This summer, many women will go to the nail salon to be pampered and may get something they don't expect.

Leah Light - Celebrity Nail Stylist shocking story

(WARNING Disturbing Images )

"So tonight I have been contacted with some very disturbing and heart breaking news ... If you saw the segment I filmed with 20/20 you will have seen and heard about the lady who contacted me a few months back telling me about the pedicure that she had that went terribly wrong, and she got a staph infection .... well tonight Brandy contacted me to tell me things had gone from bad to worse!! 

"Hi Leah well last time I talked to you I was dealing with the wound vac from the most recent surgery at the time. As of may 20 the infection from the pedicure overtook my body and the Dr's gave me 48 hrs to live unless my leg was amputated, at the time I was fully unconscious so my mom and fiance; had to make the decision on my behalf to have my leg amputated below knee. Just imagine, all this from just a pedicure".

Brandy's Foot before it had to be amputated 

That is one reason why reputable spas use stainless steel basins , with disposable ONE USE plastic liners- there are  with no screens, piping or anything that can trap bacteria such as those fancy whirlpool chairs that are so comfy to sit in but can be detrimental to your health if not properly cleaned. 

Sanitization and sterilization of all implements, tools and area is so important in the salon and spa business. TOENAILS do fly sometimes!!!

 
You may save money at a cheap nail spa place but in the end you may pay for more than you bargained for. Using a Trusted spa ensures you are going to a reputable spa with high standards!! We encourage our clients to ask questions and they can check for cleanliness at any time, it is important to be educated and informed ...it's YOUR health! 

Stainless Steel Pedicure bowl 

Here is part of the 20/20 investigation from ABC:

A 20/20 investigation showed that many salons are unsanitary and in some cases are causing customers severe infections.

Of 27 discount salons tested by Esoterix Inc., a laboratory that specializes in infection and disease control, 24 had possible disease-causing fungi and bacteria.

Watsonville Outbreak

Cherri Brown treated her daughter Amy to a pedicure at Fancy Nails in Watsonville, Calif. Now they both have painful sores on their legs that have been slow to respond to antibiotics.

"I've had these on my legs for four months now," complains Amy. "And they're not gone"

Fancy Nails shut down after investigators found high levels of tuberculosis-related bacteria in all of the salon's footbaths.

Unfortunately for Cherri, Amy and more than 100 other women who went to the salon, however, even when the boils and skin ulcers heal, they often leave deep purple scars. Getting rid of them may require skin grafts or laser surgery.

The owner of Fancy Nails admitted to state investigators that he never cleaned the suction screens in the footbaths where debris from hair, skin and nails accumulate — that is where the bacteria is believed to have built up.

Disturbing Revelations

California investigators say they've found similar bacteria at 16 of the 18 salons they checked.

And it is not exclusive to California. 20/20 went with inspectors to manicure stations in Dallas, Phoenix, Boston and Houston. Almost all tested positive for potentially harmful bacteria.

The majority of the salons simply had poor sanitation practices. Nail buffers and emery boards, which are supposed to be thrown away after one use, were being used on customer after customer

Inspectors found many discount salons using heavily diluted disinfectants — in some cases, not sterilizing instruments at all. Tests on one set of clippers found bacteria from human feces.  

It’s an exciting time – the old house is sold, the new one is ready, and all that’s left is the move…..oh wait – not quite yet! There’s all that legal “stuff” to deal with now….signatures….titles to be given…and pages and pages of documents that need to be signed before the key is in your hand!!! And to top it all off – who really knows a good real estate lawyer?

MacKay & McLean provides the professional services of a large Regina law firm, with the intimate attention of a small firm. The legal process can be daunting and overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. MacKay & McLean is with you every step of the way.

MacKay &  McLean are TRUSTED REGINA LAWYERS

Here Robert shares a tip on Needing a Lawyer:

Most real estate transactions involve $100,000's of thousands of dollars. Could you afford to lose that kind of money? Even if you could afford it, would you want to? I imagine not.

The banks require that a lawyer act on your behalf and theirs, mostly theirs. They usually will not do a transaction, e.g. they would likely refuse to advance mortgage proceeds on a purchase transaction without a lawyer ensuring that they are protected. Why? Lawyers reduce risk.

For example, imagine spending all the time and effort into finding the perfect property, then handing over two, three or four hundred thousand dollars, or more, and not actually owning the property that you thought you paid for.

Or, imagine getting the title to the property but shortly after getting notice that you are now responsible, i.e. liable, for the previous owner’s debt(s).

While every transaction is unique, generally, lawyers help ensure that:

The common perception is nothing ever goes wrong in real estate transactions. However, it is not true. Approximately 35% of all claims against lawyers arise from real estate transactions. So, what can you do? You can hire any lawyer you want to, so make your life easier, reduce your risk and hire someone whose primary area of practice is in real estate.

Beefy Tomato Macaroni Soup:

BEEFY TOMATO MACARONI SOUP

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups beef broth
• 26.46 ounce can Chopped Tomatoes
• 26.46 ounce can Strained Tomatoes
• 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons steak seasoning
• 3 cups cooked elbow macaroni
• salt and pepper, as desired

Directions:

• In a large sauce pan or soup pot, brown ground beef, onion and garlic until ground beef is no longer pink.
• Season with salt and pepper while browning.
• Add broth, chopped and strained tomatoes, Worcestershire, brown sugar, basil and steak seasoning.
• Bring to slight boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add cooked macaroni and heat through and serve.

