By Rick Newman , On Tuesday December 15, 2009, 2:37 pm EST
Nine months after getting laid off, Catherine Goerz once again became part of the rush-hour commute--in a way she'd never anticipated.
To pick up extra cash, Goerz took a temporary job handing out fliers touting the benefits of public transportation in the San Francisco subway system. Occasionally she'd bump into people she knew from her former job as a creative producer for a Bay Area communications company. "They're in their corporate clothes," she recalls, "and I'm in this silly T-shirt and hat. 'Cathy, is that you?' they'd ask. 'What are you doing here?' Ugh."
The Great Recession--which is technically over, economists insist--may be morphing into a broader epoch: the Great Humbling. Millions of Americans who felt prosperous just a few years ago are now coping with long-term unemployment, sharp cutbacks in living standards, foreclosure, bankruptcy, and a deep sense of failure. That could persist for years. "This is not like earlier recessions, where things fell, then they bounced back to where they used to be," says Dennis Jacobe, chief economist for the Gallup polling organization. "We haven't seen this before. It's the only time this has happened since the Great Depression."
For many disenfranchised workers, the "new normal" is demoralizing. But some have found fresh career paths, clarified their priorities, and discovered that they're more resourceful than they once thought. After absorbing the initial shock of being laid off, 37-year-old Goerz decided it was the chance to pursue a long-time goal: Filming a documentary. She traveled cross-country with friends and produced a short film called RE:Invention, about creative ways people were toughing out the recession. After a screening at a local film festival, she won a small grant that helped her fund a longer version, which she hopes to finalize soon.
The grant covered only a portion of the production costs, however, with nothing left for living expenses. So Goerz survives on monthly unemployment insurance payments, supplemented by odd jobs and freelance projects. It adds up to just 25 percent of what she earned when employed full time. That has required severe cutbacks but also triggered new discoveries. "My quality of life has not changed at all," she says. "I think it's improved because I'm exploring what I want to do. When I see postings for full-time jobs, something inside me says, 'No, don't do it.' I want to make sure I am making the right choice."
Goerz may be at the vanguard of a historic shift in American attitudes. Researchers studying long-term trends among American consumers believe that a 20-year spending binge, fueled by easy credit, is over for good. "Smaller things now make the bigger statement," according to a new report on consumer trends by the Futures Co., a market-research firm. "The infatuation with having it all--and having it all at once--will give way to putting priority only on what's most important."
The first step is learning to be comfortable without the customary trappings of middle-class life. Many laid-off workers resist abrupt cutbacks at first, to preserve a sense of normalcy. Goerz did the opposite. She received just two weeks' severance when she lost her job in December 2008, and her income fell from about $8,000 per month to $1,900. She put $5,000 in a savings account for emergencies and used the rest of her savings to buy a certificate of deposit, so she couldn't withdraw the money if she wanted to. That meant she'd have to live on no more than what came in every month.
Unnecessary spending on jewelry, clothes, makeup, handbags, movie rentals, music downloads, vacations, taxi rides, and most conveniences stopped. She'd love to buy a new MacBook to help with networking, building a personal website, and promoting her film, but instead she nurses a wheezy old Dell laptop, using programming tricks learned from friends to keep it kicking. When Goerz met a potential client about some freelance work recently, she freshened her outfit with a $10 designer blouse from a consignment shop. Instead of going to a salon for highlights, she squeezes lemon juice into a spray bottle, dilutes it with water, and squirts that onto her hair--a $1 trick she learned as a teenage lifeguard.
Food had been a big part of Goerz's budget, so instead of spending $10 on lunch every day and going out to dinner four nights a week, she's cut back to two homemade meals per day--a late breakfast and an early dinner. Her diet is more healthful now, and there are other benefits: "I can wear clothes from three years ago, when I was on this huge fitness kick. Suddenly, I have a whole new wardrobe."
Goerz still goes out with friends once or twice a month, but always economizes: "My strategy for going out is to eat only half of what I order and bring the other half home. Then I turn that into two more meals, since I keep fluffing it up with more rice or something else." Goerz laughs as she says this, aware of her extreme thriftiness. "I stretch everything," she chortles.
