You are waiting in your car, the bell rings and your little one comes running over to tell you all about the school day.  But wait, what has happened to her face?  Is she going to be okay?

The most common causes of contagious viral rashes in children are as follows:

Erythema Infectiosum

Erythema Infectiosum (aka Fifth Disease or Slapped Cheek Disease) is caused by the Parvovirus B19.  Fever is often low-grade or absent.  This rash begins with bright red cheeks (looks as though your child was “slapped” across the cheek).  1-2 days later a red, itchy rash (which can be made of raised bumps or flat spots) appears on the arms then spreads to the torso and finally reaches the legs.  The virus is spread thru respiratory droplets and is generally considered self-limited with resolution in 10-14 days.  However, if your child has high fevers, appears very sick, or has a family history of hemolytic anemia including sickle cell disease then you should see your Pediatrician immediately.

Chicken Pox

Chicken pox is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus.  Fever commonly begins 1 day before itchy lesions develop.  Each lesion begins as a bump that turns into a blister. When the blister pops a crust is left.   After the first couple of days, you should see bumps, blisters and crusts all at the same time.  If you suspect chicken pox, mark the bumps and in 24 hours recheck to see if blisters have formed.  Because chicken pox is very itchy, we recommend over the counter antihistamine like Benadryl and trimming your child’s fingernails to prevent secondary bacterial infection of the lesions.  If your child has high fevers, a weakened immune system or the lesions begin to look infected then you should consult your Pediatrician.

Hand-Foot-and-Mouth

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is caused by Coxsackie A virus.  The rash is preceded 2-3 days by a fever.  Ulcers and blisters are seen in the mouth and throat, blisters appear on the palms and soles and sometimes a flat or bumpy rash may been seen on the buttocks.  Your child may not want to eat or drink due to the oral ulcers causing pain.  A common complication of this virus is dehydration.  Give your child cold liquids (Pedialyte popsicles) and avoid any acidic foods (oranges, lemons) which may cause a burning sensation when in contact with the oral ulcers.  Consult your Pediatrician if fever persists past 5 days, your child cannot eat or drink anything, or your child appears very ill.

Roseola Infantum

Roseola Infantum is  caused by HHV-6 (human herpes virus -6), is one of the most common causes of fever in children aged 3 months to 3 years.  Very high fevers (may be greater than 103 F) without other symptoms for approximately 3-4 days are characteristic.  As the fever breaks, a pinkish rash of flat or bumpy lesions appear on the trunk and then spreads to the face and upper and lower limbs.  The rash usually disappears within 1-2 days after onset.  The virus is self-limited but due to the associated high fevers, family history of febrile seizures, and child appears very sick,  you should consult your Pediatrician.

Molluscum Contagiosum

Molluscum contagiosum is caused by the poxvirus.  Fever is usually absent.  The lesions are firm, flesh colored dome shaped bumps that characteristically have an indented center known as a central umbilication.  The virus is spread by direct contact with other children who have viral lesions.   This is a self-limited condition which tends to resolve after a few months.  Treatment of the lesions such as cryotherapy (i.e. freezing) can be done for cosmetic purposes.

It should be noted that anytime your child has a rash that looks like dots of red ink (petechiae) or larger dots of purple/dark red ink (purpura) this could be an emergency.  When you press on these “dots” the color will remain (i.e, no blanching occurs)  and because these lesions represent broken blood vessels they are deeper in the skin you will not be able to feel them.  Please contact a doctor immediately.

Dr. Teresita Melocoton M.D.,

Kasie Kudrewicz OMS IV

Christine Melocoton

Here are some tips to getting closer to gorgeous natural nails:

1. Your cuticles are the first step. Contrary to popular belief, the cuticles should not be clipped, cut or trimmed unless done by a professional. Instead what I sugest is, after your shower, use your own clean hands to push the cuticle back. This will create a barrier between outside dirt and your body. Next, warm up 2tbs of your favorite cuticle oil and massage into the nail and cuticle. This will keep them hydrated and prevent brittle nails and cracking. Not into fancy oils? Try olive oil instead. Its less expensive and natural.

