What causes this is a sensitivity to the proteins in a guy’s semen, a condition which actually has a name: human seminal plasma protein hypersensitivity (SPH). A person can be sensitive to the proteins in the semen of most men, or to a specific guy’s proteins in particular.

Symptoms of an allergy may include localized pain, itching, redness, swelling, hives or even trouble breathing! Most symptoms usually show up within 20 -30 minutes of contact and can last for hours or days. The severity really depends on body chemistry.

How to treat this very unpleasant side effect of lovin’? Condoms, of course, create a barrier (unless you have an allergy to latex, of course) or perhaps a look into desensitization, something your health care professional might be able to help you with.

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Sound creepy?

It may be a little, but it’s becoming all the rage. So far, over 5,000 customers have indulged in this treatment that feels like your foot fell asleep – just a tickling and tingling.

The fish at-the-ready, known as doctor fish, thrive in hot water where plants and other food sources are not readily available. Consequently, the fish have learned to feed on whatever they can find, including dead, flaking skin. As for your live skin? The fish don’t bother it at all since they do not have teeth and can’t bite in.

While some salon-goers would view this as a scary alternative to conventional buffers and scrapers, the salon’s owner sees this as just the beginning. In fact, he envisions whole-body fish treatments which could help folks suffering with psoriasis and other skin ailments.

For now, fishy pedicures are only available at the one salon, but the owner plans to franchise. Stay tuned – turning your feet into fish food may soon be on your horizon.

Source (with photo)

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Anyway, it happens to all of us. We shave, we nick. But here’s a quick tip on how to stop the bleeding in a hurry:

Step 1: Use a cotton ball or swab to dab a little witch hazel onto the cut. Witch hazel is a natural astringent which tightens surrounding tissues and slows bleeding.

Step 2: Hold an ice cube or ice pack to the nick. The coolness helps to clot the blood.

See, easy right? I told you.

So this, my dear friends, has been your Healthbolt Happy Living Tip of the Day. You may now go forth and de-fuzz without worry.

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Tuesday, May 20, will see links from many of the wonderful blogs over at Beauty and Style, each offering up creative ways on how to protect your skin and raise awareness. Once the collaborative list is posted on the main b5 blog, I will come back here and add the link. Until then, enjoy this post focusing on two celebrities who have made skin cancer awareness a mission of theirs.

And we hope to see you milling around Theme Day tomorrow for some great ideas to care for your skin in style.

***

It’s true, skin cancer is not all that fun to talk about. But it is vitally important we do talk about it. And having two Hollywood A-listers at the helm of skin cancer awareness is a step in the right direction.

Two fabulous celebs, Kristen Bell (of Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Marcia Cross (of Desperate Housewives) are two pretty ladies who have sworn to shun the sun and get their glow elsewhere (or not at all).

Ms. Bell signed on to the Glow in the Dark campaign, sponsored by Jergens.com. Jergens will donate $1 for every similar pledge made by the public toward The Skin Cancer Foundation. Jergens, of course, is quite well-known for their Natural Glow self-tanning products.

And the gorgeously porcelain Ms. Cross is embarking on her second year as the spokeswoman for the Olay and ASDS-sponsored program which offers free skin-cancer screenings during May, June and July. For more info on these screenings, which are held at participating dermatologist offices, visit skincancertakesfriends.org.

It’s really quite scary how skin cancer can affect the palest of pale and the tannest of tan. It’s not choosy. So you need to be. Make one of these fabulous celebs your sun-care role model and consider taking part in one of these programs today.

Oh, and remember to spread the word…and the sunscreen.

Images: Newscom

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Image details: Pouring a Cup of Tea served by picapp.com

Need yet another reason to enjoy tea time? How about this…

Researchers at Dartmouth University have found that drinking two or more cups of black or green tea every day can cut your risk of acquiring two of the most common types of skin cancer.

Your risk for squamous cell is reduced by 65% and basal cell carcinoma by 80%! Not bad for a beverage, hey?

So why the super powers? Tea is loaded with protective polyphenols which are said to contain a plethora of antioxidant properties. Bonus: polyphenols may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Bottom line: If you’re not yet a tea drinker, now might be a good time to get brewing. And if you are, good for you. Enjoy all the benefits this healthy beverage has to offer.

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Photo Credit

So you’re cooking, right? You grab the lid off the pot so fast that it flings itself mercilessly against the inside of your wrist, sending you careening over to the kitchen sink as your dinner burns on the stove. What do you do next?

A) Run the wound under cool water.
B) Call the pizza joint and say to hell with home-cooking forever.
C) Curse so loudly your children gaze at you in horror, then scrunch up their little faces and run out of the room.
D) Schlack the burn with a bit of honey.

While your natural instincts might steer you toward B and C, what you really need to do is take a deep breath, then proceed with A, then D.

D, you say? Yes, D. Because out of all the wacky home remedies out there to treat burns, honey has been shown to be a pretty darn effective one. In fact, honey possesses both anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, so it should head off infection and relieve burn-inflicted swelling. Keeping this in mind, after rinsing the wound with cool water, spread a dab of honey over the burn and cover it with a no-stick sterile gauze pad.

