Health is life

Wacky Skin Care Tips

2009-12-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

Wacky Skin Care Tips

by Karla Sutton

There are certainly some off the wall skin care tips I can give all of you, and this may get a rise out of some of you, but hey, these are all 100% legit and can be tried and tested. While these may be bizarre ways to keep your skin in top condition, they are highly effective. If you are looking for some new skin care advice, this article is for you.

Let's start with some of the more off the wall skin care tips I can give you. Many of these are situational, but they all fit into the lives of many of you and can certainly be effective if used properly.

First tip, for you smokers, do all you can to stop smoking. Smoking is one of the worst things you can do if you care about your skin. There are numerous toxins in cigarettes, and the habitual facial expressions actually induce wrinkles. Think about how many times you see a life-long smoker with good skin. It simply doesn't happen.

So, while I would say that stopping smoking entirely is a great start to better skin, my tip for those of you who need the nicotine fix is this: use an electronic cigarette. There are numerous models out there, and by using an electronic cigarette, you are essentially keeping many of the toxins away from your skin. While you are still making a habitual facial expression, the amount of toxins is greatly reduced when you don't have actual smoke blowing around your face constantly.

Second, sleep on your back. When you sleep on your stomach or on your side, you often times scrunch your face. What this does is make the constant facial expressions, which as noted above, helps wrinkles form. Try to sleep on your back as much as possible. It can be difficult, but it's proven as an effective way to prevent wrinkles.

Lastly, here is one to surely get a rise out of your family. If you are looking to improve your skin's texture and quality, cover yourself in an avocado. Simply remove the pit and mash up the green material, and lather it all over your body. Avocado's are a great natural moisturizer, and using avocado on your skin can be a great way to smooth it out and add moisture. Just be sure you have a shower handy so you can wash it off when you are finished. If you look at some of the premier spa's in the world, you will find that avocado body wraps are popular, as are facials that contain avocado as an ingredient.

While this advice may be off-the-wall, you can follow this skin care advice and be happy with the results these treatments leave on your skin.

A Sensible Diet to get Weight Loss..

2009-07-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

For many people weight loss is one of the greatest challenges with which they are held. It may take a little motivation to really get your weight, but people who do not know that it is not so difficult. Most people know what they need to do to lose weight, eat less and more than you. We all know that, but how you are perceived and how you must eat less. The weight loss is all the difference between the calories, the calories you eat in comparison to you burn calories. If you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight.

This is the next question, which asked, how many calories my body is burning? Most of you will be pleasantly surprised by the amount of calories you burn each day to do nothing. I tell you, for example, a woman, 70 kg, you will burn about 1900 calories per day. It is not an exercise! For the loss of weight, start in a light and restrict your calories around 1500 calories per day and you lose about 0.5 kg per week.

The biggest key to weight loss to a mode of time. Did you know that there are more than 250 calories in a bottle of coke? But it is more than 300 calories in a mound of chocolate mud? You can preservation of foods that you love in your fashion, but for the loss of weight, moderation is the key. You need intelligent substitutions of food. Instead a portion of the cake, in good health. A can of tuna or in certain vegetables with bathroom. You need 5-10 health snacks you know that you love and prepared in this way in advance if the desire to come, please contact your health snacks. That is the rush of what the real weight loss progress, so it is important to your body regularly with power, with serious food you do not feel hunger every hour.

Make sure you write your goals. Studies have shown that people who write their diet reviews are also twice for the success in achieving their weight loss goals. Beginning of everything to make something sensible and you know that you are. Then, if the weight loss really happens, you can use your goals to zero and difficult for many.

The key to weight loss leads your energy into the control. A site that's all for you, life is Australian and suitability. You have a number of tools for the loss of weight, which allow you to take all aspects of health and fitness, and you in the grounds under weight loss.

A Health tips for you!

2009-07-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some simple health tips to help you, a healthy way of life. They help you to increase your energy and feel balanced and healthy. It is important to know what you can do to improve your health.

Watch what you eat: Your meal should be a healthy diet with a good balance of nutritious foods. Know what your body needs, and is not acceptable to eat too little or you can find out what a healthy lifestyle. There are some resources to turn to find what your body needs. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it is important to have a breakfast menu, your health every day!

Combat drug abuse: This is in comparison to eat or not eat food and at different things. This imbalance can be easily your body and cause problems.

Exercise: This should be at least four to five times per week. This helps your body to build muscle in many fields, helps to lose weight and can prevent diseases and epidemics. A good way for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Sleep: If you privately sleep, it causes your body to close. Make sure that you believe, rested and get the right amount of sleep. This allows your body to work, consistency and full speed from day to day. It is believed that the body through a process of healing while you sleep. So it is extremely important for the health always

Take vitamins and supplements when needed: Attention to the point where your body does not feel balanced is also important. Once you have found, you can compensate by vitamins and supplements.

Stay motivated: Often, it is easy to improve our health, for two weeks, then stop, if we do not immediately give the results. The largest part of improving your health remains coherent and well founded activities. Do what you must do to ensure that your health has become a routine.

Never Stop Learning: There are different approaches, which means the improvement of health. This is not only food, but moves in comprehensive approaches, which are part of your diet. Research and conservation, with studies on what works and what does not work, you may be interested in improving and maintaining your health.

Consult: There are a number of providers of health and nutrition consultant who can help. If you have doubts about the measures you need to know in connection with the right person to see what you have to do.

Always be aware that if you lead a healthier lifestyle when you can feel the changes in a physically and emotionally. You have a more fulfilled and balanced lifestyle. Knowing what you need to do, and take action, you can be sure that you will be able to make a more vigorous lifestyle.

Expectation When Colon Cleansing?

2009-07-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

Unless you have really made a clean two points of treatment or program, you can not know what to predict. In fact, results from a double to clean heavily depend on the type of detergent used. Physical treatments are highly recommended, because, generally more gentle and do not use chemicals such as laxatives.

Colon cleansing has many benefits, in addition they are usually in conjunction with it. A colon can be cleaned with nausea (colds, flu, etc), diarrhea, fatigue, constipation, body odor, bad breath, headaches, and more. If you use a cleaning treatment of two points, you flush toxins from your body, it is really not surprising that these benefits are often visit. Other benefits: better sleep, less heartburn, and weight loss.

While you’re going through the colon cleanse process, it is customary for the gas and stomach, bloating in the first week. So you can see some aspect of the chairs comic at the last chair, and some have even parasites or tapeworms. Note that this is normal and expected, during treatment Detox.

Since the toxic deposits on the walls of the colon is done over many years, there may be some treatment of two cleaning to thoroughly clean everything. The most important thing is to respect what is your patience and with the program all the way until the end

Massage Furniture - Tables For Massage Therapists

2009-06-22T10:23:00.001-07:00

Massage, while luxurious and pampering for its receivers, is a serious profession for its deliverers requiring in depth knowledge, a highly developed skill set and unmatched professionalism. And along with these in order to make a massage profession a successful profession; there is the need for safe and effective massage equipments.

As a massage therapist, the equipments need to depend largely on the method of seeing clients. If people work within an existing full-service spa then their massage equipment needs will be significantly less than if they have clients coming to their home or vice versa.

If people do not see their clients in an existing spa, then people will have to provide a massage table and massage chair as part of the massage equipment. A massage table can be a permanent piece of furniture or foldout table that people should bring along with them to appointments. Massage table is generally a long table with a cushion for the client to rest their face when they are on their stomach. When purchasing this piece of massage table one should be sure that the table is of adequate length and sturdy enough to hold a variety of weights.

There are many kinds of massage tables that are available in the market for use. Some tables are normal fixed tables and as well as some that are portable. The different types of massage tables are manufactured and sold by companies that produce massage therapy equipment. There are massage tables that are found in different price ranges. As one looks through the different kinds of tables there are, one should make sure that he is getting a table that will be suitable to his needs. Basic massage tables are made from sturdy and durable materials designed to help the massage therapist to deliver a good massage.

A massage therapist will find that spas have massage tables that accommodate the various types of massages. For example, one might find a wet or multi-adjustable massage table. This table will allow the massage therapist to move different sections of the table into positions that will allow for the best massage. For Shiatsu massages, the massage table will need to fold. When the tables are folded, they should look like a firm flat surface that the massage therapist can kneel on when giving a massage to the client.

Portable massage tables are lightweight, compact and sturdy. All the same, they are excellent for giving the clients a different form of massages. The compact cushion covering also supports the client throughout the intense workout they are going to be getting. Before deciding on what massage table to buy, a massage therapist should first establish what kind of massages they are going to be performing. So they need to get one that is sufficient for their needs.

However, more important than the massage equipment or possibly considered the most important piece of massage equipment of all; it is the massage therapist's ability to connect with their client and deliver a relaxing, feasible, therapeutic massage.

The History Behind The Hot Stone Massage Revealed

2009-06-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the hot stone massage is one of the fastest growing techniques being used for massage therapy world wide. Even though it is relatively new therapy, hot stone massage is growing in popularity very quickly. The healing powers of this new massage make it one of the most popular therapies. This hot stone massage therapy was first developed in Sweden and it is just like it sounds. Hot stones are used with the more traditional massage therapy to help people relive stress as well as aching tight muscles.

The use of the hot stones massage is quite different then the usual massage technique. A therapeutic body massage is done by using a gentle touch that slowly works the kinks out of the body muscles. People may be surprised to find out that in some cases the massage therapist may even massage people without even touching them; that is where they come into play. The only time the therapist may have to touch people is to reposition the stones to ensure that they are getting the full benefits and that they are where they need to be.

In the United States, hot stone massages are not as popular as traditional message therapies, mainly because a lot of people simply don't know about it. And even if they did, it might be difficult trying to find a hot stone massage therapist who knows how to do the technique properly. However, this does not imply that the hot stone massage is worthless. In fact, there is actually a lot of history behind the hot stone massage technique, especially in ancient Native American culture.

Previously in US, hot stone massages were used during sweat lodge ceremonies. Basically, as the people were sweating out their physical and spiritual impurities, hot stone massages were used for added relaxation. That massage technique worked so effectively that they became known as "grandfather stones."

Also in Hawaii, the hot stone massages technique was used for the same purposes. As the Hawaiians have access to lava stones or pohaku, the type of stones used for the massage purpose were different and for that reason, in Hawaii culture, the hot stone massage became known as 'pohaku' a term that applies even today. Also in Asia the hot stone massage was prevalent, though it was used more for therapeutic reasons; still, it offered an excellent way to put the physical body at ease, something that is especially important when a person is ailing.

This therapy utilizes a variety of Native American and Zen techniques. The type of stone used can vary depending on the therapist and the patient. The therapist need to evaluate the patient's needs and tailor the therapy as needed. Basalt stones are the stones that are used as they can keep the heat inside for the length of the massage and these are usually heated up to 120 degrees before they are used.

It is very unfortunate that once acupuncture and other therapies became discovered, the hot stone massages lost some of their prevalence. As far as the United States, the hot stone massage came into being around 1993, when this therapy became popular by Mary Hannigan, a renowned massage therapist. She had even developed a new massage technique called the "LaStone Therapy."

The Fundamentals Of Massage As Therapy

2009-06-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Taking some time to find a highly skilled massage therapist is well worth the effort. With a wide selection of massage therapies to choose from it is possible to find the perfect massage for the needs no matter what they are. Many people think that there are only two types of massage therapies. A standard massage therapy that is done solely with the hands and the second variety is done by incorporating hot stones to providing a relaxing heated feeling.

For the majority of people, staying to just these two varieties of massage therapies is wonderful. However, there are occasions when just a standard massage therapy is not good enough. Examples of special massages can include the sports massages, pregnancy massages, hot stone massages and even massages that utilize relaxing aromatherapy techniques. With a huge selection of massages available to choose from, it is possible to have a different massage every day of the week and notice different results after each session.

