REVIEW: Biotique - Bio Winter Green Spot Correcting Cream

 Biotique Botanicals Bio Winter Green Spot Correcting Anti-Acne Cream (For Oily & Acne Prone Skin)

As you can tell by the enormous name for this product, it definitely is like none other. Although it does work, it takes quite a bit of patience. 

Let me give you a little background on this product. After vacationing in January with my cousin up in the beaches in the northern part of the state - we both came back with dry, flakey skin with lots of breakouts and horrendous sunburns. We were at our grandparents' house, and were bored out of our minds. So, my cousin was telling me how she wanted to buy almond oil for her face because she read somewhere that it helped with acne scarring. So, we proceeding to go to the mall and went to this big supermarket/drugstore there (yes, our malls have supermarkets). We went to the skincare section and it was quite overwhelming actually. So many products ranging from all chemicals to all natural. We were browsing for a while (of course), and I stumbled upon this magical little tub.

You may notice on the packaging that it says "ayurvedic." Essentially, all it means is this product is all natural, which is always an eye-catcher. Generally, ayurveda refers to "alternative medicine." Which, generally refers to natural remedies concocted by ancient Hindu doctors a very long time ago. 

To further explain, the packaging provides this little description:

"An extraordinary combination of ancient/modern therapies and sciences that balance the wonders of nature to support a healthy well-being and spiritual bliss in your life."

It contains:

Berberis aristata - 1.5%, Euphorbia thymifolia - 2.2%, Gultheria fragrantissima - 1.0%, Neem - 2.0%, Cream Base Q.S.  

So, obviously, my cousin and I were sold by this point, and both purchased it. Something noteworthy from these ingredients is neem. Neem has healing, and calming properties. It's a great agent to use for hair growth on your hair (although, I'm still struggling to find neem oil here), and it's great for clearing up any acne or scarring.

I came home and I tried it immediately. It appears a creamy white textured lotion in the tub, however, it applies clear. I hate using my fingers for applying spot treatments on my face, so I used a Q-tip. I covered the head of the bud in the product and gently applied it over the regions of active breakouts. 

The first thing that caught my attention was the smell. It smelled like Zandu Balm! Zandu Balm is also an ayurvedic clear balm which you apply to your forehead to relieve headaches. 

I've been using this spot correcting cream on and off a few times a week since January, and my acne has dramatically decreased, along with my scarring! Some of my friends even mention how my skin was looking much better. However, it is worth mentioning that it does not prevent acne. It does not work miracles and unclog your pores, or prevent sebum from collecting. It just calms the spots on your face that are already there.

It's definitely worth the Rs. 300 that I paid for it! Great skin for me has no price tag.

Take care,

Kata

xx 

OOTD (Indian) - Red and Black

Hi there!

I know generally "Outfit of the Day" posts are supposed to be showing all dressed up outfits with lots of accessories and lovely shoes to go along. However, as a medical student in India, the outfits we are required to wear are very specific. So, I thought I'd show different styles of kurtis instead, if that's okay.

Outfit Details:

Top: Sequined Red Kurti with Black Detailing by Rangmanch
Bottom: Black Leggings by Biba

I always get copious amounts of compliments whenever I wear this because it's such a beautiful bright red color!

Take care,

Kata 

xx

Medical School Orientation

I know, I know. It's been almost a week since I last blogged. Is anyone actually reading this crap? According to my stats, Russia is giving me the most amount of traffic. That's honestly so random -- but, I nonetheless thank you for visiting.

So, let's catch up on the past few days, shall we?

Well, yesterday was my first day of actual medical school, if you want to call it that. Apparently up until August 12th, it's going to be all orientation. It's not like I can skip either because we need 75% attendance to be able to sit for the final exams, and these two-hour sessions of orientation boredom are going to count towards that.

I skipped today and yesterday to work out. Shame on me, I know. But I've had a reasonable excuse. My cravings are a lot worse to binge on food by the way -- it's taking every ounce of will power to control myself. It's not really working though.

Yesterday, they sat us down in a miniature auditorium, and parents came too. Unfortunately my mom didn't want to go as always, but I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to sit through that either. There was a lengthy speech made by the principal, about ragging and whatnot. Snore. Towards the end, they split us up into groups and I was afraid that my name wouldn't have been called - but I'm roll number 141, there are 143 students. Yipee.

