How At-Home Oral Care and Professional, In-Office Care Help Your Oral Health
You’ve probably have going to the dentist as long as you can remember as a little kid. Like some patients, maybe the busyness of life or the fact that not you’re an adult, you aren’t forced to see the dentist.Maybe at one point your oral hygiene was important to you. As a kid, you did all you could to not get a cavity and get that prize reward. As you aged, however, the health of your teeth and gums has taken a back seat.You may think that you don’t need to see the dentist. After all, your mouth looks and feels great, except for the minor tooth discoloration.Here are reasons why both at-home oral care and regular visits to the dentist office are important in maintaining great oral health:At-Home Oral CareMost of your oral health is your responsibility. You only go to the dentist twice a year (or more if you have a dental issue). That means all the other days, you’re the only one to clean your teeth and gums and spot any irregularities.Brushing your teeth and flossing take only a few minutes every day. Flossing and brushing your teeth on your schedule and in the privacy of your own home can’t get any easier.Proper, at-home oral hygiene does mean more than just brushing for a couple seconds and flossing between a few teeth. You’ll need to start off with a soft-bristled toothbrush that is no more than three months old and fluoride toothpaste. Brushing for two minutes, twice a day and flossing on both sides of each tooth will dramatically lower your risk of tooth decay and gum disease.What happens when you’re at work and can’t brush your teeth or floss? Swishing with water, in fact drinking a lot of water is a great way to clean out your mouth after eating or drinking beverages that can stain the teeth in between brushing.Oral health conditions such as tooth decay and gum disease happen gradually. Skipping just one day of brushing or flossing can give cavity-, gum disease-, bad breath-causing plaque a foothold. This makes at-home oral care vitally important.If you notice something doesn’t look or feel right in your mouth, you’re the only one who will notice. If the condition is severe, a visit to the dentist office may be in order.You’re the only one who can care for and monitor the health of your mouth day in and day out which plays a big role in your oral health.Regular Office Visits Even if you already do all the abovementioned things as part of your at-home oral hygiene routine, regular visits to the dental office are still necessary. Why?Those dental conditions or irregularities you found that are causing severe, chronic discomfort will be best diagnosed by a trained dental professional. A dentist will also know the best course of treatment to take.Dental offices will also have more tools and equipment than what you have at home, including specialized tartar scrapers, powerful toothbrushes, and more concentrated toothpaste. The operation of such equipment by the hygienist will also allow for a deeper and more though cleaning of hard-to-reach places. Dentists can also deep clean your gums using special tools and procedures and ward off possible gum disease.Your dentist, in short can offer the best, most effective treatment of dental issues and provide a deeper cleaning than what you can do at home.Good at-home dental hygiene won’t ensure good dental health no matter how white and healthy your teeth look. Only relying on the occasional dental office visit and the dentist recommendations also won’t bring about healthy teeth and gums.Both a solid at-home dental hygiene regimen and regular visits to the dentist office are needed to ensure the best care of your oral health.
Heart Disease Prevention Starts in Childhood: What You Can Do to Protect Your Child
On the front page of the December issue of the Pediatric News journal is the new recommendation to test all 9 to 11 year olds for cholesterol level. According to this article, “…heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular problems in adulthood are often the end result of cardiovascular risk factors that went unrecognized throughout childhood…” (Splete)I’m glad to see that we, as pediatricians, are acknowledging the fact that heart disease, like many other diseases, really starts in childhood. And while I fully support the screening process, I’m much more interested in prevention. What should we do during that first decade of our children’s lives to make the screening unnecessary? It’s all about diet and lifestyle.For the past thirty years, child health has been going in the wrong direction. Childhood overweight and obesity has skyrocketed during the past 3 decades. And that trend is directly linked to the increased incidence of a variety of heart related disorders in children, most notably high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and high cholesterol levels. This is a very serious problem, given that epidemiologists are proposing that life expectancy for this rising generation of children could be shortened by as much as eight years. So, what are the primary factors leading to these disturbing trends?Our reliance on convenient foods that are full of additives and sugar while deficient in nutrients. Our fast paced lifestyle has us purchasing more fast food, and more prepackaged foods to feed our families compared to previous generations.
