Could Health be the Cause of Hair Loss

Could Health Be The Cause Of Hair Loss

COULD HEALTH BE THE CAUSE OF HAIR LOSS

Article by Melva Williams
Photo Credit: Victor of Valencia
Magazine: Issue #35

So many people are unaware of how their health can cause hair loss. Some of us have not made the connection of how our medical issues and hair issues are related. Anything that affects your blood stream is going to affect your hair. Most people see hair loss as an external problem; things that cause external hair loss such as too tight weaves, braids, and chemical over-processing. But there are internal reasons why we lose our hair as well, such as poor diet, hormones, stress, medications, over exercising, and hydration. All these things have to do with internal issues that can lead to hair loss but often over looked. 

The roots of your hair are nourished by tiny blood vessels called capillaries. If the circulation to these blood vessels is disrupted, they can fall or break. It is for this reason that the internal issues can cause hair loss. 

Hair growth is regulated by hormonal changes in the body. These hormones can affect not only how much grows, but whether growth stops and new hair grows.

The hormones with the most direct effects on the hair growth are androgens, the male sex hormones that include testosterone. Changing your diet, avoiding excessive caffeine, and exercising. This reduces stress and gives you balance. When it comes to medication and medical issues, always check out the side effects yourself to see if they list hair loss. These drugs interfere with the hairs normal growth cycle allowing the follicles to go into a resting phase for a longer period of time. Consult with doctor for any changes in medication if you notice hair loss. For strengthening your hair, talk with stylist or hair care professional about protein treatments that build up your hair.

Then there are the stress factors...

Severe stress causes white blood cells to attack the hair follicle, stopping growth and making the hair fall out.

Emotional or physical stress pushes large numbers of growing hairs into a resting phase, after a few months the affected hairs suddenly fall out when combed or shampooed. Last, the irresistible urge to pull hair from your scalp (picking in head); this is a way with dealing with anxiety, tension, loneliness, fatigue or frustration.These that I have outlined are just a few, but there are many other reasons for internal hair loss causes. 

I see so many women today going natural for various reasons. One of the concerns is that I heard some say it’s the stylist or the chemicals that brought out my hair. The truth of the matter is it could be one of those or neither. It could very well be what’s going on with your body that's causing your hair loss. When going natural the whole idea is to go back to the basics. Taking it back to the roots, so to speak. For some this works, for others it may not if there are issues lying dormant. So what happens when you go natural and your hair is still not healthy, not growing, or you’re still having hair loss? 

We can’t continue to cover up what’s going on with our hair. It’s ok to wear wigs, weaves, and braids as an extension of ourselves. What happens when you can no longer wear chemicals because of hormonal issues or high blood pressure medication because your body is reacting with the chemicals? When you’re tired of all this and finally decide, I want to wear my own hair! 

This is where you must educate yourself, whether client or stylist. You must expand your knowledge of the internal things that cause hair loss. First, by knowing your body, giving an honest account of where you are in your health, diet, and fitness regimen. Next, are you on any medications or have medical reasons that cause hair loss? What is your stress level, any hormonal imbalances, or anemia? Last, are you hydrating yourself properly? 

I have given you information on some of the internal cause of hair loss. Have you begun to connect your dots of how your medical issues and your hair issues are related? Remember, whatever is going on inside will eventually show up on the outside.

Zodiac: A Sense of Understanding and Empowerment

ZODIAC: A SENSE OF UNDERSTANDING AND EMPOWERMENT

Article by Cinthia Singleton
Photo Credit: Hailley Howard
Magazine: Issue #29

Zodiac: A Sense of Understanding and Empowerment

There it is. Right there in the newspaper or your favorite magazine. And even if they never seem to come true or be accurate… you read it…

YOUR HOROSCOPE ::
So why do you read them again and again, even when they don’t seem to pertain to your life? Because when they do, they’re eerily right on. Also, they are, no denying it, fun. Wanna know the trick to gleaning more from them? Come close… closer… *author whispers for only the reader to hear:*

Read the horoscope for your sun AND rising signs! 

Sun is the astrological sign under which we are born. Reading the horoscope for it gives us an idea how we follow our life’s map. Sun is, after all, our soul plan and inner self. The Rising sign, though, - otherwise known as Ascendent, the sign rising in the East when we were born - gives us perhaps a better interpretation of trends, obstacles and possibilities ahead. It’s our outward self, the one that reacts with the world.  