In order to ensure a person is getting the biggest benefit for his or her body they need to do a bit of research and actually look around. People might actually be highly surprised by the options that are available to them when they take the time to search for their best massage. While considering the therapeutic benefits of massage, people often hear about different massage styles and techniques. Thai, Deep Tissue, and Sports are some examples. However, massage is therapeutic on a more basic level which is often overlooked.

As a therapist, one always tries to match the right technique with each client's needs. Even most of them decide advanced certifications in several different styles, so that they can easily pick and choose what the client's body cues me to do. However, sessions do not always follow this pattern of technique-matching. When some one first began practicing massage therapy, mostly are keener to the deeply therapeutic effects of basic human touch; for the basic need and its healing effects. As one becomes increasingly skilled, it requires more effort to continually go back to the message fundamentals. Perhaps the most therapeutic feature of a good massage is the touch itself. A caring, conscientious touch from a therapist is more important than any expertise they have learned from any instructor.

Most of the clients avoid telling therapists that they want a Swedish massage. They do not understand that Swedish strokes are the foundation of most other massage, and that Swedish massage can be performed lightly or firmly. One can barely leave Swedish effleurage out of any massage session, and the pressure is not the same as the technique. When people practice very instinctive, basic types of human touch, it often resembles Swedish-style effleurage. A fundamental massage, consisting of basic vital strokes, is common in massage research. Health experts know the links between child development and touch. They have also revealed how stress relief actually prevents disease, and how massage can contribute to health and even mental improvements.

In conclusion, it is tempting to figure out which type of massage a person wants; but should never forget to include a good ole-fashioned basic massage in your health practices.

A sight for sore eyes: computer displays can be hazardous to your vision - Tech Tips

2009-05-28T03:32:00.000-07:00

The personal computer has become ubiquitous in the business world since its introduction, but has not been without problems. Repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tuned syndrome, have heightened public awareness of the potential health hazards of spending long hours typing on a computer keyboard. Vision-related problems have also become an issue due to the corresponding increase in the use of computer monitors.

“The most common symptoms are eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and dry or irritated eyes,” says optometrist Stanley Segal of Dr.’s Savoy and Segal in Jersey City, New Jersey. “The extent to which someone may experience these symptoms is really based on his or her own visual health,” says Segal. “Working long hours at a computer terminal may exacerbate an existing or undiagnosed eyesight deficiency, but it will likely not cause a permanent problem,” he says.

When you’re inputting data from paper to a computer, the eye has to refocus every time you switch attention from the monitor to the paper. This causes the muscles in the eye to grow tired, thereby producing eyestrain. Uncorrected vision, poor computer monitor design, workplace ergonomics and a visually demanding job can contribute to the development of eye problems. Older people may find it more difficult to adjust to these working requirements.

Take frequent alternative task breaks. Stop working at the computer monitor for a few minutes and work on another task. After working at the monitor for one hour straight, do some filing or catch up on phone calls, etc. Anything that will not cause your eyes to work as hard is considered an alternative task break. Another way to relax your eyes is to simply close them for a few minutes.

“Optometrists will tell you that the eye’s natural way of relaxing itself is by looking at a distance. When the eye does this, it does not require much focusing and therefore does not use as many muscles as if you were reading, doing needlepoint or working at a computer monitor,” explains Charlotte Rancilio, administrative director of media relations with the AOA

When looking at computer screens with dark backgrounds, use lower lighting. When working in a home office setting, use about half the normal office lighting. In an office setting, remove overhead fluorescent light bulbs. Dimmer lighting will reduce glare on the screen. The contrast between the screen and the characters should be high. Dark characters on a light screen are generally more legible than light characters on a dark screen. To check for sources of glare, place a small mirror in front of the monitor. It will direct you to the sources of light that cause glare.

Keep the computer computer clean. “When the monitor is dean, your eyes will not have to go through the dust and particles to refocus themselves,” says Rancilio. An adjustable chair that allows you to sit at a comfortable height, angle and distance from the monitor is also important. Reference material should be on an adjustable holder dose to your screen and at the same viewing distance as your monitor. Having the material at the same height and distance will eliminate focusing strain on your eyes thereby preventing tired eyes.

LASIK - a Cure for Blurry Vision?

2009-05-28T03:31:00.001-07:00

Presbyopia is an eye disorder that normally sets in between the ages of 40-50. A lot many theories have been suggested to delineate its proper cause. However, the most convincing theory is that the eye lens loses its elasticity over time, and this in turn results in the loss of accommodation power of the lens. Consequently, the lens is unable to focus on nearby objects, and hence the patient’s near vision is rather blurry. Presbyopia affects everyone at a certain age and it is not routinely curable.

The loss of accommodation power can be compensated for through LASIK surgery by producing what’s called “monovision”. Normally, people possess binocular vision. That is, both eyes work together equally while viewing an object. On the other hand, in case of monovision, one eye is corrected for near vision and the other is corrected for distant vision. LASIK surgeons make use of this technique to counter presbyopia.

LASIK can be a viable option for producing monovision. However, there is a caveat. Monovision is not appropriate for everyone. Furthermore, monovision may also interfere with depth perception. That is, the patient may not be able to perceive the accurate distance of any object, since accurate 3D perception requires input from both eyes. Therefore, it is recommended that the patient first uses contact lenses to produce monovision, in order to ensure that he or she can adapt to the change. Apart from surgery, a patient may use prescription glasses (bifocal or progressive) to compensate for the loss of power of accommodation.

Intraocular lens implant is another viable alternative to counter presbyopia. In essence, the natural lens is replaced with a new lens to achieve accurate refraction. Another interesting aspect is that presbyopia may not have a major affect on people with myopia. In general, a myopic does not have trouble reading without glasses. Thus a myopic often possesses perfect reading vision, without any visual aid, even in the old age and even after presbyopia sets in.

Lazy Eye: It May Not Be What You Think It Is

2009-05-28T03:28:00.000-07:00

Lazy eye is a disorder of the coordination between the eye and the brain, usually beginning in childhood. This disorder causes the body to prefer one eye over the other. It is known medically as amblyopia.

Lazy eye is characterized by poor or blurry vision in an eye that otherwise seems normal.

Someone with lazy eye experiences no transmission or poor transmission of the visual image from the eye to the brain for a period of time during early childhood. Lazy eye usually only affects one eye but it is possible to be amblyopic in both eyes if both are similarly deprived of a good, clear visual image.

Studies estimate that about one to five percent of the population suffers from lazy eye. It is believed that three percent of children under six have some form of amblyopia. Many people who are afflicted by lazy eye, especially those with a mild case, aren’t even aware they have it until they are tested at later ages. This is true because vision in their stronger eye is normal.

A severe case of lazy eye, however, can be associated with other visual disorders, particularly poor depth perception.

Lazy eye cannot be corrected by glasses or contact lenses, and is not due to any eye disease. The brain, for some reason, does not fully acknowledge the images seen by the amblyopic eye.

Many people think someone who has a crossed or “turned” eye has lazy eye. However, “crossed eyes” is actually a different eye condition known as strabismus.

Because of this misunderstanding, many people describe someone who has “crossed eyes” as having a lazy eye.

The most important means of determining if someone has lazy eye or amblyopia is a series of special visual acuity tests. The “20/20 letter charts” currently used by schools, pediatricians and many doctors are generally not sufficient for diagnosing lazy eye.

Since lazy eye usually occurs in one eye only, many parents don’t realize their child may have it. A large number of kids with lazy eye go unnoticed until they have their eyes examined when they get older. Therefore, comprehensive vision evaluations by a trained and qualified vision professional are a smart idea, even for infants and pre-schoolers.

Treatment options for lazy eye include glasses, drops, and certain vision therapies, possibly including the use of a patch.

Recent medical research has shown that lazy eye can be successfully treated up to the age of 17. As the patient grows older however, successful treatment of lazy eye requires more intense effort, including vision therapy. Improvements are possible at any age with proper treatment, but early detection of lazy eye still offers the best chance of a positive outcome.

Night Vision Binoculars Allow You To See At Night But How Do They Really Work?

2009-05-28T03:24:00.000-07:00

Night vision binoculars allow you to see at night but how do they really work?

Night vision binoculars are the most fashionable and popular consumer durables available in the market. From children to oldies, night vision gear is bought and liked by everyone. It is very difficult to see far and if it is in the dark, it gets harder because of the simple reason that humans are not blessed with the eyes of an owl or a tiger. But the advancement of nightvision technology has solved this problem as well. Night-vision binoculars help to spot things in the night.

When infrared night vision was first launched in the market, they were very expensive and were considered as a status symbol. But with the advancement of technology and the increase in the number of binocular manufacturers, the price of these night scopes has come down substantially and now the common person can easily afford them. Presently, the cheaper night optics are used by security recruits in general days.

How do the Night-vision binoculars work?

The subsisting light is amplified by the optics used in the Night-vision binoculars. They make the light evident to our eyes and are also useful for infrared spectrum. Good and eminent night binoculars have illuminators that can amplify the existing infrared light.

But the things you see through a night vision lens will appear greenish to your eyes as your eyes don’t see the objects directly but they see their image, which is made on a phosphor screen.

The intensity of the amplified light or the performance of the night-vision binoculars depends on the conditions of the available light. There exists an inverse relation between the light situation and the power of the binoculars. You will need more powerful infrared night vision as the light situation gets weaker and weaker and vice versa.

Types of Night-vision binoculars:

The diverse “generations” of night binoculars are known as the different types of Night-vision binoculars.

•First Generation:
Generally the night-vision binoculars of first generation are used by the city dwellers. These are less expensive are easily affordable. They have the power to amplify existing light by an aspect of 1,000. These can be used when there is bright stars and a full moon covers up the sky in the night.

•Second generation:
This generation night-vision binoculars work well when there is a crescent moon. These are generally used by the law enforcement agencies. They are quite expensive as compared to the first generation binoculars but the images they provide to your eyes are brighter, sharper and even clearer as compared to the first generation night-vision gear

•Third generation and fourth generation:
Night-vision binoculars of third generation and fourth generation are used during dark and cloudy nights when the intensity of the light available is very low and weak. They are very expensive and hence are not affordable by common people. But the images they provide are much clearer and sharper as compared to all binoculars of previous generations.

How to buy the right Night-vision binoculars?

With plenty of options available in the market it is very confusing to choose the right one for yourself. There are simple binoculars for children with which they can have some fun and even some very sophisticated and classy ones, which are good for night navigation or surveillance. So, following are some tips to help you select the right one for you.

The first and the foremost thing you should decide prior to buying any night vision equipment is its purpose. Night-vision binoculars and scopes are used for various purposes for instance, scouting games, exploring caves, camping, surveillance and security, wildlife observation, nighttime navigation, night hunting and night boating and fishing.

The second thing, don’t compromise on the quality of the binocular because of the cost involved. In general, night-vision binoculars are more costly than the normal binoculars and hence be prepared for to pay for it. Always try and go for branded ones such as Weaver, Night Owl, Yukon, or N-Vision Optics as they come with more number of features than what the general manufacturers will offer.
Range of Night vision is another important thing to look in a night-vision binocular. The range of a binocular depends on its resolution, gain and magnification. Look for binoculars with powerful lenses as they help in good magnification. Night vision binoculars are a good and a costly investment and hence, look for all the possible options available and then choose one for yourself; compromising on the quality is certainly not advisable.