our schools are largely feeding our children prepared, and often fried foods, offering minimal fruits and vegetables. Schools also rely heavily on snack and soda vending machines for revenue, at the expense of children’s health.
our children are leading sedentary, technology saturated lifestyles. With the average child spending about 7 hours using media daily (yikes!), our children are being deprived of needed physical activity. And schools have severely reduced or eliminated physical education in the curriculum.We need to make some fundamental changes in the way we feed our children. Don’t believe the myth that children don’t need to worry about what they eat until they grow older. We have known for years that the roots of heart disease begin in childhood. And remember, the habits they develop in childhood will persist into adulthood, so we want to instill the right habits now. Here’s what we can do:Provide our children with a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown that even as early as toddler age, our children’s diets are severely deficient in fruits and vegetables. It will take creativity given their finicky appetites, but there are numerous resources available. Check out “The Sneaky Chef” by Missy Chase Lapine or the website http://www.cancerproject.org for menu ideas.
Provide more home cooked meals for our children, so that we can ensure that they are receiving freshly prepared and healthy ingredients in their meals. Studies have shown that children who eat more meals at home have lower rates of obesity and other health problems.
Get our children exercising more. The recommended level of activity is 60 minutes of vigorous activity every day. I know it sounds daunting, but just getting them outside for free play will peak their natural tendency to exercise. And we can exercise with them. Remember to make it fun. Playing ball together, family walks, or even family P90X.We often say that we want our children to have a better life than we have; so let’s give them a better legacy of health and longevity!Reference:Splete, H. Test Cholesterol in all 9- to 11-year olds. Pediatric News. December 2011, Vol 45, No. 12.
Why Are the Millennials a Gold Mine for Tax Professionals
One would think that the tax situation for the younger generation, mostly millennials as we call them, is not very complex. Thus traditionally, this demographic is not the target market for the majority of tax firms. Taxpayers under the age of 35 don’t usually seek services of tax professionals or tax preparers.However, it might happen that in the present day scenario, millennials (those born between the early 1980s to late 1990s), may encounter a flabbergasting magnitude of complexities related to tax that the previous generations did not face. Thus, contrary to the popular belief, making them the ideal client for tax preparers can prove to be a gold mine for the tax industry to serve.Guide the MillennialsAs per studies and reports, the millennials now comprise the most sizeable portion of the workforce in the United States. This ultimately makes them the largest portion of active taxpayers. There have been extensive talks about millennials being the shaping edge and how they are transforming the American economy and society.The millennials’ affinity towards technology, voting, recreation, and their spending habits have given a whole new face to how money is used. Embracing this change, tax professionals can gear up their firms to welcome millennials as they face unique and new tax issues today, and develop those relationships for future wealth growth.To prepare a tax firm for a sporadic wave of millennial clients, it would be a good idea to take steps in this regard now and to fully understand their concerns, issues, obstacles, and achievements. If a firm is making a mistake of not paying much heed to the millennials and their needs, it could take a toll on the client base. One could stand a chance to miss out on some excellent clients and damage the pan-age appeal.Let’s take a looks at few of the potential tax and financial concerns that millennials would face:1. Millennials Transitioning from Dependence to Independence The metamorphosis from a young dependent to an adamant independent adult is always a tricky one. It can be pretty challenging for young individuals to come out of relying on their parents to strike out on their own. As per the current tax laws, parents can claim their kids