Healthy Living Tips & Tricks

How to Really Make Your Diet Work For You By: Stanislav Karpunin

2011-09-29T01:36:00.001-07:00

First of all, you need to understand, that your body needs a proper Balanced Nutrition Diet, with a proper daily amount of: vitamins, proteins, minerals and carbohydrates.

Get into a habit of eating exactly 3 Meals a day.

1. Eat breakfast within one hour of rising.
Breakfast provides at least 30 percent of the total energy and nutrition needed to sustain the human body during the whole day. And therefore it is very important to have a proper breakfast and not to skip it.

2. Have a healthy low-fat lunch snack.
Have a healthy snack in your lunch time, low fat yogurt for example, to keep your energy running.

3. Have your dinner three hours before your bedtime.
Have a Proper dinner three hours before your bedtime; never go to bed on a full stomach.

Drink at least 2 liters of water a day. 2 liters of water a day would help your body to burn calories more effectively and to get rid of toxins.

Exercising is a KEY.
By exercising, your body gets an advantage of many physiological benefits such as:

Weight Control by elevating your metabolism so that you burn more calories daily.
The Boost in your energy level
Strengthening of your heart and lungs
Improvement in your self-image and self-confidence.

So, don't forget to exercise at least 10 minutes a day.

Try to avoid using fats. Try to keep the fat level in your cooking as low as possible.

Make Calcium your friend. Include as much calcium as you can in your daily diet by eating:

Oranges
Broccoli
Soybeans
Tofu
Sunflower Seeds
Papaya

And other sources of calcium. Calcium is a crucial element for bone metabolism. Calcium deficiency is very common. The "Average" American diet does not even come close to meeting the normal calcium requirements:

425 mg. a day for Men
450 mg. a day for Women

So, to sum it up:

1. Have exactly 3 meals a day
2. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day
3. Exercise at least 10 minutes a day
4. Avoid fats
5. Make calcium your friend

By following these 5 simple rules, you will be losing weight in no time.

Author Bio
WellnessWorx.net markets quality, weight-management, nutrition and personal health care products created by WellnessPro leading industry experts. Weight-loss can be a pleasure! http://wellnessworx.net WellnessWorx.net

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20 Minute Home Work Out By: Diana Statham

2010-10-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

If you are busy, not able to get up early morning or have no time for gym just follow this 20 minute home work out to stay healthy and fit.

1) Jog : in one place for 3 minutes

2) Jumping jacks: 25 repeats
When landing, bend your knees slightly to reduce the impact on knee joints.

3) Crunches : 15 repeats
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Place your hands behind your head with elbows pointing outwards. Support your neck with your hands. Keep your neck in a straight line with your spine. Flex your waist to raise the upper torso from the mat. Lower yourself until the back of your shoulders touches the mat.
Muscle worked: rectus abdominis

4) Hip Bridges : 10 repeats
Lie on your back. With your hands at a 90 degree angle to the floor, lift your body off the floor to form a straight line, a sort of a bridge, from the shoulders to the knee. The position should resemble a table. Your hands and legs as the legs of the table and your upper body to your knees as the surface. Hold this position for two seconds. Squeeze your gluteus (butt muscles) and then lower yourself.
Muscle worked: Lower back, hamstrings and gluteus.

5) Step - up's : 1 minute
You will need a stepper for this.
Muscle worked: hamstrings, gluteus, quards.

6) Reverse crunches: 15 repeats
Lie on your back with your hands on your sides. Keep you knees bent. Bring your knees towards your head, till your hips come slightly off the floor. Hold this position for a second, and then lower your knees.
Muscle worked: lower abs and obliques.

7) Mountain climbers : 1 minute
Get your hands and knees and raise your knees like a starting block sprinter. Run in that position, supporting your upper body with the palms of your hands. Keep your back straight.
Muscle worked: triceps, deltoid muscle, gluteus, quards, hamstrings, calves.

8) Push - ups : 15 repeats
Muscle worked: triceps, deltoids, pectorals.

9) Squat thrusts: 1 minute
Stand straight. Now, drop to a crouch position. Immediately thrust your legs out straight behind on your toes, in push up position, now jump to pull legs back to the chest, in crouching position , then stand up straight,
Muscle worked: arms, legs, chest, and lower back.

Cool down by walking around, till your heart rate starts getting back to normal, stretch.

A minutes rest is needed in between exercise. Proper form is important. Do not hold breath. Sip water during the workout. This workout targets the whole body, improves cardiovascular efficiency and tones and strengthens the body.

Author Bio
Diana for http://www.health-care-information.org Offers information on various health topics such as diseases, injuries, and medical tests.

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Causes of Stress

2010-01-06T03:52:00.000-08:00

By: Trevor Dumbleton

In order to eliminate or at least control stress, it is vital to know and understand the causes of stress. Of course, there are many causes of stress and they are as varied as the people who suffer from stress, but there are a few places to look first.

And by learning about these causes of stress, you can figure out where stress is entering your life. One of the most common, and most complained about, causes of stress is work.

However, it is not only the day-to-day tasks and routine pressures of work that can lead to stress. In fact, the mere concern about keeping a job can be a source of stress. Unfortunately, the combined stress of both work itself and the possibility of losing it creates a sort of double-stress in which people feel they have to work even harder in order to keep their jobs, making the stress that much worse. As well, for those who have not entered the working world yet, school can be a great source of stress.

The constant pressure of schoolwork, friends, teachers, tests, quizzes, papers, and everything else can be enough to make anyone feel like they are in trapped in a vice. In addition, the deadlines are all immoveable, so students are constantly under time pressure. And, to make matters worse, there are often several deadlines overlapping each other, intensifying the demands on time. Then, once final exams arrive, there is a lot to re-learn and students need to spend so much time studying that they can barely sleep.

Needless to say, losing sleep does not help people who are under stress. Thus, students need to manage stress just as much as people who work. Another cause of stress is simple family life. Unfortunately, though we hope that our home lives can be sources of relief from daily stress, they can often be sources of stress all their own. For childen as well as parents and spouses, the home can often be its own source of pressure. For parents, stress can often come from simply worrying about their children. After all, seeing a child grow up, make mistakes, go through school, go to college, play sports, and often learn things to hard way is enough to make a parent tear their hair out.

Thus, despite the joy that children can bring, they can also be causes of stress and worry. Unfortunately, parents can be causes of stress also. Though they often have their childrens' best interests in mind, they can also put a lot of pressure onto their children, causing them to worry not only about school or life, but also how their parents will react when they hear about some new event, success, or error. It is as though there is no place to turn when things go wrong, creating extra stress. No, it is not easy being a parent, but it isn't always easy being a child or a teenager either, since parents can often be causes of stress as much as sources of comfort from it. On top of that, spouses can also be causes on stress.

Let's face it, husbands and wives often have expectations of their significant others and it is not always easy to live up to those expectations. As well, spouses often spend a lot of time avoiding certain arguments simply because they are trying to avoid stress. However, leaving tension in the air while not resolving it can be a cause of stress.

Money is also a major cause of stress, simply for the fact that there never seems to be enough of it. Thus, as the money keeps going out but it never seems to come in enough, stress just keeps mounting. Unfortunately, spouses, children and sometimes parents can often remind us of our shortfalls and they will often increase the stress. Of course, that is to say nothing of the continual reminders from the mortgage or rent, car payments, credit cards and other bills.

And, furthermore, it is rather difficult to be philosophical about money stress since attempting to put things into perspective only recalls thoughts about the money that always seems to be missing.

Thus, money stress just keeps piling up higher and higher and there never seems to be a way out. Though this is only a partial list of all the possible causes of stress, these are some of the most common sources.

However, no matter where the problem is arising, stress will not make them better. Rather, stress will only make it harder for people to think about their problems and try to solve them. Thus, in order to solve the problems that lead to stress, the best place to start is by managing the stress, then working to solve the problems with a clear and uncluttered mind.

Author Bio

LowerYourStress.com: for everything to do with stress. Get a free ebook to help with your stress levels: www.loweryourstress.com/stress-book.html

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10 Tips on Makeup and Skin Care

2009-10-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

By: Tania Jain

'Make up and skin care' is generally regarded as women's forte. Men seldom indulge in 'Make up and skin care'. Many men do care for their skin but make up is really alien to most men. Treating make up and skin care as different topics wouldn't make sense; after all, make up will work only if the skin is healthy. So how do you exercise make up and skin care, together? Here are some tips for make up and skin care:

1. Always have skin care on mind, whether you are buying products for make up or actually applying them onto your skin after you have bought them. So what you are buying is a 'make up and skin care' product, not just a make up product. Check the ingredients to see if it contains things that you might be allergic to. Also check if it contains high concentration chemicals that can harm your skin.

2. 'Make up and skin care' is also about testing the products before using them. So, apply the make up on a small patch of skin e.g. earlobes and check how your skin reacts to it.

3. Keep track of expiry date on your make up products and never use them beyond the expiry date. In fact some products (e.g. vitamin C based products), if not stored properly, get spoilt much earlier than the expiry date.

4. Cleanliness is an important part of make up and skin care procedure. Sharpen your eye-liners regularly and keep all your makeup equipment clean at all times. You might fix a date, each month, for overhauling of your equipment. As part of cleanliness, your make up and skin care procedure should also include keeping your hair clean at all times.

5. Nail care is another important aspect of make up and skin care. Use a good quality nail polish and always keep your nails clean. Once you are done with cleaning and polishing your nails, you should rub in cuticle oil at the edges of the nail.

6. If you have deep-set eyes, you should use a liquid eye liner instead of a pencil one. This will prevent smudging at the deep edges of your eye-lid.

7. If you have a skin disorder e.g. acne, you should not apply heavy or chemical based make up. Consult your dermatologist if you are not sure about the make up products that you can use while you have acne or other skin disorder. Never try to squeeze pimples/ acne. Remember that make up and skin care should not conflict each other.

8. Use a mild make up remover (instead of just washing it away).

9. Another important 'make up and skin care' procedure is the following golden rule: "Never sleep with your make up on"

10. While applying a deodorant, make sure that you maintain the recommended distance between the nozzle and your skin (as mentioned on the deodorant pack). So, make up and skin care should always go hand in hand. Do not try to treat make up and skin care differently.

Author Bio

Tania for ultimate-cosmetics.com. Do you want to get rid of puffy eyes? or need to tackle those ugly blackheads?

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Facts To Know About Perfume

2009-09-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

By: Roberto Sedycias

Perfume (Latin "per fume" meaning "through smoke") was highly favored by the Egyptians, Romans, and Arabs.

In East Asia, perfumes were incense based. People used to make perfumes from spices and herbs like bergamot, myrtle, coriander, conifer resin, and almond. The use of flowers came only after Avicenna, an Iranian doctor and chemist showed the process of distillation, whereby oils could be extracted from flowers. In 1370, at the behest of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary, the world's first modern perfume - "Hungary Water" was made by blending scented oils in alcohol solution.

The composition of a perfume is of vital significance and is handled by an expert known as a perfumer, who deals with primary scents like rose, jasmine, cola, etc; modifiers like esters; blenders like linalool and hydroxycitronellol; and fixatives like resins, wood scents, and amber bases.