Today, we went with our respective groups to different departments to explore the campus. My group, F. Yes, we actually call it the "F for failure" group now. We went to the Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pathology (Hematopathology, and osteopathology specifically) departments. The most interesting of all was the miniature preservation museum. All these carcinomas, fetuses, etc were preserved in all those jars. It was pretty awesome.

Hopefully, I can go to the gym tomorrow morning. Need to get up early.

Oh! Flake is here by the way because my cousins, aunt and uncle are all the way on the other side of town. He's been here since around 3-4 in the afternoon. He's been keeping me occupied. 

Perpetual Running

So, as you can see from the title, I was basically running everywhere today.

I woke up this morning, and ran to the grocery store as soon as it opened. Like, literally. I ran. Okay, I jogged. But, still. I ran out of muesli and I have to eat an hour before working out. Otherwise, I get a horrible stomach ache and it makes me not want to do any sort of exercise. But, my cousin didn't show up this morning - so I didn't end up going to the gym in the morning.

Then, I was studying for a bit when I got a phone call at 11:45 telling me that I needed to be at an interview for the school at 2:00 PM sharp. I was frantic, and got ready as fast as I could and I was on my way. The weather was beautiful, by the way. My university campus has A LOT of greenery, and open fields and (kind of) mountains and such. It's pretty neat. Went inside for the interview, and they made us sit down and fill out checklist forms. I was the first one to be done with mine, so they sent me inside the interview room. Let me just start off by saying that there was no interview. Nothing. They took my original documents, transcripts, certificates, etc. Afterwards, they told me I was set and that I should wait to hear back from them in a few weeks. A few weeks? What? School is supposed to start on August 1st! Oh goodness. At least this random interview -- er -- whatever you want to call it is over.

Then we came back, and had to stop by a pharmacy, because I've been having issues. I'll give you a gruesome hint - it involves milk of magnesia. :( Right by the pharmacy was this large bakery - and knowing me, I couldn't resist, so we went inside and got some sweets.

Khalakand and kova jamun (YES!!!)

Finally, my cousin showed up - we went to the gym and there were so many guys. We were definitely outnumbered, and it was awkward because this is India. Oh well. We had a good hour-long workout, and I came home. I'm hoping I burnt off at least half those sweets, if not all! It involved interval running once again. Sensing a theme to this day yet? I hope so!

Good night.

Workout Blog: Day 7

Good afternoon!

So, if you've been following - you'd know that today should be Day 9. However, I missed Tuesday and Thursday this week. Tuesdays because, I never ever feel like going on that day for some reason... weird, I know. Yesterday, I skipped because my cousin kept telling me that I should wait for her all day to go to the gym, and she never ended up showing.

Anyways, so enough excuses. Today is Day 7 of gyming. I definitely don't see any noticeable difference yet in my actual body other than the fact that I'm craving more and more food. I'm not craving junk food - but I'm just craving bigger quantities of food. I expected this to happen, but not so drastically. I'm not one to quote a Drake song, but you know that song, "Headlines"? He says, "money over everything, money on my mind." This is what goes through my head:

"Food over everything. Food on my mind."

That being said, I've been controlling myself quite well for the most part though. I eat only when I'm supposed to, and not when I'm bored or feel like eating food.

For the past two workouts, I've been running in intervals. I've been going for 40-45 minutes, and that usually lets me do an overall distance of 5.0-5.4 km depending on how long I walk initially to warm up. Usually, it ends up being somewhere in between the two.

Another thing that I've noticed is that I'm wheezing less and less. So, I'm assuming that it's becoming easier for me to run for longer distances at a time. Which is great considering I used to hate running, and wait anxiously for my time on the treadmill to hit a certain number. Even back in tennis, I used to loathe running and especially those forsaken suicides that they made us do during conditioning. Now, the only reason I look forward to the gym now is to be able to run even more than the day before. What a 180, right?

High-wise, I've been feeling great afterwards. Especially, since the weather has been behaving this week and it's not ugly and gloomy anymore. I feel like because I just said that I'm going to jinx it though. There is a nice breeze, the sun is not overly hot or shining. I can't complain.