as their dependents until they are 19 years old, or till the age of 24, in case they are a full-time student.When starting on their own, young adults have vague ideas on how their parents dealt with taxes on their behalf. This may cause them to make simple mistakes during this transition.This is where a professional tax preparer comes into play. In the event of mistakes on a millennial’s tax return, they would be needing a tax specialist’s assistance.Of course, the IRS doesn’t differentiate between a millennial and an older taxpayer. For the IRS, all citizens stand equal, and the authorities would end up imposing penalties in case of any discrepancies or errors in filing. It’s common for these youngsters to end up with a tax bill they are probably unable to pay.Helping millennials sort out such errors, by offering tax resolution services, can only prove beneficial for a tax firm. This could help to sow the seed for the beginning of a long-term professional relationship.2. MillennialsEmbrace the Gig Economy Freelancing and the gig economy on a whole is a big hit with millennials. Be it freelance design work or offering driving services for a cab or carpool company, many millennials are lured towards the freedom that contract work or gigs as we call them offers. A recent study conducted, states that millennials would constitute around 42% of the gig economy in 2020. This number is of a larger share than any other generation, and this percentage is only expected to grow in recent years to come.While taking on extra contract work might seem appealing to those who may be struggling beyond the bare minimum. This can be said regarding the payment of rent or repaying student debt. Millennial taxpayers aren’t always aware of what they are getting themselves into from a tax perspective.When onboarding employees on a contractual basis, the companies don’t withhold taxes or pay into social security or medical insurance. Now, initially contract jobs might seem promising to millennials, as it means extra cash. But what they may not understand is the result that they might be required to pay quarterly taxes and a self-employment tax, too.It is expected from millennials who are not so well acquainted with tax laws, to be shocked as April draws by. They might end up spending the money that now needs to be contributed towards tax because they were earlier unaware of all these nuances.To avoid such a situation, they should take the guidance of a professional tax resolution service. A tax preparer could clutch this very moment and help millennials by estimating their tax burden and managing their money better. They can provide their aide to millennials to be well prepared in advance for what they owe as taxes.3. Millennials are less likely to receive IRS sent NoticesAs we are already aware that the IRS sends out notices and penalty messages in case of any tax discrepancy. Now, millennials are less likely to receive these notices sent out by the IRS due to a couple of factors. Given the fact that the younger generation is more affiliated with electronic mail and are a lot less dependent on physical mail. The IRS sends most of its notices via the US post.Now, with the majority of the transactions shifting online, millennials don’t have a habit of checking their physical mailboxes. Thus, we see that it is easy how people may completely miss any notices or issues that the IRS is trying to bring to their attention.Another factor that hits the bull’s eye for millennials is renting a place without a permanent mailing address. They tend to move and change addresses frequently, making physical mail communication all the more difficult.When they’re finally on track with their physical mail, the IRS might be a little too late to follow up to them and the tax problems would have grown over time. This where a tax resolution expert could be of help. Tax professionals can help millennial clients with IRS communication and help them get back on track with their taxes.By focusing on developing millennials as clients, not only can a tax firm drive in more profit but also do a good deed by reaching out to those who are striving for better lives.They can help them through the struggle of tax and financial burden. By paying attention to this generation’s perplexes, doubts and goals, a tax firm can be exquisitely positioned to develop millennial clients, with whom they can have a lasting professional relationship.