The resulting scent is explained in a musical metaphor of three 'notes', namely, top notes (consisting of fast evaporating small size molecules) like citrus and ginger scents; middle notes (consisting of slow evaporating medium size molecules) like lavender and rose scents; and base notes (consisting of slowest evaporating largest size molecules) like fixatives etc. All these notes work together like a musical chord.

Perfume oils contain volatile compounds in high concentrations and thus have to be diluted by solvents, so that injury is not caused when applied directly on skin or clothes. The common solvent is pure ethanol or ethanol mixed with water. Fractionated coconut oil or wax, neutral smelling fats such as jojoba, can also act as solvents and dilute the perfume oil.The perfume oil is further mixed with other aromatic compounds.

Generally, the percentage of aromatic compounds in perfume extract is 20% to 40%; in eau de parfum is 10% to 30%; in eau de toilette is 5% to 20%; and in eau de cologne is 2% to 5%. The oil concentration in a perfume along with other aromatic compounds, determines the intensity, longevity, and price of the perfume and thus it is a closely guarded secret of every perfumer and perfume house.

By adjusting the percentage level and the notes of the perfume, variations on the same brand may be created like Chanel's Pour Monsieur and Pour Monsieur Concentree. Classification of perfumes is never complete, due to its ever-evolving nature.

The traditional classification comprises of categories like Single Floral, Floral Bouquet, Ambery, Woody, Leather, Chypre, and Fougere; while the modern classification comprises of Bright Floral, Green, Oceanic/Ozone, Citrus/Fruity, and Gourmand. In 1983, Michael Edwards, a perfume consultant, created a new fragrance classification "The Fragrance Wheel", which classified and sub-grouped five standard families, namely Floral (Floral, Soft Floral, Floral Oriental), Oriental (Soft Oriental, Oriental, Woody Oriental), Woody (Wood, Mossy Woods, Dry Woods), Fougere (has fragrance elements from all the families), and Fresh (Citrus, Green, Water).

Perfumery has used a number of aromatic sources like plants, animals, and synthetic sources in the making of perfumes. Plants are used as a source of aroma compounds and essential oils. The parts of plants that are used are:

1 - Bark (cinnamon, cascarilla);

2 - Flowers (rose, jasmine, osmanthus, tuberose, mimosa, vanilla);

3 - Blossoms (citrus, ylang-ylang, clove);

4 - Fruits (apples, strawberries, cherries, litsea cubeba, juniper berry, vanilla, oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit);

5 - Leaves and Twigs (lavender, patchouli, citrus, violets, sage, rosemary, hay, tomato);

6 - Resins (labdanum, myrrh, gum benzoin, Peru balsam, frankincense/olibanum, pine, fir, amber, copal);

7 - Roots, Bulbs, and Rhizomes (vetiver roots, ginger and iris rhizomes);

8 - Seeds (coriander, cocoa, mace, cardamom, anise, nutmeg, caraway, tonka bean);

9 - Woods (agarwood, birch, rosewood, sandalwood, pine, birch, juniper, cedar). Animal sources include Ambergris, Castoreum, Musk, Rom terpenes, Honeycomb, and Civet.

Other natural sources include Lichens and Protists. Synthetic sources include synthetic odorants synthesized from petroleum distillates, pine resins, etc. Modern perfumes are mostly made from synthetic sources as they allow fragrances not found in nature, like Calone is a synthetic compound that imparts a marine metallic ozonous fragrance. Synthetic aromatics are more consistent than natural aromatics, and are hence, widely used nowadays in modern available perfumes.

Author Bio

This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/perfume-fragrancia.php - Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for PoloMercantil

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Divine Healing

2009-09-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

By: Pankaj Sampat

We are all here on earth to heal each other. Everytime we speak, all the things we do, all the words we say, every person we meet... Let it be such that healing happens.

Whenever we heal others we are also healing ourselves.

By surrounding ourselves with love and energy,

By remaining in a state of gentleness and calm,

By being forgiving to the stupidities, follies and malicious behaviour of others,

By being kind hearted and concerned of others, We are getting qualified to receive Divine Healing from the Cosmos.

Suddenly you will find that in a world full of diseases and all sorts of illnesses, you are spared and blessed with good health. You are lucky enough to not have to go through any illness, sufferings and pain.

The reason is nothing but your good deed and kind acts of selflessness. You have healed so many people through your love and caring, your kind words and attention. Your thoughtfulness to others lives.

This gives you the Divine Powers of Healing. You can also use the magical mantras of Lord Vishnu - the preserver.

By chanting this very powerful magical mantra, especially after midnight when all people have gone to sleep and hence there is no collective mind pollution, you can cure any disease and illness.

Aum Namo Bhagvatey Vasudevaya Aum - Hari Aum - Hari Aum - Hari Aum - Aum - Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna So - Hum Aum - Hrim - Arham - Namah

Author Bio

Pankaj Sampat is a Reiki Master and Pranic Healer. He conducts training for self healing using simple methods of Mudras, Reflexology, Reiki, Mantras and has an online community on his website at http://www.divinepowers.org

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How to Obtain Optimal Health

2009-09-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

By: Monique Hawkins

You should already know that nutrition is very important to your quality of life. If you want to have a healthy life and lifestyle, you will need to have a healthy diet with proper nutrition. You might hear all the time that your nutrition greatly affects the way you live and your quality of life but have you ever really thought about why? Do you really understand why it is so important?

If you really want to take the steps to live the long life that you deserve and to be as healthy as possible and enjoy those years, than you need to learn all you can about the importance of optimal nutrition. What you eat really affects your body and health.

1. What is optimal nutrition?

2. What nutrients do you need to be healthy?

3. What foods give you these nutrients? Importance of Optimal Nutrition Optimal nutrition is very important to your overall health and fitness. Studies have shown that people can actually live longer if they have healthy nutrition.

It is proven that there is a link between optimal nutrition and long life and long term health. If you take a look at society, you will notice an increasingly large number of people that are overweight and obese. You will also see problems such as poor teeth and acne, dry, brittle skin, dry hair and other problems.

You will find many people on medications for headache, stomach problems, acid reflux, constipation, heart disease, high blood pressure and more. What may be more alarming than the high amount of medications is the fact that most people receive very little information about what is actually causing their disease or condition. Instead, they get a pill.

What many people never know is that what they are eating (or not eating) can be causing these health problems. You also need to understand that you will have to make changes and adjustments to your intake over the years and stages of your life. Just like toddlers need a different diet from teenagers, you also need to alter your diet as you continue through all of life's stages.

Understanding what is best for you through each stage of your life is the best way to remain in optimal health.

Micro and Macronutrients Many people hear that they need proper nutrition but just what does that mean exactly? What nutrients do you need to be healthy? Optimal nutrition will include a variety of different micronutrients and macronutrients. Micronutrients include certain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins and fats that make up the foods you eat.

There is too often a lot of myth surrounding the nutrients, our bodies and how we use these nutrients. This is why it is very important that you get all the facts when planning to change your lifestyle and diet. Many people are suffering from malnutrition and may not even know it. Many overweight individuals may be suffering from malnutrition. Just because you are eating does not mean you are eating the right things.

Micronutrients are the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that your body needs to be healthy. The specific ones and amounts of each will depend on your body, sex, age and other factors. Every person is different so there is not one set plan that works for everyone. You need to learn what works for you. As you change, grow older, etc. this will change again and you will continue to have to adjust this.

Macronutrients are the carbs, proteins and fats that you get from foods. The amounts of these that you need will vary as well. This is where many myths come in about what you should or should not eat. The facts are that too much of anyone can be bad and not enough can be bad. It's all about finding a balance. This means those "All-Carb" or "No Carb" diets that are so popular on the market are really not the best thing for you.

What you choose to ingest in your body has a big impact on your overall health and your general well-being. People now eat more fast foods and frozen dinners and other quick meals that are not very nutritious at all. Some of these foods even have additives in them that can make them addictive so that you want more and more. People typically eat out of hunger and many of these foods do not work to satisfy your hunger leaving you wanting more or something else. Yet, they still have many calories and fat and other things that your body does not need.

Make the Committment If you are serious in obtaining optimal health to the best of your ability, then take a look at your lifestyle in general. Are you eating the right foods? Are you exercising? Are you getting plenty of fresh air on a daily basis? Do you have positive relationships? If you find yourself answering "no" to these questions, then make the commitment to change.

Talk with your family, friends, or a nutritionist. Check to see if there are support groups in your area related to health and lifestyle changes. Look into joining your local gym. Do your research and then purchase the right nutritional supplements that will help you achieve your goals. If you at least try to make a change in one area, more are sure to follow! You are now on your way to optimal health.

Author Bio

Monique Hawkins is an Associate with USANA Health Sciences. One of her passions is encouraging and supporting others to obtain optimal health and wellness. Visit her USANA website at www.whyusana.com/mhawkins and her new music box website at www.my-music-box.com

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Causes of Stress

2009-09-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

By: Trevor Dumbleton

One of the most common, and most complained about, causes of stress is work. However, it is not only the day-to-day tasks and routine pressures of work that can lead to stress. In fact, the mere concern about keeping a job can be a source of stress.

Unfortunately, the combined stress of both work itself and the possibility of losing it creates a sort of double-stress in which people feel they have to work even harder in order to keep their jobs, making the stress that much worse.

As well, for those who have not entered the working world yet, school can be a great source of stress. The constant pressure of schoolwork, friends, teachers, tests, quizzes, papers, and everything else can be enough to make anyone feel like they are in trapped in a vice. In addition, the deadlines are all immoveable, so students are constantly under time pressure.

And, to make matters worse, there are often several deadlines overlapping each other, intensifying the demands on time. Then, once final exams arrive, there is a lot to re-learn and students need to spend so much time studying that they can barely sleep. Needless to say, losing sleep does not help people who are under stress.

Thus, students need to manage stress just as much as people who work. Another cause of stress is simple family life. Unfortunately, though we hope that our home lives can be sources of relief from daily stress, they can often be sources of stress all their own.

For childen as well as parents and spouses, the home can often be its own source of pressure. For parents, stress can often come from simply worrying about their children. After all, seeing a child grow up, make mistakes, go through school, go to college, play sports, and often learn things to hard way is enough to make a parent tear their hair out.

It is as though there is no place to turn when things go wrong, creating extra stress. No, it is not easy being a parent, but it isn't always easy being a child or a teenager either, since parents can often be causes of stress as much as sources of comfort from it. On top of that, spouses can also be causes on stress. Let's face it, husbands and wives often have expectations of their significant others and it is not always easy to live up to those expectations. As well, spouses often spend a lot of time avoiding certain arguments simply because they are trying to avoid stress.

However, leaving tension in the air while not resolving it can be a cause of stress. Money is also a major cause of stress, simply for the fact that there never seems to be enough of it. Thus, as the money keeps going out but it never seems to come in enough, stress just keeps mounting.

