How To Distinguish Between A Good Cook And A Bad Cook

Currently, many of those who are reading this article are entering a phase in their lives where they are required to be able to really cook food, rather than just mix water with this or that powder. Because of the lack of practice, many of you are completely unable to cope with it.

At least, I couldn't. However, over the past two years I have devoted myself entirely to cooking - not only because I am insatiable and completely devoid of willpower and self-control, but mostly because cooking is a great way to relieve accumulated stress. Having cooked a huge number of more and more appetizing dishes each time, having heard Gordon Ramsey scream "idiot" at people in white aprons hundreds of times, I found the main mistake of beginners and unskilled cooks.

Bad cook is too quick to slice meat

What do beginner chefs usually do:
You have spent half an hour preparing a perfect dish, and your stomach is already rumbling impatiently. The smell is so strong that you can't resist it, and you can't wait any longer, because you can control yourself no better than a 4-month-old puppy. So, you take the meat out of the oven, and thank God it's finally ready. You start cutting it, and the meat juice is flowing all over the place. This is a good sign. The juicy meat is delicious. But when you bite off a piece and you realize that something is wrong.

How can meat be so dry when brown juice has just oozed out of it? That's the problem. All of the juice is now on your plate, not in the meat. You couldn't wait for the meat to "rest" before slicing it.

Why shouldn't you do it?

When meat is heated during cooking, the juice inside starts to "boil" from inside to outside. In fact, as the meat is being cooked, the muscle cells contract, pushing the juices out. That's why when you put a dry piece of meat in the oven, by the end of cooking, a small puddle of juice is formed underneath it - and it's not drowned fat at all.

When you take the meat out of the oven, the juices inside continue to boil for a few more minutes. The residual heat from the surface of the meat must be balanced by the less hot middle of the piece, so that the middle of the piece heats up while the surface cools down. This is very important to know, because while the meat is resting, the process of balancing the temperature reaches its peak, and only then the whole piece of meat starts to cool down - now muscle cells begin to relax, turning into a kind of sponge and pulling back the liquid they had previously given.

If you start slicing meat before it has rested and absorbed moisture, you deprive it of juice, making it drier than if you leave it to rest for a few minutes. A good rule in this case is to leave the fried piece of meat for 15-20 minutes on the off stove, where it is still warm but not hot anymore. Or cover it with foil so that it does not cool down sharply. Small pieces of meat - steaks or chicken - take 5 to 10 minutes.

This is s a guest blog entry.

Paying for Medical School Without Going Bankrupt

You might have been dreaming of becoming a doctor your whole life, but you may not have thought about how much medical school can cost. To afford the often steep prices, it’s important to know how to pay for your education without going bankrupt. The trick is to know where to look. 

Consider Taking Out Private Student Loans

Even if you get financial aid and scholarships from your school, you may not have enough to cover the cost of education. That’s when you may want to consider private student loans. Unlike federal loans, which the government regulates, private loans are issued by other lenders. Depending on who offers the loan, the repayment terms, eligibility requirements, and interest rates might vary. Private loans might have higher borrowing rates, so they can cover the remaining expenses after scholarships and other aid is taken into account. Depending on the lender, you might get a lower interest rate than federal loans offer. You’ll likely need to pass a credit check to qualify, and with some, you’ll need a cosigner. 

Look for Local Scholarships 

When you think of scholarships, you may think about undergraduate programs. But as a medical student, you still have plenty of options open. No matter where you are in the process, whether going to a residency or being an undergraduate pre-med student. Many scholarships are based on merit, so pay attention to your grades. Look up scholarships that aren't related to medicine as well. You might get something based on your outside interests, volunteer work, or even heritage. Even if you just get a few hundred dollars from each, they can add up if you get enough. 

Consider Federal Financial Aid

It’s a good idea to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You likely did this for your undergraduate education, but even in medical school, it’s an important step in getting financial aid for your medical education. The application is used to determine the amount of aid you can get based on need. Even if you haven’t gotten accepted by one school, you should still start your FAFSA to get as much aid as you can. They might offer you a federal loan, but there are limits on what you can borrow, and it might not cover everything. Filling out the FAFSA now is the same as when you did it for your undergraduate education. Just see if certain schools have deadlines. Even as a young adult, you might need a parent to fill out the form, so do your research as soon as you can to give yourself plenty of time to get the paperwork in order.