Dry Eye After LASIK Surgery

2009-05-28T03:22:00.000-07:00

LASIK is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser. LASIK eye surgery is basically for people who are nearsighted or farsighted and have astigmatism. The goal of LASIK surgery is to change the curvature of the cornea, which is the outermost part of the eye. It allows the person to see without glasses or contacts. After the surgery some patients may develop severe dry eye syndrome, which can be treated with artificial tears and usually takes six months to recover.

On completion of LASIK surgery, the regular nerve impulses that direct the lacrimal gland to produce tears are often interrupted. It is considered an expected phase of the healing process. Dry eyes cause gritty and uncomfortable sensations. In order to avoid this condition, a surgeon carefully examines the eyes and recommends lubricating and moisturizing drops to the patients. They are also advised to keep the eye adequately bathed in tears for the eyes to heal properly and also refrain from overusing the drops.

Dry eye problems range from less serious to more serious complications. While a patient experiences itching, redness, or pain after the vision correction surgery, there are others who face minor problems that can be solved with topical treatments for the eyes. In order to resolve the serious cases of dry eye problem, a tiny plug is inserted that prevents tears from going to the nose and allows lubrication in the eye. People also rely on flax seed oil caplets and a humidifier in their home, which relieves the dry, scratchy feeling. New treatments for dry eyes include collagen or silicone punctal plugs and punctal cautery. These greatly reduce symptoms, promote healing and improve vision by enhancing the quantity and quality of the eye’s natural tear film.

Schedule an Eye Exam For These Five Reasons

2009-05-28T03:20:00.000-07:00

Scheduling an appointment to see your eye doctor is one of those things you normally don’t think about too often, but you should start. Just off the top of my head, I can come up with several reasons why an eye exam is important. The first being that our eyes are our windows to the world. Without them we couldn’t see all those wonderful things the world has to offer. We also suffer in our development as individuals, personally and professionally.

Everyone isn’t necessarily required to have periodic eyeglass and eye exams done but it doesn’t hurt not to. Age should not be a factor either. Just because you have 20/20 vision today, doesn’t mean you will tomorrow. All those long hours of staring at a computer screen can take its toll on your eyes. It is important that you don’t wait until it’s too late to do anything.

Here just five reasons why you should schedule an eye doctor’s appointment today:

20/20 eyesight - You should visit your eye doctor on a regular basis to have your eyesight checked on. Not only do you want to see clearly but it can also alleviate other health issues you may not be aware of. Many people suffer from daily headaches or fatigue because of a slight over or under correction of their eye prescription. If you work on a computer and spend two or more hours each day staring at your screen, you are at risk for CVS, also known as computer vision syndrome. This causes headaches, focusing difficulties, burning eyes, tired eyes, eyestrain, aching eyes, dry eyes, double vision, blurred vision, light sensitivity, and neck and shoulder pain and can easily be treated with eyeglasses made for computer users.

Discover eye disease - Did you know that there are a good number of serious eye diseases which have no visible symptoms? Take glaucoma for an example. For years, doctors have referred to is as the sneak thief of sight since it comes on slowly and can cause total vision loss. Then there are cataracts and macular degeneration which develop gradually. You don’t realize something is wrong until your vision has noticeably decreased. It’s only through early detection from your eye doctor can these and other eye diseases be prevented.

Diagnose developmental issues - Certain learning and reading difficulties stem from eye problems such as dyslexia and ADD and stem from uncorrected vision problems as children. It can also cause lazy eye or eye turn which can lead permanent loss of vision if not treated.
Find hidden diseases - Many doctors firmly believe that our eyes are the window to our bodies. Dilated pupils, for example can tell a doctor of the presence of undiagnosed hypertension, multiple sclerosis, strokes, kidney problems, or brain tumors.
Keep current with styles - Eyeglass fashion and frames are always changing towards new new trends and fads. You don’t want to be wearing out-dated glasses and looking old fashioned, do you? The technology used to make glass lenses is constantly improving towards thinner and stronger.

Astigmatism Eye Surgery Procedures

2009-05-28T03:18:00.000-07:00

Astigmatism is a refractive error of the eye that is caused by an irregularly-shaped cornea. The irregular shape of the cornea changes the way that the rays of light are refracted, and subsequently, are focused on the eye’s retina.

It is characterized by distortions in your field of vision, such as blurring of lines. Another common presentation of Astigmatism is the development of eyestrain and headache, especially with prolonged reading.

Treatment may either be surgical or non-surgical. Non-surgical treatment involves the use of corrective lenses. Surgical treatment of astigmatism, on the other hand, is via refractive eye surgery.

CORRECTIVE LENSES

The conservative method of treating astigmatism is via the use of corrective lenses. These corrective lenses are able to counteract the irregular shape of your cornea. Corrective lenses include the use of eyeglasses and contact lenses. Another procedure, known as orthokeratology or ortho-K, makes use of contact lenses to change the shape of your cornea. Ortho-K requires you to use the contact lenses only at night. By doing this, the shape of your cornea gradually changes.

REFRACTIVE EYE SURGERY

Refractive eye surgery is used in the permanent treatment. Refractive eye surgery changes the shape of your eye permanently. There are several kinds of corrective eye surgery that can be used in the treatment of astigmatism.

Previously, a procedure known as astigmatic keratotomy, or AK, was used to cut the patient’s cornea in order to change its shape. However, with the advent of excimer lasers and novel refractive eye surgery techniques, the use of AK has diminished significantly. Newer refractive eye surgery techniques have been able to decrease the risk of complications and have produced better results, making them more favorable for both ophthalmologists and patients.

Nowadays, LASIK eye surgery is the most common refractive eye surgery used in the treatment. LASIK involves creating a corneal flap and using an excimer laser to alter the shape of your eye’s cornea. Another refractive eye surgery used in treating astigmatism is PRK, wherein only the surface of your eye is ablated. However, PRK is not as commonly used anymore. One of the newer kinds of refractive eye surgery is LASEK, wherein a thin layer of the cornea is opened so that the laser can ablate the layers underneath.

It can be adequately treated with both non-surgical and surgical techniques. Ask your ophthalmologist about the risks and benefits of these various options.

Corrective Eye Surgery Prices

2009-05-28T03:17:00.000-07:00

Corrective eye surgery is a heaven-sent for most people. Because of this procedure, they have improved their vision and eliminated the need for those bothersome eyeglasses and contact lenses. Today, corrective laser eye surgery is one of the newest and bays ways to have your eyesight corrected. There are generally two types of corrective laser eye surgery. There’s PRK, which stands for photorefractive keratectomy and Lasik, which means Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis.

Corrective laser eye surgery works by reshaping the cornea, allowing you to see much better. Laser eye surgery works best for people who suffer from myopia, or nearsightedness, hyperopia or farsightedness and astigmatism. The whole process takes less than ten minutes per eye so the surgery doesn’t require patients to stay in the hospital overnight. In fact, many patients walk out the door an hour after coming into the clinic! Then they can expect to resume to their normal, everyday activities in just a matter of days after the surgery. Patients report to having their eyesight dramatically improved so they no longer have to go through the hassles of wearing glasses and contact lenses.

Still, not everyone who wishes to undergo corrective surgery can. Prices of such seemingly simple surgeries can be prohibitive. Some corrective eye surgeries cost about a thousand dollars, just for one eye! In the United States, patients pay anywhere between $500 to about $2,000 per eye. The variations are due to a number of factors, including the area or the state where the corrective eye surgery is performed, as well as the equipment used and the degree of visual impediment of the patient. For example, if you suffer from severe astigmatism, then you are likely to pay much more compared to someone who suffers from mild astigmatism.

Unfortunately, most health insurance companies don’t cover corrective laser eye surgeries because this type of surgery is deemed as cosmetic. Still, keep in mind that you shouldn’t settle for anything less than the best. After all, you are dealing with a very valuable asset, your eyesight. Do not choose a doctor solely on the basis of how little he or she charges. Even if he or she charges just a little, he or she may not have the right experience, skill and equipment as other, more credible doctors. To finance your corrective eye surgery, don’t be afraid to ask around. Some clinics have partnerships with other health insurance companies that can help lower the cost of your eye surgery.

Herbal Medicines For Eye Problems

2009-05-28T03:15:00.000-07:00

Severe problems with eyes should always be referred to a specialist, but alternative therapies can support orthodox treatment and may be very useful in conditions that affect the eyelids and tear glands. When treating infections and inflammations of the eyes, wash your hands between treating each eye, and use fresh materials so that you do not transfer infection from eye to eye.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis symptoms are red, itchy eyes; a yellow discharge; and inflammation around the eye or eyelid. It is normally caused by infection or allergy and is not serious except in newborn babies.

Treatment

Herbal Medicine Herbal eye baths made from infusions of eyebright (euphrasia), chickweed, elderflower, or camomile flowers are a soothing, effective treatment.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Homeopathy A homeopath may prescribe Argentum nit. 6c for “gritty eyes” or Pulsatilla 6c for itchy eyes with a discharge.

Eyesight Problems

Hazy vision, difficulty in reading, tired eyes, headaches are all types of eyesight problems. They may be the result of vision problems, high blood pressure, and eyestrain, among other factors.

Treatment

Yoga Candle gazing is a beneficial yoga exercise for eyestrain. Sit comfortably and gaze at a candle about 3ft/1m away, without blinking, for ten seconds. Palm for 30 seconds, then resume gazing with one eye only then the other, then together, turning the head Gradually increase the time (20 then 30 seconds) over several weeks.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Homeopathy Specifie remedies to be taken for eyestrain include: Arnica, when the muscles, are tired; Natrum mur., when eyes ache upon looking lip down or around; Ruta grav., when the eyes burn or feel strained after close work or reading; Phosphorus, tired eyes are associated with great nervousness and apprehension.

The Bates Method This is designed to strengthen the eye muscles and rectify vision problems as a natural alternative to wearing glasses.

Cataracts

Cataracts cause cloudy, distorted vision resulting from, changes in the protein makeup of the lens. They are most common in old age, but may be caused by iritis, babies are born with cataracts.

Treatment

Diet And Nutrition Research suggests that vitamins B2 and C can help improve the condition in which sight deteriorates as the lens becomes opaque. Supplementing with vitamin E and the antioxidant mineral selenium can help rectify dietary deficiencies that can exacerbate the condition.

Homeopathy Specific remedies include Phosphorus, when there is a sensation of mist being pulled across the eyes; Calcarea, for the early stages, with circular lines visible in the lens; Silica, for the later stages, when cataract begins to interfere with sight.

Glaucoma

Gradual loss of vision, aching pain in and above the eyes, seeing “rings” around lights are the symptoms of glaucoma. The disease is caused by a buildup of fluid in the front chamber of the eye. Glaucoma may be asymptomatic and vision may be lost before the sufferer is aware of the disease. If there is a family history of glaucoma, ensure regular screening by an optician.

Treatment

Hydrotherapy Home hydrotherapy treatment offers immediate relid - place alternate hot and cold face towels over the eyes.

The Bates Method These exercises can also be used to treat this condition.

Homeopathy Take Belladonna 30c every 15 minutes for up to ten doses when symptoms start.

Squint

Squint is the inward or outward turning of the eye or eyes. In adults, squint is normally caused by damage to the eye muscles or the motor nerves that control the eye muscles, usually the result of diabetes, high blood pressure, brain tumor, or brain injury. In children, squint should be treated before the affected eye becomes lazy and ineffective.

Treatment

The Bates Method Minor squints can be successfully treated with the Bates Method.

Yoga Palming relaxes the eye muscles and improves squints. Rest with your arms on a table and rub your hands together. Cup hands over closed eyes, shutting out all light, and relax for 20 seconds while being aware of visual sensations. Repeat at least twice a day.