A close circle of friends helps compensate for the spartan privations. One friend who loves to cook hosts a weekly Monday dinner for Goerz and half a dozen others, who usually show up with a couple of bottles of fine wine--one remaining indulgence. Many of Goerz's friends are also out of work, and even those with good jobs seem to have caught the thrifty vibe. "Even people who don't have to cut back are doing it," she says. "It's a new kind of consciousness. They seem to be thinking, 'I don't need all this.' "
Most Americans can live without the proverbial daily latte and a few other niceties, but economic data and anecdotal reports suggest that it's a much bigger struggle to accept permanent lifestyle diminutions, save considerably more, and break with familiar spending habits. Goerz attributes her transformation to lessons learned from other crises she survived: getting laid off in 2001 amid the dot-com bust, a recent family death, getting robbed while traveling alone in India seven years ago.
Still, she's not sure how long she can live on a reduced income. Her health insurance premium recently quadrupled, to almost $400 per month, after a government subsidy expired. She lives with three roommates, which keeps her rent at an affordable $871 per month. But she craves her own place, which would obviously cost more. "I have this niggling fear that I'm screwed," she says. "Will I ever be able to buy a home or a car? That's my biggest motivation to succeed financially: to get my own place."
Goerz fosters an outside hope that the debut of her documentary might lead to paying work in the film industry and a fulfilling new career. But she also knows that she may end up back in corporate America, sacrificing some of her freedom for comfort and stability. So she's also looking for jobs in her old field, hoping to find a perfect fit. Even if her income goes back up, however, she hopes that her new lifestyle sticks. "I'd want to save money like crazy," she says. "I'd like to experiment with keeping my frugal ways." Today, that sounds like a novel idea. Tomorrow, it might be mainstream.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Natural Tips for Gray Hair, Hair Loss, and Dandruff
By Dr. Maoshing Ni - Posted on Tue, Dec 08, 2009, 3:44 pm PST
Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity
by Dr. Maoshing Ni a Yahoo! Health Expert for Alternative Medicine
It seems that the U.S. Presidency comes with an unpleasant side effect: gray hair. Less than one year into his term, President Obama's hair has turned visibly gray. It happened to his many predecessors, too. Did you know that the condition of your hair actually reveals a lot about the level of stress in your life? Chinese medicine attributes many hair issues to a decline in your vital essence, brought on by stress, overwork, physical and emotional strain, an unhealthy lifestyle, and too much alcohol.
While stress reduction is at the forefront of most of our minds these days, what can you do if your hair woes are already showing up on your head? Read on to find out the best ways to remedy graying hair, hair loss, and dandruff, and learn how to get a shiny, healthy head of hair!
GRAY HAIR
Here are recommendations for graying hair:
* Eat for hair health. The Chinese have long discovered that black sesame seeds, black beans, and walnuts reverse graying. For healthy and shiny hair, eat foods everyday that are rich in essential fatty acids and omega-rich nutrients: flaxseed oil, sesame oil, olive oil, virgin coconut oil, avocado, beans, nuts and seeds.
* Chinese herbs for graying hair. "Shou wu" (also called "fo-ti" or polygonum root) is a hair nurture supplement available in Asian herb stores, used to restore hair growth and reverse graying. Rich in vitamin E and the B-complex vitamins, Shou wu has many other health benefits: It supports healthy estrogen profiles in women, stimulates red blood cell production, builds your immune system, maintains healthy cholesterol levels, and improves intestinal regularity.
* Color your hair naturally. If you want to dye your hair, use the following natural colorants: Henna works well for shades of light brown and red, coffee or black tea may be used by brunettes, and chamomile and lemon juice can color light hair.
HAIR LOSS
Hair growth is affected by the hormonal system, in particular the androgenic hormones, which include testosterone and a derivative of testosterone called DHT. It is normal to lose around 100 hairs each day, which are replaced within days. However, as we age, our hormone levels fluctuate and start to decline. This reduces the stimulus to the hair follicles and results in hair loss. In Chinese medicine, hair loss is thought to be caused by activities that deplete your vital essence: stress, physical and emotional strain, an unhealthy lifestyle, and alcohol--all of which hasten your hormonal decline.
Here are some hair replenishing remedies:
* Ginger juice helps hair loss. Massage your scalp with fresh ginger juice. Squeeze a 1-inch chunk of ginger root in a garlic press to yield juice. Rub the fresh ginger juice into affected part of scalp. Leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse it out--or leave it on overnight to stimulate the hair follicles.