Now this isn’t the first time I’ve sung the praises of honey, mind you. The stuff sure as heck is good for more than just sweetening up oatmeal or a peanut butter sandwich. In fact, since honey is not as widely used to treat wounds and infections as other over-the-counter pharmaceutical choices, it has yet to become resistant to the same super-bacterias that are outsmarting those OTC choices. Ah, the gift of nature.

Have you used honey on your wounds? Will you now that you’ve read this? I can’t wait (er, sort of) for one of my nearly-famous dinner-making burns to test out this trick. Fingers crossed!

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Photo Credit

Picture this: You’re in the mall. You’ve just splurged on a fabulous handbag. You’re eyeing a pair of Gucci sunnies in that cool starlet style. You’re sucking down an Orange Julius. And in fifteen minutes, you’ll be getting a Botox injection.

No, this isn’t the dream you had last night, this is the life of many American women who pony up for a little more than a sweater or pair of shoes at the mall…they’re also buying non-invasive cosmetic procedures.

Yeah, at the mall.

The newest and fastest growing trend in cosmetic procedures is the Med Spa revolution, an in-and-out spa situation where walk-ins are welcome and services such as Botox and Restylane injections are on the menu. These quick-stops are so popular, in fact, that the International Medical Spa Association estimates there are between 2,000 to 2,500 med spas nationwide, as compared to only 25 in 2002.

Younger Baby Boomers – those born between 1955 and 1964 – are said to be the leading party for such growth (non-invasive treatments have increased more than 700 percent since 1997, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery). And since 12,000 Americans turn 50 every day, this type of “store setting” is slated for tremendous growth.

What’s more, with the possible FDA approval of a competitor for Botox, cosmetic drugs may become less expensive, driving up demand even higher. Patients will also demand constant maintenance (most cosmetic fillers wear off within 3 to 9 months), making an even greater case for in-mall med spas.

Convenience is also key, and most med spas take both appointments and walk-in clients. For those procedures causing bruising or swelling, a paparazzi-ducking type get-away is usually offered through a back entrance, ensuring the patient “saves face”.

Right now, most of these med spas can be found in affluent areas with high-end shopping centers, but in time, more markets will likely be served. If this comes to your neighborhood, will you go (assuming your practitioner has an outstanding record of both training and experience)? Has our society gotten out of hand when buying vanity becomes a retail endeavor? Or is this just par for the course of Not-Growing-Old-Gracefully? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

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A 35-year-old Indonesian man named Dede suffered a simple cut as a teenager and thereafter began growing tree-like warts all over his body. The warts soon worsened into mossy, branching growths, virtually incapacitating him. His wife left him, he was out of a job, and he was made the village freak. Doctors could never figure out what Dede’s condition was, and the growths worsened with each passing year. It wasn’t until an American dermatologist traveled to see Dede’s odd growths and cutaneous horns that the proper diagnosis was made: Dede was simply suffering from HPV, or human papilloma virus. HPV causes warts (frequently of the genital variety) and is quite common in humans. Unfortunately for Dede, he happens to have a rare genetic flaw that causes his immune system to be as weak as someone with AIDS. The chances of this genetic fault? Less than one in a million. Fortunately for Dede, proper treatment and several surgeries offer the promise of a normal life. The doctor is also trying to get more American support for this special patient. Good luck, Dede! (Check out the video here.)

- via Neatorama

Update: Find out what’s happened to the Tree Man in the last year and how surgery is improving his life.

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Of course, you don’t notice these microscopic crawlers, nor do you notice the other miniature members of your personal planet. Our gastrointestinal tract is full of about three pounds of mostly useful bacteria responsible for digesting carbohydrates and manufacturing vitamins K and B12. In fact, scientists say there’s good evidence to suggest that some obese folks may simply be lacking in enough gut bugs. (This post just gets better and better, I know.)

Moving on, about 8 per cent of your genetic code is made of useless, self-replicating DNA “viruses”. From rather pretty vaginal flora (they resemble cotton-candy pink pills) to nasties like papillomavirus, the human body is a wondrous ecosystem of life. Wouldn’t you know, jock itch, athlete’s foot and ringworm are basically cousins. And once one moves in…

Now, just because I love you, this eight-legged daddy is one you would definitely notice. Unfortunately, this is actual size. Microbes aren’t so bad, now are they?

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So, ladies and gents, while I’ll be bringing you important health news, suggesting great nutrition and fitness tips, and ranting (it’s really all I know how to do), I’m also gonna share this stuff. Because it feels good. And feeling good is healthy. But then, I’m a hedon. If you find interesting things, send them my way and we can all be dorks together. Just keep it relatively clean and let’s be friendly to all genders, even the ambiguous ones.

The Guy Who Played So Much Grand Theft Auto, He Thought He Was Living It (via Mindhacks)

Chinese Foot Binding: Yep, Humans Do Crazy Things (Prepare Yourself)

The Perfect Gift for the Debbie Downer in Your Life

Permanent Makeup: So, Is That What Carrot Top Did?

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