Caution! A Management Buyout May Not Be The Way To Sell Your Company
You own your business and have been agonizing over having to go through a marketing and sale process and then not knowing what will happen to your employees. Then, what you believe to be the perfect solution appears right inside of your organization. A key manager or group of managers has approached you with the proposition of buying the business. The discussion then centers on how you can avoid having to take the company to market and how management’s purchase will provide certainty for the ongoing employment of your employees.Well, nothing could be further from the truth. One of the first things management will say is that they can come up with at least 25% of the purchase price. Let’s use a $50M sale price which means they would provide $12.5M. TRANSLATION: “Management believes that a bank will lend them $12.5M against the assets of the company.” So what management is really doing is the same thing that any buyer would do which is using your assets to obtain senior debt from a bank for a portion of the purchase price. They are not putting their own money into the deal as equity.Since the managers have little or no funds they will now take it upon themselves to go to the market to find private equity funds and mezzanine lenders to fund the balance of the transaction. TRANSLATION: “You are not avoiding taking the company to market, but have, in fact, put the marketing process into the hands of management instead of controlling the process yourself.” Numerous articles have been written over the years that address the inherent conflict that exists when the person that is marketing the company (management) is the same person that is buying the company (management). Two key problems arise. First, management has no incentive to get investor groups to put a high value on the company because it will reduce the percentage that management can retain. A $50M value may require an equity investment of $20M. If management has $4M to invest and outside investors add equity of $16M, management only gets a 20% interest. If, however, the total price is $40M with only a $10M equity requirement, the investor equity would only need to be $6M and management would retain 40% of the Company. Second, a quasi fund raising and marketing campaign by the managers will pollute the buyer pool in numerous ways that will be detrimental to a future sale if management is not successful.The managers will assure you that they will be the ones doing the heavy lifting to get the deal done and it won’t be at all onerous for you. TRANSLATION: “Instead of putting their full attention on running the company, management will now be busy trying to organize their own buyer group and trying to put funding in place. In addition, you and the company will have to do all the same work (and usually more) in providing due diligence information to various private equity groups and lenders.” No investor is going to provide $50,000,000 in funding without putting you through all the paces.Management will also be in for some surprises. Management told you how they are going to purchase the company and protect the employees. TRANSLATION: “He who has the money rules and if management is not putting up a significant portion of the equity, management will not control the company.” The investors will control the company and will operate it to obtain the highest rate of return without regard to retaining all of the employees.You, however, could be in for the biggest surprise of all! Even if you do sell to management, what is to prevent them from reselling the company in six months, one year or whenever? So, even if management, by some unusual set of circumstances, actually did acquire control, they could resell in a short period of time to a totally unrelated party and the guarantee for your employees and your continuing legacy that you thought you had will no longer exist. Management could even double escrow the deal. While putting together management’s financial backing at the $50M price management may be negotiating a follow on sale transaction at a higher price.You were probably told that the management buyout would also avoid the probability of letting the world know that you are for sale. To the contrary, since many people will have to be part of the management buyout process, it is much more likely that your employees and the rest of the world will know that you have put a “for sale” sign on the business. It is much easier to maintain confidentiality in a well run marketing process.If the issues noted above are not already sufficiently concerning, this should get your attention. “You will be negotiating against your management in the buyer/seller process.” Negotiations can get intense and generally the management side will be trying to satisfy numerous parties including lenders, private equity groups and each of the individual interests of each manager. Some hard feelings in the context of a completed management buyout may be OK, but “some hard feelings” can turn into blatant animosity if you should decide that management’s final package is not adequate and their deal falls through. Now when you get ready to go to market you will be doing so without one of your most valuable assets which is a motivated manager or management team. Management will also have expended a great deal of energy in trying to pull their deal together and will have a very limited appetite (and even less enthusiasm) for wanting to go back through another sale process.Proceed with a great deal of caution (if you want to proceed at all) if your manager or management team wants to try to buy your company. It is something that sounds good and you want it to be true, but it generally isn’t true. If, however, the owner is intent on pursuing a management buyout, the advice of an M&A Law Firm will be your best ally in maneuvering through all of the minefields and giving you the best possibility of closing a transaction on satisfactory terms and conditions.
Pedicure Spa And Its Treatment For Your Feet
Going to a pedicure spa to have some treatment done for your feet can be good and beneficial as it can help to spruce up both of your feet and at the same time, relaxing throughout the process. When having a pedicure, the pedicurist will be treated and moisturized. Even though this is good for a persons feet, you do want to consider the importance of using a salon that is very sanitary as this will help to prevent any risk for infections.The main purpose of having any pedicures are to treat the feet by smoothing them make them look more attractive, and also relaxing a persons body while going through the entire process. In some cases there are even foot and calf massages that are added with the pedicure. Some of these salons will offer a chair which vibrates and massages the customers back. The pedicurist will also soften your toes and feet and paint the toe nails.Some of the process will include the soaking of feet that is in a warm water with a softening substance. According to many of these kinds of spas, the standard pedicures will include removing any thickened skin from the feet.With the use of a pumice stone, the pedicurist rubs the persons feet to remove any skin that has become toughened. In some cases a persons feet will be wrapped in a warm cloth with a softener add to the skin. The feet are also dipped into wax to help soften them. The technician will also snip the nails, file shape and paint them.When this procedure is taking place, it will be important that the water along with the tools that are used, be sanitary so to prevent the risk of any infections. It is reported that the foot baths are really great, but they are also a great place for bacteria to grow. If this is not sanitized properly, then the tools and even the water that is used will create some infections. So be sure to check on the how well the pedicure spa is sanitized before getting any treatment.