2. Naturals nails typically should not be the same length as a nail extension you may get for a special occasion. For more resilience and less chance of snagging, nails should not extend past the fingertip or about a quarter inch past the nailbed. When filing, go from one side to the other, using only one direction. Don’t “saw” back and forth as this may cause cracking, rough edges or peeling. Sides of the nail should be straight with a rounded corner. This will help to prevent ingrowns and hangnails.

3. Not sure exactly how to accessorize that new little black dress? A nice coat of polish can set off any outfit and add a subtle flair to your overall appearance. First, using alcohol or witch hazel, remove any oils left on the nail. Then, start off with a basecoat. This will allow the polish you choose to stay on longer and prevent chipping and peeling. Finally, after the basecoat is dry, apply two coats of your favorite lacquer. Now finish up with a layer of top coat for added shine and protection. Oops! Got some polish on your fingertip? Use a q-tip with a little bit of polish remover.

A healthy set of natural nails can speak volumes about a person’s health hygeine and overall wellness. If you have questions or are unsure of how to keep your nails looking their best, consult a nail professional in your neighborhood salon. Bobbi Corbus Nail Therapist @ Roni Josef Salon and Spa 7131 W. Craig Rd. Las Vegas

One of the better ways to achieving a better night’s sleep is to get in to a regular habit of moderate exercise.  (Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any regular or intensive workout regimen.)  Exercise releases endorphins, which are your body’s very own “feel good” chemicals which in turn can help your mind navigate stress more easily and help you get to sleep.  Getting a good workout in the evening may just tire you slightly; enough to let you fall asleep naturally.

A consistent routine can also help.  Doing your nightly routine in order at approximately the same time will train your body in to a habit.  Normalizing a haphazard schedule can bring your body’s “clock” back in to synch and may make it easier to fall asleep.  Also, avoid eating dinner or heavy snacking right before you go to bed.  Trying to fall asleep on a full stomach could result in indigestion and your system having to work just that much harder.  On a similar note, when it comes to food, you may want to get with a nutritionist or your doctor to review your diet and see if there are any allergies that could be affecting your sleep pattern or food sensitivities that if corrected, might contribute to a better night’s sleep.

Certain methods of meditation, controlled breathing and gentle stretching before bedtime may also aid you in winding down after a hectic day just to calm your mind and relax your body.  A mild session of Pilates or yoga can help you focus your mind and clear your head to prepare you for sleep.  (Or, moving your sexual activity to the very end of the day may prove to be the perfect way to relax you and get you on your way to slumber land.)

If you’ve followed a routine and done your exercise for the day, what else can be done if you still can’t get enough sleep?  Try a CD of ambient “noise” or sounds from nature.  The lull of ocean waves or a bubbling stream just might be enough to take your mind off everything else so you can be successful at achieving some shut eye.  Calming, natural sounds can relax your mind without the distraction of structured music or lyrics.

Too many times, commercials preach that their sleep-aids can give you a good night’s sleep.  Medications should be a last resort and natural approaches are best when first trying to tackle light to moderate insomnia.  Simple solutions will save you from possibly becoming addicted (some sleep aids are indeed habit-forming) or conditioning your mind to think that you must take a pill in order to achieve sleep.  In some cases where natural methods are unsuccessful, consider consulting your doctor.  There could be an underlying medical condition that is preventing you from falling asleep.

The body has 2 systems of blood vessels that make up the circulation. The heart pumps blood rich with oxygen and nutrients through the arteries to the whole body.  The veins then carry oxygen-poor blood (now bluish in color) from the body back to the heart and lungs to be re-oxygenated. Nearly 75% of the body’s blood is found in your legs.

During ambulation, the leg muscles squeeze the veins to help to pump the blood back up to the heart.  The veins, however, must work against gravity. Thus, veins have small, one way valves inside of them that act as one-way flaps to prevent the blood from flowing backwards as it moves up the legs. If these one way valves weaken and become faulty then blood can leak around them and pool in the legs. This is called venous insufficiency or venous reflux. Pooled blood then causes the veins to lose elasticity then enlarge and become varicose. Leg veins have the toughest job of carrying blood back to the heart and often the force of gravity and pressure of body weight can damage the valves.

