The Glam Show Live – ticket giveaway!

Bethanie Lunn – our very own Queen of Fabulousness – will be appearing at The Glam Show Live later this month, where she will be divulging more of her insider secrets and further advice on her four fabulous commandments!

The girls at Glam Show Live have kindly offered Bookshelf Boyfriend readers a £5 discount on the Silver Day Ticket* – simply enter the code BETHL0709 in the promotional box on the ticket form.

*discount code valid until 15th October 2009

The ultimate day out for women is coming to Earls Court London Saturday 31st October – Sunday 1st November – The Glam Show in association with TV’s lifestyle expert Nicky Hambleton-Jones.

Showcasing the latest in women’s fashion, lifestyle, health and beauty the event will combine fantastic shopping opportunities together with fabulous fashion shows and the latest in products and services.

The two-day exhibition will host fashion shows throughout each day, featuring the most up-front fashion trends for autumn/winter, alongside vintage style presentations and expert demonstrations in all aspects of beauty, health and lifestyle.

**WIN WIN WIN** A VIP GOLD DAY TICKET TO THE GLAM SHOW LIVE!!!

To help kick off the fun, the Glam Show has also donated six Glam Gold VIP tickets which include entry to all eight feature zones, access to the VIP lounge, a Glam luxury goody bag and a Glam event guide.

To be in with a chance of winning one, fill in the subscription form on Bethanie’s website being sure to state your full name, postal address, email address and which day you would prefer (Saturday or Sunday) – and winners will be picked out of a very stylish hat!

Read Bethanie’s article How to Be Fabulous: My Four Fabulous Commandments on BookshelfBoyfriend.com

Enjoy your Easter eggs!

Good news for all you chocoholics – quality chocolate has many benefits, so you can indulge in your Easter eggs with a clear conscience and the knowledge that you are doing yourself a favour!  However, moderation is key, and also, it must be good quality dark chocolate – unfortunately, you don’t get same benefits if you scoff down a whole box champagne truffles.

Minerals:
Iron, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, potassium, calcium. Chocolate even contains fluoride (so potentially it’s good for your teeth…?!).
Antioxidants:
Flavenoids, the same type as in red wine and green tea – mop up free radicals and help prevent ageing; also considered to reduce risk of cancer and heart disease.
Mood:
Stimulants caffeine and theobromine (latter not good for dogs, however). Stimulate brain and give burst of energy.

Phenyl-ethyl-amine (PEA), which relieves depression and is also associated with falling in love and indeed with orgasm, is also contained in chocolate – give me that any day!

How to savour the flavour…

 … Ok, you might think you’re enjoying your chocolate already, but are you experiencing it so that it truly indulges every one of your senses?

Sight: 
Your chocolate should be glossy, rich, uniform in colour and smooth.

Sound: 
It should make a clean snap sound and have clean break.

Smell: 
Inhale deeply and appreciate!

Taste:
Allow to melt on your tongue and fill the mouth – there should be a complex, lingering flavour. Spice, nuts, dried fruit, tobacco – are just some of the flavours.

Your experience will vary with cocoa percentage, region of origin, and of course bean used.

There is no need, by the way, to go to extreme – 100% cocoa is very much an acquired taste. 60-70% cocoa content provides marvellous flavours.

The very best chocolate stands up perfectly by itself with no need of additional flavours or fillings.

Original articles by Marian Dougan – BB’s resident chocolate expert!
Read more about Chocolate and other lovely indulgences in our Food and Drink section

Hurrah for Helen, and Meryl, and Greta…

We were shocked to read over the weekend, that Greta Scacchi, now 48, once went to visit a plastic surgeon to see if he could rectify the small problem she saw as being the “hollow” below her eyes – we’re still struggling to work out what this is.  

Its not that she went to see the plastic surgeon in an attempt to resolve what sounds like a complex since childhood – most of us have those moments of thinking “if only I could rectify my this that or the other my life would be sorted” moments.  Our shock is that despite the fact that she is still one of the most beautiful women to grace our screens, all those years ago she left the surgeon, devastated, with a whole list of problems; from her nose being too small to her underbite being to big and her chin too long.

Luckily for us, she saw the sense once the bill arrived and didn’t go ahead with any of the procedures.

There seems to be a greater appreciation these days for natural beauties in older women, helped by the likes of Dame Helen Mirren (62) looking fantastic last week in a red bikini – and looking better than most of us here at BB Towers, despite us being 30 years her junior.

And then there’s the forever beautiful Meryl Streep, who, at 59, has once again seen box office and now chart success this week for her dynamic role in the film version of Mama Mia this. She is once reported to have attributed her perfect skin to “actively not touching it with her hands” – if only we’d all listened to that tip ten years ago!

