Assist Finance recommends managed debt consolidation

With many people coping with credit card and personal loan debt, particularly as the bills filter in from the recent Christmas spending, Jason Di Iulio, Managing Director of Assist Finance, recommends debt consolidation but warns that payments need to be managed to counteract potential accruing interest. 

“By rolling these loans into your home loan, debt consolidation can assist with improving your cash flow and making household budgeting easier,” said Di Iulio. “It is considerably easier to manage as it can reduce numerous creditor payments into one simple payment to one lender.”

 “Also, the interest rate is cheaper. For example, a credit card interest rate is around 18 to 19 percent, compared to home loans with an interest rate of around 5.8 percent.”

Di Iulio says that debt consolidation provides the opportunity for renewing finances and investigating the best interest options. “It provides a good opportunity to review your existing home loan, and to investigate if there is a better product and rate available.”

In order to avoid the potential pitfalls of debt consolidation, Di Iulio warns that careful management and the maintaining of additional payments are crucial. “You need to be aware that you are extending a short term debt into a long term debt. This can, in the long run, cost more if rolled into a 25 year loan term. However, by careful management and making additional payments, this will assist in reducing your loan term and potentially saving thousands in interest costs.”

“The best way to navigate your way through all these options is to discuss it with a professional. They have the experience and tools available to run through the various scenarios.”

Social Media: Essential for At-Risk Youth, By Tracey Vale

Image courtesy of In2Life

With a whopping 23000 members, this Facebook group is Australia’s biggest social-media suicide support service for youth and, with only 20 volunteers and limited funding, this essential service is under threat.

The group, “Coming Together to Prevent Youth Suicide,” has grown rapidly from its inception last June 2012 by two Melbourne teens saddened and frustrated by a series of suicides in Casey, Victoria, and the lack of adequate support to prevent these deaths. Their aim was to establish an avenue of support and open discussion through a social media strategy that young people can relate to and that is more accessible to them. The chosen medium also means they can seek help while remaining anonymous, if they so wish, and can chat openly, peer to peer.

The rapid growth of the group is proof of its essential and accessible nature, with trained volunteers monitoring and responding to 400 daily posts on issues of suicide, depression, self-harm, homelessness, addictions and bullying. On average, the group refers more than 300 cases per month to counselling services with at least one weekly incidence of a critical case requiring immediate police intervention.

The group has been moderated by Adelaide’s In2Life youth organisation since August, with its 20 volunteers coming from South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. In2Life CEO, Darryn Keneally, says they desperately need funding to increase the volunteer base and to investigate the viability of employing professional counsellors.

Currently, the group’s request for Government funding has hit brick wall after brick wall. With a negative response for federal funding, they are now seeking state funding from Victoria and South Australia as well as philanthropy from businesses and individuals.

It is the only suicide support and prevention avenue of its type in Australia and is representative of the social media revolution, of its potential and of the need to embrace change and use these mediums to ultimately forge change toward a better future for our at-risk youth.

To read more, please refer to the link below. The article: Facebook Youth Suicide Prevention Group Needs Government Funding, by Petra Stark, News Limited.

http://www.news.com.au/national/facebook-youth-suicide-prevention-group-needs-government-funding/story-fncynjr2-1226556182329

Achieving goals in 15 minute bursts By Tracey Vale

How much time do you have lying around?

The following article details the 'Grab 15 Principle' which, in a nutshell, means grabbing 15 minutes a day to work on a project or goal. Fifteen minutes is an easily achievable space of time and means that you can achieve something toward your goal every day, thereby gaining more than two 40 hour weeks of solid work by the end of a year.

The article is written from the perspective of a writer grabbing 15 minutes of writing time per day but can easily be applied to a multitude of activities. You may have an artwork you've been meaning to begin but you keep putting it off because you can't dedicate a large slab of time. This way, you don't need to wait for that time chunk. Begin it now. Continue tomorrow. Before long, you will have achieved something you may have thought impossible with your time schedule.

"The only impossible journey is the one you never begin."~ Anthony Robbins

Fifteen minutes a day can be found anywhere. Cut down television viewing; your time on Facebook or other social media; or any other snippets of time, including getting up a little earlier or going to bed a little later. Evaluate where your time is eaten up and, therefore, how much time you can 'repossess'.

In so doing, you can find time for regular exercise; for writing your novel; for blogging; for photography, art or educating yourself in an area of interest. You might want to use it for extra baking time or even for de-cluttering your cupboards. You could teach yourself a musical instrument; spend more time with your kids; sew an heirloom patchwork quilt; or spend more time in the garden. Grab two or three 15 minute blocks and achieve more than one goal. The potential is enormous.