Use Eye Exercises To Improve Your Sight

2009-05-28T03:13:00.000-07:00

How does this thing called vision function? How do we see? The eye, as is constantly pointed out, operates in many respects like a camera. At this moment you are looking across the room. Perhaps there is a painting on the opposite wall. Perhaps you see an easy chair with a lamp beside it. Whatever it is, for our purposes it constitutes a picture.

Suppose you want to record that picture with a camera. First, you adjust the focal length so that the image is sharp and clear without blurring or distortion on the film. If the object is at a distance, you shorten the focal length. If it is close, you lengthen it. Then you snap the picture. That is, you let light in upon the exposed plate and the picture is taken. You cannot see it, however, until the film has been developed.

How does this compare with the functioning of the eye? The eyeball of a normal eye involuntarily adjusts itself so that the image is focused on the retina (film of the camera). Once again there must be sufficient light to make your picture clear. Once again, if the object is at a distance, the focal length (the distance from the cornea to the retina) is shortened; and vice versa if the object is close. This process of adjustment to far or near sight is called accommodation. the conflicting opinions which exist in regard to its functioning.

Light enters the eye through the small hole in the iris called the pupil, and comes to a focus on the retina where, by a chemical reaction, it is changed from radiant energy into nerve impulses. Sensitive nerve receptors of the retina, which are a part of the optic nerve, carry these impulses to the visual centers in the brain where, with the assistance of memory, imagination, experience and judgment, a picture is developed. That is, the mind interprets the image.

It is, therefore, the brain that sees. The greater the degree of mental control, that is, the better your memory and imagination, the better you see.

When the camera is in the hands of a person who does not understand its functioning, the pictures are unsatisfactory, and so with the eye. If the eye fails to accommodate, as a result of some malfunctioning, it is improperly focused. If it strains to see, the individual begins to suffer from some form of eye trouble.

He goes to an ophthalmologist and, after examination, departs with a pair of glasses. The glasses fix on the individual the trouble which they are supposed to correct, while the underlying cause remains unchanged. Meanwhile, the sight will worsen when the glasses are removed. For instance, a person with 20/70 vision will find, a few weeks after being fitted with glasses, that his vision has degenerated to 20/200 when he removes them.

While many eye troubles are preventable and many more can be vastly alleviated, the only solution that is offered for this appalling condition is to fit the eyes with glasses. There are glasses for young and old, dark glasses and colored glasses, reading glasses and ornate affairs; glasses for the near-sighted and for the far-sighted; glasses for eyestrain and to relieve headache. Glasses for every purpose, indeed, except to get at the cause of the eyestrain. This is how we see.

How Do I Stop Sweating Under My Arms?

2009-05-28T03:12:00.002-07:00

I am sure you are aware that sweating is a natural body function. However unfortunately for a very small percentage of people they sweat more frequently and to a greater extent. The question becomes why do some people sweat more than others?

So knowing that sweating is necessary, and understanding the fact that its purpose is to control and maintain our body temperature why am I one of the few who sweats so much under my arms? Sweat, which is also called perspiration, is the secretion of fluids through your skin. These fluids are composed mainly of water. .

The first question is why does this happen? Why do I sweat more under my arms rather than in different areas of my body? To clarify the medical term for excessive sweating is called “hyperhidrosis”.

The process that decides where to sweat begins in the brain which controls the nervous system. Here a decision is made as to where and how much to sweat, this is different for different people. In this case it picks the most efficient sweat gland or where it feels it can excrete the most.

So as it happens each of us can sweat excessively in different areas of our bodies. Some of us may sweat more on our hands, feet, or back etc. This is also the case for those of us who do not suffer from excessive sweating.

So what happens when excessive sweating occurs? Excessive sweating is caused when the Sympathetic Nervous System goes into overdrive. There is no one answer and it is not completely understood what exactly causes excessive sweating.

One fact is that people sweat less at night. When you exercise you can sweat less afterwards. Excessive sweating can occur when people smoke cigarettes or drink coffee, it can also happen when you have too much salt in your diet. So believe it or believe it not a healthy diet can actually reduce sweating.

So when looking at the evidence mentioned above a reduction in sweating can be directly related to reducing the stimulus to your nervous system, hence keeping your muscles and mind relaxed. When this happens your body feels that it doesn’t need to sweat due to an overactive nervous system.

So how to stop sweating in your underarms begins with understanding and observing when you start to sweat excessively. You can implement different techniques to stop sweating through a process of elimination.

Have You Heard Of The Stop Sweating-Start Living Technique?

2009-05-28T03:12:00.001-07:00

Have you heard of the stop sweating start living technique? Nobody likes to have sweaty arm pits or sweaty anything for that matter. This can be extremely embarrassing. Not to mention if along with it you have body odor. The medical term for excessive sweating is called “hyperhidrosis”.

The brain which controls the nervous system makes a decision as to where and how much to sweat. It picks the most efficient sweat glands or where it feels it can excrete the most. This could be on your back, feet or underarms to mention a few.

With the stop sweating start living technique the goal is simple. Reduce lower arm, hand, face, foot, and your overall sweating by up to 95%. It does not matter what you have tried before this method will help you reduce sweating significantly and they guarantee it.

Some of those who have tried the “stop sweating start living technique” have claimed positive results within five days some as soon as the next day. Many thought there would be a catch but much to their delight the results spoke for themselves.

Now they feel cured and confident. This has helped these folks start living again. No more trying to avoid certain clothing or interacting socially. Now they no longer have to fear raising their arms in Public.

So if you are tired of excessive sweating and have tried many methods, don’t give up. In actual fact you should never give up! Observe patterns and times when you start to sweat excessively. Try this method, you have nothing to loose because if you are not satisfied you get your money back. Make the change in your life today!

Do You Want To Stop Excessive Sweating?

2009-05-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

Concerns about hyperhidrosis mostly has to do with the occurrence of excessive sweating. Hyperhidrosis is a condition where the body sweats more then it actually needs to. Also a common hyperhidrosis issue is underarm sweating.

Several different types of hyperhidrosis exist. That’s why no one has a definitive answer as to the exact cause of hyperhidrosis to this day. Excessive sweating does not necessarily take place in one location of the body.

When the body starts to sweat excessively it is known that the sympathetic nervous system runs at an extremely high activity level. For those people who experience hyperhidrosis the sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive. This leads to stress and sometimes even socially debilitating situations in both ones professional and ordinary life.

No one likes to have sweaty armpits and it can often to lead to social anxiety. This prevents the individual who suffers from the above condition to recede socially. They begin to avoid social environments such as dances, parties and dates. There is also the concern that while one is at work that they are sweating excessively and causing body odor. This then can lead to feelings of embarrassment and depression.

So what treatments are there for this condition? There are ointments and salves that are available, they work by drying up the sweat glands. There is electrical shock therapy this consists of light electrical stimulation which is typically applied to the hands. The objective is to “stun” the sweat glands, and the treatment can last anywhere from six hours up to once week.

One of the most recent treatments is injecting Botox into the affected area. This can take many injections to notice a difference and its effectiveness lasts for one to six months. However there is a simple treatment that is available that you can try that could relieve your sweat problem for the rest of your life!

Showering, Bathing And The Importance Of Keeping Clean

2009-05-28T03:09:00.000-07:00

Besides an abundance of fresh air day and night, summer and winter, personal cleanliness immensely aids to health and the ability to sleep. In the old days people bathed to clean themselves when dirty. In those days once a week was considered frequent.

Today we shower to keep clean. Someone, probably Joseph Fels, has said that the civilization of a people may best be estimated by the amount of soap and water it consumes. If we start out well-groomed in the morning fresh from the bath with clean linen, clothes brushed and all our personal needs duly attended to we carry our heads higher, feel an uplift of body and mind that is impossible to the careless or untidy person.

The same influence applies to going to bed at night. If we retire soiled and worn from the day’s experiences, we may toss and turn with discomfort whose source we may not understand, or we fall into heavy, unrefreshing sleep.

The body does most of its breathing during sleeping-time. You know how the moisture from the breath shows on a mirror when you breathe on it: well, the skin gives off about three times as much moisture as the breath, and, unless the pores of the skin are free from all obstructions such as dust, old, dried perspiration, and similar soil, it cannot perform its work properly and to the advantage of the sleeper. If you don’t like water, use oil as the Easterns do. Even dry rubbing, if the skin is moist, will keep the pores open.

The little trouble entailed is more than offset by the refreshed feeling, the lightening of the mind as well as of the body, the more restful sleep, and the better health resulting from the practice.

One of the advantages of the night shower or bath is that it reminds us to change all the clothes we have worn during the day. If they must be worn again the next day, they should be spread out on the backs of chairs or on hangers, that they may be thoroughly aired before morning.

If we feel that we must have something more than the pajamas or night-robe, then there should be separate sets of underclothes kept for that purpose alone old, thin, partly- worn ones may be reserved for this use. Whether showers should be hot, warm, or cold must depend upon the individual. There is no set rule that applies equally to all persons.

Many people do find the cold plunge or shower most invigorating in the early morning hours, it is too stimulating to be taken at night and others cannot stand the shock of contact with cold water at any time. There is but one wise thing to do to experiment for yourself and adopt the sort of wash that seems best suited to your needs. Most people will find the warm shower more satisfactory than the hot or cold.

Healing Plants: Medicine of the Seminole Indians

2009-05-26T03:01:00.000-07:00

It is a pleasure to review this delightful book co-written by Alice Snow, a woman in her seventies who has spent much of her life using her Seminole knowledge of medicinal plants, and Susan Stans, an anthropologist who has lived as a friend in Alice’s community for two years. The result of this collaboration is a book rich in ethnobotanical information, well and clearly presented, and enhanced by the introductory chapters giving the social history and background of the Florida Seminole Indians.

The story is told simply and with no attempt to idyllicise a way of life that is rapidly disappearing. Effects of Westernisation, both good and bad, are remarked on. Alice Snow herself is a woman of few illusions, anxious to preserve the old knowledge while accepting that change is inevitable. As a child, she had the foresight to appreciate the importance of learning to speak English, despite being discouraged by her parents’ generation from attending school. Her resulting knowledge of English has enabled her to act as interpreter and go-between for her people during a lifetime that has witnessed enormous changes. In addition to rearing her family, Alice has worked in a large number of jobs, apart from her unpaid work with herbs.

The materia medica that Alice draws upon is more limited than that reported a generation earlier by Sturtevant, a fact that emphasises the importance of preserving such knowledge before it is all irrevocably lost. Her knowledge of healing plants has been handed down from her mother and grandmother, and she has been determined to preserve it. This book was written despite some opposition from older members of her community. As Alice herself says, all she is telling is the names of plants; she does not claim to convey the whole system of healing. Her own role is that of assistant, collecting the plants that are then taken to a medicine man who empowers them. The overlap that is reported between Western medicine and the traditional healing methods is interesting too: sometimes one is used, sometimes the other, and sometimes a combination of both.

Healing herbs of the east: find total wellness with these 12 superstars from Chinese medicine and Ayurveda

2009-05-26T03:00:00.002-07:00

WHEN IT COMES TO HERBS, we Westerners like to keep things simple: For this ailment, take this herb. Catching a cold? Take echinacea. Feeling stressed and anxious? Try lavender. Migraine? Feverfew! In fact, we often refer to our herbal cures as “simples.”

The herbs of the East, on the other hand, seem more complex. Instead of our one-herb-one-cure approach, Traditional Chinese Medicine and India’s Ayurveda–two of the world’s oldest healing traditions–tend to approach herbs as team players, creating complex formulations that sometimes contain as many as 40 discrete ingredients. Both systems consider patients to be more than the sum of their symptoms, using methods like acupuncture, yoga, and diet to help unblock and rebalance energy to correct illness. And both systems are best accessed through qualified practitioners who can tailor a treatment plan to your own unique, exact needs.