Approximately 55% of American women and 35% of American men will suffer from some form of vein problem. Symptoms range from bulging veins to non-healing venous ulcers.  Risk factors include family history, gender, age, pregnancy, prolonged sitting or standing, obesity, increased hormone levels and physical trauma. The most common signs and symptoms of varicose veins include leg achiness/throbbing, leg fatigue/tiredness, leg heaviness, leg swelling, darkening of the skin, itching/irritating leg rash. Most of these symptoms progressively worsen through the day or after long periods of standing and can be relieved with elevation. More serious symptoms involve superficial thrombophlebitis, non-healing venous stasis ulcers, and bleeding from the vein. Thus, varicose veins can be a serious disorder that restricts work and leisure activities for both men and women.

Superficial thrombophlebitis occurs when a blood clot forms in a superficial vein and causes an inflammatory reaction.  It often results in a red, painful, swollen vein that feels hard and tender to the touch.  There is little danger of the clot moving towards the heart and lungs and is thus treated symptomatically with warm compresses, elevation, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications.

A venous leg ulcer is an open wound caused by severe varicose veins. They commonly occur near the inside of the ankle, but can be found anywhere below the knee. These can take months or even years to heal if the faulty veins leading to the ulcers are not treated.

Prevention

Not all varicosities or spider veins can be prevented but there are ways to help reduce the chance of getting new or worsening veins.  Additionally, these measures can also help ease any discomfort associated with the veins:

*Exercising regularly to improve leg circulation and vein strength

*Compression stockings—medical grade will help to continuously push the blood from the ankles back up towards the heart.

*Weight control to avoid placing too much pressure on the legs

*Elevate legs as much as possible to relieve the venous pressure on the legs

*Avoid standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time as the venous pressure on the veins will gradually weaken the valves and eventually cause them to leak.

Testing

Testing for leaky valves is easy but not commonly done. The test involves an ultrasound of the leg veins with some special maneuvers to test the function of the valves. Usually a regular venous ultrasound of the legs is done to check only for blood clots; thus if you are undergoing testing for venous insufficiency you must ask for this special test to check for reflux.

Treatment

Conservative treatment includes medical compression stockings and elevation of the legs. Other treatments include sclerotherapy, surface laser therapy, endovenous treatment, and surgical ligation and stripping or excision/phlebectomy.

Sclerotherapy involves injection of a solution that causes the vein walls to stick together and seal shut. This stops the flow of blood and the vein turns into scar tissue. This is a common therapy for spider veins and in time the spider veins should fade. This treatment is effective and most patients can expect 50 – 90% improvement. Spider veins can also be treated with surface laser treatments. The surface laser sends strong bursts of light onto the vein causing the veins to slowly fade and disappear. Both of these types of treatments depending on the severity of the veins may require 2 -5 treatments.

Endovenous techniques are newer non-invasive methods of treating the veins from inside the vein and are used for treating the deeper bulging varicose veins or veins with leaking valves (“reflux”). These treatments have replaced surgery for the majority of patients with severe varicose veins. The technique is a quick office procedure and requires no more than local anesthesia. There is very little post procedure discomfort and most are back to work within days. A catheter is placed into the vein with broken valves and either laser or radio frequency energy is used to shrink and seal the vein walls shut. Then like the spider veins, these larger veins scar down. Blood is re-routed through the normal healthy veins and the symptoms such as achiness/heaviness/swelling and fatigue greatly improve within several days.

Traditionally, open surgical procedures have been used to take care of large bulging varicose veins, but since the advent of endovenous techniques these procedures have been used less often.  In the past problematic veins were tied shut and or completely removed (“stripped”) from the leg. This surgery required general or spinal anesthesia and a trip to the operating room. The procedure was associated with significant pain and a long recovery time.

Ambulatory phlebectomy can be done in the office and usually involves small incisions around clusters of veins to remove problematic veins. It is important prior to this procedure, however, to check the deeper veins for reflux with an ultrasound or the risk of recurrence will be high since the root of the problem has not been treated.

Prognosis

Varicose and spider veins tend to worsen over time. Discomfort and progression may be lessened with self care and preventative measures. Have your veins evaluated and treated when you first spot them to avoid more extensive treatment later.*Hand veins are normal, healthy veins that are often more prominent in thin people and typically become more visible as people age and/or exercise. While they are not diseased, many people choose to have them treated for cosmetic reasons.