So if the horoscope in the newspaper says, “The [ full moon, mercury retrograde, solar eclipse, mars is entering your ___ house ]” and you’re only reading the sun sign horoscope, you’re getting a fuzzy snapshot of what’s going on with you.  It’s no fault of the astrologer and their skills but the limitations inherent in  the “mass-crafted” horoscope - they simply aren’t written for each of us personally but for ALL as if 1 :: everyone is born at 0 degrees into their sun sign and 2 :: our sun and rising signs are the same sign. It’s called a Solar Chart.

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY :: 
1| Get a personal chart cast at astro.com. It’s free. All you have to do is input your date, place and time of birth as recorded by Vital Records
2| Find your rising (or ASC or Ascendent)

Now start reading the horoscopes for your rising sign ALONG WITH your sun sign’s horoscope. Blend the two horoscopes together. Use the rising sign one to get a sense of timing and the more short-term movement. The sun’s for the big picture and for pursuing your loftier goals. 

The best astrology gives us a sense of understanding and empowerment. When it resonates, we are better equipped to see possibilities where we didn’t before as well as the obstacles the lie ahead. Miss out on that, you maybe miss out on having another tool in the arsenal of preparation and self-awareness. Personalize the mass-crafted horoscopes and maybe get a little more out of that out of them.

Chance favors the prepared mind.
—Louis Pasteur

8 Signs You’re Sleepwalking Through Life

THE SABOTAGED SUBCONSCIOUS:
8 SIGNS YOU'RE SLEEPWALKING THROUGH LIFE

Signs You’re Sleepwalking Through Life

Article by Keisha Shields
Photo Credit: Nancy Schoenmakers
Magazine: Issue #27

Becoming sophisticated is a skill, a level in which one reaches. As a sophisticated man or woman you hold yourself to high standards, have your daily rituals in place, and you accomplish more in a week’s time than many people do in longer stretches of time.  You are an icon, a role model, an up-and-coming generational leader who is inspiring so many others to pursue their callings.  But what happens when there is a curveball, a shift in the atmosphere, a major devastating change in your life? Many of us who have reached sophistication and climbed many ladders of success may find ourselves in an unfamiliar place. One where suddenly, days seemingly go by with little to no progress made, or you notice that the oomph that was in your step seems to be gone, and perhaps you realize that you haven’t been achieving things like you used to. This is a major sign that you may have unknowingly sabotaged your subconscious mind, and for high achievers like you, this is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed or it can become your downfall -- the thing that brings your empire to a grinding halt. 

So what can you do to stop your subconscious mind from sabotaging you? First things first, let’s understand the core functions of the conscious vs the subconscious mind. Although there are many official and complex definitions for these terms, at a simplistic form, the conscious mind is the rational part of the mind that gives the commands and the subconscious mind simply obeys the commands. Your subconscious is not rational. It obeys, strictly from information that is programmed in your mind; things like your self-concept and your beliefs about what you can and cannot achieve in your lifetime.  After all, the function of the subconscious is to store and retrieve data. Let that sink in for a moment. The subconscious simply obeys commands from information that is programmed into your mind! When your subconscious mind becomes your master -- meaning that this becomes the source from where you are retrieving data to make decisions in your life, you will find yourself being constantly pulled back into your comfort zones, or you will find yourself making decisions from a highly emotional place because this is the part of the mind that memorizes your comfort zones and memorizes your patterns and does whatever it can to ensure that you continue those patterns throughout your days. Anything outside of the comfort zone makes the subconscious mind enter a place of being emotionally uncomfortable, and that is when you are most susceptible to begin feeling as though you are actually sleepwalking through your daily and feeling as though you are settling and unable to pull yourself back out of it.

Let’s take a look at 8 carefully selected signs that you (the change maker and tastemaker) may be sleepwalking through your daily life. 

Sleepwalking through life Sign #1: You feel hopeless, and you feel that you have lost your power; the power to turn your life around and to get back to that level of efficiency and achievement that you are used to.

Sleepwalking through life Sign #2: You don’t recognize yourself or your life anymore. When you don’t recognize yourself, or your life, it usually indicates that you feel that you have lost control of your destiny and that you are disconnected.

Sleepwalking through life Sign #3: You spend your days being very busy, but actually having very little (if any) productivity. 

Sleepwalking through life Sign #4: You dread getting out of bed in the morning.  You have lost your mojo, your oomph, your zest. Operating from a place of a zombie-like state is a very hard place to be in. Dreading getting out of bed every morning may be a sign that there is something even bigger happening, and is a sign that you may be in the throws of depressive like states. If this is the case, please seek professional help to address what is happening in your mind, spirit, and body.

