Recently I’ve been looking into purchasing a sauna for my home and when doing so I realized that there are many aspects to take into consideration when purchasing a sauna. Some of these considerations included energy costs, portability of the sauna, and maintenance. After having all of these questions myself I thought that it would be a good idea to compile all of the answers that I found into one place, for anyone who finds themselves in the same predicament.

The first thing to understand when purchasing a sauna is that there are two different types of saunas; the traditional sauna and an infrared sauna. A traditional sauna uses steam to transfer it’s heat; with these types of sauna the air is filled with moisture and they will feel hot and sticky. Unlike traditional saunas, infrared saunas transfer their heat through infrared rays, this means the heat transfer is direct and there is no need for steam. The environment an individual experiences when in a infrared sauna is no different than your normal environment, other than your body will be getting heated.

When purchasing a sauna overall costs may play a big role as to which type of sauna you choose to purchase; remember to factor in energy costs though.  The reasoning behind this is you may think you are saving in purchasing one form of sauna, when in fact you are going to be spending more in running costs. Infrared saunas are known to be low on energy costs, especially the ones that fit 4 or less people in them, where as traditional saunas cost a little more in energy use per sauna session.

Because infrared saunas do not need there own water line hook-up or specific electrical hook-up, they are easier to relocate. This may also play a role in your purchasing decision, as a portable sauna may be more attractive for purchase because if you move and you wanted to take it with you it would be easier to take with you to your new home over a traditional sauna.

One main feature that caught my attention was that infrared saunas do not need as much maintenance as a traditional sauna. The reasoning behind this is because, infrared saunas do not use steam; through the use of steam as a method of transferring heat traditional saunas are leaving the opportunity for mould to grow. In order to maintain a traditional sauna and to prevent mould from growing or the wood from rotting due to the moisture proper maintenance needs to occur. Without the proper maintenance your large investment may need a great deal of repair to be back in working condition.

With my personal needs and desires I chose to purchase a infrared sauna, though this may not be the right choice for you. Think your decision through and don’t be afraid to take your time in making this large decision.

Your teeth are really crucial. Although that statement’s a bit ominous, it’s very true.  Your pearly whites not only make first impressions to important others, but they have the potential to affect your health on a big scale.  But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves – I’ll be summing up the benefits of maintaining your teeth and practicing good oral hygiene for not only the short-term, but the long-term.  After all, we need to consider the long-run before making any huge decisions that have the potential to impact our lives.

Firstly, teeth are crucial to eat foods.  No getting around that fact.  You need a strong, healthy set of pearly whites to help you chew, bite, and gnaw through the foods you eat (but make sure you don’t eat foods that are really difficult to eat, as they’ll mess up the structure of your entire set – just a note).  If you don’t have a strong set of teeth, then it’ll be impossible to eat properly and thoroughly enjoy your food.  Although this is definitely a basic point to make, it’s also an essential one that if not made, can really alter the way you live life on a day-to-day basis.

The next point is a bit “abstract”, but still highly relevant.  It’s about creating first impressions.  Without a solid smile, you can’t make a lasting first impression on people you meet.  Without a solid set of teeth and a good Toronto dentist (or Vancouver dentist, for those of you who swing that way), your smile will be just sub-par.  Imagine this situation – suppose you’re off on a date with someone.  You’re really excited, you buy new shoes, wear new clothes, and are really pumped to get going.  When you get there, you see your date and flash a smile at them.  In response, they quickly flash you a look of dismay.  This is because you didn’t take care of your teeth and it has impacted the way you smile at people.  Keep in mind that first impressions are LASTING impressions.  They will be in the person’s head forever so it’s really important to maintain your teeth well enough in order to ensure that your smile is awesome.

The last advantage?  Brushing and taking care of your teeth properly can put you out of risks of heart disease.  This is a HUGE discovery that was made recently and has the potential to change the way we maintain our teeth.  Apparently, not brushing our teeth leads to bacteria buildup which eventually gets mixed in with our bloodstream, causing toxins and other dangerous substances to flow into your heart.  Therefore, it’s really important to keep brushing hard because if not, your health can be substantially affected in a negative way – big time.

On the whole, your teeth are much more than just things to help you break down your food.  Rather, they can help prevent heart disease if properly taken care of and also create first impressions in an effective way.  To sum up, make sure you brush often, keep flossing, and mouthwash till the end of time!