It helps to have a basic understanding of what hormones are, what they do, and how they work. Hormones are substances secreted by glands, which are then transported through the bloodstream to a target tissue where they regulate the functioning of that target tissue.

Hormones exist in a delicate balance are just one aspect of the complex relationship that exists among our body’s nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.

A hormone’s ability to perform its duties is dependent in many factors including receptors that provide a mechanism for making them available to the tissue and plasma proteins that are used to transport hormones throughout the body.

In addition, factors such as diet, low blood sugar, stress and sleep deficit can affect the function of the receptor and levels of plasma binding proteins which subsequently accept the accuracy of the hormone level measurement.

What are the symptoms of hormonal imbalance?

Being familiar with the symptoms associated with hormone imbalance is critical to assessing your hormone health. Someone may need his or her doctor’s help to identify deficiency or excess.

Here are some of them, notice the overlap of symptoms sometimes.

Estrogen deficiency – hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disorder, vaginal dryness, dry skin, anxiety, mood swings, headaches, depressions, memory loss, palpitations, painful intercourse, inability to reach orgasm

Estrogen excess – water retention, fatigue, breast swelling, loss of sex drive, craving for sweets, weight gain

Progesterone deficiency – headache, low libido, anxiety, moodiness, swollen breast, weight gain, painful joints, acne

Progesterone excess – drowsiness, menstrual cycle changes

Testosterone deficiency – loss or absent libido, depression, lethargy, weakness, foggy thinking

Testosterone excess – acne, weight gain, fluid retention, male hair growth patterns

DHEA deficiency – low bone density, chronic fatigue, difficulty losing weight, sparse hair, mood swings

DHEA excess – acne, increased facial hair, deepening of voice, mood swings

ACTH deficiency – fatigue, weakness, nausea, hypotension, low blood sugar

ACTH excess – obesity, bruised skin, slow wound healing, hypertension, osteoporosis and anxiety

How do you know if you are imbalanced?

Commercially available laboratory kits for measuring hormones include urine, blood, and saliva tests. Different types of hormone tests vary in their sampling and analyzing technique and each has its own critiques and limitation. You need to discuss with your doctor the type of test appropriate for your needs.

Natural Hormones vs. Conventional HRT

Conventional hormone replacement therapy consists of premarins, premabera, and birth control pills. They are not bio-chemically identical since they work by replacing or substituting one hormone for another in the body, for example, substituting progestin for progesterone. Because of this unintended side effects are more likely. Natural hormones are prescribed and compounded by compounding pharmacies for each individual patient needs and tend to relieve symptoms with fewer side effects.

Custom Compounding allows for precise dosing and potency tailored to individual needs. It also allows finer adjustments than Conventional HRT.

Hormonal balance is not simple but complex. Finding and attaining the best hormone combination and dose may require adjustments. It is important to disclose to your physicians the medicine, over the counter medicines and alternative therapies you are using, since they all may affect your hormonal balance.

It is of utmost important that you find a physician that you will feel comfortable with and who is knowledgeable in bio-identical hormone replacement. After all, the choices you make at this time of your life have a magnificent impact on your future health.

Dr. Divina Gracia Averilla is Board Certified in Family Practice and Anti-Aging Medicine. She may be contacted at Love Your Body Medical Spa, 5693 S. Jones Blvd. Ste 108, Las Vegas, NV 89118 (702-649-5683 / lybms@aol.com).

Flu-like symptoms include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea and vomiting (more common among children than adults).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you to take 3 action steps to protect against the flu.

#1 Take time to get vaccinated

The CDC recommends flu vaccination each year. Two kinds of flu vaccine are available, the flu shot (approved for use in people older than 6 months, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease) and the nasal-spray flu vaccine (approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant).

Yearly flu vaccination should begin in September or as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the influenza season, into December, January, and beyond.

#2 Take everyday preventive actions

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, except to get medical care or for other necessities. Of course, if you are sick, limit your contact with others to keep from infecting them.

#3 Take flu antiviral drugs if recommended

If you get seasonal or novel H1N1 flu, antiviral drugs can treat the flu. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines that keep flu viruses from reproducing in your body. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started within the first 2 days of symptoms.