Look for Service Programs

The military and government both offer service programs. In exchange for working for a certain time for them, you can have all or some of your costs covered. For instance, you might work for a couple of years in an underserved community. Or you might commit to serving in the armed forces in exchange for fees and tuition getting covered.

This is a guest blog entry.

Try Out These Amazing CBD Drinks This Winter

CBD is a compound that has massive benefits in our bodies, and the research that is being done every day about this product continues to prove other incredible benefits CBD gives us.

For starters, it plays a huge role in killing free radicals in the body, which usually cause some types of cancers. It is also an essential product in preventing cardiovascular diseases, giving us healthy hearts, and it also helps control neurological disorders.

CBD is also helpful in alleviating pain due to inflammatory diseases like arthritis because of its excellent anti-inflammatory benefits. Moreover, it also helps us get smooth and healthy skin by reducing skin diseases like acne.

Due to the significant benefits of the use of CBD related products, more governments across the world are slowly embracing and allowing products that are made from hemp to be used.

The medical benefits that hemp products have had on patients over the years have been outstanding, and many doctors are surprised by what products made from hemp can do. During this cold season, there are some great CBD drinks you can use for therapeutic benefits, and we have outlined them in this piece.

• CBD Tea

CBD tea has excellent calming effects, which is making it to be used massively across the globe. Surprisingly, this tea has existed for a very long time, and it was mainly used in traditional medicine in treating various diseases.

It is a fantastic drink, and it would fit perfectly for the cold season. If you want to purchase hemp material for making CBD tea, you should research the shops that offer this product by searching online and comparing them. 

Some shops offer discounts on products made from hemp so that people continue buying from them, which is impressive.

When you prepare the CBD tea, you should start by drying the hemp material you have bought before mixing it with hot water.

While this is the right way of making CBD tea, the hot water cannot extract all the useful elements from the hemp, but the tea is still helpful in performing essential functions.

CBD tea is a strong anti-inflammatory, and it helps patients who are suffering from inflammatory diseases because it alleviates their pain. It also helps in healing infections that are caused by bacteria and fungi. 

Moreover, due to its relaxing nature, it is exceptionally helpful in treating anxiety and depression disorders. Anxiety makes you restless, and you may end up hurting yourself or the people around you.

But when you drink the CBD tea, it immediately calms you down, enabling you to concentrate and relax.

• CBD Latte 

While most latte products are made from steamed milk and espresso, it is also possible to make a latte using hemp extracts. Generally, CBD latte has many benefits compared to the coffee made with milk and espresso.

When you drink a cup of CBD latte, you are likely to experience some positive effects on your body. For starters, if you had a terrible headache that made you feel nauseous, the feeling stops after you take a CBD latte.

 It also stops the shaking that we experience during winter because of the low temperatures during this time. Moreover, CBD latte is safe to drink because it does not have any adverse side effects on your emotions or body in general. 

 You will not experience side effects like recurring anxiety attacks, for instance. Remarkably, the CBD latte gives you a feeling of relaxation like no other, enabling you to have balance in whatever you were doing. It also helps boost your energy and overall mood. 

When you are making a latte drink, you have to choose a milk source first. You can use hemp milk that is already made, or you can create one by yourself. If you decide to make the hemp milk by yourself, mix your milk the raw seeds, and you should also add honey and sea salt to it.

You can also use the hemp seeds without milk by using water and a vanilla sweetener. Ideally, the favor should be according to your preference. You can choose vanilla, honey, salt, or any other sweetener you think would be appropriate. 

By the way, if you’ll be trying out all these drinks, why not order a higher quantity from https://mrhempflower.com/wholesale and get wholesale rates? Pretty neat right?

• Hot Chocolate or Strawberry CBD Smoothie

While many chocolate drinks are not always healthy, a creamy chocolate CBD smoothie is very beneficial, especially during the winter season. The CBD chocolate drink is refined to remove all the unhealthy elements that chocolate drinks have.