Although many people use contacts to simply correct their near sightedness, there are bigger problems that people find contacts to be effective for.  Astigmatism, which is when the cornea has an abnormal curve, causes out-of-focus vision and creates double vision or shadows among normal objects due to the asymmetry of the cornea.  Your cornea is supposed to be shaped like a baseball; with astigmatism, it’s shaped like a football or an egg.  Many people turn to contacts, which have resolved minor eyesight issues to solve astigmatism, which, compared to other vision problems, is a bigger one to immediately resolve.  Can contact lenses resolve Astigmatism?

Since I usually have a lot of answers, I can definitely give you a proper response.

Toric Contact Lenses are contacts especially made for resolving Astigmatism.  Although it is made from the same materials as a normal contact lens, the design of the lens itself is quite different.  They are created with curvatures at different angles and have 2 different powers.  When you look around or blink your eye, they remain relatively stable because their design is specially made to reduce any rotation of the contact lenses on your eye.

Although the Toric Contact Lens is a must have for someone with Astigmatism, it takes a long time to get fitted for one…longer than getting normal contacts.  Some people who have mild Astigmatism can opt out of purchasing Astigmatism contacts and can resort to wearing normal spherical RGP lens.  Visiting these websites will probably help you understand the difference between mild and severe cases of Astigmatism:

1.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astigmatism_%28eye%29 – Wikipedia post on what Astigmatism for the eye is

2.     http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/astigmatism.htm - insightful overview of what Astigmatism is

3.     http://www.medicinenet.com/astigmatism/article.htm  - a medical point of view on Astigmatism

Regardless of what kind of Astigmatism you have, there are always options to enhance your vision and reduce the problems you have to experience.  However, at the end of the day, the simplest solutions can be discovered from some basic and simple research.

Most people do not associate Thomas Edison with tattoos, but they might be surprised to learn that he invented the modern technology known as the tattoo machine. It was originally meant to be an engraving device; however, upon further modifications by another scientist named Samuel O'Reilly, the device became an efficient piece of tattoo equipment.

The tattoo machine operates with two needles, which are both sharp enough to pierce through the skin. The first is used to mark an ink outline of the tattoo design. The second is used to fill in the colours. Both needles have a small opening on the bottom base, which allows the tattoo ink to flow from the machine onto the individual's body.

The process of getting a tattoo is less painful than one may imagine. In the olden days and a few selected cultures today, tattoos are applied through physically hammering the needle until the ink remains on the skin. Nowadays, the needles in the tattoo machine are designed to reduce the damage impact. The user will still feel some pain, but in moderate and reasonable amounts.

Health and safety is a main concern when you are getting a tattoo. All equipment must be sterilized thoroughly to avoid any possible skin infection, though people have different sensitivity levels and responses to tattoo needles. It is highly recommended that only professional tattoo artists handle these equipment. Not only will they keep the supplies disinfected, but they also have the experience to apply the tattoo carefully and efficiently.

The tattoo machine had a significant impact on today's society, allowing the tattooing process to be so much more accessible to the general public. Anybody can express themselves freely through body art!

Hey everyone, hope you are enjoying this gorgeous Friday. I know I am!


So, do you have any grand plans for the weekend? Want to hang out with your friends, but you don't know exactly where to go? Yeah, this happens to even the best of us city dwellers. Sometimes, staying in touch with your community in a big city like Toronto or Vancouver can be very difficult.

Fortunately, I heard from the grapevine about this brand new site called UrbanPill, which I imagine could be the next big thing. The site is basically an online lifestyle guide, featuring useful resources on music, culture, movies, business, technology, sports, and so much more. What I like about it UrbanPill is that the content feels modern, youthful, and inherently relevant to today's society.

Those living in Toronto and Vancouver will definitely enjoy the benefits of UrbanPill. This is the perfect collection of resources for those seeking more advices, reviews, and information about their busy communities.

Some of you may ask, why should you go to a spa for some fun and relaxation?  There are many other places and things to do, and many of it actually cost less.  For one thing, you will be missing out on all the advantages, from health, social, to even just the spa experience itself.  If you’ve never tried the spa experience before, you should really check it out yourself to understand what it is all about.  Below are Top 5 reasons why you should go to the spa.