I had muesli with a banana in the morning (as always). I feel like McDreamy from Season 1 of Grey's Anatomy where he goes over to Meredith's house and they make fun of him for always eating it for breakfast. I had two rotis, and some spinach dal in the afternoon to get in that nice protein and complex carbohydrates. As my snack, I had two cups of fresh watermelon, and two ounces of freshly-squeezed sweet lime juice. I'm not quite sure about what I should be whipping up for dinner. I had stuffed pita (with lemon-cilantro chicken, tomatoes, and sauteed onions and green peppers) last night for dinner. I need to learn how to make tzatziki sauce for next time I make it - I got to find dill! It's impossible to find some herbs here in Indian markets - even in the farmer's market. But, I'll keep checking - because I seriously love that sauce.

Until next time,
Bye!

I Can't Sleep Again

It's happening again. Maybe it's because I skipped my workout today. Probably. But, I can't sleep. I don't understand why. I guess I'm the very first picture, at best.

Oh insomnia. You're always relapsing on me.

Aggravated

This week you may say has not been the greatest. The electrician finally came today morning before I went off to the gym with my cousin, and after my shower - the water heater refuses to work. If I want to take a shower tonight, I'm going to have to boil my water on the stove again. Oh the joys of being here in India.

All I want is something to not back-fire. Just one thing. That's all I'm asking.

Especially in this environment, of being here in Hyderabad is just beyond frustrating. If you want to get something done, then you have you make hundreds of phone calls and literally harass them until the job is done. It's not very fun. Besides, even if the job is "done," you'll still need to chase those people perpetually because you'll always have continuous problems.

It hasn't been that long since I moved into this apartment officially with my mother - but it's been showing me frequent glimpses of hell because honestly, everything has been blowing up in my face.

On the upside, I made 5-minute Indo-Chinese fried rice today from scratch, and it was really good.

Simple 5-Minute Indian Egg-Tofu Fried Rice

Ingredients: 

• One small green pepper (seeded)
• One medium-sized red onion
• One small carrot (peeled)
• 50 g tofu (cut into cubes)
• 6 egg whites
• soy sauce
• red chilli sauce 
• 1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/8 tbsp pepper
• 1/4 tbsp garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 3-cup cooked left-over sona masoori/basmati rice 

Procedure:

• Dice the carrot into small pieces, and do the same for the onions. Cut the green pepper into long slices and cut those slices in half, so you get little bite-sized pieces. 

• Heat up a medium-deep pan, and add in 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Set the stove to medium. Wait for 30 seconds. Toss all three of your cut-up ingredients into the pan.
• In a separate frying pan, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil, and put the stove on medium-high. Add in the cubed tofu and fry until golden brown on both sides (for each piece).
• In a bowl, beat 6 egg whites with the pepper, salt, and garam masala powder.
• Add in the tofu to the vegetables, and toss well.
• After the onions start browning and become translucent, add in the egg whites into the veggie-tofu mixture. Immediately, but the pan on low heat and continue to mix as the egg whites cook.

• After the egg whites cook through, they'll become firm and won't be as "flexible." Add in the 3-cups of cooked rice, and toss for a minute over medium flame.

• Viola! 

Things To Do Before and After Medical School Starts

Before:

• Need to read at least the first 60 pages of Biochemistry in 5 days. Set out a schedule chapter by chapter for studying. 
• Get the textbooks ASAP.
• Get tzatziki sauce right with ingredients that I can find here
• Find a white lab coat because for some reason, you need to roleplay as a doctor during med school before you actually become one
• Get water heater installed
• Cunningly fold and organize every single piece of clothing I have into my tiny closet/dresser, so it'll fit.
• Lose a kilo.
• Plan out a meal schedule for home-cooking so I don't starve once school starts (what I'm going to take to lunch in my cute little lunch box and such). Also, lay out an effective schedule for me to workout, study, and cook after school starts.
• Furtively plan a way to not make any enemies once school starts (Indian people = drama)
• Get kurtis altered. Get patialas stitched. Get my boy pajamas cut into shorts and hemmed. 
• Go to the designer and set out my outfits for my cousin's engagement, sangeeth, and wedding.
• Sit for another round of laser treatment - this time a full one.
• Get all-black flip flops that are comfortable (required for school). 

