No one wants to think about either one of these topics- cancer and age. Getting a Mammogram is one of the healthiest things a woman can do. Knowledge is always power but there are a lot of conflicting guidelines as to when a woman should start getting mammograms.

Common guidelines are at 40 years of age or earlier if an immediate family member (mom, sister or aunt) had breast cancer. However, in 2009 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that women with an average risk of breast cancer start screening at age 50. This sent outrage through the medical community and the debate continues on today. Most recently being able to test for the Breast Cancer gene(BRCA), gives many women hope they did not have before.  For women who have immediate family members that had either Breast or Ovarian Cancer, there is a test for these genes. BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 are the genes known as tumor suppressors and when they mutate can cause ovarian and breast cancer. Made popular in the news recently by Angelina Jolie, who tested positive for the gene and decided to have a double mastectomy to ensure here health down the road.  Angelina’s mother died of Ovarian cancer. To some this may seem an extreme measure but to others who have watched loved ones fight, this may feel like empowerment knowing there is something they can do to protect themselves.

Of course this is a personal decision whether or not to get tested for the gene, if you are at risk, but you must get mammograms! Mammogramsaaa do not hurt and they take 10 minutes. If you are nearing 40, over 40 or have this terrible disease in your family, find your local clinic and do something that may save your life!

Who doesn’t like a glass or two of wine? Over 330 million cases of wine is purchased yearly in America and the average person consumes 267oz yearly. White wine, specifically Chardonnay, is the favorite just beating out Cabernet by a slim margin. But how healthy is wine for your diet, skin, allergies and overall health?

aaIf you’re watching your diet, wine is high in calories and you need to consider that before guzzling away. The average glass of wine has around 125 calories, 3.5 grams of sugar and 5 grams of carbs. So, one or two glasses are fine but more than that and you are blowing your calorie intake for the day.

Wine can both aid and age your skin depending on the amount consumed.  Red wine contains Flavonoids, antioxidants and Resveratrol. Resveratrol comes from grapes and works it’s magic by not allowing the telomere (ends of DNA strand) to shorten, thus causing the aging process. However, consuming too much wine/alcohol can have the reverse affect. For example it you look at a heavy drinker’s skin they tend to be blotchy, red and dehydrated. Unfortunately for me and many people, wine can cause allergies. Many people are allergic or become allergic to tannins, sulfites and histamines. All of these can cause hives, redness, itching or congestion. Personally red wine is worse that white for me, but neither make me feel great, so I am trying to stay away, it’s so hard!

Red wine tends to be a tiny bit healthier than white wine. Remember anything in nature that is dark in the colors blue, red and green is beneficial for our health. Think blueberries, spinach and red wine. Red wine is also particularly good for the ‘good cholesterol‘. Red wine is considered heart healthy! So the moral of the story is, if you don’t have allergies to wine-drink up, in moderation of course…….just look at the Italians!

 

Summertime can be just as harsh on hair as wintertime. Sun, swimming and over-styling,to keep frizz away, can cause dry and brittle hair. Here is a novel idea- let’s be natural! Instead of frying our hair with blowouts and straight irons, let’s let our inner curl out! You know how good you hair looks and feels after a day at the beach, well that is the look we are going for. Surfer-princess hair! Our favorite GOLDFADEN girl Kate Hudson knows how to rock this look perfectly!

aaThe beachy hair or surfer princess look is in and it’s not a hard to achieve. If you have naturally curly or wavy hair, you probably wake up looking beachy- so you’re ahead of the game. To enhance waves and volume while diminishing frizz use Bumble’s Surf Spray. Straight haired girls this is good for you too.

Another way to get languid, slept in looking hair is to use bobbie pins. Yes, old fashioned but still my go-to for self styling. After you wash your hair let it air dry and before it is completely dry twist pieces of hair and pin them to your head. This will create a natural curl(very good for straight haired girls). After hair is dry, take out the pins and run your fingers thru and then finish off with a texturizing spray like Oribe. This will give you a little crunch and hold.

Put down the hair dryer and tools, your hair will thank you! Tell us any fun tips you have to get this summery sexy look.