* Arbovita replenishes hair. Apply the Chinese herb arborvita to stimulate follicles, improve blood flow, and strip away root-clogging oils. I have used this herb for my patients over the last twenty years with very good success. It is found in Hair Tonic, a topical solution. Other Chinese herbs traditionally used for hair loss include eclipta, shou wu, ginger, and sesame. For a natural herbal blend that combines all these herbs to nourish hair follicles and promote healthy hair, try Hair Nurture Formula.
* Stimulate blood flow. Try this Dao In Massage exercise, which I recommend to all my hair-loss patients. This local stimulation can help invigorate blood circulation. Sit comfortably on a chair. Using the tips of all 10 fingers, gently tap the head all over, stimulating the scalp for about one minute. Begin with light force and gently increase to moderate strength. Then massage the scalp with both hands for 2 minutes, gently at first and then more vigorously taking care not to pull out hair. Straighten the fingers of your right hand, and with the palm side of fingers gently tap all over the scalp 36 times. Repeat with your left hand, another 36 times. To get the best results, do this exercise twice a day.
SCALP PROBLEMS
It's normal to have some degree of dandruff. Your scalp undergoes regular regeneration and dead skin is shed to allow new skin to grow. This flaking can become worse when hormonal imbalances, stress, and improper diet come into play. Dandruff is at its worst during winter and fall, when the air tends to be dry.
Remedies for scalp issues:
* Apply aloe gel. Squeeze aloe juice directly from the stem of the plant and massage into the scalp once a day, preferably before bedtime, for an entire month. You can get better results by leaving the aloe on overnight and rinsing it out in your morning shower.
* A baking soda head scrub. In the shower, wet your hands and scrub baking soda vigorously into your scalp. After rinsing it out, massage Tonic Oil- containing the oils of wintergreen, eucalyptus, and menthol-into your scalp. Leave this on for 10 minutes before shampooing.
* Soak your scalp in green tea. Prepare a mild green tea, and soak your scalp in it for 10 minutes, shampooing out with olive oil, avocado oil, or hypoallergenic shampoo.
For extremely flaky dandruff and dry skin, I often recommend to my patients our Exquisite Skin Chinese herbal formula.
TIPS FOR SHINY, HEALTHY HAIR
Whatever your hair issues, these will boost your overall hair and head health:
* Nourish your hair. For shiny hair, mash a ripe avocado, massage it into your hair and scalp, and leave it on for 1 to 2 hours once a week.
* Brush bad hair days away. Be like a renowned Chinese empress who had a full head of beautiful hair at the end of her long life, the result of a daily 500-stroke hair brushing. Using a natural-bristle brush, spread your hair's natural oils with full strokes from the scalp down the to tips, 100 strokes every evening. Studies show steady massage and brushing over time stems hair loss, promotes hair growth, and generally improves hair quality.
* Less stress. For all hair and scalp problems, a daily program of stress reduction exercises and meditation can help regulate your energy and strengthen your essence.
* Go natural. Eliminate hair care products that contain harsh chemicals, which can damage hair roots and strip vital nutrients from the follicles. Use only products with natural ingredients.
I hope this article finds you with a full head of healthy hair! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
--Dr. Mao
Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity
by Dr. Maoshing Ni a Yahoo! Health Expert for Alternative Medicine
It seems that the U.S. Presidency comes with an unpleasant side effect: gray hair. Less than one year into his term, President Obama's hair has turned visibly gray. It happened to his many predecessors, too. Did you know that the condition of your hair actually reveals a lot about the level of stress in your life? Chinese medicine attributes many hair issues to a decline in your vital essence, brought on by stress, overwork, physical and emotional strain, an unhealthy lifestyle, and too much alcohol.
While stress reduction is at the forefront of most of our minds these days, what can you do if your hair woes are already showing up on your head? Read on to find out the best ways to remedy graying hair, hair loss, and dandruff, and learn how to get a shiny, healthy head of hair!
GRAY HAIR
Here are recommendations for graying hair:
* Eat for hair health. The Chinese have long discovered that black sesame seeds, black beans, and walnuts reverse graying. For healthy and shiny hair, eat foods everyday that are rich in essential fatty acids and omega-rich nutrients: flaxseed oil, sesame oil, olive oil, virgin coconut oil, avocado, beans, nuts and seeds.
* Chinese herbs for graying hair. "Shou wu" (also called "fo-ti" or polygonum root) is a hair nurture supplement available in Asian herb stores, used to restore hair growth and reverse graying. Rich in vitamin E and the B-complex vitamins, Shou wu has many other health benefits: It supports healthy estrogen profiles in women, stimulates red blood cell production, builds your immune system, maintains healthy cholesterol levels, and improves intestinal regularity.
