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Creativity has long been a discussion among business, politics, and academia. Comedy Central’s Indecision released an article about how creativity is playing a fundamental aspect in the continual political battle for health care reform. Sir Ken Robinson gave a fantastic lecture on whether or not schools are killing creativity that started at TED and took the world by storm. Businesses throw the word “creative” around during everyday meetings on marketing strategies.

The power of creativity in life is monumental, whether you are talking about an artist, a professional, or a stay-at-home parent. Everyday people are embracing creativity as a means to living healthier. According to New Lifestyles, creativity is also a fundamental aspect of prolonged life and beneficial to the elderly.

Quality of Life Ideas from Coachville lists the top 10 benefits to creativity:

1. Expanded sense of time
2. Freedom
3. Enhanced relationships
4. Living integrity
5. Save money
6. Energetic, lighter quality of life
7. Connection with other creative people
8. Faith and confidence in impulses
9. Honoring the source of creative ideas
10. Self-knowledge and discovery

So if creativity is so quintessential to health an improved lifestyle, how do we go about in embracing our inner creativity? How to Do Things writer Dan Goodwin believes there is a blueprint to finding your creativity. That’s right–the things that benefit architects can benefit you, too! Follow these basic guidelines in order to improve the overall creativity in your life:

1. Find what you want to create. Creativity is about creating things, so pick something to let your creativity out with. This could be a blog, a scrapbook, a car project, even a professional marketing project at work. Whatever you can think of that you can produce with your creative juices will work as a starting point to understanding how creativity plays a role in your life.
2. Find out when to create. Now that you have a general direction, find out what time of day you are the most productive. If this a work project, this might be more difficult, because you likely are only at work 8 hours a day. If this is an at-home project, you might be restricted based upon your daily activities. It is best to be keenly aware of when your creativity is optimal though–do you work better at morning? before bed? after lunch?–in order to work at the height of your creative possibilities.
3. How long to create for. Some people spend hours upon hours on one project. Others spend ten minutes. Try to keep your level of passion in your creativity high, even if it means approaching it in short spurts.
4. Analyze what you are creating. Is this project something you find yourself continuously enjoying, or are you creating something that you feel other people want you to make, that you are trudging through? The height of your creativity will come from something that you enjoy, or at least are whole-heartedly dedicated to, from start to finish.
5. Where to create. Creativity often thrives in certain environments. Does a specific kind of lighting, a scent, or amount of space seem more attractive than other alternatives? What atmosphere do you must thrive in?
6. How to stay creative. Now you have developed your creative blueprint! Take a look at what makes you at the height of your creativity and utilize this to lead to a happier, healthier lifestyle.

Creativity is one of mankind’s methods of survival. It is an instinctual process that is inherent in all of us, and suppression of creativity could lead to frustration, narrow-mindedness, stress, low self-esteem, failure in relationships, and lack of expansion or growth. It is imperative to understand creativity is a fundamental aspect of our health and not just the foodstuff of hobbyists and artists.

Did you know that vinegar is a great clarifier for your hair? Or that lemon yogurt works as a facial mask to instantly brighten your skin? These common household items can make you look and feel better and they are much cheaper than expensive department store, or even drugstore, brands. Listed below are 5 top household items that can work double time for you and your body.

Healthy food is not only delicious, but can help improve your hair and skin.

1. Vinegar

This natural remedy for dull-looking hair does the job by removing scaly buildup on the hair shaft. Smoke, hair spray, and gels can all leave residue on the hair that makes it look lifeless and coarse. Plain white vinegar can work or, even better, apple cider vinegar. Just dilute the vinegar (1 part vinegar and 2 parts water is a good combination) and saturate your hair. Shampoo several times and the vinegary smell should dissipate once hair is dry. The result: Shiny, weightless hair!

2. Lemon yogurt

Since yogurt has live cultures (essentially good bacteria), it can help stave away the bacteria that is bad for you and your skin. This is great news for those with problem skin. Also, the lactic acid in yogurt can soothe and soften your skin. But why lemon-flavored yogurt? Because lemon has natural properties that can rid the skin of dead cells as well as lighten the skin over time.

3. Jojoba oil

Jojoba oil is a good option for the hair and the skin. As a leave-on treatment, jojoba oil is a tremendous deep conditioner. But even better, this natural product seems to mimic sebum oil, which is what can clog your pores and cause you to break out. After applying jojoba oil, your body thinks it has produced enough oil and stops. In turn, this leaves your skin less oily.