1.       If you’re looking to stay fit and live healthy, a health spa may just be for you.  Health spas are specially designed to provide you with the information and help needed to live a healthy live style.  They offer nutritious foods, great exercises, and of course, a nice relaxing spa treatment.

2.       Relaxing at a spa is probably an obvious reason to go there, but you can take it even further by going to a resort spa.  You can bring the husband and kids along; resort spas have amenities for your whole family!  Golfing, and other entertainment options are there, and best of all, the spa treatment there is almost to be sure to be better.

3.       Losing weight at a spa may seem weird, but there are weight lost spas around.  Long gone are the days where you’re forced to count your calories.  Weight lost spas now focus on teaching their clients to eat healthy, and live healthy in the long term.

4.       Living in a polluted urban area isn’t very good for your health, and spas offer a great way to detoxify yourself.  There are spas that specialize in this area, and you can even get ‘localized’ versions of detox treatments.

5.       Some spas even offer hiking as part of their package!  You get to hike over gorgeous landscapes, get some exercise, and best of all, end with some relaxing and energizing spa treatment.

Of course, you need not go to those specialized spas to get a spa treatment.  If you’re a newbie to spas, then going to a regular, professional spa such as Sashay Day Spa & Hair Salon would be a great way to start your experience.  Check out the video in this post to see what a spa looks like.

I used to never smile because I was so ashamed of my dull, yellowish teeth. It had a profound impact on my self-confidence to this day. If only I knew the solution was as easy as consulting some helpful dental services readily at hand.

 My dentist was the one who recommended the teeth whitening procedure to me. This relatively modern process is common in dental offices just about anywhere. Here is how it works: you book an appointment at the clinic ahead of time, which should take around 45 minutes to 1 hour give or take.

The dental hygienist will apply whitening gel on your teeth. The gel's purpose is to break up any stains and discoloration. Your lips and gums are covered so that they won't be exposed to the gel. After three different applications of gel, your teeth will be up to eight shades whiter than before. Furthermore, these results will last much longer than any other teeth whitening procedures.

There are do-it-yourself kits available online, which promises to achieve the same teeth whitening effect. This is, however, a scam. Since the whitening process requires special tools and lighting, you cannot gain just as white of a smile as you would after the dental procedure. In fact, the quality of these kits is no different than the ones you buy at a local department store. So, keep an eye out for the unofficial methods!

The advantages to teeth whitening are obvious. In less than an hour, my teeth were much whiter than before and my confidence was fully restored. Teeth whitening not only enhances physical beauty, but it also brings out the inner beauty within ourselves.

It's hard to live a healthy life style when you're hardwired to eat, and when you're just naturally large.  One of the biggest issues with being overweight is the health implications they bring.  Being overweight increases your chances of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis...the list just goes on and moves closer and closer to jargon.  Not to mention the huge hit you get on your self-esteem and really prevents you from enjoying life.  You can't help but think: life would truly be better if you can just lose all that weight!

If you've tried everything already, from different weight loss programs and all the diets in the world, to running marathons and exercising as much as you could, then perhaps it is time to think of surgery as a viable option.  Weight loss surgery.  It is not as bad as you may think, and recent advances has made it much safer than it used to be.  Best of all, there are certain surgeries that are actually reversible, if you want.  Even if there is stigma with weight loss surgery, ask yourself this:  would you rather people see you and call you fat behind your back, or feel great, look great, and be happy with yourself?

The surgery which in my opinion is best for weight loss is the adjustable gastric band.  This ingenious surgery is quite simple: an adjustable band is placed around your stomach, and the band has a bulb that is filled with a saline solution.  This bulb is used to adjust the amount of food allowed into your stomach.  This surgery is minimally invasive; it is done through a laparoscope, meaning only a few small incisions are needed, and the recovery time is as quick as one day.  You will feel fuller with less food as a result of this surgery.  And you'll still get the nutrition you need to live a normal life, unlike some of the more drastic weight loss surgeries, like stomach stapling.

So think about it.  It's not as scary as some may think.  But if you do consider doing it, try to find a clinic that best suit your needs, that you feel safe with.  And always, always consult your doctor before doing it.

1. Work out
2. Dine healthily
3. Lots of rest