Healing the Mind, Body and Spirit: Part 4, The Mind
The mind is so complex that I will only touch upon a few things. Our mind is used for consciousness, perception, thinking, judgement, and memory.Our consciousness is an awareness of ourselves and others. Our consciousness enables us to experience and feel things. Consciousness is our being, our alertness. It is how we communicate, respond and so forth.How people perceive things is all made up in the mind. Our past experiences, our attitude at the present moment and our current outlook on life play major roles in how we view things. So, everyone’s ideas and thought processes are very complex. We have an average of 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. We are in constant thought. Sometimes we tend to overthink a thought or idea making it much more complex that it truly is.We judge based on facts and through our own knowledge based on experiences. Sometimes the mind, based on previous events, does this automatically. You judge things all day long; the food we eat, the clothes we wear and other people. Sometimes, people compare themselves to other people.There are three types of memory; sensory memory, long-term and short-term memory. Our mind is like a large database with many folders, and in those folders we store memories that are so important to us. Regardless if you look at an object for a moment and remember it, or if you remember something from 30 or 40 years ago, our memories help make us who we are.What about mental illness? There are an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older or about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. There are many types of mental illness, please refer to the link provided for you.http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-types-illnessThe Mind, Body and Spirit are all connected. Regardless if you are in a meditative state, remembering something from your childhood or smelling the wonderful aroma of flowers, everything affects your mind, body and spirit. Your mind has an idea. Your body language helps to relay what is on your mind. Your spirit relays it to the world. Once you become aware of how all three works together will help you find balance. One is not more important than the other, they all work together and where one is lacking the other two are enhanced.
Free Bookkeeping Software – Manage Your Financial Transactions With Ease
Not so long ago it was the norm for bookkeeping to be done with lots of record books with multiple columns for debits, credits, cash flow etc., etc. This is not only a time consuming process, but it lends itself to human error. However, we are now in a digital era and all businesses, whatever their size, can benefit from bookkeeping software.Not only will human error be reduced, but you will acquire the ability to see clearly many aspects of your business that cannot be done with record books. You will be able to isolate the least profitable area, identify items of which you have an excess supply, generate forecasts, and all this can be done with speed and accuracy with bookkeeping software.Never again will you have to waste time trawling through paperwork and receipts because with bookkeeping software you have immediate access to your financial records. Bookkeeping software is an application that chronicles and manages financial transactions within specific modules, different sections dealing with specific areas of accounting, (i.e. accounts receivable, accounts payable, pay roll, etc), thus functioning as a bookkeeping information system.There are numerous bookkeeping software packages available, including free and online applications being offered. It is therefore essential that you review your business and its bookkeeping needs to ensure you choose the right product.Beware Of Free Bookkeeping Software When Dealing With Your Finances:It is crucial to undertake a thorough analysis to make sure you are fully aware of your requirements. It is better to take the time to do this at this early stage, as it will help avoid having to change software before too long. Of course if you have to upgrade because business is booming, that’s great, but you don’t want to have to change your software because you didn’t do your homework.The right bookkeeping software will let you deal with your business finances, keep first rate records and be more proficient. You will be able to do your accounting more speedily, follow income and expenses with no trouble and be completely familiar with your finances. Most small businesses should be a little cautious of free programs, especially as it deals with the financial data of your business. Security is of the utmost importance. Is this adequate with free bookkeeping software?You need to be assured that your data is backed up regularly and that safeguards are in place to minimize the risk of viruses. And what about support services and trouble shooting once the software is installed? Creators of free software frequently do not have the motivation to make sure that every single bug, which might cause a problem when you download and use the program, is eliminated. Are the audit trails satisfactory?If you are considering free bookkeeping software but cannot satisfy yourself on these important issues, then it should be avoided. Maintaining accounts can be a challenge for any business, but if you choose the right package, good bookkeeping software can assist your business administer accounts more competently, more rapidly and in a more straightforward manner.