Unfortunately, spouses, children and sometimes parents can often remind us of our shortfalls and they will often increase the stress. Of course, that is to say nothing of the continual reminders from the mortgage or rent, car payments, credit cards and other bills.

And, furthermore, it is rather difficult to be philosophical about money stress since attempting to put things into perspective only recalls thoughts about the money that always seems to be missing. Thus, money stress just keeps piling up higher and higher and there never seems to be a way out. Though this is only a partial list of all the possible causes of stress, these are some of the most common sources. However, no matter where the problem is arising, stress will not make them better. Rather, stress will only make it harder for people to think about their problems and try to solve them.

Thus, in order to solve the problems that lead to stress, the best place to start is by managing the stress, then working to solve the problems with a clear and uncluttered mind.

Author Bio LowerYourStress.com: for everything to do with stress. Get a free ebook to help with your stress levels: www.loweryourstress.com/stress-book.html

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Know Yourself as Eternal, Non-changing and Absolute

2009-09-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

By: George Lockett

As we walk through life we see the constant change around us as everything follows its natural life cycle. Our body is no exception; it is constantly changing growing and evolving.

Yet the person within the body, that silent witness to all we experience, has an eternal quality of something much greater and more permanent that who or what we think we are. In our quite moments when we are walking or sitting with nature, our feelings reach out and connect and touch a deeper layer of our heart and soul.

We become in union with that hidden force that orders the whole of creation. We can be one with this field of love, this presence of the divine, which is within us and surrounding us in each moment of our lives. All we need to do is just be present and our awareness will naturally settle and become one with its divine nature.

We leave behind our physical nature and connect with that presence of love that underlies the physical. We connect with our true Self the silent witness to our life and experiences.

That which was never born can never die. Our true self is the eternal continuum of life itself. What happens in our life is here just for a few moments; we are connected to the whole of life. We can choose any experience we wish to have in each moment, just by choosing that experience with the next breath we take. You have come to earth for a divine purpose, to have an experience and to create your dreams with your imagination.

Next time you are out in nature take the time to reflect on what your dream is? What you have chosen to create in this lifetime. Ask yourself what your true nature is? Like any plant in the garden we are all unique. We have come into this world with a specific DNA a blue print for life. A rose can only grow into a rose, a daisy a daisy.

What is your nature? We surround ourselves with a loving nurturing atmosphere. We are here to grow and develop jus t like the plants in the garden. We have been allocated a life cycle, just like the plants. This is not a dress rehearsal it is life itself.

What is your dream? What is your passion? What difference do you want to create and express in this lifetime? We are all different we all have a different nature and a different dream to live.

We are not here to copy anyone, we are here to express our nature and live our dream and be the finest example of who and what we wish to create in this lifetime. So next time you are feeling connected to your soul and at peace with the whole Universe.

Allow your higher Self to guide you, on your path to your true destiny. Dream your dream, and live your life expressing your joy and blossoming into your full nature.

Author Bio

Message channelled by George Lockett (C) Copyright 2005, All Rights Reserved. Read HealerGeorge's Blog: http://curezone.com/blogs/f.asp?f=95 Visit the website for more information and previously published ebooks to read, Guided Meditation CD or MP3 file. Request Absent Healing at: www.healergeorge.com Or ask at question at "Ask HealerGeorge": curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=637

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Where The Money Goes

2009-09-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

By: Peter Joseph

As a business owner, you've come to expect big increases in your employee health insurance premiums of late. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums increased an average of 11.2 percent in 2004, and this was the fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth, according to the recent Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

That's about five times the rate of inflation nationally, and probably significantly higher than the price increases your company has imposed on its products and services in the same time frame.

The reasons for these increases are not mysterious. The largest share of the ongoing increases track to increased utilization of advanced medical technologies - new diagnostic and preventive screenings, and other high-tech therapies and medical hardware - the majority of which are delivered at hospital on an inpatient or outpatient basis.

Prescription drugs also continue to play a major role in the rising cost of health care, owing to the higher prices of new formulations, the wider application of combination therapies and greater consumer demand for, and need of, medications in all areas of prevention and treatment. About the only area that has seen relative stability is physician costs.

Such increases, when they are part of the costs of running your business, are naturally cause for concern. It only makes sense that employers who want to continue offering their employees access to quality health care become more knowledgeable about how well their money is being spent by the health care carrier they choose.

For example, did you know that virtually all carriers in Florida spend roughly the same percentage of your premium dollars on medical claims - which works out to a medical loss ratio of 76 percent to 80 percent? They also spend about the same percentage, 10 percent to 12 percent, on administering your plan (processing claims, providing customer service functions,
covering fixed costs).

And most of the carriers factor in a 2 percent profit margin. The balance of your premium dollars go to the commissions, which carriers pay to the independent health insurance brokers who act as consultants. Brokers are, of course, a critical element in matching clients with carriers. Most small business employers don't have the time or staff to determine the best package of benefits for their group, shop the market for bids and compare product offerings carefully.

They depend on their broker to explore the different options, give them objective recommendations on the best choices and complete their applications. And brokers' services may often continue after enrollment. It's extremely valuable for employers to better understand where their premium dollars go. Don't hesitate to ask questions to fully recognize why one health plan may be preferred over another.

Employers can exercise some control over their costs by finding a health benefits company that provides the best value for their company's premium dollars. The way in which you shop a health plan can impact the price.

It's the same as if your travel agent had a great deal for you - air, car, hotel and meals included. You tell your agent to book it. Coincidently, your neighbors just booked that same trip for $1,000 less through their travel agent.

One agent shopped for the best price, the other agent arranged the trip through his or her vendor of choice. Whether it's a family vacation, buying a car or choosing a health benefits plan, how you shop can impact your cost.

So why are health care premiums different? Take a closer look.

Author Bio
PETER JOSEPH is senior vice president for commercial sales for VISTA, a health benefits company headquartered in South Florida with more than 330,000 members. VISTA, through its
affiliated companies, Vista Healthplan Inc., Vista Healthplan of South Florida Inc. and Vista Insurance Plan Inc., offers a choice of health benefit plans, including health maintenance
organization (HMO), preferred provider organization (PPO) and pointof-service (POS). Reach Joseph at (954) 858-3000 or through VISTA's Web site, Vista Health Plan

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Top 5 ways to stay calm and reduce stress

2009-09-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

By: John Halderman

Are you looking for more calm satisfying experience with you daily life?

Do you get frustrated with yourself at the end of the day because you've gotten stressed, unfocused or agitated?

Are you tired of getting over emotional and worn out.

Whether you are experiencing one or all of these feelings here are my 5 best tips on reducing the unwanted feelings so that you will feel calm and satisfied with yourself each day.

1. Catch yourself when you exhibit a feeling of behavior that you don't like and change it. At first you may not notice the feeling until after you have gone through it, that's fine.

Think about how you would rather have felt. Think about how you would rather have handled yourself. Decide how you want to do it next time. As you continue with this process each day you will find that you will notice more easily what you are doing throughout the day.

You will begin to catch yourself earlier and earlier as you do this. Eventually, you will be seeing yourself while you are doing it, then stop yourself. At some point you will be able to notice before you even begin to feel and react in the undesirable way.

Here is where you will actually begin to change the way you react to the situations in your life and change your behavior.

2. Stay centered all day by refocusing throughout the day. Develop the habit of paying attention to your mindset as the day goes on. Several times a day, step away from what you are doing to get re-centered.

Sit down close your eyes and take several long slow deep breaths while imagining the tension washing slowly out of your body. Notice your breathing getting slower and calmer.

Just think about your breath. Try to keep from thinking about anything in particular. It's ok to not be actively thinking for a while!

3. Watch out for your expectations. You are setting yourself up for failure, upset and frustration when you set too many standards as to how you think things should be.

Think about what leads you to getting upset? Why does it upset you? Notice that you decide how many things should be, based on your own outlook and desire. The things others do that are not to your liking, even the things you do that don't match your expectations.

Ask yourself, really how important is it that they be exactly that way Ask, who am I to insist that they are that way? Does it matter that much? Is it worth getting myself worked up about? Choose which expectations are really important for you to hold on to and which ones are not.

Holding on to many expectations just complicates your life, with constant judgment. Simplify your life and reduce the stress!

4. Delegate. This applies to your personal life as well as at work. Most of us think of delegating as a workplace skill, but it can apply personally as well. We are all very busy these days with our activities and duties. Trying to fit it all in and get it all accomplished can lead to tension.

For various reasons, many of us have developed the habit of thinking we must do it all ourselves. Take a look at your situation.

Think about it, really, how important is it that everything must be done perfectly to your standards? Are you sure there are not other people who can assist you. Are the other people in your life pulling their weight? Many times we get into habitual ruts that don't need to be as they are. Look at what has been, with the eye of reducing the pressure on yourself.

5. Accept other people as one. As you think of yourself as different and separate from the rest of mankind, you unknowingly create thinking and behavior that separates you from others. This kind of separate thinking leads us to think we are superior to others which leads to judgment then selfish thinking and behavior.

We are then having an internal battle with others, which brings on fear, competition and comparison, ending in frustration and anxiety. Look to discovering how to see yourself as one with all of mankind, not as separate. Focus on what we have in common rather that the relatively small uniqueness.

Author Bio

John Halderman is a writer, speaker and trainer, dedicated to helping people with getting real results with their personal development efforts. He supports strategies, methods, tools and information that actually bridge the gap between information and effective results. Go to www.activepersonaldevelopment.com for free information and newsletter.

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Educated Choice - How to Control your Health Care Costs

2009-09-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

By: Cathy Aguirre

How to control health care costs continues to dominate discussions among benefit administrators, chief financial officers, CEOs, insurance brokers and health benefit companies. When you lower your costs, your employees often react by thinking they will receive fewer benefits.

Offering a choice of plans, having a sensible contribution strategy and providing employee education can hold costs down and satisfy employees.

Choice, choice, choice

Offering a choice in benefit plans, choice in network access and choice in monthly costs are some of the best ways to keep health care costs affordable. Whether you have 20 employees or 1,000, find a health benefits company that can offer you several plans for employees to choose from.

Typically, employers offer very little choice in health benefit plans. Successful benefit administrators understand that every employee has unique health care needs. Why not offer employees three or four plans to choose from?

The level of benefits employees choose will relate directly to how much they utilize health care services and what they can afford. Most health benefit companies offer the following types of plans.

Traditional HMO

Lowest-cost plan, all care is coordinated by a primary care physician; employee must stay in network

Open access

A slightly higher-priced plan allowing the employee the freedom to selfrefer to specialists in the network. More freedom equals a higher cost.

Point of Service (POS)

A less affordable plan for most, with more freedom; employee can access HMO benefits/network and/or pay higher co-insurance and choose any doctor

Preferred Provider Organization plan (PPO)

Greatest freedom, highest cost; total network access and out-of-network benefit, self-refer to specialist

Developing a contribution strategy Now that you have decided to partner with a carrier that can offer your employees the choices they need, how do you stay within your company's budget? The answer is simple - be fair and consistent by implementing a defined contribution strategy that fits your company's budget. This process can be accomplished in two easy steps.