It does not contain sugar, gluten, oil, or soy, but it includes vegan to enhance its nutrient level. Moreover, making a CBD chocolate smoothie is also as simple and easy as you like.

You have to mix all the ingredients, including hemp seeds, cinnamon, almond milk, Medjool dates, and cocoa powder in a blender until they become smooth. 

Alternatively, if you don’t like chocolate flavors, there is also the strawberry CBD smoothie that got you covered. It is also refined to remove all the harmful components.

As such, it is made of a thick frozen strawberry that gives you a creamy ice texture, without necessarily using ice cream like the conventional milkshakes.

Indeed, drinks that are made from CBD have some outstanding benefits to anyone using them. They have high-levels of essential nutrients, fibers, and fatty acids that are exceptionally beneficial to us. 

Moreover, while hemp is a plant based-source, it has proteins, containing all the essential amino acids that our bodies require. In truth, it is time that all countries around the globe legalized the use of hemp products because of its remarkable health benefits.

This is a guest blog entry.

What Are the Most Popular Medical Jobs?

 

As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on our physical and financial health, the healthcare industry has become the most popular and rapidly growing sector in the world. If you're looking for a fulfilling and rewarding career path, consider applying for a health care job in your area.

For those applicants seeking generous compensation and ample advancement opportunities, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the medical industry will experience 18 percent job growth within the next few years. Unlike other industries, the healthcare sector remains insulated from the effects of crashing job markets that may result from coronavirus and related quarantine procedures.

Despite popular misconceptions, a medical job doesn’t require ten years of medical training under your belt or an “M.D.” alongside your name. The healthcare sector offers several job opportunities that require different certifications, skill sets, and levels of experience. So, if you’re passionate about caring for others, here’s a list of the four most popular medical jobs you should consider during your job hunt. 

Registered nurse

 
A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who assists doctors with patient care. These healthcare professionals often work with physician offices, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, recording crucial patient information and administering medication.

Suppose a certified RN prefers to avoid restrictive work schedules. In that case, they can opt to work as traveling CNA nurses and travel to cross-country or international locations to offer the needed medical services. With generous food stipends, travel reimbursement programs, and free private housing, you can explore exotic locations while pursuing a healthcare career.

To qualify as a registered nurse, you’ll need to complete a bachelor's degree or earn an associate’s degree. You also must have a state nursing license.

After meeting these prerequisites and securing employment, you’ll be responsible for monitoring patient health, completing the necessary documentation, providing emergency care, and overseeing patient administration. Despite the high-stress work environment and long hours, you’ll enjoy a generous salary or hourly compensation while climbing the ladder and building your expertise. 

Physician

By definition, physicians are medical practitioners required to attend to various patient needs. These professionals include gynecologists, neurologists, obstetricians, primary care providers, dermatologists, and ER doctors.

Physicians fall into two basic categories: Doctors of Osteopathy and Doctors of Medicine. Although you can separate these healthcare professionals into two brackets, both Doctors of Osteopathy and Doctors of Medicine generally perform the same job duties, which involve diagnosing and treating patients for a range of medical problems.

Pharmacist

If you’re willing to dedicate six years of your life to your education, a pharmacist position is another excellent medical job you can consider. While many of us interact with a pharmacy team on a monthly or even weekly basis, you may be unfamiliar with a pharmacist’s relevant job duties.  Briefly summarized, a pharmacist is a licensed professional who provides patients with critical medical information and medications.

These healthcare professionals fill medication prescriptions and direct patients on how to take them. Pharmacists also explain the potential side effects of the drugs prescribed and recommend a course of action if patients experience adverse effects. Additionally, pharmacists help patients by determining if a particular medication reacts negatively with current medications and health conditions. Not to mention, they can administer immunizations.

Most of these professionals work for pharmaceutical companies, universities, or local pharmacies. Most full-time pharmacists should plan to work 40+ workweeks. 

Dentist

Dentists play a significant role in ensuring patients' teeth are healthy and not causing discomfort. Primarily, dentists assess and treat a range of problems involving teeth, mouth, and gum health. Often, a dentist’s job duties also include filling cavities, fitting dentures, and whitening teeth.