How To Start Your Own Online Business And Find Fullfilment
It is quite easy to start your own online business today. This is because social media sites have provided a platform for online businesses to thrive.Online businesses are virtual stores that allow business owners to conduct their businesses via the web. These virtual stores help business owners to market their goods and services to the entire world.You can start your own online business without necessarily having a big office, shop, employees or even products. The internet has brought a revolution to the world of business in such a way that anyone who is willing to learn and apply the right techniques can make a fortune.Most of the richest people in the world have an internet based businesses. You should start your own internet business today, so that you can begin to work towards achieving your financial goals.Why Should You Start Your Own Online Business?If you want to know why you should start your own web-based business, here are a few of those reasons.It’s a great opportunityThe internet has opened a great door of opportunity for anyone who is interested in making money online. You do not need to have any special skill to start your own business on the internet. A passion to succeed and a willingness to learn is all you need to thrive in this area of business.The World has ChangedBusiness owners need to realize that the world has changed. Things are no longer done the way they used to be done. The internet has greatly influenced every activity including business.No matter how small or large your business is, if you want to make any headway in this new age of business, you need an internet presence. Any business owner who fails to establish an online presence will miss out on a great opportunity.Increase your Financial PotentialYou can increase your financial power exponentially if you start your own online business. If you have a day job, it is very difficult or almost impossible for you to increase your financial earnings.Regardless of no how many certificates you have, there is so little your employer or the system can offer you. However if you start your own business on the internet, your financial potential is limitless.How to StartYou should consider the online business opportunities available and choose the ones that you can do with the time you have at your disposal. You should consider your skills and training before you start your own web-based business.Below is a brief summary of the steps you should take to start your own business that’s based online.Choose the Type of Online Business you LikeThere are so many online business options to choose from. You can take time out to do some research to determine which ones are suitable for you. Affiliate marketing, blogging and network marketing are the popular businesses available today that can be started on the internet.Start ImmediatelyOnce you have chosen the business you like, you should learn as much as you can about it. It is important that you start immediately irrespective of the hurdles you might be facing. The earlier you start your own online business, the faster you can start paving your path to financial freedom.
When To Buy Into Fashion Trends
One of the golden rules when buying a trendy fashion garment is to exercise caution because trends are short-lived. You should beware of micro trends in particular because they are usually only around for a season, sometimes less. Ideally, you should buy a trendy item early on in the fashion cycle before it hits the mainstream before it is considered, in fashion circles, to be on the way out. The time to buy into a fashion trend is when the celebrities and models are seen wearing it. The problem is that new up-and-coming trends are hard to get hold of before they hit the mainstream. If you do manage to find a garment demonstrating the latest cutting-edge trend in a fashion-forward boutique then you are likely to pay an arm and a leg for it.The time to wear a fashion trend is when it first hits the mainstream, in other words, when you first start to see it featured in the fashion editorials of magazines and in middle range clothing stores. A middle range clothing store is one that is not a department store or a high-end boutique but one that specialises in fashion garments and accessories. Large department stores selling items other than clothing such as home wares and foodstuffs should not be discounted out of hand, however, as they sometimes carry a fashion-forward line or two which is of good quality but at a reasonable price. Before going out and buying a trendy fashion garment or accessory you should take a look at the trend predictions for the upcoming season in the fashion mags. Fashion magazines will give you a good idea of what to look out for when you are shopping.The other time you might want to buy into a fashion trend is when the particular trend suits your body shape. If a trend suits you, you can go wild unless the trend is an outlandish one. Bubble-skirt minis are a case in point. Even though this trend periodically rears its ugly head, it is not, nor will it ever become a classic and most people look mildly silly wearing them, regardless of how model-esque they may be!