Health Care Clinic Blog

These days, many of us work out in a gym or go for a morning walk – in one way or another, we are all conscious of our health.

We all know that we can tighten our buns or exercise our thighs, but did you know that you could also exercise your eyes? In fact, for some people, their eyes are the weakest part of their body!

If you wear glasses or contacts, are experiencing deteriorating vision or suffer from eyestrain and headaches, there are many simple and effective things you can do to care for and improve your sight.

Martin Sussman, founder of the Cambridge Institute for Better Vision & author of the best-selling Program for Better Vision, shows very clearly in his book how it is possible to have sharper vision and more relaxed eyesight. Many of the things he talks about that are good for the eyes don’t really take any extra time to practice, since they can be done whenever we are using our eyes during the day.

One of the things he talks about in his book is the Top 10 Habits for Better Vision – ways to use your eyes during the day so they don’t get stressed out.

Here’s one of his Top 10:

Martin says that it’s important to nourish and rest your eyes to keep them relaxed and sharp. One way the eyes are nourished is by light, and the best nourishment for eyes is natural sunlight. Try taking your next walk outside without your glasses or contacts and let your eyes absorb the natural, unfiltered sunlight. He says that it is advisable to spend at least 15 minutes a day outside - without any glasses or contacts.

Your eyes are rested by total darkness. The best way to rest you eyes is to close your eyes and place your cupped palm over the eyes. Martin suggests trying to visualize a pleasant scenario in your imagination when palming over your eyes, but anything you think about that’s not stressful will help to relax the eyes much more than just by shutting them.

Nurturing and resting your eyes can be done simultaneously. Close your eyes and face the sun (or look out the window). Let the sunlight fall on your closed eyes for 5-10 seconds and then shut out the light by putting your palms over your eyes for another 5-10 seconds. Repeat these steps 10 times (3 to 4 minutes). You’ll be surprised at how refreshed, relaxed – and sharper – your eyes are.

The type of indoor lighting is also important for the eyes. Use a kind of artificial light called “full spectrum”. Originally developed by Dr. John Ott, full spectrum lighting is the closest there is to the full range of natural sunlight. It has been proven in studies to increase productivity, lessen eye strain and make it easier to see.

While some people who wear glasses and contacts go for the quick fix of eye surgery and lasik treatments, there are serious risks, with more than 50,000 complications every year from these surgeries.

For people who are interested in a more natural way to improve their vision, Martin’s book offers a complete set of exercises and other methods. Not only that, a person who regularly does these exercises is highly unlikely to develop any eye problems. He explains in his book how his 8-week program has helped thousands of people get sharper vision without glasses and contacts, and without risking dangerous surgery.

Most vision problems are habitual, caused by unconscious strain and tension and a lack of eye-brain coordination. The Program for Better Vision shows you how to release this strain and tension and helps you re-train the brain and eyes to work together properly. The Program for Better Vision shows you how to get your natural eyesight back, without any glasses or specs.

Right…so your new acne medication promises fast results in 10 days, but you’ve got to face the world today. What can we do to tie over the proceeding period before the acne goes down?

Well all you need is to learn a few creative acne makeup concealing tips to help you look your very best at school, work or play.

But remember — Makeup conceals acne, it doesn’t cure it!

But you already knew that, right? Using makeup to conceal acne isn’t difficult, but there are some basic rules that you should always follow.

Your basic acne makeup toolkit

Your three acne hiding weapons will be a concealer, a foundation and a finishing powder. Stay away from the dollar store and use only brand names that you can trust.

Choose only oil-free makeup products that match your skin tone. Oil-free is the key to success here so read the labels carefully. You don’t want to aggravate your existing acne problem by layering a fresh coat of oil on skin that already has too much to begin with. Choose a hypoallergenic brand while you’re at it.

If this is the first time that you are using a new brand, test the makeup applying small dabs to a spot under your jaw to see how your skin reacts. If you are going to have a problem you’ll know within an hour or so after applying it. Nothing’s worse than adding more blotches to an already colorful face.

Before you begin

Wash your face with your normal face cleansing product and pat dry. Apply your acne medication per the instructions and let it dry throughly.

Start with the concealer

Apply the concealer in a light dabbing motion directly to any dark blotches or red areas that the acne has produced on your skin. Blend the concealer in using a disposable facial sponge. Use the concealer sparingly. You can always apply more if you need it but you don’t want to layer it on too thickly. It will look terrible when it dries.

Next, apply the foundation

Apply the foundation sparingly as well and use a light dabbing motion here too. Blend the foundation with your sponge and reapply to any areas that need it.

And now for the final touch

Apply a light layer of the oil-free powder using a large makeup brush. This will take care of any shine that the acne concealer and foundation left behind and it will give you an even and finished look.

Throw away the disposable sponges when you are through so you don’t transfer yesterday’s skin oil to tomorrow’s clean face!

Before you go to bed

Wash your face throughly to remove all makeup before you go to bed, but preferably as soon as you can after you return home. You want your skin to breath and your acne to get as much fresh air as possible.

For more on makeup tips