Wireless Lighting Controls:

One of the newest lighting solutions is wireless lighting controls. Wireless lighting controls are a great way to save money while being environmentally conscious. They allow you to wirelessly control lighting and small appliances in your home.

Imagine using a wireless, hand held remote to control overhead lighting, small appliances, outdoor lighting, holiday lighting, thermostats AND lamps. Imagine being able to time when your lights will turn on and off during the day. Envision being able to dim the lights down low or turn them up to full strength whenever you wanted. Picture a light that was smart enough to know when you entered and exited a room and turned the light on and off automatically. How convenient would that be?

Everyone can benefit from wireless lighting controls. It is convenient, efficient, economical, and provides an element of safety and security.

• Do you find it difficult to get up and down and wish there were an easier way to turn lights and small appliances on and off?
• Do you wish the bathroom light would turn on automatically when you entered?
• Do you wish that you could turn on your security lights from bed if you heard an alarming noise?
• Do you wish that you could preset your lamps, security lights, or holiday lights to come on at a specific time?
• Do you wish you could set the mood to entertain your guest with whatever intensity of light you desired?
• Do you wish you could turn the light off in the baby’s room without disturbing them?
• Do you wish you could turn the lights off from bed after you finish your book or your television show?  

You don’t have to wish anymore. Being able to control your lights when you want is no longer a dream, it is a reality.

Lights, Camera, Action!
Lighting Control Stations allow you to control a variety of whole-house lighting scenes from one central control station. They give you the ability to create a variety of moods with one easy touch of the button. Different scenes can be accessed by remote as well as the keypad. Lighting control stations make it easy to set the mood for whatever the occasion without walking through the whole house to set every individual light.

Time is on Your Side
Timers are an easy way to reduce your energy consumption. Timers can be used either indoor or outdoor. They are great for outdoor lighting, holiday lighting, and to leave preset while you are on vacation. Timers provide convenience and safety while saving you energy and money.

Sense and Sensibility
Room Occupancy Sensors enable lights to come one whenever motion is detected and turn off when motion ceases. Motion sensors are especially useful in bathrooms and bedrooms. They are especially useful in children’s rooms as children often forget to turn lights off after they leave a room or cannot reach the light when they enter. Room occupancy sensors are yet another great way to save energy and money.

Dim and Dimmer
Dimmers give you the ability to intimately control your lighting system. Lighting dimmers allow you to adjust the intensity of the light to meet each individuals needs. You may want to dim the lights to have a romantic dinner or you may want to brighten the lights to see better while working. Dimmers affect the warmth, depth, and ambiance of the room while providing energy efficiency.
Dimmers can be used in any room from the kitchen to bedroom, bathroom or office. Dimmers are a quick and easy way to make a big difference in the visual presentation of your home.

Finding the shortest and safest route to any of your dreams requires planning and only with a carefully thought out financial plan can you be sure to make the most of your resources and to protect against risks along the way. At Worby Wealth Management, Chris will do his best to help you achieve those dreams with a plan that is tailored to your specific needs and based on your individual situation.

Let Trusted Regina Financial Adisir Chris Worby of  Worby Wealth Management help you live your dream!

Using a Safety Net:

Worby Wealth Management a Trusted Regina Financial Consultant talks about your Emergency Fund.

Say in the same month you have your water heater go, your car needs $2500 worth of work and you have to take an emergency trip to see an ailing relative. Where is that money going to come from? Many people know we should save a few months’ worth of expenses for the ‘just in case’ times but very few people know how to.

• How much money should be in an emergency fund?

• How to build one

• How to use it for annual ‘fun’ items I’ve heard it said that you should have 3 to 6 months’ worth of expenses handy on a ‘just in case’ basis.

I generally think a dollar amount is a better idea. Think of how much makes sense for you but a good guideline is somewhere in the $10,000 to $15,000 range – that is enough money to deal with most household’s finances for a couple of months in the event of job loss or such but still allows for funds to go towards longer terms goals like retirement.

Building one can be difficult but really, the best way is to set up a high interest rate account separate from your regular chequing account and send money there from every paycheque. Now that you know what your goal amount is, you can target that and, if you want to go from $0 to $10,000 over the course of 4 years, it’s going to be $2500/yr or about $100/bi-weekly. It may take some time to build this up so I often recommend using tax returns or some other once a year source of funds like bonuses to get this done more quickly.

Finally, I get asked how to budget for an annual trip or some such pretty regularly – this fund can help. Say it’s established and you are ticking along just fine at around $12,000 and you have decided this is good for your household. Once that fund gets above that amount, you have spending money! Say you want to take the family to Mexico during the winter every now and then, whenever you have $17,000 (if it costs $5000), you are free to go. Emergency funds, they are helpful and very few people have them. Give me a call or email and we can figure out how to get one up and running for you.

Chris Worby is a Trusted Regina financial advisor and Wealth Management consultant servicing local Regina households and businesses since 2001.

Some of the services that Worby Wealth Management can help you with: 

• Insurance Advice
• Investments
• Wealth Management Services
• Pay Less Tax With Tax Planning 
• Become Mortgage-Free Faster With Financial Education 
• Estate Planning 
• Retirement Planning 

TRUSTED REGINA FINANCIAL ADVISOR Chris Worby from Worby Wealth Management helps you live your dream!