* Color your hair naturally. If you want to dye your hair, use the following natural colorants: Henna works well for shades of light brown and red, coffee or black tea may be used by brunettes, and chamomile and lemon juice can color light hair.
HAIR LOSS
Hair growth is affected by the hormonal system, in particular the androgenic hormones, which include testosterone and a derivative of testosterone called DHT. It is normal to lose around 100 hairs each day, which are replaced within days. However, as we age, our hormone levels fluctuate and start to decline. This reduces the stimulus to the hair follicles and results in hair loss. In Chinese medicine, hair loss is thought to be caused by activities that deplete your vital essence: stress, physical and emotional strain, an unhealthy lifestyle, and alcohol--all of which hasten your hormonal decline.
Here are some hair replenishing remedies:
* Ginger juice helps hair loss. Massage your scalp with fresh ginger juice. Squeeze a 1-inch chunk of ginger root in a garlic press to yield juice. Rub the fresh ginger juice into affected part of scalp. Leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse it out--or leave it on overnight to stimulate the hair follicles.
* Arbovita replenishes hair. Apply the Chinese herb arborvita to stimulate follicles, improve blood flow, and strip away root-clogging oils. I have used this herb for my patients over the last twenty years with very good success. It is found in Hair Tonic, a topical solution. Other Chinese herbs traditionally used for hair loss include eclipta, shou wu, ginger, and sesame. For a natural herbal blend that combines all these herbs to nourish hair follicles and promote healthy hair, try Hair Nurture Formula.
* Stimulate blood flow. Try this Dao In Massage exercise, which I recommend to all my hair-loss patients. This local stimulation can help invigorate blood circulation. Sit comfortably on a chair. Using the tips of all 10 fingers, gently tap the head all over, stimulating the scalp for about one minute. Begin with light force and gently increase to moderate strength. Then massage the scalp with both hands for 2 minutes, gently at first and then more vigorously taking care not to pull out hair. Straighten the fingers of your right hand, and with the palm side of fingers gently tap all over the scalp 36 times. Repeat with your left hand, another 36 times. To get the best results, do this exercise twice a day.
SCALP PROBLEMS
It's normal to have some degree of dandruff. Your scalp undergoes regular regeneration and dead skin is shed to allow new skin to grow. This flaking can become worse when hormonal imbalances, stress, and improper diet come into play. Dandruff is at its worst during winter and fall, when the air tends to be dry.
Remedies for scalp issues:
* Apply aloe gel. Squeeze aloe juice directly from the stem of the plant and massage into the scalp once a day, preferably before bedtime, for an entire month. You can get better results by leaving the aloe on overnight and rinsing it out in your morning shower.
* A baking soda head scrub. In the shower, wet your hands and scrub baking soda vigorously into your scalp. After rinsing it out, massage Tonic Oil- containing the oils of wintergreen, eucalyptus, and menthol-into your scalp. Leave this on for 10 minutes before shampooing.
* Soak your scalp in green tea. Prepare a mild green tea, and soak your scalp in it for 10 minutes, shampooing out with olive oil, avocado oil, or hypoallergenic shampoo.
For extremely flaky dandruff and dry skin, I often recommend to my patients our Exquisite Skin Chinese herbal formula.
TIPS FOR SHINY, HEALTHY HAIR
Whatever your hair issues, these will boost your overall hair and head health:
* Nourish your hair. For shiny hair, mash a ripe avocado, massage it into your hair and scalp, and leave it on for 1 to 2 hours once a week.
* Brush bad hair days away. Be like a renowned Chinese empress who had a full head of beautiful hair at the end of her long life, the result of a daily 500-stroke hair brushing. Using a natural-bristle brush, spread your hair's natural oils with full strokes from the scalp down the to tips, 100 strokes every evening. Studies show steady massage and brushing over time stems hair loss, promotes hair growth, and generally improves hair quality.
* Less stress. For all hair and scalp problems, a daily program of stress reduction exercises and meditation can help regulate your energy and strengthen your essence.
* Go natural. Eliminate hair care products that contain harsh chemicals, which can damage hair roots and strip vital nutrients from the follicles. Use only products with natural ingredients.
I hope this article finds you with a full head of healthy hair! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
--Dr. Mao
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