The truly marvellous thing about these actresses is that they provide a fantastic example for us 20 and 30 somethings, and an avenue of aspiration away from the nip-tuck culture we’ve been subjected to over the last few years. These women are all the more beautiful and distinguished for the fact they haven’t had surgical intervention, and we should all take heed and not resign ourselves to a trip to the surgeon once we hit 40. Helen, Meryl and Greta – we love you!

For a little non-evasive help and advice on maintaining your natural good looks and beauty for the years ahead, check out our article on strength training for women in the Bookshelf Boyfriend sport and fitness section, and our tips to great skin.

 

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Women’s troubles, shhhh, don’t talk about it…

I am this week’s Bookshelf Boyfriend blogger, but as you may have noticed for most of this week I have been silent.  This is because I have been suffering from the most god-awful bladder infection, aka cystitis, …de da duhh….  

The pain has been excruciating  - the sensation of urinating a combination of mini corn-on-the-cob knives and caustic soda; a constantly burning urethra and throbbing bladder, and the feeling of desperately needing the loo all the blimmin’ time.  On top of this I’ve been sleeping for Britain whilst my body’s been trying to fight the infection.  Consequently it has rather taken over my life this last week and pre-occupied most of my thoughts. When people (friends, family and colleagues that is, not just any mere acquaintance) ask me how I am, as an honest chick I feel compelled to tell them that “I’m very well thank you, apart from this goddamn bladder infection that’s taking over my life right now.”  And that’s when the looks of prudish horror and disgust start to appear.  

We all, men and women alike, have bladders and urethras, and we are all susceptible to bladder infections. Admittedly, women are more vulnerable to them because their urethra is shorter, but this doesn’t rule men out of the ability to get them either.  Possible causes for infection can include among others: generally being sexually active; having a weakened immune system; and not emptying your bladder fully when urinating.   So why the look of shock, as if I’ve spilled the beans on a sordid sex life of extreme bondage and wife-swapping, whenever I mention cystitis?  Urinary tract infections are extremely common, and should be no more of a taboo to mention than having a cold.  

This ineffable nature is particularly worrying among men, who I imagine are even less likely to raise the subject. UTIs, including cystitis, in men can be a sign of an enlarged prostrate gland, and consequently it is extremely important that medical advice is got as soon as possible.  In both men and women the infection needs to be carefully monitored and controlled, so that it doesn’t spread up the urinary tract to infect the kidneys or spine. If there is any sign of kidney, back pain or fever then medical attention should be sought immediately, regardless if you are already taking a standard course of antibiotics to treat the cystitis.

Having said all that, I am well on the mend now, having been prescribed my second dose of antibiotics. One of the advantages I’ve had from shouting my mouth off about it to everybody is that I’ve gained a lot of tips and advice from others on how to treat it or at least ease some of the discomfort. So I thought I’d write a few of the tips that I found most beneficial here, as well as some standard and more obvious advice. I hasten to add that whilst this advice helped me it does not come from medical practitioners, and ultimately I still needed to visit the GP twice.  So whilst the below suggestions can help ease the symptoms, if you have any concerns, if your are pregnant or breast-feeding, if your symptoms last more than a couple of days, or if it is a child with the symptoms, seek medical assistance. It is also worth looking at sites such as NHS Direct for further detailed advice.

 

Recommendations for cystitis

• Drink lots and lots of water – a good 2 litres a day. Avoid alcohol, and do not allow yourself to get dehydrated at all.
• Its probably the last thing you feel like doing, but no sex until the condition is completely clear.
• Drinking a glass of water with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda can ease some of the acid burn when passing urine.  Alternatively sodium citrate, bought generically and therefore cheaply over the counter at the chemist, or sachets such as Cymalon or Oasis, can be added to water. It may well be a case of seeing which of these options works for you this particular time.
• Gently wash your urethra after every time you go to the toilet, with a cotton wool ball dipped into a weak solution of a drop or two of tea tree and cedarwood pure essential oils in cold water. This should both prevent further infection, and ease the continuing burn, especially if a pinch of bicarbonate of soda is added to the solution.
• Don’t be a martyr and do take pain killers! If you find paracetamol or ibuprofen aren’t working, then speak to your pharmacist or doctor about taking co-codamol.
• Have a bath once or twice a day in tepid water with a few drops each of tea tree, cedarwood and lavender essential oils. Do not use soap or shower gels etc to clean with, the antiseptic properties of the essential oils is enough to clean you. This along was the single most relieving treatment for me (apart from antibiotics!).
• There’s no harm in drinking lots of cranberry juice, although it may be better for preventative purposes rather than curing, just make sure its sugar free.

We’re looking to creating a medical section on BookshelfBoyfriend.com.  If you can submit any articles, tips or make further suggestions, do get in touch we’d love to hear from you.  

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