People’s Health

Do you know that to get clear of acne you have to eat pumpkin seeds every day? Pumpkin is irreplaceable mean in skin care, because of great content of zinc salts and vitamins E and T. It helps to increase metabolic processes. Also facial masks from pumpkin and pumpkin seeds have fine moistening and tonic effects. Today I offer some recipes of homemade facial masks from this useful vegetable.

For normal skin. Mince 200 gram pumpkin pulp and add 1 tablespoon non-fat sour cream. Mix everything and put on the face with thick layer. In 20 minutes wash the face with cool water. This mask cleans and tones skin very well.

For dry skin. Boil the piece of pumpkin and make puree. Add one grated apple, 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix everything. Put on the face and keep for 20 minutes. Then wash with warm water. This mask has moistening and emollient effect.
Grate a piece of fresh pumpkin and mix with 1 yolk and 1 tablespoon milk (for anti-aging effect change milk to vegetable oil). Put the mask on the face and neck. Wash with warm water in 15-20 minutes.

For greasy skin. Mix 2 tablespoons boiled pumpkin with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Put on the face and keep for 20 minutes. Then wash with cool water.
Mix 2 tablespoons pounded fresh pumpkin with egg-white and beat. Put on the face for 10 minutes and then wash with cool water.
Rub the face skin with a piece of fresh pumpkin some times a day to get rid of acne and pimples.

Anti-aging mask. Slice some pumpkin pulp and boil. Pound pumpkin and add a yolk, 1 teaspoon honey and mix carefully. Put the warm mask on the face and keep for 15-20 minutes. Then wash with cold water.

For all types of skin. Make puree from boiled pumpkin and add 1 tablespoon grated carrot and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix everything carefully and put on the face and neck for 15-20 minutes. Then wash mask with warm water.

Bleaching mask clears spots away and whitens freckles. Pound 2 tablespoons fresh cleaned pumpkin seeds adding boiled water (2 tablespoons). Then ass 2 tablespoons honey and mix carefully. Put the mask on the face, especially on the pigmental spots and freckles and keep for 30 minutes. Then wash mask with cool water. Keep the mixture in the fridge. Use this mask every day until desired result.

Moistening cream from pumpkin. Slice 150 gram of pumpkin pulp and boil in the steamer. Make a puree. Add 3 table-spoons milk and boil the mixture on the water bath until density of sour cream. Then add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, mix carefully and put into glass can. Keep this cream in the fridge and use every morning.

It only takes a few extra seconds to play it safe when you back up – and those seconds can make the difference between life and death. While hard to imagine, every year more than 100 children die and thousands more are injured by being backed over, sometimes in their own driveways.

Before driving, the National Safety Council urges parents and other drivers to walk completely around their cars to ensure the safety of children and pets.

Another danger that’s often not realized is the heat inside a car, which can quickly build up to a life-threatening degree. Even in 70º weather, heat-stroke can happen fast to children or animals left inside a vehicle and can result in injury, brain damage or death.

Sometimes heat stroke happens at work, when overworked parents forget to drop children at daycare and leave them in the car. Putting something beside parents in the front seat, like a stuffed animal, when children are in the back, can be a reminder that they are there.

The NSC offers free informational flyers, in both English and Spanish, with tips to prevent hot car deaths (English version, Spanish version) and unintentional backovers(English version, Spanish version). Flyers are also available for purchase in quantities of 100 (car deaths, unintentional backovers).

Know your HIV status and talk about all the sex you have…

It might come as a surprise that 25% of HIV infections in gay men  happen in relationships.

HIV transmissions in relationships can occur for lots of reasons:

• Some couples stop using condoms early in the relationship before they’ve talked about HIV or had an HIV test together,
• If either partner breaks their guidelines for sex outside the relationship and aren’t able to or don’t tell their partner they have been put at risk,
• If the couple are in a positive/negative relationship and occasionally have sex without condoms.

Know your status and talk to each other…

If you decide to stop using condoms because you’ve both tested negative, make sure you set up a clear agreement for sex with each other and with other people.

If either of you takes a risk, go back to condoms until you’ve both been tested again.

Talking to each other about the sex you have inside and outside your relationship is vital for protecting each other from HIV and other STIs.

If you’re in a positive/negative relationship remember that condoms are the best way to prevent HIV transmission and know about PEP in case you need it.  

ACON can help you…

ACON runs workshops on relationships covering a range of topics including sex, negotiation and communication skills and expectations.

There are specific workshops for, gay men, gay men under 26 and HIV negative partners of HIV positive men.

ACON also has counsellors who you can talk to either on your own or with your partner. Call us on 9206 2000 or 1800 063 060 to find out more.

Or check out M8 Magazine for hints and tips about relationships, including info on improving your negotiation skills.

If you’re outside of Sydney, then you can get in touch with the staff at one of ACON’s regional offices in the Hunter, Illawarra, Northern Rivers or on the Mid North Coast