As a dentist, you can choose to specialize in treating severe oral diseases, performing oral surgery, or straightening teeth. These healthcare professionals often recruit dental assistants and dental hygienists to help clean patients' teeth, maintain patient records, and sterilize instruments. If you aren’t willing to undergo six to eight years of dental training, you can research dental hygienist and dental assistant positions in your area. 

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners are healthcare professionals who provide advanced care services. Some consider nurse practitioners to be advanced RNs with additional responsibilities, including examining patients, providing treatment, diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medications, ordering patient tests, and analyzing results. Unlike registered nurses, the duties of a nurse practitioner resemble those of a doctor.

With training to perform health care services like examining and treating chronic conditions and acute illness, these healthcare professionals often qualify for $89,000 to $130,000 yearly salaries. Nurse practitioners can choose to specialize in pediatric health, geriatric health, and mental health. Those interested may want to specialize in patient populations, where they train to work in different areas such as pediatrics and women's health. 

Conclusion

 
With the job market susceptible to yet another crash, secure employment in an industry with unrivaled job security and incredible benefits packages. If you aren’t interested in applying for medical school and are currently looking for positions with minimal schooling requirements, be sure to research openings for nursing assistant positions, medical assistant positions, and pharmacy technician positions.

This is a guest blog entry.

Why Breathing Exercises Are Crucial to Your Well-being

Breathing is something we do without thinking. It is also true, even when we don’t breathe right. When we are facing stress and anxiety, the way we breathe changes. However, it is not what we notice. We only know that we are not feeling well. From there, stress can take over and cause a litany of problems. That’s unless you learn the right techniques to breathe.

Be Aware of the Way You Breathe

If you want your life to be better, physically and mentally, you should take the time to check on your breathing every day. It is an action you should integrate into your daily routine so that you can act upon it, if there is a problem with it. Are you breathing too fast? Are you breathing at all or only sporadically? Then you need to learn breathing exercises for anxiety. Why: Because not breathing right is the source of many other health issues you may have.

The fact is, so many health problems can be solved through breathing. It can reduce blood pressure and even help with many chronic diseases. Breathing right is like eating right. If you eat junk food all the time or simply too much, it will have a direct effect on your body. You may have digestive problems and become overweight. Breathing is the same; if you don’t breath right, you will have cardiovascular issues which can cause a multitude of other sicknesses.

Breathing Exercises: Not Only for People with Lung Disorders

People suffering from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have to do breathing exercise to make themselves better. But an MD specializing in asthma and allergy in New York City (Dr. Payel Gupta ) believes that everyone would benefit by doing so. He says that people with healthy lungs often forget to pay attention to the way they breathe and it can cause them various cardiovascular problems. Breathing right improves the blood flow and blood pressure. He confirms that it also alleviates stress and that it helps with cognitive functions.

For Those with Ongoing Problems

If you find yourself trying to catch your breath, you should consult a specialist. If they find a lung problem, they will suggest exercises you can do to keep them in the best shape possible. Though it is true that you cannot regain what you have lost, because of a disease that affected your lungs, you can still maximize what you have. It might be more than what people with normal lungs do, when they are not breathing right.

This is a guest blog entry.

Basic Medical Life-Saving Procedures Everyone Should Learn

https://pixabay.com/photos/emergency-cardiac-rescue-3016877/

Life is unpredictable and emergencies can happen at any time. When it comes to health, people usually only prepare with various health insurance plans. Medical emergencies can be the most difficult to handle as many people are often unprepared for them. There might be times when a call to 911 will not be enough and someone might have to intervene immediately to help the person in distress. The situation can easily become overwhelming due to stress and panic of not knowing what to do, especially if it’s your child. In order to avoid being unable to provide help, it is best to be prepared and learn some basic medical life-saving procedures.

Here is a list of the most common and useful medical procedures that everyone should know and learn.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

 
CPR is one of the most important procedures that you should learn. This procedure is performed when a person goes into cardiac arrest (when a person’s heart suddenly stops beating). It is a life-threatening condition, and if CPR is not performed immediately, it can result in brain damage or even death of the individual. CPR involves compressing the chest consistently and repeatedly to pump blood to the vital organs. The procedure can be learned best at an institute like Lifesaver Education where you can get certified for CPR and AED.