But you don’t necessarily need the ongoing supervision of a professional to tap into these potential treatments. Asian herbs are some of the most powerful remedies out there, and they can be just as easy as Western herbs to use. Some have already become Westernized–consider ginger, now considered the premier natural remedy for nausea caused by motion sickness or morning sickness.

Others are still unfamiliar to Americans, especially as health aids. But while you may eventually want to graduate to a more comprehensive use of Eastern practices, you can still get the “simple” head-to-toe benefits offered by the dozen powerhouse herbs described here. All are considered safe when used as recommended, though you should always consult your physician when starting or altering an herbal regimen. (NOTE: The recommended dosages are for typical extracts and formulations; when using commercial products, follow package directions. Talk to your health-care practitioner to fine-tune dosages based on your specific needs.)

Elements of india

AYURVEDA AND Traditional Chinese Medicine evolved in fair proximity over thousands of years. “As one might expect of geographic neighbors, Ayurveda and Chinese medicine share many concepts,” says psychiatrist Alan Brauer, M.D., director of the TotalCare Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif. One is the idea of life energy–qi in Chinese thinking, prana in Ayurveda; another is the view of the body as a microcosm of the world it inhabits.

Psychic Power Comes of Age. . - Book Corners - review of “Reinventing Medicine: Beyond Mind-Body to a New Era of Healing “

2009-05-26T03:00:00.001-07:00

Western medicine is experiencing a consumer-driven transformation. There are three distinct stages to modern medicine: Era I dates to the mid 1800s and encompasses the beginning of medicine as a science. Man is viewed as a machine and mind is considered to be a property of the physical brain. Any therapy that focuses on the effects of material things in the body such as the many forms of modern medicine: drugs, surgery, CPR, are included.

Era II is the period of mind-body medicine which encompasses Era I and moves beyond. Mind is a major healing factor within individual people. Examples of Era II medicine include therapy that emphasizes the effects of consciousness: psychoneuroimmunology, counseling, hypnosis, biofeedback and relaxation therapies.

Era III includes the best of the previous two eras and moves way beyond. Mind or consciousness is nonlocal; that is, it is not limited to brain and body. “The brain breathes mind like the lungs breathe air,” says Huston Smith. So the brain, rather than producing the mind, interacts with the mind.

“The imagination of man can act not only on his own body but even on others and very distant bodies. It can fascinate and modify them; make them ill, or restore them to health,” said the Persian physician Avicenna (980-1037C.E.)

These Era III ideas are not new. Popular interest in all things PSI, however, is manifesting in the world of medicine, the world of healing.

Larry Dossey, MD experienced a trio of dream premonitions that sparked his interest in what is often referred to as The Sixth Sense; a ‘knowing’ that goes beyond our five senses. Evidence for the existence of this 6th Sense or nonlocal mind consists of (1) the everyday experiences of millions of people and (2) scientific findings. Reinventing Medicine: Beyond MindBody to a New Era of Healing features impeccable research into both as they apply specifically to the healing of human beings.

Intercessory prayer and distant healing intentions have been rigorously studied. The capacity of human consciousness to function outside of the confines of individual brain and body is the issue.

Memory, Wisdom and Healing: The History of Domestic Plant Medicine - Review

2009-05-26T02:59:00.002-07:00

Although described in its title as a “history,” this work is a series of eight intelligent interlocking essays on traditional herbal remedies as used by non-professional healers in mainland Britain, rather than a history which tells a story starting in the past and progressing towards the present. The information which survives from earlier times is fragmentary and unsatisfactory, so Hatfield is wise to avoid a strictly historical approach. Much of her information is recent, and includes the results of her own fieldwork.

Herein lies a problem. Most of Hatfield’s collecting was done in East Anglia, particularly Norfolk, and one wonders how representative her findings there are of Britain as a whole. For example, yarrow, a plant of major importance in herbal remedies, gets only three rather insignificant mentions. On the other hand, it is interesting to learn that the field poppy, widely known as “headaches,” and said to cause headaches, was used in Norfolk as a cure for headaches.

Hatfield concentrates on the herbal remedies used in rural areas, which utilised easily available local or cultivated plants. She considers the remedies used in urban areas, where a variety of exotic plant materials were available, to be beyond her scope. Even in the most urban areas, there were many people who had moved in from rural homes, and there is much evidence that they frequently used remedies which they had learnt from their families, who collected country plants and despatched them to their urban relatives.

The whole of Hatfield’s study shows a great deal of common sense. She does not consider the users of her remedies to be noble savages with abundant instinctive wisdom, neither does she belittle the work of domestic healers. They were simply ordinary people, doing their best with what was available. Sometimes this common sense, and her examples, are repeated too frequently, so that the reader develops a sense of deja vu. However, despite this, it is worth persisting, and all readers will gain worthwhile insights from the work.

Body, mind, & consciousness: deepen your understanding of Ayurvedic healing

2009-05-26T02:59:00.001-07:00

Ayurveda is India’s 5000-year old science of life, health, and longevity. According to Ayurveda, there is no separation between body, mind, and consciousness. Therefore, the concepts of health and disease must address all of these aspects. The mind is organically related to the physical body. Any imbalance of the doshas (psycho-physiological principles, or humors) will create signs and symptoms at all levels. The doshas rule and regulate all functions of the organism and determine disease proneness at the physical level and emotional response at the mental level. They are known as vata, the energy of movement; pitta, the energy of metabolism and transformation; and kapha, the energy of lubrication and cohesiveness.

The bond between body and mind can be easily observed when physical fluctuations disturb our mental state, as when we have a flu and aren’t able to concentrate, or when our behavior changes depending on diet and lifestyle habits. This is one of the reasons why Ayurveda places great emphasis on diet and lifestyle for preventing disease and restoring health through balancing the doshas.

The body-mind complex is an organic unity, but mind and body are not the same. The mind appears to be wherever we direct our attention. It can function apart from the body consciousness, as when we are dreaming. The physical body is primarily an organ of perception and expression through the senses and motor organs. We could say that the body is a gross form of the mind, as it serves as a vehicle for the mind to perceive, act, and express itself. On the other hand, the mind is influenced by the impressions of the world we receive through the senses and motor organs. So body and mind work constantly together. Yet what gives us the sense of who we are is not the physical body. It is what we think and feel, how we perceive and experience the world and others around us. So let’s look at the mind in more detail, from a philosophical and yogic perspective.

Healing the heel - Health & Medicine

2009-05-26T02:58:00.003-07:00

In response to over 5 million Americans who suffer from chronic heel problems, DeRoyal has developed a healthcare kit to treat them. The self-care kit contains a recovery handbook that discusses heel pain, signs and symptoms of an injury, treatments, protection, stretching, foot muscle and ankle strengthening, eversion and inversion exercises, physician/podiatric follow-up and orthotics. The kit also includes a plantar fasciitis night splint, foot control strap, silicone heel cups, exercise band and ice pack.

Each piece addresses a point of heel protection. The night splint holds the foot in a healing neutral position while you sleep. The foot control strap is a pronation strap that reduces the heel’s movement, while preventing the plantar fascia from over-stretching. The silicone heel cup improves the shock absorbency and cushioning of shoes, while providing pressure relief to the tender spots of the heel. The exercise band is designed to strengthen the muscles around the ankle and foot which help control foot pronation. Lastly, the ice pack reduces inflammation and swelling of the plantar fascia in the injured areas.

Healing medicine

2009-05-26T02:58:00.001-07:00

The biomedical model we have used for the past century has reached its limit of effectiveness. The word “healing” is not used in medicine today, with one exception. The first-year histology course includes some talk about wound healing, But outside of that, the word healing is not used in medicine. One of the points that I made in Spontaneous suggest that the human body has a healing system. Not a very radical idea. All you have to do is watch cut finger heal to see very clearly that the body has a capacity for awareness of troubles and the mechanisms for repairing tissue. Yet it is discouraging to find that it’s much easier to talk with children about the body’s healing capacities than with most of my colleagues. If a kid gets an “owie” you say watch what happens. If you try to talk to most physicians about the body’s system, it’s easy for them to dismiss this as more New Age fluff. It is not New Age fluff, it is physiological reality. Any level of biological organization that we examine, from DNA up to the most complex body systems, shows the capacity for self-diagnosis, for removal of damaged structure, for regeneration of new structure.

Why are medical students never taught that the body has healing functions or healing systems? First, consider the great lopsided emphasis on disease processes rather than on health in the pre-clinical years of medical school. Second, when medical students get to their clinical years, they are seeing very sick people, hospitalized people, a population in which healing responses occur less frequently than in the general population. If your whole world of illness is hospitalized patients, that tends to make you more pessimistic about possibilities of healing.

But there is a deeper problem here with the nature of western science and medicine in general. We are very locked into looking at the body as a set of structures and structural systems rather than functional systems. The healing system is not a structural system. I can’t show you a slide of it, the way that I could show you a slide of the circulatory or digestive systems. In some cases, as with circulation and digestion, structure and function are relatively synonymous. But other cases, notably healing, demonstrate no neat correlation of a function with a set of body structures. The healing system makes use of all of the structural systems — the normal operations of the circulatory, nervous, immune, and endocrine systems, and more, for its operations.

Homeopathy: The Safest Medicine for Pregnancy and Labor - Healing with Homeopathy

2009-05-26T02:57:00.000-07:00

The Safest Medicine

Homeopathy is the safest form of medicine you will ever find, plain and simple. Safe for pregnant moms, for newborn babes, for debilitated, elderly folks at the end of their lives, patients who are hypersensitive to other medications, and for animals of all sizes and species. Homeopathic medicines are made from any substance in nature. You name it and it’s a potential homeopathic treatment. Honeybee, table salt, sea water, every flower, plant or tree you can think of — they’re all potential homeopathic medicines to treat a variety of physical, mental, and emotional complaints, either acute or chronic.

Pregnant women, with good reason, are wary of conventional medications. Some, such as thalidomide, have been clearly and publicly implicated in serious congenital malformation. Others, including Prozac, have been shown to cause minor birth defects but they are so well-advertised that you would only discover such a problem by carefully examining the scientific literature as we did (Reichenberg-Ullman and Ullman, Prozac-Free (Prima, 1999, p 23). Many other pharmaceuticals have not been adequately tested during pregnancy. Although, in general, herbs are gentler and safer than prescription medications, many are contraindicated during pregnancy. Not so with homeopathy. A pregnant woman can rest assured that homeopathic medicines are absolutely safe.

If a woman wants to self-treat during pregnancy she needs to make sure that the condition she is treating is uncomplicated and acute, rather than chronic, and needs to follow the guidelines carefully. (Our book, Homeopathic Self-Care: The Quick and Easy Guide for the Whole Family, and other books written by experienced professionals rather than writers with no clinical experience, are what we recommend.) The most trouble she can generally get into by treating herself with homeopathy is that an incorrectly chosen medicine will have no effect or, by taking a medicine far too often one can (rarely) develop symptoms of the remedy (proving symptoms). These will go away rapidly when the homeopathic medicine is discontinued. However, many pregnant women and new moms prefer treatment from an expert, which is often the best course of action.

In the spirit of healing; Morehouse medical professors win grant to teach the medicinal power of spirituality - Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlant

2009-05-26T02:56:00.000-07:00

When a pastor who is also an internist, and a “Christian who happens to be a physician” get together, their conversations begin with medicine but always end on religion, says Dr. Valencia Clay of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

All those months of talking about what, to some, may seem like an unlikely intersection of faith and medicine paid off this past summer for Clay and Dr. Marvin Crawford, a professor of internal medicine at Morehouse. Clay and Crawford applied for and won one of eight Faith and Medicine Curricular Awards given by the National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR) and the Philadelphia-based John Templeton Foundation in August.