After:

• Get a fluffy Persian kitten
• Name him/her something very unique, and come up with a clever nickname for said name
• Make sure no one finds out about the kitten 
• Make a sleep schedule
• Increase interval workouts for better concentration and sleep habits
• Lower thyroid dosage to 50 mcg

Saturday Night Out: Birthday Party

I'm blogging in a row? Wow. This must be a new record for me. I guess it's because of all the eventfulness.

Of course, I went to the gym this morning and luckily we went during a later time and the evil trainer was not there. *maniacal laugh*

Today was definitely less hectic and we had a lot more time to get ready since we needed it to put on our clothes right. To be honest, I spent half an hour this afternoon just trying to walk "lady-like" because I walk like such a tomboy even when I'm not supposed to. It's not my fault! I don't know any better, and I get yelled at for nothing.

We got ready, and headed for grandma's house to go pick her up for the party too. My earrings were so heavy that my ears were basically crying, I don't understand what possesses mom to buy these things.

It was in the same resort as yesterday, but this time it was indoor because it was raining sharks and whales outside.

               

There wasn't really much of a ceremony - just everyone pigging out. I almost had a heart attack when I saw that they were making fresh jalebi near our table, since it was close to the end of the food line. I controlled myself and only had two little pieces which I was proud of myself for resisting - but I completely wanted to eat the whole damn tray. But then again, I don't work my butt off in the gym everyday for an extra sweet or two. I know better than that.

My cousin and I were walking around and we met up with some of her old guy friends. We all had dinner together and a nice long conversation about college, drama, etc. Oh, and we saw the mean girl again doing her usual gossiping... lovely. Sometimes I feel like some people need drama and gossip in their lives as much as a car needs gas to function. It's not something I ever really want to be around. I've had my fair share of being targeted, and I'm hoping to leave all of that behind as a much stronger person. Which, I'm able to now.

On a random note, so many strange elder people came up to me and pinched my cheeks, called me by name and told me how I haven't changed. How the heck could they possibly know me? If anything, I've seen them when I was around 5 years old, but probably not after that. But it's good to know that I still haven't lost my baby face. *insert disapproval*

We had to bring our little Spitz puppy along, otherwise he'd be all alone at home. So, we kept him in the car while we were inside and he literally jumped on me when we got in the car to go home. He slept on a microfibre towel on my lap the entire ride across the city whilst driving home.

I think that pretty much sums up my entire day. Good night!

Friday Night Out: Sangeeth

So tonight was interesting. The whole day was interesting, actually.

I got up early and went to the gym (of course), and I actually worked quite hard this morning to the point that I started sweating in actual waterfalls.

We went across town and were running late the whole day, and it didn't help that my cousin has a mane for hair -- she needed the whole thing straightened at the salon after going to laser.

Oh! I got laser done too, for the first time. It, interestingly enough, felt quite good.


We had exactly 12 mintues after getting home to get ready. So, this is going to sound a little funny, but I actually did a full face of makeup in the car. My cousin and I were doing our foundation, eyeliner and everything in the back of the car as the driver was driving to the resort where the party was because we had a good 20-30 minutes before we actually arrived there. If you've ever seen those "No Mirror Make-up Challenge" videos on YouTube, then you'll know how disastrous doing your own makeup without a mirror can be. Now let me tell you, it's a lot worse when you don't have a mirror AND you're doing it in the back of a moving car on an extremely bumpy road. We somehow managed, and we looked like we actually used a mirror. That's some skill right there. Of course, we were helping each other out here and there.

We got there in one piece, and the resort was beautiful. Seriously though, everyone was staring at us. I'm not saying that in a conceited way by any means. But, when you come from a state in India where everyone else is significantly darker than you - you're definitely going to get lots of stares because being "fair" here is such an accomplishment since it's uncommon.

