Category: Travel

Revelations about Sunscreen

The simple formula is: SUN = AGING + CANCER

Sunscreen is a necessity to preserve the youthfulness of your skin. If you want to be in the sun- then you must protect yourself from its negative effects.

From the beginning, sunscreens have been made from chemicals which block the damaging Ultraviolet rays of the sun. They also sting when they get in your eyes. The stronger the block (SPF), the more oily they get.

Now there is word from the FDA that the chemical components of sunscreen can enter the bloodstream at levels significantly higher previously thought. And it’s unknown whether there are any harmful health effects. What does this mean? Chemical sunscreen may be bad for you, and particularly bad for children.

But there are alternatives. Mineral sunscreens are made from Zinc Oxide and Titanium Oxide. They block UV rays mechanically via the nanoparticles of the two mineral compounds. They don’t sting when they get in your eyes. They’re not greasy- in fact, they have a wonderfully soft texture at all strengths. And they are not absorbed into the bloodstream.

Is this a no-brainer? I think so. Check out the mineral sunscreen options such as TiZo- they are great!

I also have my own packaging in a cool and convenient pump bottle available at my office.

Come in and try the samples in the waiting room, talk with us about it and enjoy a cup of coffee while you’re at it.

Because you deserve to know.

Best,

Dr. Koplin

Toilets – A Good Thing

There is an eye-opening article in NPR entitled, “How a Lack of Toilets Puts India’s Women At Risk of Assault”.

They make a compelling argument that women who are forced to go outside to defecate in the middle of the night are prey to sexual assault, rape and murder. Unbelievably, of the two countries who have more than a billion people, China has a rate of 1 in every 100 people forced to defecate in the open. That’s Continue reading “Toilets – A Good Thing”

NATIONAL FOOD DAYS- A GOOD IDEA?

June 6 was National Donut/Doughnut Day. Don’t get me started about abbreviations- I just found out my initials stand for “Let Me Know”; so much for my imagined popularity in the world of acronyms.

But I digress. What is with our obsession with naming every day of the year after something, especially food? Unhealthy food at that. It so happens we recently celebrated National Hamburger Day on May 28, and my nephew DJ has the privilege of sharing Continue reading “NATIONAL FOOD DAYS- A GOOD IDEA?”

Dr. Koplin Speaks on Arts and Music

We often forget that artists have unique brains and talents, but that many of those are clustered in the same part of the brain. I was recently at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and admired a wonderful exhibit of lyrics and art by our musical idols. Many of them we know also as talented poets (Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Leonard Cohen), but an astonishing number were/are accomplished painters. Immediately coming to mind are Continue reading “Dr. Koplin Speaks on Arts and Music”

Observations of a plastic surgeon visiting Myanmar

Visiting Myanmar this past February, my group travelled from remote villages further west toward the Bangladesh border to visit two villages containing the last generation of women having fully tattooed faces. Sixty years ago the King of Burma would travel or send emissaries to choose the most attractive pre-teen women and bring them back to the capital to become concubines in his royal palace. To dissuade him from taking their children, the villages Continue reading “Observations of a plastic surgeon visiting Myanmar”