The $25,000 grant, makes Morehouse one of the nation’s first medical schools, and the first historically Black college or university (HBCU), to offer ground-breaking courses that explore spirituality and religion in patient care.

The award-winning courses, which begin this school year, range from African religious beliefs, death and dying to taking religious and spiritual histories. Crawford who co-designed the program with Clay, says the courses will be integrated into the required curriculum for second- through fourth-year medical students.

While Morehouse may be the first HBCU to formally offer such medical courses, the institution joins the ranks of a growing number of medical schools that are crossing the boundary that has long existed between science and religion. Courses on spirituality are being taught at nearly twenty of the nation’s 126 medical schools, according to NIHR, a non-profit healthcare institute that collects research on religion and medicine. The growing number of medical schools offering such courses represents what NIHR president Dr. David B. Larson calls “a new era in medicine” - one that focuses on the treatment of the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.

Studies show that 80 percent of Americans want doctors and other health care providers to include religious or spiritual concepts in their treatment, but only one out of ten doctors ever asks their patients about spirituality.

The sweet sound of stress relief: music-infused spa treatments add depth and harmony to the healing benefits of massage

2009-05-26T02:55:00.004-07:00

Massage relaxes aching muscles, brings the body back into balance and helps relieve stress and worry–if only for the hour you spend on the table. But what happens when sound becomes an active part of the treatment?

“You get a holistic spa experience that brings you to a deeper state of relaxation than that reached through massage alone,” explains Kevin MacDonald, spa director at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley, Calif., which offers the sounds-on healing shown here, It’s one of our two favorite melodious massages:

The Claremont Resort and Spa offers the Tibetan Sound Massage ($120 for 50 minutes; claremontresort.com). Throughout the soothing full-body rubdown, imported Tibetan bowls, which have been expertly crafted to “sing” when the rims are rubbed, are placed on or near the body’s various chakras, or energy centers. Each bowl is then “played,” and the resonating vibrations travel through the body to enhance balance and create a deep sense of serenity.
At the Sea Change Healing Center in New York City, calming music and nature sounds are played during the Sea Note Musical Massage ($125 for 60 minutes; seachangehealing.com); each stroke of the masseuse’s hands is performed in rhythm with this orchestration. But it’s the subliminal track of tones and vibrations, played at a frequency lower than what the human ear is trained to hear, that’s designed to affect brain waves to promote feelings of peace and relaxation.

Friendly fevers: fever is not a disease in itselfâ€”it’s an important part of the healing process

2009-05-26T02:55:00.003-07:00

Back in 1980, a prominent pediatrician named Barton Schmitt coined the term “fever phobia” to describe the understandable desire of many parents to bring down fevers in their children as quickly as possible. Although almost a quarter-century has passed since Schmitt’s phrase caught on, fever phobia is still alive and well.

A recent study in the journal Pediatrics shows that 91 percent of parents surveyed thought that a fever can cause harmful effects, with 56 percent of caregivers very worried about the potential harm of fevers for their own children. And 89 percent of parents reached for such fever reducers as acetaminophen and ibuprofen before temperatures reached 102 degrees.

Why should any of this matter? Because it is often not necessary–and may not even be wise–to be too quick to rush for the medicine cabinet when your child has a fever. “Nothing bad is going to happen if you don’t treat the fever,” says Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). She’s also author of Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby’s First Year.

A fever, not surprisingly, indicates that your child is fighting off some kind of infection, such as a simple cold, the flu, or an ear infection. It is not an illness in itself. In fact, a fever may do some good. A study published in the February 2004 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that children who ran a fever during their first year were less likely to develop allergies later in childhood than children who did not have fever.

More importantly, according to the AAP, a fever can help your child’s body fight off infection. Many illness-causing microbes do best at the body’s normal temperature. A fever raises the temperature beyond which certain microbes need to reproduce. A fever also kicks your child’s immune system into high gear, spurring the rapid production of bug-clobbering white blood cells. A small but growing body of research shows that letting a fever run its course may reduce the length and severity of such illnesses as colds and flu.

Is faith healing better than a trip to the doctor?

2009-05-26T02:55:00.001-07:00

It started out as a routine checkup. You took your blood test, got you cholesterol and cardiovascular evaluations, even a flu shot. Later in the week your doctor contacts you to discuss an “abnormality” found during one of your tests and wants to see you in a few days for “possible counseling.”"What could it be?” you ask, slipping into an inexorable panic, as you mentally catalog disease while playing pick-a-plague in your head: “Isnt there a history of hypertension and diabetes in my family? And didn’t my cousin get diagnosed with cancer last month?”

At this point even a die-hard atheist just might throw up a prayer–and ask for the prayers of others–when confronted with the frailty of his own life. But can prayer be the cure for what ails you? Is faith healing better than a trip to the doctor’?

“I believe that they need to go hand-in-glove,” says Randall W. Maxey, M.D., Ph.D., of Los Angeles, who is president of the National Medical Association (NMA). “There should not be a separation between the two. In the world as I see it, physicians are often vehicles through which God works,and in my practice, I practice a blend that encourages people to have faith that they will be healed. “I am a Christian and I strongly believe that faith plays a role in healing,” Maxey affirms.

He continues: “Not only do I give traditional pharmacological medications that an M.D. would give, but I also make sure that I do pray for my patients,” says Maxey. “In many cases I pray with them, and I myself have seen many instances where it was clear that it was the faith component that led to their healing more so than just the medications that we give.”

And according to recently released information concerning faith and healing, the good doctor may be right.

Studies at several medical centers conclude that prayer and faith help in the recovery from heart attacks, drug addiction, stroke, alcoholism and depression. Research from the University of Miami showed AIDS patients who became long-term survivors were more frequently engaged in religious worship and involved in volunteer work.

Also, Duke University has just released a study of 4,000 men and women of different faiths, 65 or older. The study found that the relative risk of dying was 46 percent lower for those who frequently attend religious services. It also found that those who attend religious services have healthier immune systems.

Holistic healing

2009-05-26T02:54:00.002-07:00

When she was growing up in Aurora, Colorado, Andrea Pennington always told people she would take over her mother’s medical practice one day. After graduating with honors from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and training in pediatrics at Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University Hospital, she has done more than that. Today Andrea and her morn, Abigail Pennington, M.D., are partners in the three-year-old Silver Spring, Maryland, Pennington Institute for Health & Wellness. The 6,000-square-foot facility, with a staff of 13, earned revenues of $350,000 in 2003 by providing a blend of traditional medicine with acupuncture, fitness, nutritional consultations, antiaging solutions and motivational support.

Founder and president Andrea Pennington (above, left, with her room) is today a nationally recognized wellness expert who has appeared twice on the Oprah show and was a medical director and correspondent for the Discovery Health Network. She is also the author of The Pennington Plan: 5 Simple Steps to Vibrant Health, Emotional Wellbeing and Spiritual Growth.

Realizing the Vision: “I did my homework, and with personal savings and an airtight business plan, I was approved for a bank loan and financing in record time to cover the half-million-dollar start-up costs of renovation, equipment, furnishing and advertising. In our first nine months, I juggled a full patient load and 80-hour workweeks, and hosted two national television shows.”

Putting Patients at Ease: “We designed the facility like a spa so patients wouldn’t feel as if they were in a doctor’s office. Our 12-week Life Transformation Makeover is an intensive program of psychotherapy, physical fitness, acupuncture and beauty makeovers. We accept most insurance plans and offer incentives to patients with perfect attendance.”

Changing Lives: “One of our biggest success stories was a man who weighed 525 pounds and wanted a weight-loss solution without surgery. Within five months he lost 140 pounds and the need for several diabetes medications. Our trademark motto is: It’s your life, embrace it.”

Working Cures: Healing, Health, and Power on Southern Slave Plantations - Book Review

2009-05-26T02:54:00.001-07:00

Historians of slavery have come a long ways since the days of Ulrich Bonnell Phillips, Stanley Elkins, even Eugene D. Genovese. An evolving field ever since its scholars put pen to paper, the last decade has perhaps witnessed the greatest upheaval in the study of human bondage. A flurry of innovative, imaginative, and ground-breaking interpretations have lifted enslaved peoples far and away from what was once the stultifying position assigned them by Ulrich Phillips. Slaves talk back, act back, and fight back. In the process, they, as much as those who claimed proprietorship over their bodies, gave shape and meaning to America’s “peculiar institution.”

Sharla M. Fett locates herself securely within this new interpretive framework. Working Cures: Healing, Health, and Power on Southern Slave Plantations adds yet another dimension to the unceasing struggle by enslaved peoples to reclaim, in this case nearly literally, their bodies from the master’s grasp. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including private papers, Works Project Administration interviews, and antebellum medical treatises, Fett redirects our attention away from a previous focus on medical therapies and toward the implicitly political contests that erupted between masters and slaves over the purposes and performance of healing.

Taking up first the meanings and methods Southern practitioners–slave and free–brought to their healing work, Fett demonstrates that slaves understood sickness (and its obverse–health) in relational terms. Social disruptions (jealousy, anger, fear) were as likely to result in illness and disability as were disease, injury, and poor diet. From the perspective of the enslaved, healing thus required attention be paid to community as well as corporal afflictions. To perform this work, slave healers (midwives, conjurors, diviners, and herbalists) selected from among a lengthy menu of strategies. Some of which they appropriated from their owners; some they borrowed from Native Americans; some they imported from Africa. Thus a healer might appeal to a Christian God, serve a tea steeped in the indigenous Jerusalem oak, or use divination to trace an “illness to its origins in social conflict.”

The energetics of eating - The Healing Secrets of Food

2009-05-26T02:53:00.000-07:00

When Deborah Kesten called her book The Healing Secrets of Food, she was not referring to nutrient content or nutraceuticals. Rather, she was referring to food’s ability to nourish the spirit. Ms Kesten says, “The food-as-medicine approach is unique to America. Most cultures throughout the world do not relate to food as a “product” to be analyzed each time it’s eaten. Rather, they enjoy food as the social, ceremonial, sensual delight it is.” Although The Healing Secrets of Food includes basic nutritional guidelines, its strength lies in Deborah Kesten’s explanation of”integrative nutrition”–the social, spiritual, and energetic components of food and eating.

Socializing, connecting and uniting with others, as we eat is the first health secret. Ms. Kesten relates an experiment conducted by Dr. R.M. Nerem at the University of Texas in which rabbits were fed artery-clogging rabbit food. Rabbits that received cuddling and interaction from their caretaker at mealtime had 60% less plaque. Social interaction, rather than the consumption of wine, may be the primary explanation for the “French paradox.” The incidence of heart attack is very low in France even though the French diet is high in saturated fats and aerobic exercise is uncommon. Researchers point out that the French take long, leisurely meals and share the meals with friends and extended family. Extended family meals tend to be the exception rather than the rule in the US. Take-out and microwave food is the norm, and eating is often seen as a necessity to dispose of as quickly as possible. Ms. Kesten offers several suggestions for bringing social connections back into one’s life, such as arranging potluck get-togethers or simply turning the TV off during mealtime. For those who usually eat alone, Ms. Kesten suggests feeding a pet before sitting down to one’s own meal or setting the table for two and placing a photo of a loved one nearby to foster feelings of connection and love.

The healthcare field of fear. . - Book Corners - Healing Without Fear: How to Overcome your Fear of Doctors, Hospitals, and the Health Care System and

2009-05-26T02:50:00.002-07:00

Healing Without Fear: How to overcome your fear of Doctors, Hospitals, and the Health Care System and find your Way to True Healing

by Laurel Ann Reinhardt, PhD; Foreword by James Jealous, DO

Healing Arts Press, One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 05767 USA; www.InnerTraditions.com

paperback, 2002, $14.95, 175 pp.