Adapted from www.cdc.gov.

As the kids go back to school at the end of this month, many of us are dreading exposing them to the H1N1 virus. In Clark County alone, there are more than 210 confirmed cases of H1N1 as of July 24, 2009. As we and the kids go back to school this month, here are more information about the H1N1 virus.

What is H1N1?

Novel influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in April, 2009. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. A Phase 6 designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway. WHO’s decision to raise the pandemic alert level to Phase 6 is a reflection of the spread of the virus, not the severity of illness caused by the virus.

How Serious Is H1N1?

It’s uncertain at this time how serious or severe this novel H1N1 pandemic will be in terms of how many people infected will develop serious complications or die from novel H1N1 infection. Experience with this virus so far is limited and influenza is unpredictable. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is taking action to control the outbreak, communities, businesses, places of worship, schools, and individuals can also take steps to slow the spread.

How Is H1N1 Spread?

Novel H1N1 flu spreads when sick people cough or sneeze flu germs onto others or onto surfaces that someone else may touch. Whether you’re at home, work, school, or running daily errands, you can help prevent the flu by washing your hands often with soap and water and avoiding contact with sick people.

Sometimes you won’t have access to running water, so you might want to carry hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. If you can, it’s best to use soap and water because hand sanitizer doesn’t remove soil and other material that might be on your hands.

What Are The Symptoms Of H1N1?

The symptoms of H1N1 are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, or fatigue. Some people with novel H1N1 flu have also reported diarrhea or vomiting. Severe illness, including pneumonia or respiratory failure, as well as death, can occur. Like seasonal flu, novel H1N1 flu may worsen underlying chronic medical conditions.

If you live in an area where novel H1N1 flu infections have been reported, and if you become ill with flu-like symptoms you may want to contact your health care provider, particularly if you’re worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether treatment is recommended.

If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, get emergency medical care. In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include: fast breathing or trouble breathing, bluish skin color, not drinking enough fluids, not waking up or not interacting with others, being so irritable that the child does not want to be held, fever with a rash, or flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever or worse cough. In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include: difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, or severe or persistent vomiting.

People with novel H1N1 flu can infect others and could be contagious as long as they are symptomatic, and possibly for up to seven days following the onset of illness. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

How Can H1N1 Be Treated?

Fortunately, there are medicines available to treat novel H1N1 flu. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines, such as pills, liquids, or an inhaler that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and can make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started within two days of the beginning of symptoms. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir, which is also called Tamiflu®, or zanamivir, which is also called Relenza®, for the treatment or prevention of infection with these novel H1N1 flu viruses.

If you’re diagnosed with novel H1N1 flu, it’s important to stay away from others. Stay home from work or school to keep from spreading the virus for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer.

CDC also recommends that you cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Put your used tissues in the trash.

Adapted and/or reprinted with permission from the CDC. For up to date information on novel H1N1 flu, please visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu or call 1-800-CDC-INFO, that’s 1-800-232-4636.

What is obesity?

Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index greater than 30. The body mass index is a ratio of an individual’s height and weight.  For example, a 5’9” male with weight greater than 170 lbs. classifies him as overweight, and a weight greater than 200 lbs. classifies him as obese. A 5’5” female weighing more than 150 lbs. is also classified as overweight and a weight greater than 180. lbs classifies her as obese.

The Reality

During the past 20 years, obesity rates among adults have risen significantly in the United States. In 2005–2006, data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that 34% of U.S. adults 20 years of age and older are obese. The percentage of young people who are obese has approximately tripled since 1980. In 2003–2006, 16.3% of children and adolescents aged 2–19 years had a body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for age and sex on the CDC growth charts.

What are the causes of obesity?

The highlight of the study has emphasized that unhealthy diet and physical inactivity can cause obesity and contribute to or aggravate many chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.

In 2005, few adults met the Healthy People 2010 objectives for fruit and vegetable consumption. Only 33% consumed fruit two or more times per day and even fewer (27%) consumed vegetables three or more times per day. Over one third (34%) of adolescents in grades 9–12 had a soft drink (not diet) at least one time per day during the previous 7 days.