1. Determine what dollar amount per employee your business can afford.

2. Select a carrier that can offer you four plans that will satisfy your employees' health care needs.

Here's an example of how a defined contributions strategy could work for you (based on a health benefits budget of $180 per employee, per month).

In the example in the chart above, your company accomplished two very important goals: You controlled your company's costs and you offered your employees choices.

With a defined contributions strategy, your employees are responsible for evaluating what they need and how much they are willing to pay.

A choice of plans with a defined contribution strategy is two-thirds of the employer's cost saving equation. By adding employee education, you could see a change in behavior that can lead to significant savings. The more informed employees are about the true cost of health care and how their choices directly affect their pocketbook, the more likely they are to become "partners" in controlling costs.

Most health benefit carriers provide members with an Explanation of Benefits for all claims processed, which contains the cost of services. Web-based tools offer plan information and are user-friendly. At workshops and mandatory open enrollment educational meetings, employees can speak directly with a carrier representative.

As health insurance premiums continue to rise and more employers face very difficult decisions, offering a choice of plans can keep your employees happy and satisfy your bottom line.

Author Bio

CATHY AGUIRRE, vice president of account services for VISTA, has more than 18 years of experience in managed care marketing. Aguirre provides leadership for all of VISTA's commercial accounts, which include Broward County government, The School Board of Broward County, Broward Sheriff's Office, Miami-Dade Government, Sears, Walgreen's and United Airlines. Reach her at (954) 965-3471 or cathy.aguirre@vistahealthplan.com.

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Cancer Preventive Measures

2009-09-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

By: Joel Dresse

Cancer is a very deadly disease. This disease is one of the most deadly in terms of numbers killed year in and out. According to statistics one in three people will be affected by cancer. And one in four people will die of cancer. However cancer could be prevented in certain situations. The first step in cancer prevention is learning what causes it and the risk factors involved. Avoiding these risk factors can help a person reduce the likelihood of having cancers.

Here are the following risk factors that a person can avoid to prevent cancer.

1. Tobacco - 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States are caused by smoking. It is also responsible for 87% of all people affected by lung cancer. Aside from the lungs, other organs affected by smoking are pancreas, cervix, kidney, stomach and also cause acute myeloid leukemia. Quit smoking to decrease your chances of having cancer. Also try to avoid secondary smoke, secondary smoke can also be deadlier.

2. Have more physical activity - exercise greatly helps reduce your chances of having cancer. Even if it is only for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Exercising will also make you fit against other disease such as heart ailments. Try the exercise activities such as walking, running, aerobics, or yoga. Exercising can also help prevent obesity, which is also one major cause of cancer. Colon, breast, prostrate, endometrial, and lung cancer can have less chances of developing if you are exercising regularly.

3. Genetics - genetics is one of the causes of cancers. When your family has a history of cancer, the best thing to do is just take precaution. If your family has had a history of cancer, the mutated gene which causes cancer may have been passed down. If your family has had a history, you may get a genetic test. Remember that if your family has had a history of cancer it is not certain that you will have it. Your chances of developing it are just greater.

4. Environmental Factors - exposure to certain things within your environment can cause you cancer. Such things like asbestos or benzene can be able to cause cancer.

5. Unsafe Sex - you are suddenly exposed to not only HIV but also HPV. HPV is also known as Human Pappiliona Virus. Having this virus greatly increase a person's chance of having anal, vulvar, cervical, or vaginal cancer. There are tests that help a person find out if he or she has the HPV virus. You will need to scrape the cervical cells and send them over to a lab.

6. Sun Exposure - greatly exposing yourself to UV rays will cause skin cancer. Be very wise when tanning or being exposed under the sun.

Author Bio

Joel Dresse is the Webmaster of www.health-00.info, an informative site on health, breast cancer, exercise, weight loss and more subjects relatted to medicine.

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What is High Energy Sex? How To Help Premature Ejaculation by Raising Your Sexual Energy

2009-09-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

By: Mukee Okan

Mukee Okan speaks about sexual energy and describes a premature ejaculation exercise that will increase your overall levels of sexual energy and 'juiciness'.

My sincerest wish for men is that they can experience the ecstasy of high energy sex as often as possible and learn new ways to stop having low energy sex!

You know the kind where it's all over in a flash and you feel like, "Why did I even bother?"

What is low energy sex? Low energy sex is usually when your sex experience is short and swift, without much sensation or orgasm.

You may even have feelings of anxiety, boredom, or lethargy.

You don't really care much about your partner and her response.

Sometimes you are even glad it is over.

What is high energy sex? High energy sex is about you being in! a passionate energy field of lovingness and joy - the expression of sheer enthusiasm to be in an intimate space with your partner.

That is what it is all about for a woman!

Want to be deeply appreciated by your partner? Here is the secret!

Feel your overflowing desire to bring happiness and pleasure to your partner by being you completely and by being that strong loving man that you are.

You are no longer concerned about performance. You are no longer thinking about what is going to happen in the next split second.

You are simply being with your partner as a joyful, lusty, passionate man and appreciating her. You are not trying to "get it."

Be in that spontaneity of the moment without thinking, without trying to make something happen.

Just be present in the moment. You will begin to feel and experience your partner's energy fully.

No expected outcome, nothing to strive for.

See what happens! In this spontaneous space you can feel your powerful masculine attraction energy penetrate the mystery of the feminine - her irresistible magnetism as a woman.

You will feel expansion, union, and merging together.

In fact, you can enter into a remarkable orgasmic experience together where you will totally lose track of time.

You will be in the timeless orgasmic zone of creation.

What if you never feel that kind of enthusiasm these days to just be with your partner?

What if you feel tired, lethargic, confused, anxious, or angry?

Well, here is AN EXERCISE FOR YOU that is just one tip for increasing your sexual energy.

Give this a try:

Any time during the day that you feel yourself in any kind of low energy state, sit for a few moments, close your eyes, and drop your awareness (your attention) to the navel. Imagine you feel each breath moving directly in and out of your navel. You don't need to change your breath or hold it or do anything special. Just let your breath be totally relaxed and spontaneous. You drop your awareness to your navel and feel there. Feel the sense of expansion as you breath in through your navel. Feel a wave of relaxation as you breath out through your navel. Continue this for just a few minutes. Then notice your energy.

How do you feel? Open your eyes and notice your energy level now. Practice this any time of the day or night.

What is the benefit of breathing through the navel like that? Your centre of gravity, your hara, your 1-point as a human is about 2 inches below your navel. Whenever you focus in this area, you are revitalizing yourself, centering yourself, becoming more solid as a man, and shifting and raising your energy field in a subtle and potent way.

Try it! Notice what influence it has first on you and then on the space where you are.

Your sexual energy is creative energy. It is the energy of all creation. It is the essence of creation. Nothing exists without sexual energy. Like the wind and weather, sexual energy is the most natural and powerful force of creation.

Ecstasy appears naturally whenever your mind and body stretch and expand beyond their ordinary boundaries. Ecstasy is surrender to the life force - to your life force. Sexual intimacy and connection can be the most profound human experience, a total revelation of your depths, the greatest source of joy, and a path to inner knowledge.

Rooted in the core of your being, you have a deep craving for sexual intimacy, love, and connection. Your presence in the world is a reflection of your presence in sex and intimacy. Your sexual energy is your most vibrant alive self. What happens when you block, ignore, or even reject feeling your natural sexuality and desire?

You limit and cut yourself off from the source of your creativity, your inner peace and joy, your health, your abundance. So don't let your sexuality languish. Feed and nurture it like you would anything that you want to grow.

A plant, a business, a child; these all need care to thrive and likewise so does your creative sexual side. Love, Mukee Okan

Author Bio Mukee Okan is a world renowned sexual therapist and spiritual guide. Her mission is to educate and inspire sexual freedom, so people can open and surrender to self-love and self-awareness and experience full presence and intimate connection. Visit www.erectilejaculation.com and sign up for Mukee's "Inspirational Sex Tips" bulletins.

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Living And Coping With Arthritis - How To Stay Active And Independent

2009-09-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

By: Richard Clement

Arthritis pain can be frustrating. Nagging and crippling arthritis pain can continue day after day. How much happier would you be if you could stop your arthritis pain right now and feel great all day? Knowing the nature of the disease can really bring you the right answers.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis comprises over 100 different diseases and conditions. The word arthritis means "joint inflammation". When joints are inflamed, it causes pain and usually also limits movement of the joints that are affected. For many people, arthritis pain has a large impact on their life. Arthritis is second only to heart disease as a cause of work disability. Arthritis limits everyday activities such as walking, dressing and bathing for more than 16 million Americans. Each year, arthritis results in 750,000 hospitalizations and 36 million outpatient visits. Arthritis is not just an old person's disease. Nearly two-thirds of people with arthritis are younger than 65 years including nearly 300,000 children. Arthritis affects children and people of all racial and ethnic groups but is more common among women and older adults.

The disease can affect different parts of the body. Two of the most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the joint lining becomes inflamed as part of the body's immune system activity. RA is one of the most serious and disabling types, affecting mostly women. Rheumatoid arthritis is two to three times more common in women than in men and generally strikes between the ages of 20 and 50. Both sides of the body are usually affected at the same time. Symptoms of RA differ from person to person but can generally include:

Joint tenderness, warmth, and swelling.

Pain and stiffness lasting for more than 1 hour in the morning or after a long rest. Joint inflammation in the wrist and finger joints closest to the hand. Fatigue, an occasional fever, and a general sense of not feeling well.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It is a degenerative joint disease in which the cartilage that covers the ends of bones in the joint deteriorates, causing pain and loss of movement as bone begins to rub against bone. OA commonly affects the joints of the fingers, knees, hips, and spine. Osteoarthritis is more common in older people because they have been using their joints longer. Using the joints to do the same task over and over or simply using them over time can make osteoarthritis worse. Younger people can also get osteoarthritis. Athletes are at risk because they use their joints so much. People who have jobs that require the same movement over and over are also at risk. Injuries to a joint increase the risk of arthritis in the joint later on. Excess weight can accelerate arthritis in the knees, hips and spine. The most common symptom of Osteoarthritis is pain in the affected joint(s) after repetitive use. Joint pain is usually worse later in the day. There can be swelling, warmth, and creaking of the affected joints. Symptoms of OA may greatly vary. Some patients can be debilitated by their symptoms. On the other hand, others may have remarkably few symptoms in spite of dramatic degeneration of the joints apparent on x-rays. Symptoms also can be intermittent.

These 2 forms have very different causes, risk factors, and effects on the body, yet they often share a common symptom - persistent joint pain.

What are the causes of arthritis?

Primary OA is mostly related to aging. With aging, the water content of the cartilage increases and the protein makeup of cartilage degenerates. Repetitive use of the joints over the years irritates and inflames the cartilage, causing joint pain and swelling. Eventually, cartilage begins to degenerate by flaking or forming tiny crevasses. Inflammation of the cartilage can also stimulate new bone outgrowths (spurs) to form around the joints. Sometimes osteoarthritis follows an injury to a joint. For example, a young person might hurt his knee badly playing soccer. Then, years after the knee has apparently healed, he might get arthritis in his knee joint.