After turning to alternative medicine for more effective help for her asthma, the author relates how, when faced with a lump in her breast, she felt a terrible fear rising up that sent her running back to an allopathic doctor. After waiting ten days for the results of her mammogram, by the time she saw the surgeon again, the fear had taken over and she was not able to take the time to make a decision that was not fear-based. Fortunately, it was a holiday and she couldn’t be scheduled for biopsy for some time. Because of the delay, she was able to think more clearly and finally decided to try alternatives (herbs and dietary recommendations) first. By the time she saw the surgeon again, the lump was gone.

Her doctor was as restricted by fear as she was — fear of being sued, fear of the medical board, etc. Even if we begin without fear, the author says, “the field in a doctor’s office or hospital is often palpable, and can induce that fear in us. Our society has become extremely fearful about health concerns, most of the fear being fed by pharmaceutical ads on TV, medical news, and government recommendations for screening, tests, etc. The author says “There is a collusion of silence, fear, and disempowerment of ourselves and each other that creates a morphic field of fear surrounding the Western health care system in general, and some illnesses, such as cancer and AIDS, in particular.”

The morphic field of fear which surrounds the practice of Western medicine is created by the following:

The personal fears we each have about pain, illness, disability, life, and death
The fears of doctors that we assimilate, sometimes called “white coat fever”
Doctors’ fears of making mistakes, failing their patients, or being sued
Fear-based methods of teaching and practicing medicine
Financial fears of patients, doctors, insurance companies, and the government
Fear-based sales tactics of insurance companies and advertisers
Fears engendered by media reports on health care topics
Fears of loss of power and control
Fears of the unknown

The healing bath: mineral soaks wash away chronic pain and stress

2009-05-26T02:50:00.001-07:00

IN HUNDREDS OF SPOTS across the country, the earth bubbles with mineral-imbued water that can nourish joints and bones, clear up skin conditions, reduce respiratory and circulatory problems, and melt away tension and pain. “Mineral springs are a unique healing resource that most Americans aren’t aware of,” says Nathaniel Altman, author of Healing Springs: The Ultimate Guide to Taking the Waters. “But in Europe and Japan, mineral bathing is a mainstream form of medicine. It’s even covered by health insurance.”

Indeed, much of the research on the therapeutic elements of mineral bathing, known as balneotherapy, comes from across the ocean: A recent Hungarian study found that soaking in sulfur spring water may ease lower back pain; a 2001 report from the Israel Medical Association Journal concluded that bathing in the Dead Sea improved symptoms in patients with psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia, and a 2000 investigation at the University of Vienna Medical School indicated balneotherapy’s potential value for people with high blood pressure.

The benefits flow from two sources, says Deborah Coryell, director of the health and wellness division of King Ventures retreat resorts in San Luis Obispo, Calif. “First, you start with hot water, which is good for anybody because of its relaxing quality,” she notes. “But you’re also working with water that’s mineral-rich, so your body can absorb the minerals into the circulatory system.”

Of course, some people take their minerals orally–see “Minerals 101″ on page 93 for more on supplementing–but swallowing pills doesn’t give you the sensory rewards of bathing. After soaking for just 30 minutes, you’ll feel a glow inside and out. And that’s a pleasure everyone should enjoy, not just those looking to rinse away aches and pains. “You can incorporate mineral bathing into your

health care like you would massage,” Coryell says. “Think of it as one of your resources for good health.”

Qigong: The Art of Self-Healing

2009-05-26T02:49:00.002-07:00

Long ago in ancient Greece, the great hero god Heracles was invited to the cave of the centaur Pholos. Chiron, a wise and beneficent centaur and a great master of healing, was also present. As a token of appreciation and hospitality, Heracles brought a flask of heady wine to the gathering. The rich fragrant liquid attracted other centaurs, who, unaccustomed to wine, became drunk and then began to fight. In the ensuing melee Chiron was struck in the knee by an arrow shot by Heracles. Chiron then instructed Heracles in the art of treating the wound. Since the arrow had been tipped with poison from the Hydra-a many-headed monster nearly impossible to slay-the wound would never fully heal. Capable of healing others, the greatest of healers was unable to completely heal himself; and being immortal, Chiron lives forever with this wound as the archetypal wounded healer. Following his wounding, Chiron received and trained thousands of students at his cave on Mount Pelion. It is said that one of these students, Asclepius, learned from Chiron the knowledge of plants, the power of the serpent, and the wisdom of the wounded healer. It was through the lineage of Asclepius that Hippocrates began to practice the art and science of medicine.

Henri J.M. Nowen in his book, The Wounded Healer (1972, p. 82), identifies a wounded healer as “one who must look after his own wounds but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others.” Nurses fit this description better than any group of people I know. We are constantly called upon to be healers not only in the work place but also outside the work place, while often ignoring our own needs and wounds, be they physical, emotional, or spiritual. Let’s explore the ancient practice of Qigong to better understand how we as nurses can heal ourselves in order to better heal those who come to us: our clients.

Holistic technology for the 21st century. . - Book Corners - The Handbook of Rife Frequency Healing: Holistic Technology for Cancer and Other Diseases

2009-05-26T02:49:00.001-07:00

What happens when a writer/health educator/ psychotherapist/musician embarks on an eight-year journey to improve her own health? In the case of Nina Silver, PhD, that quest evolved into a 448 page well-researched, easy-to-read treatise on frequency healing. Not only does the book discuss the genius of its primary proponent, Royal Raymond Rife, it includes a superb explanation of the differences between allopathic and holistic approaches to treating disease.

At a time when health-conscious individuals are concerned about the over-medication of children, bio-terrorism, drug-resistant infectious diseases, the government’s push for mass inoculations, and the negative side effects of vaccines and other drugs, along comes a book that revives the natural healing of Rife frequency technology.

In the late 1920s, Rife invented a unique microscope through which he could observe microorganisms, even miniscule single viruses, in their living state. This allowed him to prove that the majority of pathogens, ordinarily considered foreign to the system, were once harmless proteins indigenous to the human body that change in response to their environment. When the environment becomes toxic, the microbes become toxic and more complex, causing symptoms that we call disease.

The book pays due respect to Antoine Bechamp, whose theories were quickly eclipsed by the germ theories of his contemporary Louis Pasteur. Bechamp understood that germs are everywhere and only proliferate when conditions favor their growth. A weakened or compromised immune system allows disease to take hold, whereas a strong immune system does not.

No more surgery! . - Book Corners - Healing Fibroids: A Doctor’s Guide to A Natural Cure

2009-05-26T02:46:00.000-07:00

Healing Fibroids: A Doctor’s Guide to A Natural Cure

by Allan Warshowaky, MD and Elena Oumano, PhD

Simon & Schuster, Inc., Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 USA

Paperback, 2002, $14US/$21.50 CAN, 281 pp.

One of the most intractable of all women’s health complaints, fibroid tumors, is routinely “treated” by surgical removal of the tumor, and more often, hysterectomy is recommended. Among women of childbearing age, the incidence of fibroids is 25 to 40%, presenting women with hard choices — one of which is the possibility of being unable to have children. Some women with fibroids have no symptoms, while others suffer from a myriad of complaints, including lower abdominal pain and pressure, heavy menstrual bleeding, infertility, miscarriages, anemia, and bladder irritation and infections. Fibroids can grow in many different locations around and in the uterus, and range in size from barely perceptible to the size of a grapefruit. Fibroid tumors can be an endless source of pain, bleeding, and frustration.

In Part 1, “The Basics,” the authors explain what is known about this difficult health problem. No one really knows what causes fibroids but it is suspected that long-standing disturbances that create hormonal imbalances may be at the root of this condition. It is known that estrogen stimulates fibroid growth, opening the door to speculation about environmental sources.

After a review of the many negative effects of hysterectomy, some of the new “more limited surgical procedures” are looked at including one in which I took a personal interest. Myomectomy: “This procedure is viewed by many in the medical field as heroic because it involves removing the fibroid only and therefore should not interfere with the woman’s ability to have children. Yet this surgically conservative operation is more difficult than a hysterectomy so it must be performed by a highly skilled surgeon.” There were some drawbacks listed like not preventing fibroids from growing back. What was so interesting to me is that 40 years ago, I was diagnosed with a large fibroid growing through the wall of the uterus. My Ob/Gyn was a well-known doctor in the Seattle area, and without discussing it with me in advance, spent considerable time in the operating room removing the tumor and repairing the wall of the uterus. He was certainly a man ahead of his time, and one of the best doctors I have ever known.

Learn How To Cure The Causes Of Neck Pain

2009-05-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

According to the doctors, neck pain can be caused by doing overhead workouts or work involving the use of the upper body and arms like lifting heavy weights or holding the head in a awkward, difficult, or frontward position for a long period of time, whilst performing activities like using the laptop, reading, clasping the telephone receiver, or playing video games for longer period of time. Dozing in an upright position, falling asleep with the neck positioned awkwardly, an extremely flat or very high pillow, or using an upright fist or the arm as a head support frequently lead to neck pain.

In a majority of abnormal cases, doctors are unable to determine any precise reason for the pain in the neck of the people. A strong and firm neck makes allowances for stresses, strains, and regular movement of the head and body. The cervical spine is made up of cervical discs, which separate the interlinked vertebrae, muscles and ligaments that support the neck spine structure. Most of the causes of a pain in the neck are due to small injuries like twisting, losing balance after a short walk, stumbling, or extreme cervical spine movement leading to moderate neck pains. Whiplash, direct knocks to the neck, face, or head, an injury that goes through the neck, throttling or other outside force applied on the neck, plunging from a considerable height, or injuries sustained while playing are common causes of neck ache and injury.

It is a common misconception among people that neck pain is related to abnormal cervical spine curvature. However, the most common causes of this neck ailment are sprain or injury to the ligaments of the spine and strain or injury to the spinal muscles. In fact, the thing is important to distinguish between the two in order to ensure the correct therapy such as massage is used as a cure. Neck sprain may occur after a severe neck injury that causes forcible stretching or tearing of the soft tissues of the neck, such as a contact sports injury or whiplash from a serious accident. Neck strain may also occur as the result of repetitive or postural stress often related to abnormal sleep position or poor standing and sitting posture.

Ongoing neck pain related to strains and sprains occurs as a result of soft tissue inflammation and swelling. Other causes of neck pain as stated by the doctors may include pinched nerves or a variety of abnormality or degenerative spinal disorders such as a herniated disc and cervical spondylosis or osteoarthritis. Neck pain may also be associated with dental disorders or rotator cuff injuries or even muscles of the shoulder. If people have chronic neck pain, their doctor should perform a thorough medical examination to rule out serious structural or physiological spinal disorders. Both X-rays and MRI scans will assist in identifying the cause of the pain and the appropriate action to take. It is important to seek immediate medical attention if the neck pain is severe or if fever, weakness, dizziness or any unusual symptoms occur along with neck pain.

Learn How To Do Thai Massage

2009-05-21T08:01:00.002-07:00

It is no wonder that Thai Massage has actually become one of the most popular forms of massage in the recent times as it is now considered to be the ultimate massage. This ancient practice, the Thai Massage, works along the Energy lines or Meridians systems. It is not different from Yoga stretches, chiropractic adjustments, Chinese acupressure and internal organ massage.

Thai Massage actually has its roots in Buddhist philosophy. Thai Massage for that is practiced in many Buddhist temples throughout South East Asia and in particular, in Thailand. This is because the average Thai massage includes this traditional methods and technique as an essential part of their daily maintenance health program for improved blood circulation, relaxation, slowing the aging process, and general well being. This is very dissimilar to the western approach of using body massage therapy as a way to relieve chronic pain. Whilst Thai Massage may well be effective in relieving pain, it is better used as part of a preventative health program. For that reasons there are so many people who use Thai Massage daily, there are an abundance of excellent schools and training centers.