Despite the proven benefits of physical activity, less than half of American adults in 2007 engaged in enough physical activity to provide health benefits. In 2007, 65% of young people in grades 9–12 did not get the recommended amount of physical activity; 35% watched television for 3 or more hours on the average school day.

Good nutrition and physical activity can prevent obesity

Regular physical activity is an important component of weight control efforts. Proven community approaches to improve physical activity include:

>> Community wide campaigns

>> Point-of-decision prompts such as signs placed by elevators and escalators that encourage people to use nearby stairs

>> Physical education in schools

>> Nonfamily social support interventions

>> Individually adapted health behavior change programs

>> Creating or improving access to places for physical activity combined with informational outreach

>> Changing street-scale or community-scale urban design and land use policy and practice

>> Reducing the time children spend watching television appears to be effective for helping to control their weight

>> Replacing foods of high energy density (high amount of calories per weight of food) with those of lower energy density (such as fruits and vegetables) can be an important part of a weight management strategy

>> Decreased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages appears to be associated with lower body mass index or weight

Is there hope for the future?

Recognizing and accepting that a problem exists is the first step towards resolving the problem of obesity. Increasing opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity are important initial steps we can take to promote health and wellness.

There is definitely hope for the future, and this rests on the ability of the individual to understand the consequences of obesity; and choose to prevent these chronic complications by adopting healthy eating habits and tolerable physical activity.

DR. NOEL FAJARDO

Dr. Fajardo is a gastroenterologist in Las Vegas, NV. He recently opened his private practice, Las Vegas Gastroenterology. For more info, go to www.lvgastro.com or call 1-877-LVGASTRO.

Immunizations work by prompting the body to produce antibodies against the disease, which respond rapidly to clear the bacteria or virus from the body once exposed to the infectious agent. To ensure safety, vaccines are subjected to rigorous testing prior to public use as well as austere monitoring for proper use and possible side effects. Discomfort at the injection site is expected, but a small price to pay compared to the distress of managing an ailing child along with life’s everyday worries, stress, predicaments and countless errands. Like using car seats, or putting a baby to sleep on their back, vaccines are the best way to prevent your child from 14 severe diseases that may cause suffering, irreparable damage or death. What you can do to protect your child is to be proactive in scheduling and attending all well-child visits with your Pediatrician. Your Pediatrician will administer the vaccines at the appropriate times and regularly update any changes that may occur with immunization recommendations. Keep an updated record of your child’s immunizations at hand at all times in case of health emergencies or last minute school registering. Remember, proof of immunizations is required before your child can enter daycare or start school.

The table below lists the recommended immunization dosing schedule and the illnesses they prevent. Ask your Pediatrician if your child is up to date.

DR. Teresita Lu  Melocoton and Holly Bracy

Early August is not very busy for most stylists and they would have more time for your style consult.  Some salons are offering summer specials, happy hour specials on certain days, and some offer teacher discounts.  See your local salon for those summer details.

Many of us want to stick with the same old style.  Why not start back to school with a new updated look?   If you want to change your look, here are some tips to make it a smooth transition.

1.  Pick up a few hair style magazines in your local grocery store.

2.  Look at the styles that most reflect your type of hair, straight, coarse, curly, fine, etc…

3.  If you can find a style in one of those magazines that you like, take that picture with you when you see your stylist. Most stylists are visual artists, a picture will speak more about the style you are looking for.

4. You can also go to   www.stellure.com to find out your face shape and get some ideas of what styles may look good on you.

5.  Tell your stylist you want to schedule enough time for a style change consult.

6.  This would also be a good time to schedule a new hair color scheme for fall.  Hair stylists suggest light or more highlights for summer and darker colors for fall and winter.  You may want to add some low lights for fall.

7.  Schedule your appointment time now, that way you can work with your new look and be ready with a new you for your first day back to school with confidence.

9.  A new style may take time to work with, don’t get frustrated, chat with your stylist about style training.  You may want to use the hair products that your stylist used to style that hair with flair.  Ask your stylist what products they used when she styled your hair.

People always feel great when their hair style look great. Beautiful hair gives them more confidence and makes their day seem to go better.  This year, get back to school with a great hair style and pave the way to a new more confident you.

Linda Benitez is a hairstylist at the Roni Josef International Salon & Spa.