To read more, click on the article below.

The Grab 15 Principle, by Jim Denney:
http://unearthlyfiction.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/the-grab-15-principle/

Smile and laugh for mind and body health By Tracey Vale

Copyright, Tracey Vale 2010

Smiling and laughter lifts the spirits, improving mind health as well as concentration, immunity and physical health. Scientists have discovered that even forcing yourself to smile has the effect of boosting your mood. A smile releases ‘feel good’ brain chemicals, or endorphins, to boost mood and relieve stress and anxiety. A smile also releases serotonin, a natural, stress-reducing chemical and reduces stress hormones such as cortisol and dopamine.

Smiling and laughter also strengthens the immune system and boosts physical health. It causes the body to increase production of antibodies and white blood cells, thereby boosting immunity. 

Studies have shown that smiling lowers blood pressure. Add some laughter and you are gaining overall health benefits through toning the stomach muscles and exercising the diaphragm and heart. Vigorous laughter increases the heart rate and breathing rate. Vanderbilt University scientists discovered that laughter can increase your burning of calories by an impressive 20 percent.

As a universal sign of happiness, smiles also make you seem more confident, sociable and attractive. It has been shown that people who smile more are more likely to be promoted at work. A study from the Scotland University of Aberdeen, revealed that participants chose people who were smiling to indicate the category of ‘attractive’. Another study revealed that 69 percent of male participants believed a woman was more attractive when she smiled, rather than wearing make-up.

Smiling increases life expectancy. The University of Illinois conducted a research study that revealed that people with a happy disposition, who smiled more often, increase their life expectancy by almost ten years. Similarly, laughter reduces stress, anxiety and anger, contributing to increased physical and mental health.

A 2010 study from Wayne State University analysed baseball cards, from Major League players of 1952, to prove increased life expectancy. The study found that the athletes who were smiling broadly in their picture, lived an average seven years longer than their non-smiling counterparts.

Smiling also strengthens relationships and attracts happier people to you. It is contagious, as proven in a Swedish experiment where participants couldn’t resist smiling when seeing others do likewise. Remember the famous quote: "Smile and the whole world smiles with you"?

A study at the University of California Berkeley used the year book pictures of 21-year-old women, then analysed their lives 30 years later. Those with the biggest smiles in their year book photos were all found to have stronger marriages and better wellbeing and overall health, based on psychological and physical health tests, than those who didn’t.

The benefits of a positive, healthy attitude have been well-documented for recovery from illness, with many hospitals adopting programs to boost happiness and increase laughter. Researchers found that just one hour of comedy-watching, boosted tumour-fighting cells in test tubes, with effects lasting for up to 12 hours.

Smile, laugh and reap the rewards.

References

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/science-smiles Article titled Surprising Facts About Smiling, by Lisa Collier Cool, which cites the book Smile: The Astonishing power of a Simple Act, by Ron Gutman, TED Books, 2011. Cited online 12/10/12.

http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2010/07/say-cheese-15-fascinating-facts-about-smiling/ Cited online 12/10/12.

http://www.ihavenet.com/Health-Top-10-Surprising-Facts-About-Smiling-BSBY.html Cited online 12/10/12.

http://www.drstandley.com/facts_laughing.shtml Cited online 12/10/12.

Health Benefits of Turmeric

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The benefits of the spice turmeric, often termed the 'queen of spices', have been recorded as early as 1280AD by Marco Polo and have been used medicinally by China and India for thousands of years.
Turmeric is commonly used to boost flavour in culinary dishes and gives the yellow colour to curries--but it also has many medicinal benefits.

Turmeric contains dietary fibre, manganese, Vitamin B6, iron and potassium. It is used to promote healthy skin; in the treatment of Alzheimers; and is effective in the fight against cancer, heart disease, diabetes and a host of other conditions and uses. For more details, refer to this article, 'Top 10 Health Benefits of Turmeric', by thedetoxdiva, available here: http://thedetoxdiva.com/top-10-health-benefits-of-turmeric/

Fennel's Health Benefits

From Wikimedia Commons

Fennel provides a host of health and medicinal benefits. It is used in the treatment of constipation; respiratory conditions such as congestion and bronchitis; indigestion; flatulence and anemia. Fennel also regulates hormones to ease and regulate menstruation and aids in the fight against macular degeneration.