RA is an autoimmune disease. This means the body's natural immune system does not operate as it should; it attacks healthy joint tissue, initiating a process of inflammation and joint damage. RA is a type of chronic arthritis that occurs in joints on both sides of the body (such as hands, wrists or knees). This symmetry helps distinguish RA from other types of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs most frequently in the 30-50 age group, although can start at any age. It is strongly associated with the HLA marker DR4 - hence Family history is an important risk factor. The disease affects Females:Males in a 4:1 ratio.

Other conditions can also cause arthritis. Some include:

Gout, in which crystals build up in the joints. It usually affects the big toe. Lupus , in which the body's defense system can harm the joints, the heart, the skin, the kidneys, and other organs.

Viral hepatitis ,in which an infection of the liver can cause arthritis.

What can you do about it?

Some people may worry that arthritis means they won't be able to work or take care of their children and their family. Others think that you just have to accept things like arthritis.

While there is not yet a cure for arthritis, much can be done today to reduce pain and boost joint function. Learning how to manage pain over the long term is essential to maintaining a good quality of life. There are things you can do to keep the damage from getting worse. They might also make you feel better.Here are some simple things to do:

Lose weight if you're overweight

Exercise regularly for short periods. Going for a walk every day will help, too. Use canes and other special devices to protect your joints. Avoid lifting heavy things. Don't pull on objects to move them-push them instead Use heat or cold to reduce pain or stiffness.

The pain and disability that accompany arthritis can be decreased through early diagnosis and appropriate management.So if you have persistent symptoms lasting more than several days - go see your doctor. The doctor will examine you and may take x rays (pictures) of your bones or joints to decide if you have arthritis and what kind you have.

After the doctor knows what kind of arthritis you have, he or she will talk with you about the best way to treat it. The doctor may give you a prescription for medicine that will help with the pain, stiffness, and inflammation.

The good news is that now there is a way to stop your pain with a medication. Celebrex is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), specifically a COX-2 inhibitor, which relieves pain and swelling (inflammation). It represents a huge breakthrough in the treatment of pain, inflammation, and stiffness of arthritis. Celebrex is believed to fight pain and inflammation by inhibiting the effect of a natural enzyme called COX-2. Unlike the older medications, however, it does not interfere with a similar substance, called COX-1, which exerts a protective effect on the lining of the stomach.Celebrex doesn't cause the stomach bleeding and ulcers that traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) might.

You always can visit my site, www.e-drugstore.ws/arthritis.html to find all the information about coping with arthritis burden.

Author Bio Richard Clement is an online publisher dedicated in helping online users getting appropriate and effective medical care. Visit my site www.e-drugstore.ws/arthritis.html for more info.

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The Diabetic Fat Spiral

2009-09-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

By: Kristyne McDaniel

So how can anyone be certain about anything? The answer is simple. You can't be certain. When you encounter someone that tells you they know the answer to life's questions, absolutely, for certain -- RUN! They're taking the lazy path. They're not certain -- they have just stopped asking questions and are now expecting you to do likewise.

Look at these responses, quoted from some of the world's great thinkers regarding the issue of certainty: "Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." - Benjamin Franklin "The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers." - Erich Fromm "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." - Voltaire "What men really want is not knowledge but certainty." - Bertrand Russell "Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear." - William Congreve One of the most unfortunate consequences of certainty is that it leads to the soft insulation of belief. Yes, for a spiritual person there are things in life which should not simply be taken by faith and be believed without question.

God made us with inquisitive minds and intended for us to use them. When we do not question and we become certain about everything, I believe we in fact disappoint God. I believe faith and belief are for trusting in God, not for being lazy with our minds. If we allow our minds to soften into pudding by allowing belief and faith to intrude into areas never intended to be handled by faith and belief, we become certain something is true and must therefore protect that conclusion from falsification. For example, articles of faith such as the exact method used by God to perform the Creation are viewed by us as something we must protect from falsification, and we therefore attempt to disprove well-grounded scientific theories such as Evolution. Starting with the conclusion, then proclaiming to be false anything that calls our conclusion into question is NOT how scientific discoveries are made.

I believe that faith and reason are not in conflict, and where the question of Creation and Evolution are involved, I believe God respects those who can say that we believe God created the earth, and that science proved life evolves over time. I believe in my heart both things can be true and there is no conflict. I do not need to see proof of the Creation to know it is true. For me, proof is for science, not for the realm of the divine. My proof of God is in my heart. I need no further proof of God. I believe God wants us to explore, to study, to question the things we see around us. God is strong and powerful and he can take a few 'Why' questions from his questions just like we can handle them from our 3-year-old grandchildren. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Questions are the beginning of understanding. Certainty is the end of it.

Author Bio Steve and Kristyne McDaniel host www.NewLifeMastery.com, a training and counseling portal with new classes beginning every quarter. Learn to master life's issues, feel more joy, understand yourself, and ask/answer perplexing questions.

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Swine Flu : What is it and How To Cure

2009-08-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

Swine influenza, or “swine flu”, is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses. Morbidity tends to be high and mortality low (1-4%). The virus is spread among pigs by aerosols, direct and indirect contact, and asymptomatic carrier pigs. Outbreaks in pigs occur year round, with an increased incidence in the fall and winter in temperate zones. Many countries routinely vaccinate swine populations against swine influenza. Swine influenza viruses are most commonly of the H1N1 subtype, but other subtypes are also circulating in pigs (e.g., H1N2, H3N1, H3N2). Pigs can also be infected with avian influenza viruses and human seasonal influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. The H3N2 swine virus was thought to have been originally introduced into pigs by humans. Sometimes pigs can be infected with more than one virus type at a time, which can allow the genes from these viruses to mix. This can result in an influenza virus containing genes from a number of sources, called a “reassortant” virus. Although swine influenza viruses are normally species specific and only infect pigs, they do sometimes cross the species barrier to cause disease in humans.

What are the implications for human health?
Outbreaks and sporadic human infection with swine influenza have been occasionally reported.
Generally clinical symptoms are similar to seasonal influenza but reported clinical presentation ranges broadly from asymptomatic infection to severe pneumonia resulting in death. Since typical clinical presentation of swine influenza infection in humans resembles seasonal influenza and other acute upper respiratory tract infections, most of the cases have been detected by chance through seasonal influenza surveillance. Mild or asymptomatic cases may have escaped from recognition; therefore the true extent of this disease among humans is unknown.

Where have human cases occurred?
Since the implementation of IHR(2005)1 in 2007, WHO has been notified of swine influenza cases from the United States and Spain.

How do people become infected?
People usually get swine influenza from infected pigs, however, some human cases lack contact history with pigs or environments where pigs have been located. Human-to-human transmission has occurred in some instances but was limited to close contacts and closed groups of people.

Which countries have been affected by outbreaks in pigs?
Swine influenza is not notifiable to international animal health authorities (OIE, www.oie.int), therefore its international distribution in animals is not well known. The disease is considered endemic in the United States. Outbreaks in pigs are also known to have occurred in North America, South America, Europe (including the UK, Sweden, and Italy), Africa (Kenya), and in parts of eastern Asia including China and Japan.

What about the pandemic risk?
It is likely that most of people, especially those who do not have regular contact with pigs, do not have immunity to swine influenza viruses that can prevent the virus infection. If a swine virus establishes efficient human-to human transmission, it can cause an influenza pandemic. The impact of a pandemic caused by such a virus is difficult to predict: it depends on virulence of the virus, existing immunity among people, cross protection by antibodies acquired from seasonal influenza infection and host factors.

Is there a human vaccine to protect from swine influenza?
There are no vaccines that contain the current swine influenza virus causing illness in humans. It is not known whether current human seasonal influenza vaccines can provide any protection. Influenza viruses change very quickly. It is important to develop a vaccine against the currently circulating virus strain for it to provide maximum protection to the vaccinated people. This is why WHO needs access to as many viruses as possible in order to select the most appropriate candidate vaccine virus.

What drugs are available for treatment?
1 International Health Regulation (2005) http://www.who.int/ihr/about/en/ Antiviral drugs for seasonal influenza are available in some countries and effectively prevent and treat the illness. There are two classes of such medicines, 1) adamantanes (amantadine and remantadine), and 2) inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase (oseltamivir and zanamivir). Most of the previously reported swine influenza cases recovered fully from the disease without requiring medical attention and without antiviral medicines. Some influenza viruses develop resistance to the antiviral medicines, limiting the effectiveness of chemoprophylaxis and treatment. The viruses obtained from the recent human cases with swine influenza in the United States were sensitive to oselatmivir and zanamivir but resistant to amantadine and remantadine.

Information is insufficient to make recommendation on the use of the antivirals in prevention and treatment of swine influenza virus infection. Clinicians have to make decisions based on the clinical and epidemiological assessment and harms and benefit of the prophylaxis/treatment of the patient2. For the ongoing outbreak of the swine influenza infection in the United States and Mexico, the national and the local authorities are recommending to use oseltamivir or zanamivir for treatment and prevention of the disease based on the virus’s susceptibility profile.

Source: WHO

Panic Attack Medication: What Is Best For Me?

2009-08-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

By: Mike OBrien

If you are one of those living with panic attack symptoms, you know it can almost take over your life. Living with the fear that you will have to suffer through another period of grief, pain, and discomfort is sometimes enough to bring on a panic attack. When it comes to treating a panic attack, some medication has been known to significantly reduce the symptoms, enabling people to continue living a life that is not ruled by the fearful unknown. The following provides information about some of the most effective medications available to consumers.

Alprazolam (al-PRAZ-zo-lam)

This medication is one of the more common prescriptions for general anxiety treatment. It is a benzodiazepine, which is used to treat short term panic attack symptoms in many people every day. This medication is not meant to treat ongoing and daily forms of a panic attack, but is very useful to people who experience these symptoms periodically.

Azapirones (a-zah-PIE-ronz)

Azapirones is a drug which works on the central nervous system by relieving the many symptoms of anxiety. This drug can be found in many antidepressants and is the reason many people who normally would not take antidepressants do, because of their panic attack symptoms. It is used to calm the nervous system, putting it somewhat into sleep mode.

Benzodiazepines (ben-zo-die-AZ-a-peens)

This is a tranquil medication, used to help fight anxiety and insomnia. The drug is very potent, and a fear of becoming addicted to it is shared with both physicians and patients. For extreme cases of anxiety, this is the medication most commonly used, but it's also something that can significantly alter your mood or personality if not used properly or for longer periods of time than prescribed.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

These are a newer type of anti-depressant introduced into the US in the 1980s beginning with Prozac. They work differently to traditional antidepressants and they do so by increasing and assisting the brain to maintain levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin which is often found to be low in people sufferering from depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety and panic disorders.

Which Panic Attack Medication to Use ?

The severity of the panic attack, will influence which medication a physician will prescribe for you. Remember that you should not determine which medication to use. It is essential to consult a doctor about what is best for you. Using someone else's medicine may help your symptoms in the short term, but in the long run you need a solution for long term results.