Sleepwalking through life Sign #5: Your days are completely repetitive, unfulfilling, and you are in such a state of unawareness that you don’t even notice it (or worse, you do notice it but can’t do anything about it). 

Sleepwalking through life Sign #6: You feel isolated and feel that you don’t have the level of support that close friendships and relationships can provide. When you feel this way, this is a great opportunity to awaken and take proactive steps to meet some new people. You can join meetup groups to do things in person, or at minimal you can find some online support groups where you feel safe and can meet other similarly-situated people. Just be careful that the people you surround yourself with are uplifters and not downers.

Sleepwalking through life Sign #7: Your life is consumed with your business or career. Yes, it is important to feel engrossed in your work, especially when you have high-profile work or work that brings you to work with affluent and high-impact clientele, however, if every conversation and action that you do throughout your daily life is consumed by business, that is a sign that you are sleepwalking through your life.  To combat this, use your schedule to your advantage. Be sure to schedule in some time off, some time to play, and some time to enjoy leisurely company.

Sleepwalking through life Sign #8: The final sign in this list is that you can identify most (or all) of the above signs as being true for you and your life.  Look, I know all too well what it feels like to go from being a high-achiever with a heart of gold, to feeling like an underachiever who is struggling to just breathe and keep some level of sanity and normalcy in her life. Sleepwalking through your life means that you’re not fulfilling your mission. Reconnect with the things that light you up in your life.  

Your subconscious mind can be reprogrammed. Remember, that all it does is obey. So, step up into consciousness and make intentional decisions that will get you back moving in the right direction! Take a breath. You can absolutely make it happen! Start today.

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Healthy Eating for Busy Boss Babes On The Go

Healthy Eating for Busy Boss Babes

HEALTHY EATING FOR BUSY BOSS BABES ON THE GO

Article by Stefanie Dawn
Photo Credit: Angel Quintana
Magazine: Issue #26

One of the most important habits i ever developed was thinking about what i was eating, before i ate it. Its attributed greatly to my overall health and energy and helps me keep my lean figure. 

I know it sounds simple but how many of us just grab something on the go without giving any thought to what we are consuming?

Next time your in a rush for next meeting, slow down, take a deep breath and think about what your food choice means for your goals, your figure, your wallet and your over-all health. 

Most of the time, the items in your favorite coffee shop are full of sugar, calories and portioned to ridiculous sizes for the ingredients. Things like bran or fruit muffins are actually higher in calories, sugar and fat than a single donut! Yikes!

And then there is the lunch time dilemma, in which you can swap the morning diabetic coma for takeout that is ridden with salt, preservatives and hidden caloric fat bombs that leave many of us wondering why we don’t feel so great, or can’t reach our health and fitness goals even if we perceive that we are eating is fairly “healthy”.

What’s the solution? Think before you eat, and plan before you go. 

The #1 thing you can do is prepare for your day the night before and pack easy snack foods on the go and have breakfast and coffee ready for when you wake up. Set your coffee timer, grab a stellar, glittering to go mug and make sure you have ingredients for a delicious fruit and green veg filled smoothie or overnight oats and you are well on your way. 

You can always pack quick snacks to eat with your between meetings and on the road - things like banana’s, apples, baggies of nuts and chopped vegetables. You can also purchase these things on the go at gas stations and mini marts!

Stay away from things in packages, things with ingredients you can’t pronounce and items glistening behind glass counters.

Yelp juice bars and organic shops in your area so if you absolutely have to stop somewhere, you know you are getting quality and nourishment to keep that mind sharp. Vote with your dollar in supporting smaller business and better options.

If there is a major coffee chain on one corner, and a small local artisan shop on the next, help out your fellow small business owner and go there.

These small, mindful choices, can and do add up. 

So next time you are quick to pick up something on the go, be conscious of your decisions and ask yourself is it the best option possible for me right how and can i make a more healthful choice? 

Not only will you save time and some money, but you will also feel and keep looking as amazing as you truly are!

3 Dangers of Not Being Intentional in Your Life & Business

Dangers of Not Being Intentional

3 DANGERS OF NOT BEING INTENTIONAL IN YOUR LIFE & BUSINESS

Article by Darlene Dunn
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #26

It is so easy to just ‘let life happen’ but when we do that we never go anywhere, we never achieve anything and we are always at the mercy of others. Listed below are three dangers to not living an Intentional Life & Business:

1| You become stagnant - just like a body of water that no longer moves, you will pick up all kinds of ‘junk’. You will no longer be moving toward anything, you will just ‘hang’ out and wither and soon begin to ‘stink’. Your business won’t grow and will most likely go backwards.