Heimlich Maneuver

 
The Heimlich maneuver is the recommended procedure to perform when someone is choking. It dislodges whatever was blocking the person’s windpipe. You should wrap your arms from behind around the person who is choking, clasp your hands together and then perform multiple upward thrusts towards the person’s belly button until the object causing the choking dislodges. Bear in mind that this way of administering the maneuver is recommended for adults only. There is a different procedure for when a child is choking.

Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)

 
Automatic External Defibrillator or AED is a machine consisting of two electric paddles that are used to restart a heart and bring it back to a normal rhythm after cardiac arrest. It is vital to check for lack of pulse in the person you suspect is suffering cardiac arrest before using an AED on them. Many public places such as malls, restaurants, stores and more have AED available. It is recommended to get training on how to use an AED.

Signs of a Stroke

 
It is important to know the signs of a stroke so that you can help the person in distress immediately. The symptoms of a stroke can be subtle and differ from person to person. Common signs are headaches, disorientation, sudden numbness, difficulty walking, trouble seeing out of both eyes, body drooping on one side, difficulty speaking and weakness of the face. “FAST”, an acronym for Face, Arms, Speech and Time, is a quick way to assess someone for all the mentioned symptoms and determine if they are having a stroke.
 
In any medical emergency, emergency services should be called as soon as possible so that the individual in need receives proper medical help quickly. Medical emergencies are terrifying, but if you are prepared for them, you can help those in distress and potentially reduce further health complications.

This is a guest blog entry.

6 Helpful Tips to Speed Up Recovery After Surgery

Photo by Brian Patrick Tagalog on Unsplash

How good are you at following doctors’ orders? When you’re leaving the hospital after any type of surgery there may be a long list of dos and don’ts that accompany the bag of medication you carry with you. Do you diligently follow those tips? The truth is that even after a successful operation, it’s what you do at home that determines how well you’ll recover in the months ahead. Your actions after surgery matter!

Now, don’t get too stressed; you can speed up your recovery just by doing the right things. There are times when a surgery may result in chronic pain, in which case you can seek professional assistance such as those at Seattle Pain Relief. Along with this and your surgeon’s suggestions, why not incorporate some of our tips below? You won’t believe how simple some of them are.

What’s On Your Plate?

 
What you give your body will directly impact your recovery, so pick healthy ingredients that help you heal. Add probiotics and protein to your diet and avoid salt and sports drinks. How you eat is also important. Eat smaller meals so you can manage bloating more effectively and it may prevent feeling nauseated.

Rest

 
Resting is the best thing you can do for your body, because it mends itself while you’re asleep. If you feel excessively tired, listen to your body and stay in bed. This may be necessary as much as six weeks after surgery, because your body experiences an operation as trauma and needs to recover. 

Move Correctly

 
You need to sleep, but you also need to ensure there’s enough circulation throughout your body. Gentle stretching and regular walks outside will be ideal from about one day after having surgery. You shouldn’t cause your heart rate to increase too much, but you need that blood pumping and it will help your lymph nodes do their work. Eventually you need to get back to some level of fitness. As an added benefit, you may experience less bloating and constipation if you can get moving soon after the surgery.

Consider Your Clothes

 
This tip is for comfort, but also for health purposes. Avoid tight fitting clothes and items that have elastic bands near where your incision is. Prevent irritating your skin, adding too much pressure or accidentally hurting your body in an additional capacity.

Stop the Sneeze

 
If you have a cut across your stomach or your chest, you can imagine that coughing and sneezing won’t help the situation. Occurrences like these could damage something around the scar. If you can’t stop the sneeze or cough - or if coughing is essential to clear your lungs - apply gentle pressure to the incision by placing a pillow over it and pressing towards your body.

Take Care of Your Incision

 
Consider how you tend to your incision, even if the doctor does it every few days. It’s usually better to shower than to bathe, so the area doesn’t get soaked. When cleaning a wound, don’t over clean with products and don’t pick at the scabs.

Endnote

 
These small aspects of your recovery can have an immense impact. Be strict with yourself, because in the long run you’ll be grateful.

This is a guest blog entry.