4. Corn Starch

Does your hair tend to get oily the next day after washing? Then cornstarch- and inexpensive dry shampoos- could be the right product for you. Although it can get messy, the benefits of corn starch greatly outweigh this disadvantage. Just remember to use sparingly. Brush a small amount into the roots of your hair and voila! Your hair looks freshly washed. It does the job by removing the oils and grease your hair produces throughout the day.

5. Baking Soda

Baking soda is a wonderful teeth whitener and a lot cheaper than those expensive strips or a trip to the dentist. Just pour a small amount into a cup and dip your slightly damp toothbrush into the powder. You might want to just focus on your front teeth as they are the only ones that really show and baking soda does taste pretty bad. If you do this routinely, you’ll find that baking soda can be a great teeth-whitener and stain remover.

• Scientists Tout Aloe As Effective Toothpaste: http://bit.ly/VL3ZF
• Study: Ovary Removal May Increase Lung Cancer Risk: http://tinyurl.com/ndy2rn
• Organ Trafficking the Only Solution for Egypt's Poor: http://tinyurl.com/myg2gc
• Obama Rallies For Health Care Reform At Town Hall In Ohio: http://tinyurl.com/mwmkmf

“Your body is 80% water!”

You have heard this statement before, right? While it is not entirely on the mark (your body is more like 55-78% water, depending on body size), it goes without saying that your body is comprised out of water more than anything else. So it is not surprising to develop a condition like water retention, especially during the summer.

What is water retention? Water retention, or edema, is when you have a large amount of water being stored in the lower part of your body, such as around your ankles and feet. It also may store itself in your back, hands, and face while you are sleeping, resulting in morning puffiness.

How can I stop water retention? Dr. Jennifer Shu from CNN says that, for starters, you should not stand or sit too often. Body movement allows the water to get around. Also, you may want to look at your sodium intake. “Edema can be caused by too much sodium or salt intake but may also be a sign of a medical condition such as kidney disease, a liver disorder, heart failure or problems with the circulation or lymphatic system,” Dr. Shu says. Ironically, dehydration can also cause water retention; your body will store water when it is thirsty, just like it will store fat when it is starving!

Why is water retention more prevalent in the summer? Bags of potato chips aside, water retention occurs when spending a long day standing in the sun or when the sun dehydrates you to a crisp. This does not mean to avoid the sun, though; you need that for your Vitamin D. Make sure to move often and even try lifting your feet above your heart level once in awhile to get the water flowing, and keep fluids in your system.

If you take your socks off and find the skin around your ankles is puffy, take a look at water rentention. It might very well be the culprit!

CNN Health recently looked at the six common reasons women’s feet hurt, from bursitis to bunions. These included:

1. Plantar Fasciitis. You have a sharp pain in your heel(s) that hurts the most when you are getting out of bed. The inflammation of the plantar fascia (a thick band of tissue running from your heel to your toes) is common when you wear abnormally flat or high-heel shoes. The cure? Wear a shoe with a healthy arch, naturally. If this is difficult, try stretching your feet in the morning. Make sure if you have a long walk to work that you wear comfortable shoes while walking and slip on the pretty work shoes when you arrive.
2. Ingrown Toenail. If you have a throbbing sensation on the side of your big toe and red swelling (or any other toes), you might have an ingrown toenail. These commonly occur from wearing pointed shoes that restrict the growth of nails naturally. Try to wear shoes that are rounder/with a flatter head.
3. Bursitis. This is a bump, typically found on the back of the heel. This happens from a genetically enlarged heel bone is often referred to as “pump bump” because it is irritated by shoes like pumps, with stiff backing. Avoid those pumps if you have one of these!
4. Stress Fracture. A tender area in the front part of your foot, along the bones that run across your foot, could mean a stress fracture. If you are running on hard surfaces with shoes that are not meant to support shocks, this could be a side effect. This one definitely requires seeing a doctor.
5. Bunions. Aching at the head of your toe joints? This is another problem brought about by pointy shoes.
6. Neuroma. If you have a shooting pain in the ball of your foot, you might be experiencing neuroma. This, again, is fixed by switching pointy shoes to ones with a wide toe box, and cutting back on the ultra-high-heels.

The short gist: sexy, tall, pointed shoes might not be the best things for your feet.

Aching feet is one of the most common health problems around, with the American Podiatric Medical Association reporting over 50% of Americans complain that feet aggregation interferes with their daily lives. The causes are consistent and point towards the same reprecussions.

Take care of your 26-bone foot this summer by laying off the flipflops and high heels 24/7 and giving it the treatment and shoes it deserves!