2| You will be unfilled - you will know that something is missing, you just won’t know what. You will hang out with other unfilled folk and commiserate that there ‘must be more out there’ yet you won’t go in search of the ‘more’.

3| You will be an easy ‘mark’ for the unscrupulous - when you aren’t intentional you can be swayed to purchase programs or products that you don’t need. These salespeople can zero on folks that are not living an intentional life and sell you oceanfront property in the desert! 

An easy way to avoid these dangers is to just BE INTENTIONAL. Every day wake up, review your vision and your goals and make a decision to walk toward them. Make a plan and go after it. Weigh every decision against your goals and vision- will doing this get you closer to your goal? If not, perhaps it isn’t the right time to do that particular thing. When you are intentional you will also see doors open that you wouldn’t have seen if you were not being intentional. Make this Your Year for Massive growth- BE INTENTIONAL!!!

4 Simple Ways to Build a Strong Intuitive Muscle

4 SIMPLE WAYS TO BUILD A STRONG INTUITIVE MUSCLE

Article by Jessica Sandhu
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #26

Build a Strong Intuitive Muscle

I was recently in New York City for a weekend workshop of yoga and writing with a group of intuitive and open-hearted individuals—all of them living and loving in a way that was most comfortable and easy to get along and create with.

At one point, I looked around and realized that all of us had done our work and followed our intuition to make it there for exploration. And it reminded me of when I wasn’t in that intuitive flow, not so long ago. 

Personally, it took me a long time to connect to my intuitive side, having spent a lot of time in relationships (romantic and otherwise) where I compromised myself to keep others feeling “safe.” 

In the holistic, entrepreneurial world, intuition is a muscle we need to learn how to flex more often than we are initially comfortable with. Our work is heart- and art-related, so not being at ease in our hearts can be devastating for a business—and worse, for a life. 

Here are four simple things to apply to your life to build a strong intuitive muscle:

Feel. First, feel what is happening to you internally. Sensations, good or bad, will manifest physically. If you are aligned, listening, and following through on what your intuition is telling you, chances are you are feeling good and grounded. If you are going against it, then you probably have a sick feeling with symptoms of stuntedness and no growth. This is the very base of getting in touch with your intuition, so really pay attention to it. 

Be honest. Once you tap into your feelings, be honest about what you are feeling. In some cases, intuition will tell you to go in a direction that is the opposite of what you had planned. That will cause fear about change in your life, and the possible hurt it might cause others once you make that change. There will only be suffering if you are not honest with yourself, and you cannot move forward until you have established this honesty. 

Slow down & reflect. The only way to really dive deep and to listen to your intuition is to slow down. Making time for self-reflection and paying attention to the needs of yourself and your life will give you the necessary clarity to make the choices that are suited for you. Journaling, meditation, yoga, and long walks are super-selflove ingredients for tapping into the voice within. Connect to the internal dialogue that always wants to listen and talk. 

Be courageous. The minute you let go of judgment about whether or how this will affect you, go to that courageous place and find peace in it. It takes great will and courage to really follow your heart, as it usually is not the place of normalcy. When you follow your gut, you are offering yourself the highest kind of love there is. Trust that what arises within is there for your best and highest interest. Trust, and know that you are doing your well-being the number one favor.

The Mind of the Matter: Kundalini Yoga and Mindfulness with Sarah Bladen

THE MIND OF THE MATTER:
KUNDALINI YOGA & MINDFULNESS WITH SARAH BLADEN

Kundalini Yoga and Mindfulness

Article by Rheba Estante
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #26

International journalist Sarah Bladen was an Editor for OK Magazine in Europe who lived a jet set life mixing with famous personalities in the most luxurious and glamorous places around. The worlwind lifestyle of first class travel, fun filled adventires, and weekly interviews with celebrities were exciting but not so much mindful. Three years ago, everything changed when Zen entered her life. 

Bladen left her job, ended her engagement, and endured the passing of her father. These three excruciating heartbreaks transformed Bladen’s life from fast paced and feeling empty to a substance infused existence resulting in On Cloud Zen. Her grief led Bladen invite, welcome and cultivate mindfulness when she healed her heartbreak through Kundalini Yoga.

What Bladen experienced as a result of mindfulness was a present moment awareness that was possible from the shedding of inner emotional baggage, old beliefs, habitual patterns, distractions, all of which remove a person’s ability to stay present in the moment. Rather than perceive the world through clouded lenses. Kundalini Yoga, through its practices of meditation, chanting, specific yoga movements called “kriyas”, and mindful eating, provide a foundation for discipline the mind and releasing toxic thoughts from one’s consciousness. For mindfulness to cascade a person’s entire existence, an inside out cleanse of all that isn’t that, is mandatory.