Taking someone else's medicine for your undiagnosed panic attack would be considered as being very irresponsible. Because of the nature of the problem your doctor will probably prescribe more than one medication over a period of time so as to ascertain what is best for you. Using the least amount of medication to control your panic attack symptoms is the most beneficial, so most doctors will recommend starting with a low dosage and work their way up from there until the best solution is found.

Author Bio Mike O'Brien offers advice and information about panic attack medication If you or a loved one is suffering from a panic attack you will find quality information in this article and on this site.

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The Number 1 Way For Obese People To Lose The Fat

2009-08-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

By: Lynn VanDyke

The number one way for obese people to lose fat is the exact same for those that are only 20 pounds overweight. Strength training is the best way to cut through fat and burn through calories. There's no difference between strength training for the obese and strength training for everyone else. When we strength train, we add lean muscle mass to our body.

This lean muscle mass burns through 35-50 calories per pound of muscle every single day. Let's take a look at that number from a different point of view. If we have 5 pounds of lean muscle, that muscle will burn about 250 calories a day. Here comes the fun part.

If we have 10 pounds of lean muscle mass, then our muscles burn about 500 calories a day. Hopefully you can see why adding lean muscle is the best way to lose fat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that we are obese if we have a BMI (body mass index) of 30.0 or greater. Being obese is not healthy. It leads to a host of diseases and illnesses.

I'm almost positive you already knew that. Obese and over weight people can use functional exercises to begin changing their health. Exercises like squats and bicep curls will help strengthen the muscles we use in everyday movements. Often these movements are difficult for obese people. Keep up your workout routine and you'll notice that getting in and out of the car, walking to the mailbox, going upstairs and simply lifting heavy boxes will all become less of a hassle.

Strength training for the obese is the same as strength training for slender people. The difference comes in the starting point. It's so important to talk with your doctor, get the go ahead to workout, and then create a routine that you feel suits you best. Take one step at a time and before you know it, you will have taken 5,000 steps.

Author Bio Lynn VanDyke is the proud owner of www.strength-training-woman.com. She is a certified personal trainer, yoga instructor and nutritionist. Her site is quickly becoming an essential strength training destination.

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Eat Healthy and Lose Weight

2009-08-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

By: Christopher Ayu

If you accept the analogy that our bodies are like an engine, then it follows that this engine will perform better if it receives the type of fuel that it was designed to run on. In years gone by, before artificially processed and manufactured foods, our bodies normally received the correct nutritional balance every day.

As more and more families saw both the husband and wife holding down jobs outside the home, the dynamics of eating, exercise and nutrition began to change. "Convenience" and "fast foods" became the norm, and farms were gradually replaced by processing plants. Today, the average meal is so laden with artificial preservatives and saturated fat that our bodies are starving for the ingredients that they need, and overflowing with the ingredients that they don't need.

This nutritional imbalance manifests itself through weight problems, skin problems, tiredness, disease, and overall poor health. Although this problem has reached pandemic proportions, you can reverse the effects of poor diet in your own life if you truly want to.

Garbage In - Garbage Out While this phrase may have been coined for the computer industry, it's very relevant when it comes to our own body. Every moment that we are alive, our body is busy manufacturing the chemicals, fluids, proteins, and tissues that are required to keep us healthy. Food, or rather the nutrition that is derived from food, is what the body depends upon to handle all of these tasks.

Everything that we consume is used, stored, or discarded by the body. The body's particular nutritional needs can vary widely depending upon what's going on inside and outside of us at any particular time. Our body makes decisions on whether to burn carbs or fat based upon our immediate energy needs, how long it has been since our last meal, and the general condition of our health.

The body burns fuel in a very specific order. Alcohol is burned first because our bodies have no way to store it for later use. Protein is burned next, then carbohydrates and, finally fat.

Because fat is consumed last, and the average person has a diet which is rich in fat, our bodies store the fat away to be used at a future time. How is this fat stored? You guessed it; it's stored as fatty tissue. And that's why we call being overweight "fat". These excess fat stores not only affect our physical appearance, but they have a tremendous impact on our overall health. Study after study has shown that excess fat in our diets are directly linked to these medical conditions: Increased risk of developing certain cancers. Increased risk of arterial and heart disease due to elevated cholesterol levels. Increased risk of stroke. Increased risk of Diabetes. Increased risk of Liver disease. Direct impact on the body's immune system.

Doesn't it just make sense to avoid these unnecessary health risks by reducing the amount of fat that we consume every day? Of course it does.

Author Bio Christopher Ayu is the webmaster and content provider for www.swim-wear-in-style.com This is one of the many article posted on his site on health-and-fitness.

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The Fallout From Mental Health Stigma

2009-08-27T13:52:00.001-07:00

By: Sonia Devine

What is Stigma? Stigma is the use of stereotypes and labels when describing someone, and it is often attached to people who suffer from mental health issues. We don't fully understand how the brain works yet, but one thing we DO know is that it is an organ. Yet our society doesn't readily accept brain disorders the way we accept other organ disorders.

Why is this so? Stigma is a harsh reality for people who have mental health problems, because it prevents them from enjoying a normal and productive life. So many people today feel uncomfortable about mental health issues, despite the fact that there is growing evidence that more and more people are developing these problems. In fact, many people are so uncomfortable with the stigma that they would rather suffer in silence than get help they need.

Here are a few of the most common misconceptions about mental health problems: Mentally ill people have a weak character Mentally ill people are potentially dangerous. People with mental illness should just "snap out of it" Mentally ill people are violent

The media has only further fuelled our distorted beliefs about mental health issues. Frequently, characters on television and in the movies that have a mental illness are depicted as dangerous, unpredictable and violent.

What Are the Effects of Stigma? If you became ill you would go to a doctor. Once you got better, you would expect to get on with life as usual. But it's not that easy for people who suffer from mental illness. Often, they can suffer from persistent rejections and exclusions by ill-informed members of the community. Some people have been denied loans, health insurance and jobs because of their history of mental health issues. Consequently, these people lose their self confidence and may develop further anxiety or depression, on top of the issues they are already facing.

I witnessed this first hand many years ago, when my brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The majority of his friends deserted him; they weren't able to comprehend or cope with his altered personality and erratic behaviour. Within months he went from being a popular, vivacious and outgoing young man to a shattered, isolated loner. Over the following months, I watched my brother sink deeper into debilitating depression, which ultimately became so unbearable that he took his own life.

What Can We Do? All of us have times when we feel depressed, anxious or angry. We might even have a series of bad days, where we think that nothing will ever go right for us and the world is against us. For a mentally ill person, these feelings do not go away.

So the answer lies in education and understanding. If you know someone who seems very emotional, down or upset, then lead by example; show compassion and understanding, and encourage them to seek help. And if you're suffering silently yourself, take comfort in the fact that you're not alone and that there is hope.

Author Bio Sonia Devine is a qualified professional hypnotherapist and success coach with a caring and committed approach to healing, who lives in Melbourne, Australia. You can find more of her information on mental health, self image, love, relationships, phobias and much more on her website Manifest Your Success

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Do Your Dreams Have a Hidden Meaning?

2009-08-27T13:51:00.001-07:00

By: Wendy Owen

Dreams, what are they? Dreams come from your subconscious mind as a means of processing and sorting information. But the truth is no one really knows what causes dreams and why some folk seem to have vivid colorful dreams and others have short uneventful ones.

Dreams mainly occur during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. REM occurs every one and a half hours during the sleep cycle. During REM the eyes move from side to side and the body is relaxed and almost incapable of movement. Have you ever told people, "I never dream"? Well you're wrong. The fact is everybody dreams every night. You just may not be able to remember your dreams.

Don't worry too much if this is the case. Not remembering dreams doesn't mean you're abnormal or unnatural in any way. While most people do remember their dreams, the memory is fleeting and occurs mainly when the sleeper first awakens.

If you really want to be able to remember your dreams, the best way is to 'remind yourself' before falling asleep. This programs the subconscious mind - the source of your dreams - to hold on to the memory. When you wake up, try and hold the dream in your mind until you have a chance to record it. The easiest way to do this is to have a notebook and pen or a personal voice recorder beside your bed, so you can write down the dream before it disappears and gets 'buried' by the normal thoughts and concerns of everyday life.

With a bit of practice you'll find little snippets of your dreams beginning to reveal themselves. This procedure will also work well for those who remember occasional dreams or those who want to remember every dream they have. Books on dream interpretation abound and many people believe that dreams create a window into the subconscious mind where they can find answers to their most pressing problems and even see into the future.

This can be a dangerous practice. At best you can waste a lot of money buying books which lean towards the esoteric and lack knowledge in this area. Even sleep specialists know a large part of interpreting dreams is pure speculation. At worst dream interpretation can be taken too seriously and people can depend too heavily on finding the (sometimes false) meaning of their dreams.

This can lead to depression and even paranoia. It's best to treat dream interpretation as a bit of fun and realize that there may be many different ways to analyze dreams and their meaning.

If you are having recurring dreams or nightmares, it's best to contact a therapist experienced in this area. Don't go down the mystical route of trying to analyze yourself by means of a book.

Nightmares can be caused by stress, so work on ways to relieve this and the nightmares should ease or may even disappear by themselves.

Author Bio Want to know how to have better sleep? Find out how! Sign up for our monthly ezine and score our free book "How to Cure Insomnia and Achieve Healthy Sleep" at: www.insomnia-connection.com your resource for detailed information on better sleep and curing stress. The author, Wendy Owen, has had a lifetime interest in general and alternative health.

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The 3 Hidden Keys to Rapidly Burning Stubborn Fat

2009-08-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

By: Faisal Khetani

You're about to learn three "power tips" for burning fat that fitness models, athletes, & high profile personal trainers use to bring out those sexy abs, arms, & thighs in no time...

Honestly, I'm a little sick and tired of hearing the same old "top ten fat loss tips" circulating in magazines and on websites...

You're smart enough to realize that regular exercise and dieting will help you lose fat, but you're looking for better advice, something powerful yet easy to follow.

The following tips offer the solution you've been looking for:

Tip 1: Replace breads, pastas, & rice with fruits and vegetables.

No, this is not the atkins diet, because you are not avoiding carbs, you're just replacing the "types" of carbs you eat. Fruits and vegetables provide a very fast burning source of carbohydrates, which means that they are used up by your body for energy rather than being stored and converted to fat.

Basically, by eating fruits and vegetables, you'll have a lot of energy throughout the day... Conventional sources of carbs, such as breads, rice, & pasta, are notoriously slow burning sources of carbs, and eventually convert to fat if not fully utilized for energy. Additionally, most breads and pasta are highly processed and un-nutritious, so its not a good idea to consume them for proper nutrition reasons anyways.

Lastly, fruits and vegetables are 70-80% water, which means that by eating them you'll stay properly hydrated throughout the day. Also, they are high in fiber and enzymes, so consuming them throughout the day literally causes the fat to "melt away". As a general rule, eat at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day! Whenever you have a craving for something sweet, grab a fruit! Don't underestimate the power of this tip, it is one of the well-kept secrets of fitness models, bodybuilders, and celebrities worldwide.