Our seating area

It was nice and was kind of boring at times because everyone just sat around for the most part. It was uneventful until one specific person came up to us. Let's just say, she didn't seem very nice. She told my cousin that she didn't recognize her at all, and I introduced myself to her. The whole party, her eyes were glued to us. She would glance, whisper something to the girl next to her. Glance, then, whisper. Repeated over and over again. I don't enjoy judgmental people, and I was hungry so I dragged my cousin to the food place. We had snacks, and then realized the dinner area was inside.

I'm not going to lie, I pigged out because there was Mediterranean food towards the beginning - and if you know anything about me, you'll know that I absolutely die for it.

Pita chips with hummus, fatoush, baba ganoush, tabouleh and chaat (definitely not Mediterranean)

There was also yummy desserts, and of course - if there's Indian sweets, I'm totally in! They're so delicious, I can't even describe in words how much I love them. But, I'm sure my tastebuds are doing the Irish jig every time I have Indian sweets.

The highlight of the night would have to be all the cute children and babies dressed in miniature Indian clothes for sure. I had way too many cuteness overloads tonight. It's too good to be true.

We came home just now, so... I guess I'm going to shower and hit the hay. That was such a long post. I wonder if anyone actually made it through it all?

Workout Blog: Day 1

So, I stopped power yoga about a week ago, and I really couldn't do much physical activity without probably passing out because I've been sick. I have the works - sinus infection, pharyngitis, laryngitis, etc. I'm just a ball of sunshine. I'm still sick, but I've been powering through it because I need to get back on track.

Got a gym membership today for my cousin and I. I did every leg machine I possibly could, and walked it all off in the treadmill in the end. The gym wasn't too crowded, but I'd prefer if there weren't that many people anyways.

My legs are going to hurt so bad tomorrow.

Oh lord.

Weight Loss

Left: February 12th, 2013 - Right: July 5th, 2013

I played tennis since I was in 6th grade until about a year ago. I suppose I could still play, but I certainly wouldn't be very good. I've always had tennis to keep me in shape - but I've never really cared for the actual way I looked. I knew I was thin, I was never overly fat. I've never been overweight, because that's just how my metabolism is. I wouldn't say I have a fast metabolism (considering I have hypothyroidism), but I wouldn't say I put on weight easily either. I'm just normal.

Over the past two months since I came to Hyderabad, I've been going to power yoga and pilates classes with my cousin since she has issues with her lower body and has tried every diet and exercise remedy under the sun - I assure you. She's not motivated easily, so my aunt made me sign up for classes too. We went to a demo class, and it was complete and utter torture. Regardless, we signed up. Each class lasts anywhere from 1-1.5 hours. The first week of class was pretty terrible. I have mild asthma, so breathing is an issue for me. I never really use my inhaler, but I do wheeze quite often while doing cardio.

As the classes progressed day-by-day, it slowly got easier, and I looked forward to going to class every evening. However, for some odd reason - we never go on Tuesdays. Class is only on weekdays - but we only go four times a week because we skip Tuesdays. Don't ask me why, because I don't know.

As for eating, I haven't been eating "healthier" than I normally do - because I already have to be weary of my diet because of the hypothyroidism anyways, but I've definitely been eating in smaller quantities more frequently. It's annoying, but it works as opposed to three large meals. I can't stress that enough.

I feel a lot better about myself, I'm happier, I can concentrate on one thing at a time during stressful situations, and overall I'm just a more positive person. As for being healthier - I'll have to get back to you on that, because my immune system hates me, so I need some miracle exercise in order for that problem to go away.

After the 12th of this month, I'm going to stop doing power yoga and probably just go to a regular gym, and I'll keep whoever is reading this (even if it's no one) updated.  

Hectic Traveling

Maybe I'll expand on this later on when I have a bit more energy - but everything that could possibly go wrong on this flight journey from Orlando to Hyderabad went wrong.

I lost my phone at security. Found it 5 minutes before departure.

Then, in D.C. realized that our carry-on bag had been checked in all the way until Hyderabad because we got on the Orlando to D.C. plane at the last minute and there wasn't any room for our carry-ons.

Right before our plane took off in D.C., I get a phone call from my dad saying that our Emirates flight from Dubai to Hyderabad got overbooked and they cancelled our tickets and weren't putting us on a different plane.

Then landed in Dubai, and almost peed my pants because it's ridiculous finding a bathroom in that huge airport. Talked to the airline people who told us that our flight wasn't cancelled.