Fennel is effective in reducing inflammation to the stomach, digestive tract and eyes due to the components in its essential oils. Anetol, cineole, iron and histidine are among these components. Anetol and cineole reduce inflammation while iron and histidine boost blood health and treat anemia. Fennel also contains minerals, such as magnesium and cobalt, and antioxidants, essential for tissue regeneration and anti-aging.

From Wikimedia commons

Fennel is a diuretic and therefore beneficial in the removal of toxins from the body. It is also beneficial for lactating mothers and for a host of other reasons including hair health and sharpening of memory. Fennel treatments are achieved by using its seeds, vegetable bulb or as topical cures.

For more details of the health benefits of fennel, see this article:
http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-fennel.html

Natural treatments for teen problem skin, By Tracey Vale

Acne treatments need not be expensive with a number of natural treatments available that are not only effective but also soothing to the skin. Many store formulations contain chemicals and are over-drying, which compounds the problem by causing the glands to produce more oil to compensate.

Slight changes in your normal routine and habits will assist in reducing the occurrence, severity and longevity of breakouts.

(1)   Clean your face morning and night. Don’t use harsh soaps or any cleansers with fragrance or alcohol added. Use luke-warm or cool water. Natural cleansers are listed below in the remedy section.

(2)   Drink plenty of water throughout the day. This aids in flushing toxins, which are released through the skin, and maintains healthy skin and circulation.

(3)   Avoid touching your face, especially problem areas. This prevents spread of bacteria, aggravation and the increase of dirt and grime.

(4)   Exercise. This improves skin health from the inside out, improving overall health, circulation and the elimination of toxins.

(5)   Nutrition. Ensure your diet is balanced and antioxidant-rich, with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants aid in the removal of toxins and in the repair of damaged cells. Avoid greasy, high-fat content foods.

(6)   Vitamins. Daily consumption of the vitamins A, E and niacin has been shown to be effective in acne treatment.

(7)   Use a natural exfoliator once or twice a week. This needs to be a gentle process as harsh scrubbing will exacerbate breakout problems. Natural exfoliators are listed below.

(8)   Use a steam treatment once a week and follow with a natural mask treatment. See remedies below.

Natural Remedies

Steaming: Electric face steamers can be purchased relatively cheaply and are very effective. Alternatively, fill a large bowl with boiling water and place a towel over your head so that it covers the bowl and concentrates the steam. Wash your face first and, with your skin still wet, sit with your face over the steam. Raise your head away from the water if is too hot. Do this for around 10 to 15 minutes, and then gently pat your face dry. Your pores will be opened by the steam and will respond to a natural toner. You will also find that blackheads and whiteheads are looser and respond well to gentle exfoliation.

Witch Hazel: Witch Hazel is a natural toner that is very effective in the treatment of acne. Available from supermarkets and chemists, it is inexpensive and is applied by soaking a cotton wool ball and dabbing over the skin. Use after steaming, cleansing and exfoliating. Witch Hazel cleanses, tones and reduces the spread of acne-causing bacteria.

Tea Tree Oil: Tea Tree Oil is a natural disinfectant and is very effective in the treatment of acne. It can be found in many quality natural treatments available across the counter. Use in its natural form by dabbing onto problem areas. It reduces the spread of bacteria, cleans and assists in drying out breakouts.

Aspirin Mask and Exfoliator: Not strictly a natural remedy, but it is readily available and effective as a home remedy for acne treatment. Crush an aspirin tablet and mix with enough water to form a smooth paste. Apply over the skin as a mask. Relax for 10 to 20 minutes, while it dries. Rinse off with a little luke-warm or cool water, rubbing gently over the skin to exfoliate at the same time.

Baking Soda: Combine a teaspoon or two of baking soda with water and use as a cleanser for daily face-washing. Baking soda balances skin tone and unblocks clogged pores.

Baking soda combined with a small amount of water to form a smooth paste can be used as a face mask. Apply to the face and leave on for 15 to 30 minutes. This paste is also effective as a natural exfoliator.

Oatmeal: Oatmeal is naturally soothing and can be used in facials, exfoliators and masks. To make an oatmeal facial/exfoliator, combine 2 teaspoons of oatmeal with 1 teaspoon of baking soda and enough water to form a paste. Smooth over the face and gently rub in. Rinse off and pat dry.

For an oatmeal mask, combine 3 tablespoons of oatmeal with ½ cup of milk or water. Apply as a mask and leave on for 15 minutes. This will soothe and cleanse.

Orange Peel: Rub moist orange peel over affected areas to cleanse and reduce spread of bacteria. Alternatively, pound the peel and mix with a little water, then apply to the skin as a cleanser. Rinse and pat dry.