Tip 2: Drink at least 16 glasses of PURIFIED water a day.

The truth is, 8 glasses is okay for the average person, but if you want to burn fat as quickly as possible, 16 glasses will get the job done. Water helps to supercharge your cells, flush out harmful toxins, and boost your metabolism. Consuming a lot of water makes it hard for the fat to "stick" to your body

. However, this doesn't mean that you can pig out and expect the water to flush away all the fat. Additionally, by drinking 16 glasses of water a day, you most likely won't have a need for coffee, since your energy and concentration levels will rise. Be careful, because tap water is not a good choice.

Ideally, you want to drink purified water, either through a commercial filter or boiled. Your very best bet, by far, is natural spring water, since it has the balance of minerals that mother-nature has perfected. Boxers and athletes drink tons of water a few weeks before "game time", to get as lean as possible...

Tip 3: Do 20 Minutes of Light Resistance Training Before Your Cardio...

If you want to burn up to 200% more fat during you aerobic or cardio workout routine, then you must do a light session of weight lifting or resistance training for about 20 minutes. Your body does not burn fat for the first 20 minutes of any exercise! Thats right, if you run for 20 minutes without doing any exercise before-hand, you will only be burning glycogen, not fat. Glycogen is the source of energy used by your muscles. Basically, you have to elevate your heart rate for at least 20 minutes before your body starts burning fat...

The best way to elevate your heart rate and kick-start your metabolism is to do light resistance training for about 20 minutes before your cardio routine. What this does is two things:

1) You break that 20 minute "plateau" your body needs to start burning fat.

2) You raise your metabolism 100-200%, which means that while you do your cardio/aerobic routine, you'll literally burn up to twice more fat.

Resistance, or weight training boosts your metabolism like no other form of exercise, often for a period of 24 hours or more. So, your body will burn fat even while you sleep, as your muscles recover overnight. Now you know why all those successful "aerobic videos" usually make you use resistance bands or small dumbbells as part of the workout routines.

You can use resistance bands, free weights, or machines. Keep in mind that you must do "light" resistance training so you still have plenty of energy to run or do cardio. To see fast results from your workout routines, definitely follow this strategy for maximum fat loss.

RECAP: Okay, so lets summarize the three "power tips" for rapid fat loss:

1) Replace breads, pasta, & vegetables with fruits and vegetables

2) Drink 16 glasses of purified water or spring water a day

3) Do 20 minutes of light weight lifting (resistance training) before your cardio routine

The only thing left now is for you to go out and "get em' tiger". These specific strategies will drop the pant sizes and bring out the curves faster than you can buy a new wardrobe.

Author Bio Faisal Khetani is a health and fitness consultant, and editor of the Dream Body Fitness Newsletter. Check out his website for scientific workout routines that deliver fast, maximum results: www.weight-lifting-workout-routines.com/Fat-Loss

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What Type of Hair Brush Should I Use for Healthy Hair?

2009-08-27T13:48:00.001-07:00

By: Rudy Silva

When you use the right kind of hair brush and keep it clean you will have strong, healthy, hair, which will not fall out in the future. Then by taking a Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid supplement, you can strengthen your hair. Hair care starts when you brush your hair. There are at least three things you need to know about how to brush your hair to bring more blood circulation to your scalp. Increasing the blood circulation to your scalp keeps your hair strong.

A Natural Hair Brush Using a natural bristle like boar's hair is a good decision. The boar bristle hair brush bristles are similar to the keratin of your hair and absorb the dirt and oil just like your hair. In addition the tips of the boar hair brush are rounded and gently massage your scalp and hair. Kent hair brushes are available in boar hair. But avoid the Kent nylon hair brush if you want the best care for your hair.

The nylon hair brush is not recommended since it is rougher on your scalp and is no where as good as the boar bristle hair brush. The nylon bristles are usually sharp and inflamed your follicles and break your hair when you use it. Brushing Your Hair To maintain good hair growth you need good circulation to your scalp. You need also need a clean scalp with little oil and dirt accumulating in your hair follicles. The boar hair brush helps you achieve this when you regularly brush your hair.

Brush your hair when it is dry. This prevents breaking of your hair. When you brush, the gentle pulling of your hair stimulates your scalp bringing in more blood to feed your hair. Also the slight pulling stimulates the release of oil from your follicles which lubricates your hair. Brush your hair with a boar bristle hair brush twice a day for the best hair care - morning and night. For short hair brush for three minutes and for long hair brush five minutes. By bending your head to the floor, when brushing, you will increase the blood circulation to your scalp.

Now, brush from your neck forward to the front of your scalp, then, from sides to your crown. Lastly, brush from the front of your scalp to the neck. Cleaning Your Boar Hair Brush If possible, you should clean your brush every day. If you have two or more hair brushes then it will be easier to do this. Your boar bristle hair brush accumulates dirt and oils from hair when you brush. Without regular cleaning of your hair brush, this dirt and oil will redeposit onto your hair. Over time this added dirt and oil will plug up your hair follicles and lead to hair thinning or permanent hair loss.

You can clean your brush every day when you shower. Clean it with shampoo and scrub the bristles with your hand back and forth. After cleaning, you can dry the brush with a towel and let it sit until the next day. By the next day, it is ready to use and your other brush is ready to be cleaned. Collagen Supplement One super supplement to take to strengthen your hair is called Super Collagen + C. Take this supplement with Hyaluronic Acid. Both these nutrients provide collagen for your skin, hair, joints, and many other body areas.

So, using a natural hair brush like the boar bristle hair brush is the best way to care for your hair. Gentle daily brushing stimulates your scalp and keeps you hair healthy. But don't forget to keep your hair brush clean, since your don't want to put the dirt and oil on your brush back onto your scalp.

Author Bio Rudy Silva, Nutritionist, gives you more tips on healthy hair at: www.hair-loss-remedies.for--you.info, www.stophairloss-now.com and at www.hairlossinwomen.for--you.com

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Hair Loss Remedies for Men and Women

2009-08-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

By: Rudy Silva

Regardless of your age, you need to be concerned about your hair. The appearance and quantity of hair that you have is a reflection of your internal health.

You can use natural hair loss remedies to save your hair. Of course, when you are young you have plenty of hair. But, there are even some of you at an early age, twenties, start to lose your hair. The appearance and quantity of hair that you have is a reflection of your internal health. Aside from a having a serious illness, your hair loss is affected by scalp cleanliness, stress, diet, and excess DHT.

Knowing this, you can check out many hair loss remedies available to you. Scalp cleanliness If you have dandruff, you need to get rid of it. Dandruff can be a source of hair loss when it combines with dirt, shampoo chemicals, excess sebum follicle oil. Over time this combination of chemicals can create a film on your scalp that hardens and start to plug up your hair follicles. Once plugged, your follicles can't support hair growth.

Dandruff can be caused by excess stress, dry scalp, or chemical irritations. Look to see if you have excess stress in your life and find a way to reduce it. Chemical irritations can come from the shampoos that you are using. Look for shampoos and conditioners that have natural ingredients. Start moving away from those hair products that have so many petrochemicals and dyes. Petrochemicals are those ingredients that you are not familiar with on the ingredient label - propylene glycol, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and FD&C colorings.

Stress Stress is a major contributors to many illnesses. It can also be the main reason you can experience loss of hair. Many years I was under a lot of stress at my new job. During the first 3 month there I experience excessive hair loss on the top of my head. When you have hair loss due to stress, you can recover this hair if you take action right away. First look at your high stress level and start reducing it. Next, start supplementing your diet with a good hair loss nutritional supplement.

Diet What you eat feeds your body. The type of body you have is based on what you eat. If you do not provide enough nutrients to your body, you hair will not receive enough nutrients to grow and be healthy. Your hair is last in line for the nutrient you supply your body. One way to improve your diet is eat more fruits in the morning and more vegetable for lunch and dinner. You can consider eating natural food hair loss remedies.

DHT (di-hydro-testosterone) When excessive amounts of testosterone are converted to DHT by the enzyme 5 alpha reductase, this DHT accumulates at the hair root where it blocks blood circulation to that hair follicle. This decrease in blood to the hair root weakens it and it loses its health. DHT also accumulates in the follicle and starts to plug it, thus further inactivating this hair follicle. The result is your hair start to thin out.

For women, DHT formation is not a major activity until menopause. Before menopause, estrogen blocks the formation of DHT. When estrogen decreases after menopause, DHT starts to form causing hair loss in women. There are now shampoos that help to clean off accumulated DHT from the scalp and from within the hair follicles. Use them to stop hair loss and to recover some of the hair follicles that are still alive.

There are also some pills that block the formation of DHT in the blood, but I don't recommend them since it is not known what the longer term effects are of this blocking. Go to google to find out more about DHT (di-hydro-testosterone) shampoos.

Author Bio Rudy Silva is a nutritionist that writes about different health issues using natural remedies. For more tips on saving your hair go to: www.hair-loss-remedies.for--you.info, www.stophairloss-now.com and at www.hairlossinwomen.for--you.com

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The 4 Tools We Need To Lose Weight

2009-08-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

By: Lynn VanDyke

Ask most people what their New Year's Resolutions were and you'll likely find the answer - lose weight. With so many of us wanting to shed the pounds, why is the obesity pandemic reaching new heights? Weight loss tends to conjure up images of near starvation and tons of cardio.

Most of us do not even start on our New Year's Resolution simply because the thought of it stops us dead in our tracks. What if we had some tools for weight loss? 4 simple ideas that are practically guaranteed to shed fat, drop the weight, and slim us down? That would be a major first step towards a weight loss program.

Tool 1 - Strength Training We have to recognize this as a viable fat-loss method. Every pound of muscle burns 35-50 calories per day. Adding lean muscle mass is the best way to jump start and sustain fat reduction.

Tool 2 - Cardio Cardio is good, but it's not the only tool we should use. Cardio should be done as a partner to the other ideas. Anything that gets your heart pumping will do: walking, jogging, running, dancing, swimming, biking, or house cleaning.

Tool 3 - Nutrition Nutrition is often the hardest part of the weight loss process. We simply forgot how to eat well in our culture. We need to eat protein, carbs, and fat to sustain our way of life. Cut one of the three out and imbalances will occur.

Tool 4 - Rest Rest is not a luxury. It is a necessity. We should eat well every day and we should workout 5-6 times per week. The leftover 1-2 days are meant for rest.

Our muscles need time to rebuild and repair themselves. Using strength training, cardio, nutrition and rest to our advantage will result in fat loss. There is no magic bullet. Just simple and effective tools to create the body we want. Make a promise to yourself right now.

Try using the above tools consistently and to the best of your ability for 4 weeks. You'll look great and feel amazing.

Author Bio Lynn VanDyke is the proud owner of www.strength-training-woman.com. She is a personal fitness professional, yoga instructor and nutritionist. Her site is quickly becoming the authority for all things strength training.