Landed in Hyderabad, and customs gave us absolute hell about tariffing our jewelry and my Macbook Pro.

Finally got out, and the driver driving to the airport with my aunt and my grandfather inside took the wrong route to get to the airport. So, we stood outside for forever and a half.

All I have to say is that, I'm ecstatic to be home.

Floral Mint Chocolate Chip Nails

Here's a nail design - it's a fun hybrid that I created between a summer look, and a fall look - since August is coming up! Nail Polishes Used:

1. Base Coat: Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat
2. Color: Sally Hansen (340) Mint Sorbet
3. Design: Sinful Colors (811) Rich in Heart [I used the Konad Nail Stamper set, and a plate that I bought with 20 other ones on Amazon, but it's not that great quality]
4. Top Coat: Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat

Enjoy!

Take care,

Kata

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EOS Lip Balm: The Little Egg That Could!

I really didn't make this blog to rant about beauty-related things, but there are some things just worth mentioning. I'm probably not going to be very good at this - but who cares? It's my blog, and I'll take a crack at it.

I've been on the hunt for the perfect lip balm for my lips since I was in middle school, and I'm now in college. This lip balm was almost a near perfect for me when it came to moisturizing my lips, carrying around, longevity, etc.

First off, EOS (Evolution of Smooth) makes such awesome products overall! This lip balm claims to consist of 100% natural and 95% organic components - which is great to hear because from my trial and error with skin care and other beauty products, the more natural the better!

Also, one of the components of this lip balm is beeswax. From my experience with other beeswax products (including Burt's Bees lip balm), I've found that my body reacts very severely to it - which is why I was hesitant to try the EOS lip balm in the first place, but I'm glad that one of my good friends pushed me to anyway! I've concluded that it's the amount of beeswax in the product that my body reacts badly too - Burt's Bees simply is a beeswax lip balm while the EOS uses beeswax as a minor component. I understand that a lot of people comment on the shape of this lip balm and how it's so adorable and egg-like; however, I love the shape for the fact that I can easily find it in my handbag, or school purse and it doesn't squish the lip balm. One of the biggest problems with the lip balms that I've tried before including: Smith's Rosebud Salve (in tube form), Soft Lips, Chapstick, Blistex, etc was that they would be pressed against other things in my purse and simply just explode, or waste quite a bit of product - which by the way was really annoying! The cap off of the EOS lip balm does not slide off, therefore giving you the bang for your buck!

 One of the things that are a hit or miss with people who try out this lip balm is - the smell. I currently own the Honeysuckle one, and it smells nothing like the name. I've had the Summer Fruit one and the Sweet Mint one previously, and I would have to say that I prefer those over this one. However, i will use up this one until it's completely finished because the smell is tolerable. But again, it's personal preference, and we all have different smells that we like - you just have to find the right one for you! But if you're an avid gum-chewer like me, I would recommend getting the sweet mint one to start off with because that's probably the safest choice - and plus, it tingles your lips a little (in a good way)! Take care, Kata

Hypothyroidism: Synthroid vs. Tirosint

 

Levothyroxine sodium, is a medication prescribed to individuals with hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism, essentially is a medical condition in which the thyroid gland (a butterfly shaped organ covering the neck) doesn't produce enough of the thyroid hormone - in turn, the body's metabolism slows down. Some effects of hypothyroidism include:

• Lack of concentration

• Weight gain (and sometimes weight loss for elder individuals due to bone and muscle mass loss)

• Fatigue

• Depression

• Significant changes in bowel movements (usually constipation)

• Hair loss

• Cardiovascular abnormalities (such as, decreased heart rate)

• Abnormalities in the menstrual cycle

The list just simply goes on and on. A unique thing about having a thyroid problem is that every individual's experience is different. Some people have all the symptoms, while others have very few. It all depends on your body, age, etc. You need to be careful because these symptom

If you have a few of the symptoms above, you should get tested for hypothyroidism, and if you have significant weight loss (without having controlled your diet or exercise) then you may even have hyperthyroidism - which, by the way is even more dangerous! Usually, victims with hyperthyroidism die more often due to tachycardia (where the heart beats dangerously fast) leading to a heart attack.

