FEATURED ARTICLES

• benefits of watermelon
• healthy watermelon
• Watermelon benefit
• health benefits of watermelon
• watermelon recipes

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

• Watermelons are made up of 90% water.
• Watermelons are chock full of a considerable amount of vitamins A and C.
• They contain thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate and niacin in small amounts.
• They are a great source of potassium, and also contain magnesium, calcium, phosphorous and iron in trace amounts.
• Watermelons are also very low in calories, free of fats and cholesterol and are rich in carotenoids.

Recipe: Cajun Chicken with Watermelon Mint Salsa

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons mild chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets 

Mix together the spices.  Coat the chicken cutlets with the spice mixture.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and place chicken in pan.  Blacken on both sides and sauté just until cooked through.  Top with Watermelon Mint Salsa and serve immediately.

Watermelon Mint Salsa

• 2 cups chopped seedless watermelon
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 cup diced seeded tomato
• Minced seeded jalapeno to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
• ½ cup chopped fresh scallion

Toss ingredients together, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe: Grilled Scallop and Watermelon Kebabs

• 12 sea scallops
• 4 cups boiling vegetable or chicken broth
• 24- 1”x1” watermelon cubes
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger

Cut the scallops into halves across the diameter to create half-moon shapes.  Place them in a heatproof casserole dish in a single layer.  Pour the boiling clear broth over the scallops and let them poach for 5 minutes.  Drain and cool the scallops.  On each skewer alternate one half-moon scallop, then two watermelon cubes, then one half-moon scallop.  Mix together the remaining ingredients and brush the kebabs as they are grilled over a medium-hot grill for 90 seconds per side, turning only once.  Serve warm.

• sunburn
• prevent sunburn
• nasty sunburn
• prevent sunburns
• sunburn tips

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

We have all been there before – a long day at the beach or outdoors turns our skin into a pretty bad case of sunburn!  Instead of dealing with the affects for a few days or even a week after the burn, we offer these natural ways to help your skin heal and to help you feel better in no time.

Of course, there are plenty of sunburn treatment lotions out on the market, but anything that contains a high amount of vitamin E or contains aloe vera will help to alleviate the pain of sunburn.  The vitamin E and aloe vera add nutrients to the skin that UV rays have unbalanced.  The aloe vera also cools your skin, helping to reduce the pain. 

You may also find some good sunburn treatments right in your kitchen cabinet.  Vinegar, mustard, yogurt, tomatoes, and avocado all contain that extra vitamin E that will help to cool your skin.

• melanoma
• developing melanoma
• Melanoma treatments
• Melanoma Awareness Month

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

(Continued from Part I…)

How is melanoma diagnosed?

Step one: Physical exam. Your doctor will ask questions about your health history and examine your skin to look for signs that may indicate melanoma.

Step two: Removing a sample of tissue for testing (biopsy). To determine whether a suspicious skin lesion is melanoma, your doctor may recommend removing a sample of skin for testing.

“The type of biopsy procedure your doctor recommends will depend on your particular situation. Most often doctors recommend removing the entire growth when possible. One common technique, the punch biopsy, is done with a circular blade that's pressed into the skin around the suspicious mole. Another technique, called an excisional biopsy, uses a scalpel to cut away the entire mole and a small margin of healthy tissue around it.”

How is melanoma staged? 

Melanoma is staged using the Roman numerals 0 through IV. At stage 0 and stage I, a melanoma is small and has a very successful treatment rate. But the higher the numeral, the lower the chances of a full recovery. By stage IV, the cancer has spread beyond your skin to other organs, such as your lungs or liver.

How can you prevent melanoma? 

• Avoid the sun during the middle of the day.
• Wear sunscreen year-round.
• Wear protective clothing.
• Avoid tanning lamps and beds.
• Have your moles checked regularly.
• Contact your dermatologist if a mole changes in shape, size or color.

• melanoma
• Melanoma treatments
• Melanoma Awareness Month

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

Every May, we raise awareness for those who have the most common type of skin cancer in the U.S. – Melanoma.

In 2023 alone, an estimated 97,610 new cases of melanoma in the U.S. will be diagnosed and reported to the American Cancer Society. 

So this month, we raise awareness about melanoma, specifically the dangers of unprotected UV exposure, which is the most preventable skin cancer risk factor. 

What is melanoma? 

“Melanoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form from melanocytes (cells that color the skin). This type of cancer can occur anywhere on the skin. In men, melanoma is often found on the trunk (the area from the shoulders to the hips) or the head and neck. In women, melanoma forms most often on the arms and legs.”

Unusual moles, exposure to sunlight, and health history can affect the risk of melanoma.

Being White or having a fair complexion increases the risk of melanoma, but anyone can have melanoma, including people with dark skin.

How is melanoma treated?

Doctors use different types of treatment on different types of cancer. Some of these types of treatments include:

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Hormone therapy

Doctors also use combination therapy. Combination therapy is when doctors use 2 or more kinds of cancer treatments. The treatments may be given at the same time, one after the other, or in different ways. Doctors often use combination therapy because it may work better to treat cancer than a single treatment alone.

(Continued in Part II…)

• Bad health habits
• Bad Habits to Avoid
• Bad habits
• Avoid bad habit

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

From overeating to watching too much TV, there’s only one way to break a bad habit – make a plan!  Unfortunately, what may work for one person, may not work for another.  So here are some ways to break some of the most popular bad habits.  Hopefully it works for you!

Watching too much TV. – Studies show that people watch an average of 4 hours of television each day and these studies also show that excessive T.V. watching can be linked to developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  Here are some ways to avoid watching too much TV: only watch when there is something specific you want to see, do chores during commercials, make a list of things you need to accomplish before sitting down to watch TV, and create a TV-watching plan and stick to it. 

Drinking too much alcohol. – Tired of being hung over and sluggish? Then you should do everything you can to cut back on drinking too much alcohol.  To cut back try these tips: drink one glass of water for every alcoholic drink you have, drink only when you are having a meal, or try drinking something that looks like an alcoholic drink, like root beer or a drink with a slice of fruit in it. 

Smoking. – While this may be one of the hardest habits to break, it’s still possible as many, many people do it every year. The best plan is to talk things over with your doctor because they can offer the best cessation treatment for you.  But some other approaches that you may consider include hypnotherapy, exercise, or electronic cigarettes. 

Overeating. – No matter how hard you try to cut calories, it still seems like sometimes the cravings are still there.  Experts say that sometimes it is best to give into those cravings.  When people do give into their cravings occasionally, they have a better chance of losing weight and keeping it off, than those who ignore their cravings and avoid certain foods.  Experts also advise that if you can avoid nighttime eating that you will be well on your way to prevent overeating as well.