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Lose Weight by Eating More -- Food that is Virtually Impossible to Store as Body Fat

2009-08-27T13:38:00.001-07:00

By: Marty Gallagher

Certain foods are extremely difficult for the human body to convert into body fat - not impossible but damned near impossible. By consuming calories derived from these foods, the anabolic margin of error is extended dramatically, which means it will be easier to lose fat and gain muscle, if you choose.

Lean protein, protein devoid of saturated fat, has been the staple, the bedrock nutrient of elite athletes for 50 years. Why? You can eat a mountain of lean protein and not get fat - assuming you train with intensity sufficient enough to trigger muscle growth. Lean protein is difficult for the body to break down and digest.

As a direct result of this digestive difficulty, the body kicks the metabolic thermostat upward to break protein down into subcomponent amino acids. The human body wants to preserve stored body fat as a last line of defense against starvation. If overworked and under-fed, the body will preferentially eat muscle tissue to save precious body fat.

Obese people that go on crash diets, precipitously slashing calories, might lose 100-pounds of body weight, yet still appear fat. Despite losing from say 350-pounds to 250-pounds, they still appear fat because they still are fat. The body has cannibalized muscle tissue and saved the fat. Though they might weigh 100-pounds less, they still possess 25-40% body fat percentile.

Lean protein is the bedrock nutrient in the physical renovation process because it supplies muscle tissue battered by a high intensity weight workout with the amino acids needed to heal, recover and construct new muscle tissue. Lean protein is a bedrock nutrient in the physical renovation process because it causes the basal metabolic rate (BMR) to elevate; the metabolic thermostat, the rate at which our body consumes calories, increases when digesting protein.

Lean protein is a bedrock nutrient in the physical renovation process because it is damned near impossible for the body to convert it into body fat. The other bedrock nutrient in the physical transformation process is fibrous carbohydrates: carrots, broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, spinach, cauliflower, onions, asparagus, cabbage, salad greens, Brussels sprouts and the like. Fibrous carbohydrates, like lean protein, are nearly impossible for the body to convert into body fat. Fibrous carbohydrates require almost as many calories to digest as they contain.

A green bean or carrot might contain 10-calories yet is so dense and difficult to break down that the body has to expend nearly as many calories to break down that bean or carrot as the vegetable contains. Fibrous carbohydrates have a wonderful "Roto-Rooter" effect on the internal plumbing: as they work their way though the digestive passageways they scrape mucus and gunk off intestinal walls and help keep sludge buildup to a minimum. For this reason fibrous carbohydrates are the perfect compliment to a lean protein diet. Too much protein can cause bile buildup: fiber is the Yin to protein's Yang. The two nutrients should be eaten together. Both protein and fiber have a beneficial dampening effect on insulin secretions.

It is no accident that professional bodybuilders, the world's best dieters, capable of reducing body fat percentiles to 5% while maintaining incredible muscle mass, construct their eating regimen around protein and fiber. The best way to eat is to eat often. If you eat 3,000 calories a day the best way is in five 600-calorie feeding or six 500-calorie feedings instead of a breakfast containing 400-calories, a lunch of 1000-calories and a late dinner of 1,600-calories. Avoid calories easily converted into body fat.

Eat multiple small meals in the 400-600 calorie range comprised exclusively of foods near impossible for the body to convert into body fat. Plus, these foods cause the metabolism, the BMR, the body thermostat to elevate in order to digest them. Optimally you should eat every three hours: in about the time the nutrients from the previous meal have dwindled, been expended and exhausted, in about the time the elevated metabolism is 'settling back down to normal,' eat another small protein/fiber meal. This reestablishes anabolism, kicks the metabolism upward once again and gives the body more practice at assimilating and distributing quality nutrients.

They say practice makes perfect and by eating small, power-packed, tough to digest meals every three hours, the metabolism is kept elevated, anabolism is established and maintained and the individual never feels hungry. A person who is not hungry is far less inclined to binge on sweets and treats, junk and trash then the crash diet/calorie cutters who always feel hungry, deprived, listless and lacking energy.

The small meal/protein/fiber approach has been used successfully by elite athletes for decades and is not some untried dietary abstraction - rather it is the proven method of choice, one that has withstood the test of time, one that has been used for decades and been proven effective time after time. If a person is able to establish a multiple meal schedule comprised primarily of lean protein and fiber eaten every three hours, then adds to this eating schedule some serious weight training and a cardiovascular regimen, physical transformation is a biological certainty.

Author Bio Coming soon! "The Obesity Solution" is designed to help overweight men and women physically transform themselves into healthier, thinner, more fit individuals. Designed by Marty Gallagher, a world champion coach and former www.washingtonpost.com fitness columnist, he will take you by the hand to help you achieve permanent fat loss.

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The Stone Age Diet Solution

2009-08-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

By: Jack Prime

The dietary habits adopted by developed countries over the last centuries are largely responsible for many of the chronic diseases that are now commonplace in Western society.

Diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer of the colon are virtually unheard of among the few hunter-gatherer populations still remaining in the world.

The stone age diet is based on the foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have eaten before they became farmers.

Even over the last fifty years, our food has drastically changed. Where once our food was made up of simple, natural foods with minimal added ingredients, our food now contains a multitude of different ingredients.

Often it can be hard to even find modern-day food that does not contain some form of milk or wheat, which are common triggers in food allergies, and this leads to people eating the same ingredients every day and often at every single meal.

The stone age diet is nutritionally balanced and a very low allergen diet ideal for people who suffer from food allergies or food related ailments.

The foods you can eat on the stone age diet should be from natural sources and include items such as fruit (except citrus), fresh fruit juices (except citrus), all game and fish, free-range eggs, all vegetables, fresh vegetable juices, fresh nuts (except peanuts), herb teas, natural seasonings (salt, black pepper, herbs) and bottled or filtered water.

The foods you must avoid on the stone age diet are milk in all forms, milk products, cereals and their related products, any form of sugar, domesticated animal meat (meat from pigs, cows, sheep etc.), chicken, eggs (unless free-range), citrus fruit, alcohol, coffee, tea and all manufactured foods such as canned, packaged, bottled foods and ready-meals, processed meat or fish, chocolate and cocoa products, spices and tap water.

The above list may seem restrictive but you will find your health and well-being dramatically improves just be removing the foods to avoid from your diet.

There are also some exceptions which you are allowed to eat on the stone age diet which do fit in with our modern lives and dietary practices. Live low-fat yoghurt in moderation is a good addition to the diet and some grains which are well tolerated, even by those with a food allergy, are rice and millet.

If alcohol needs to be consumed (perhaps you're at a wedding or celebration) then a small amount of dry white wine or real ale can be taken.

The stone age diet is based on natural, nutritionally rich foods and following the dietary habits it provides will ensure you reap the benefits and achieve a strong, fit and healthy body.

Author Bio For further advice on natural foods and diets, visit Food Advice and Support For food allergy treatment, advice and common trigger foods visit the Help for Food Allergy website (www.helpfoodallergy.com). Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

How Lamb and Pears Can Help Your Food Allergy

2009-08-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

By: Jack Prime

Lamb and pears may appear to be a strange combination, but the reason they are chosen as part of a food allergy diet is because they are rarely indicated in allergies and are therefore relatively safe foods for most people with a food allergy to eat.

Often the best way to treat a food allergy is to avoid the food that causes the allergy altogether so a period of exclusion gives your body a chance to tell you which foods are making you ill and whether you react to one food or many foods.

An exclusion diet consists of eliminating one or more foods completely from the diet for a given period of time and then reintroducing foods one at a time to check for adverse reactions.

If you are committed to the process your efforts will be rewarded with the food, or foods, that cause your problems and you can be free of the symptoms and distress a food allergy may cause.

The principle of the lamb and pears food allergies diet is that you only eat these two foods, lamb, pears and bottled or filtered water, for five to seven days. During the course of the food allergy diet you can begin reintroducing other foods one at a time and gauge whether they cause a food allergy reaction.

As the lamb and pears food allergy diet is so restrictive it gives a chance for your system to clear and reveal the hidden allergies which are causing illness or allergy symptoms.

Keep a food diary to track your progress and note down how you are feeling during the diet.

If your food allergy symptoms disappear during the diet you can try and reintroduce suspect foods to see if they cause you a reaction. Keep a note of how you feel before and after eating the different foods you reintroduce.

Any food that does cause a reaction needs to be kept out of your diet and placed on your "foods to avoid list". If a food passes your test successfully you can place it on your "foods you can eat" list.

For best results take each step slowly; reintroduce foods slowly, perhaps one food per meal and if possible one food per day.

A variation of the lamb and pears food allergy diet allows you to eat turkey and peaches, or rabbit and raspberries.

Important note! A two food diet is very restrictive and should never be followed without close supervision or for an extended period of time. Severe exclusion diets can compromise your nutritional well-being so pregnant women, children, diabetics, epileptics, anyone with emotional disturbances or anyone with a serious illness should seek professional advice before embarking on any type of food allergy treatment or exclusion diet.

Author Bio For further advice on food allergy diets, visit Help for Food Allergy For food allergy treatment, advice and common trigger foods visit the Help for Food Allergy website (www.helpfoodallergy.com). Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

How to Really Make Your Diet Work For You

2009-08-27T05:03:00.000-07:00

First of all, you need to understand, that your body needs a proper Balanced Nutrition Diet, with a proper daily amount of: vitamins, proteins, minerals and carbohydrates.

Get into a habit of eating exactly 3 Meals a day.

1. Eat breakfast within one hour of rising.

Breakfast provides at least 30 percent of the total energy and nutrition needed to sustain the human body during the whole day. And therefore it is very important to have a proper breakfast and not to skip it.

2. Have a healthy low-fat lunch snack.

Have a healthy snack in your lunch time, low fat yogurt for example, to keep your energy running.

3. Have your dinner three hours before your bedtime.

Have a Proper dinner three hours before your bedtime; never go to bed on a full stomach. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day. 2 liters of water a day would help your body to burn calories more effectively and to get rid of toxins.

Exercising is a KEY. By exercising, your body gets an advantage of many physiological benefits such as:

.Weight Control by elevating your metabolism so that you burn more calories daily.

.The Boost in your energy level

.Strengthening of your heart and lungs

.Improvement in your self-image and self-confidence.

So, don't forget to exercise at least 10 minutes a day.

Try to avoid using fats. Try to keep the fat level in your cooking as low as possible. Make Calcium your friend. Include as much calcium as you can in your daily diet by eating: Oranges Broccoli Soybeans Tofu Sunflower Seeds Papaya And other sources of calcium. Calcium is a crucial element for bone metabolism. Calcium deficiency is very common.

The "Average" American diet does not even come close to meeting the normal calcium requirements:

425 mg. a day for Men

450 mg. a day for Women

So, to sum it up:

1. Have exactly 3 meals a day

2. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day

3. Exercise at least 10 minutes a day

4. Avoid fats

5. Make calcium your friend

By following these 5 simple rules, you will be losing weight in no time.

Author Bio Stanislav Karpunin

WellnessWorx.net markets quality, weight-management, nutrition and personal health care products created by WellnessPro leading industry experts. Weight-loss can be a pleasure! http://wellnessworx.net WellnessWorx.net Article

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