Getting tested for hypothyroidism is quite simple. You simply should visit your primary doctor or physician, and make them aware of all said symptoms you are having. Usually, if the doctor acknowledges that these symptoms have been long-term, then most likely, they will write you a blood test. Once your blood test results come in from the lab, and they have confirmed that you have hypothyroidism, then it's time to start considering the different types of thyroid medication available.

Things to keep in mind while taking levothyroxine:

• If you prefer taking it in the morning on an empty stomach, you should NOT eat until 40-60 minutes. If you prefer taking it in the night before bed, make sure that the last meal that you ate was 2.5 hours before you take this medication (or else it will not work!)
• Take it regularly as prescribed to you, try not to miss any days because then it'll take longer for your thyroid to become normal again.
• Take it at the same time every day (this is really important!)
• Do NOT take more than prescribed if you miss a day or two. Continue to use the same amount you're supposed to use everyday (or every other day, depending on how it's prescribed to you). Hyperthyroidism is more dangerous, and you wouldn't want to cause a more dangerous condition.

In my experience, after my dad was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, my physician had a blood test done on me to check if I had it as well since it can be genetic and I had some of the symptoms of it. My symptoms included severe constipation, weight gain, and lack of concentration. The test confirmed that I had hypothyroid (as well as anaemia, and extreme vitamin D deficiency, but I'll talk about that in a later post.) She prescribed me 88 mcg immediately to take for a week to boost my thyroid, and then from then I had to take 37.5 mcg for a year. About three months ago, when I had another blood test done to check my progress, my hypothyroid got slightly worse, so my dosage became double.

Honestly, taking thyroid medication is such a pain, but inevitable. I would hate waking up during my summer break off of college, and taking the medication and waiting for an hour before I ate. It may be because I love food so much, but when I wake up every morning my brain instantly just thinks of nothing but food. Over the course of a few months, I've learned to set a "pill alarm." My pill alarm rings at 5:00 AM everyday, so that I wake up, and take the medication and sleep for the remainder of time until I have to go to class (usually I have to get up at 6:00 AM). That way, when I wake up, I can just go and eat without worrying about disturbing my medication regularity.

Now, I haven't tried very many different types of levothyroxine; however, I have tried the two main types that were available to me - Synthroid and Tirosint. Here are the differences between the two:

Synthroid:

• Comes in a tablet form, and dissolves quite quickly (so you need to be quick with taking this or you'll get a horrible aftertaste)
• Available in various colors according to the dosage (50 mcg is white, 75 mcg is violet, 100 mcg is  yellow)
• The tablets themselves have markings, so if more than one member of your family is taking this medication, it's easily distinguishable.
• It is convenient for people who are prescribed half a dose (I was prescribed 37.5 mcg to begin with, so I had to use a pill cutter to cut it in half)

75 mcg pill that comes in violet

Tirosint:

• Comes in a gel capsule form, and is extremely easy to take and absolutely tasteless.
• It is only avaliable in one color, so you can't tell the difference between pills if others in your family are taking this medication.
• Gel capsules don't have the same amount of medication on each side even if you were to cut it in half (which I wouldn't recommend).

75 mcg gel capsule

I, personally used to take Synthroid because I had to take a lower dosage by cutting a 75 mcg pill in half. However, now that my dosage has increased to 75 mcd per day, I prefer taking Tirosint. My entire family has hypothyroid, but we don't really get confused because I keep my medication right on my nightstand. And also, I'm only home for summer and winter break off of college, so most of the time there's no confusion involved in my apartment.

I'm not an expert on thyroidism, you would have to ask your local endocrinologist for more advanced questions, but I've been confirmed to have hypothyroidism for a year and a half now, so any questions you may want to ask, feel free!

Take care,

Kata

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Best You've Ever Had - Alan Truong

This is amazing, I can't even.

So.. Hello there!

I don't know what possessed me to make a blog again, but since I'm on every other social network nowadays (except Pinterest, because I don't understand it), I supposed this wouldn't hurt. I like writing. I miss writing. I never really get a chance to write, even if it's about random, ambivalent things. The only writing that I get to do now is text messaging, and maybe the occasional e-mail.

So, let's see how this goes.