The practice of Kundalini yoga begins with changing what you put in your body. A diet overhaul is often required. Since becoming a Zen Meditation and Mindfulness Coach, and Chakradance Facilitator, Bladen has developed a wellness practice based on the principles of Aryuvedic healing. One of the first things that Bladen counsels her clients to do is begin eating according to their body type. In Aryuveda, there are three main “doshas” or body types: kapha, pitta, and vata. This is determined by the physical structure of a person’s body, key characteristics of their appearance, and patterns in emotional temperament. 

Mindful eating the Aryuvedic way requires knowing exactly what the best food is to put into your system. Mindful eating is also about being able to detect subtle cues from your body as it adjusts to a diet.

“Your body is used to a certain way of eating and so all this fresh food is probably a shock to the system! When anyone changes their diet or starts doing kriyas there will be changes,” counsels Bladen.

Bladen also recommends her clients integrate these new eating practice gradually along with practicing regular Kundalini yoga kriyas and meditation.

“If your food choices were very different from before, I'm guessing it will be working hard to eliminate toxins. Once you overcome the tiredness stage then you will see far more energy.”

When she first began vegetarian Bladen felt very tired and found that she needed to balance it with the occasional fish dish plus organic meat once per month. Being mindful and paying attention to her body’s response to regular Kundalini Yoga and Aruyvedic eating was a tremendous help to Balden in the transition to a ore mindful diet.

“Do listen to your body. If you are not used to doing all the kriyas that can also be heavy going forward. Make sure you get enough sleep, try napping too, and please take it easy with the kriyas we well,” advises Bladen. “They are quite powerful. What is happening is a good sign because you are changing your lifestyle into one which will ultimately give you long term benefits. You just need to get over this initial slump. You can have the occasional indulgence, just don't binge on anything .”

Bladen works with clients and brings her passion for Zen while spending time between London, Dubai, and India, through On Cloud Zen. She continues to work as a freelance writer to bring these words of wisdom to fruition of other mindfulness seekers in the world.

The Holistic Path to Your Next Big Idea

THE HOLISTIC PATH TO YOUR NEXT BIG IDEA

Article by Kimberly Manning
Photo Credit: Mariana Garcia
Magazine: Issue #25

Holistic Path to Your Next Big Idea

In our go-go world, it seems that successful folks simply pop or drop into their brilliant idea or business. It may look like they’ve achieved instant success, but the truth is, there’s foundational work to be done on the way to your next big thing. Oh, and PS: it’s an inside job.

It’s easy to get lost in the warp speed world of business, with its heavy dose of masculine and addiction to high energy. What can get lost is the (w)holistic path to your next big thing. In order to move forward, you’ve got to go within. Here’s the Integrative Living Design perspective.

Place your idea in the Cosmic Womb. Whatever you are ruminating in your heart or head, give it over to the Great Mother of All Things. Divine inspiration and guidance are two of the gifts you’ll receive when you let the cosmic womb of your higher consciousness work. 

I’ve had clients who write their idea on a piece of paper, literally plant that in a potted plant or garden, and then turn it over to the cosmos. Just like a seed germinating in the earth, your ideas need time to be nurtured, to gather energy, to stretch. All before they emerge above the surface. 

Shhhh. While things are gestating, preserve the energy of your idea by keeping it to yourself. Often we get excited and we want to share our idea with a friend or colleague, however, this dissipates the energy. Not to mention that a well-meaning but critical comment could send you and your confidence off the tracks. 

Until you’re ready for primetime, don’t share. There will be ample time to gather folks round your campfire to discuss, tweak, etc., but in the fragile time of your idea’s birthing, keep it quiet.

Walk through liminal space. Liminal comes from the Latin word for “a threshold.” Liminal space is that delicate place between where things have been percolating quietly and the open air. Many people struggle with this in-between time. It’s messy and a little uncomfortable as you learn new ways of being and doing. Instead of fighting, embrace this sacred space. Understand that you’re entering new terrain, that you can’t and don’t know everything yet, and that in the uncertainty lies potential. Walk through that space, confidently and with trust in your abilities. So much lies across that threshold.

The holistic path to your next step begins with a focus inward. By taking the time to go inward, you allow your idea to crystallize and energize. It will emerge into the world|marketplace in right timing and with great strength.