritic toes and feet. After he started scratching, he noticed some small black dots, umbilicated papules, and crusts on the soles and at the tip of his toes under the nail. He had been finding it uncomfortable to walk since the last day of the trip.

Can you diagnose the patient?
Source: Dermatology

Make the Diagnosis: Can You Give this Patient a Hand?

(MedPage Today) — A 70-year-old man went on a rare visit to his primary care physician complaining of some numbness and pain in his hand with difficulty fully opening his hand. When he showed the doctor, his palm appeared to have raised scars and the skin looked pulled together. He said he’d noticed some smooth nodules on the hand a couple of years ago, but he didn’t think much of it because he often worked with his hands. His thumb and index finger seemed unaffected. The doctor noted a long-term tobacco habit, and the patient said he had been in recovery from alcoholism for 3 years.

Can you diagnose the patient?
Source: Dermatology

This Woman Followed a Keto Diet and Lost 100 Pounds—Without Giving Up Pizza

Elena Juarez punched and food-prepped her way to losing 100 pounds. But her weight-loss journey kicked off with a serious health scare.

About a year ago, her 10-year-old daughter, Biani, arrived home with a school nurse’s recommendation for a diabetes test. “She came home crying, asking if she was going to die,” the 34-year-old businesswoman and mother of two tells Health. “I assured her she was fine but I was definitely concerned.”

RELATED: Keto vs Atkins: Which Is the Better Low-Carb Diet?

The doctor told Juarez her daughter was healthy “for now,” but that both she and her daughter needed to make changes to their diet if they wanted to avoid developing the obesity-linked condition.

On her own, Juarez started following a paleo-friendly diet challenge that included kickboxing That's when she heard about the ketogenic diet. Six weeks later, she adopted the trendy high-fat, low-carb plan.

One hundred lost pounds later, she credits going keto and sticking with kickboxing for her weight loss. “Even at my heaviest, I was always a healthy big girl,” she says. After visiting the doctor, “I didn’t know how to approach it, but I knew we all needed to change our unhealthy ways.”

Now, she does an hour-long workout that combines cardio and strength training four to five times per week. She also follows an intuitive eating regimen.

She is proud to say she hasn’t given up her favorite food: pizza.

“Never did I think I’d be able to eat pizza on any diet, so this to me is my favorite part,” she says of her switch from regular pizza to a low-carb pizza crust. 

When the family goes out to eat, Juarez says she orders food with extra lettuce and brings her own carb replacement, like low-carb Shirataki noodles.

RELATED: 6 Keto Smoothies That Will Keep You Full for Hours

“I always hear women say they are too busy because the mom life is a busy one,” Juarez says. But you can never be too busy to take care of yourself and eat healthy; it's all about having the right mindset, she adds.

Source: Health bests

The Two Steps This Woman Took That Led to Her 130-Pound Weight Loss

Meghan Lenss used to love snacking on Hot Cheetos and sipping frappuccinos. In fact, the 26-year-old from Riverside, California ate fast food every day. But when her weight reached 300 pounds in January 2017, she decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle. 

RELATED: 9 No-Cook Meals for When It's Too Hot to Turn on the Oven

Now, a year and a half later, she’s celebrating her 130-pound weight loss. Late last month, she shared a series of transformation photos tracking her slow but steady progress. 

She launched her new lifestyle because she “was tired of everyday activities being difficult,” she tells Health. “Walking to class, not being able to walk up stairs … It was embarrassing.” And she credits two key things with helping her lose the weight.

First, she gave up fast food and started cooking her own meals at home. Second, she committed herself to daily workouts—purchasing an elliptical machine and doing an hour of cardio every night. “It was dreadful and I struggled every night to get my butt in the garage to work out. But I did it, and every day it got a little easier, and soon enough, I saw results. I realized I could do it.”

Lenss also downloaded MyFitnessPal to help her stay on track, and she created Instagram page @_iwokeupinbeastmode to keep herself accountable. And though she makes occasional exceptions, she bid farewell to pizza, fries, and high-calorie drinks.

RELATED: 9 Kitchen Hacks That Will Make Healthy Eating So Much Easier

Today, her meals consist of lean protein and plenty of veggies. She’s swapped her go-to indulgences for healthy alternatives, like replacing her Cheetos for Skinny Pop with cayenne pepper. 

“Through all of this, I started to have more energy,” she says. “My clothes started to fit better. I gained confidence. I joined a gym! But the real kick is that I actually went to the gym instead of just paying for a membership I never used!”

She’s experienced countless highs on this journey, but Lenss also embraces the lows.

“Now, don’t get me wrong. I still struggle,” she says. “I ate an entire box of cookies last weekend. But you know what I did after? I accepted it, moved on, and made the next day better. Progress is a process.”

Source: Health bests