If people are considering a career in alternative healing, Thai Massage as taught in Thailand is an ideal study choice. People get to learn from the massage experts, in their environment. As an additional gain, by experiencing life in Thailand people will be sure to gain a holistic understanding of the Thai people, their customs, traditions and belief system. People will never get the Thai Massage is one of the world's oldest healing modalities and originates from the time of the Buddha over 2500 years ago. Introduced to Thai Massage by an Indian doctor, 'Nuad Phaen Boran' as is it known in Thailand, correctly translates as Ancient Massage or habitual Massage technique. Thai Massage, in fact, is considered an ancient art of body therapy for health, healing, and transformation.

Thai massage has been performed for centuries mostly by monks in Southeast Asia as one element of indigenous Thai drug, with much of traditional oriental medicine; illness is seen as an imbalance of the mind, body and spirit. Thai massage is based on the idea of invisible energy lines running through out the body system. These energy flow or lines known as 'Prana Nadis' supply us with vital energy. 'Prana' means life energy, is absorbed with the air people breathe and with the food they eat. Disorder in the flow of energy actually results in an inadequate supply of Prana, which in turn lead to severe sickness. Thai massage selects several energies mainline on which there are significantly important acupressure points. Working on this type of energy mainlines; Thai massage breaks the blockades, stimulates the free flow of Prana, and helps to restore general well-being.

Thai Massage focuses on interactive handling and uses some primary procedures.

These include the physical therapist applying gentle pressure with the hands and feet along the energy lines and a variety of passive stretching movements to manipulate the body into a series of postures. These types of movements help to align the energies of the body. Traditional Thai massage greatly differs from traditional massage where kneading of muscles and strokes of varying lengths and pressure are used to stimulate, calm or relax.

Great Tips On Self Massage

2009-05-21T08:01:00.001-07:00

Self massage is a technique that enables people to ease the aches and pains in their muscles as a supplement or replacement for professional massage treatment. Self massage is great when the budget is a bit stretched or people have an immediate pain that needs to be addressed for the personal comfort. Whilst it does not necessarily give people the same range of benefits that a professional massage can provide, this is an excellent maintenance strategy for the wellbeing. When people are performing self massage, there are a number of techniques that they can use to ease muscle tension and relieve pain.

Applying some gentle pressure and massage to the affected area is a simple way to start. People should be able to find their pressure points with a little bit of trial and error. People will know when they have hit the spot as they will feel tension release in the surrounding muscles and start to experience some relief immediately. If it is highly sensitive to the temperature or touch, then it may be best to leave it, or it is better to have a professional take a look, as the area may be injured or inflamed and massage will potentially aggravate it more. As a general rule people should feel relief and potentially mild discomfort but not pain.

A towel, belt or strap can all assist them in gaining a deeper stretch in the right areas. If people are particularly tense or simply not very flexible, it can help to use these implements to help them to reach for their limbs and stretch properly. It is better to do this than force a stretch that the muscle is not capable of or not stretching properly. This is a useful method with both legs and arms to help relieve tension.

When a particular area of the body is extremely tense, the muscles can become locked up making it difficult to massage. Here the heat is a useful way of relaxing the muscles in those tense areas, particularly hard to reach places such as the neck, lower back and shoulders. The heat also relaxes people mentally and can be a lovely way to wind down before going to sleep. When people use a heat pack should always make sure it is not so hot that it is uncomfortable by wrapping it in a towel or blanket. Most of the people typically apply heat for around 10 to 20 minutes to ensure their muscles have been adequately relaxed and tension is reduced.

If people have an injury, application of ice after exercise should form an important part of their recovery routine. This application also helps to elevate the affected area. Ice can effectively reduce swelling and protect the injured tissue. If people do not have an ice pack then it is recommended to use frozen peas or corn. They are malleable so people can easily mold them into shape and, similarly to heat, it is best to wrap them in a towel. People would typically apply the ice for around 10 to 20 minutes.

Ancient And Proven Methods Of Healing

2009-05-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

It was the Chinese who pioneered the most effective healing method by massage therapy and later on introduced it in the modern times. The main function of this method of healing is to help reduce the pain and it was a form of relaxation for them. Sometimes these methods of healing are used by medical experts as an effective healing process applied for some illnesses. There is a number of helpful information that will aid people to understand the true concept behind therapeutic massage.

Massage Therapy is a modern healing technique to help improve various health problems and is used to calm the nerves down. In China 3,000 years pass our times, massage therapy became an aborigine of culture to them. This ancient method was practiced as a part of their medical technique of curing the physical aspect of their well being. Because of the importance of massage therapy, it became a solution and ritual to those people who wants to stay healthy and relaxed. Often, nowadays even medical evaluation says that massage therapy is a healing solution to some patients, for instance stroke victims and other victims of muscle depletion sickness. The massage therapy is done as a daily routine to ensure people its full benefits which this process is a great help on. It is no longer called ancient method of medication. As the passing of time, message therapy has become popular and it is now favored by the public.

This ancient therapeutic method, in general, includes rubbing and manipulation on the affected areas or as a whole. This method can be applied to any part of the body as needed to lessen the intensity of pain and cure tightness of muscles due to stress and tension of daily work. The basic techniques of this healing method is touching hard muscles, ligaments, soft tissues and even joints and exercising hard muscles in order to control tightening. Often it includes electric tense; spasm relaxation; Ultra sound machine with gel for deep penetration.

The application of this ancient therapy is used in various ways, composing of more than 250 kinds of massage therapy. The message therapists call these in different styles, like Swedish massage, Touch Therapy, Reflexology, Somatic Acupressure, Sports Massage and Neuromuscular Massage; and the therapists concentrate in one kind of massage. In some hospitals massage techniques varies in modalities depending on the damaged area of the body. Physical therapists schedule patients on how often the application of massage therapy is to be done; in fact it varies case-to-case basis until such time the patient fully recovers.

The product used by massage therapist varies for different kinds of patients and their needs. They should have the bed, table, lotion, powder or oil. But most of the therapist use aroma therapy as stimulating massage oil. Massage therapy contributes a big factor to ones health. However it also depends on how well the physical application is being given to the patient. People related to sports; usually injure their feet while engaging on their game. Some people suffer due to various illnesses and others from physical stress. Some medical experts prefer to recommend simple massage therapy in replacement of oral medication, which in turn contributes a big factor to the modern society.

Information Regarding Massage Oils

2009-05-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

Massage oils are an important part of physical therapy routines which are undertaken for stress relief, mental as well as physical relaxation. Massage oils are considered a key ingredient to what makes a massage successful as their aroma performs many functions. Massage oils thus give the massages the alternate name of aromatherapy.

Massage oils are an effective way to relieve the body of stress and build strength into it because they draw on the most basic of human instincts, the sense of smell. Aroma therapy and the use of massage oils also help in beauty care. Massage oils are also part of the mind, body and soul philosophy of healing and health care.

Massage oils are not the invention of this century or something cooked up in a laboratory. These are pure herbal extracts from various plants with proven medicinal properties. The use of massage oils is ancient. It goes back 5000 B.C. when the Egyptian used oils to preserve the bodies of the pharos. Aromatic oils were also used by the Greeks, Romans, Chinese, the Persians, etc. As early as the 16th century 60 essences were known and used for therapeutic purposes. As medical science gained greater insight into the properties of each essence, the mixtures began to be separated and each essence was used for a more specialized purpose.

So what basically is a massage oil or aromatic oil or essential oil? An essential oil is the concentrated volatile essence of an aromatic plant. The two most common methods of extracting are steam distillation and cold pressing. These oils contain a number of active ingredients that can be altered depending on the climate, the location, the time of harvest or the part of the plant being harvested. Therefore, each essential oil derived from the same botanical variety can have its unique chemical profile.

Massage oils can be used for purposes, such as specific aromas for stress relief, skin treatment, relief from muscle pain, relief from joint pain, etc. In addition to being used during massages, massage oils are also added to baths to getting a more relaxing experience.

But there are times when you should be careful about using massage oils, for instance of your pregnant, breast feeding, have a heart condition, diabetes, etc. it's not to say that having a massage or using massage oils with theses health conditions is harmful, but you need to consult your physician about the best kind of Massage and massage oil to be used in your condition. There may also be certain movements that may not be at all suited to your condition.

Some nice massage oils are;

1. Sweet Almond Oil: this is one of the most favored massage oils by therapists. The oil is the extracted from almonds and is pale yellow in color. Sweet Almond oil is not all that oily, in fact it's quite light and absorbs promptly into the skin.

2. Apricot Kernel Oil: Apricot kernel oil is a lot like the sweet almond oil in texture and color, but it is rich in Vitamin E and has longer shelf life than sweet almond oil as well. Also, of the two, apricot kernel oil is the more expensive one.

What Effects To Massage Oils Have?

2009-05-21T07:58:00.002-07:00

Massage is very helpful for the entire body as it relieves physical and mental stress and improves blood circulation. In fact, it is a great way to heal the body ailments. There are various types of massages and the most preferred type is the oil massage.

Oil massage is a very wonderful way of relaxation for the entire body. Different types of oils are used by the professionals for massaging the body and each of them has its own properties to relax, heal, and strengthen the body and immune system. There are many benefits of these oil massages. Oil massage has been in practice for thousand of years as a great and effective way to stay healthy.

If people are stressed then they can use apricot kernel oil for massage. Olive oil is good for relieving muscular stiffness, Borage oil massage is good for psoriasis and eczema, Emu oil is good for arthritis while Kukui nut oil and Sweet almond oil massage have good anti-inflammatory properties. People need to first know whether they are allergic to these oils and then use it for massage. These various massage oils have very good positive effects on the body. If people have any health problems then they can consult a massage therapist who would be able to assist them in selecting the oils for a good massage. Massage oil is a great efficient addition to any massage skill. Oils enhance not only the relaxing nature of the massage therapy session, but also add to the healing benefits of the physical massage.

The use of natural oils in massaging body is not a new idea. Plato, Homer, and Socrates; almost all of these wise men referenced the use of massage oil as an aid for pain relief in their writings. Today, pain relief is one of the major reasons for using massage oil. Others include skin nourishment, the facilitation of more gliding massage, and the promotion of good health in general. Now the matter is how to choose massage oil for massage therapy. First, people should choose oil that is cold-pressed or expeller-pressed. People must be careful about the prevention from spoiling them by keeping in a cool place and adding 300 IUs of vitamin E per pint of oil monthly. In addition, natural oils, or oils that are distilled from various plants, roots, or seeds) can be added to them. It is better to seek the aid of a professional to advice on a good combination.

Massage is invigorating to the body and mind as it relaxes them. When people get a massage using essential oils, it enhances the well being of the mind. Aromas or scents are very powerful with memories associated with some aromas that can relax the mind completely. The benefits of oil massage are many from supple skin, relaxed mind and muscles. The essential massage oils are distilled essence of plants and herbs from which it is extracted through a mechanical process of distillation. Generally, the plants and herbs are grown in tropical countries in Asia and South America. Usually these concentrated volatile essential natural oils are diluted in pure oils like avocado oil, olive oil, or even almond oil for best results of application.

The Importance Of Using Massage Oils

2009-05-21T07:58:00.001-07:00

Since long back even farther than the Egyptian civilization, massage oil has been used by man; since then on men are demonstrating the powers of massage oil in varied ways. Today, especially the present generation when everyone is too caught up in spawning financial glory; work stress levels are sky high. Massage oils come into play as an ally to help ease the mental stress and anxiety though oil massages and medicinal products, which has been establish well by scholars in the past dating back to 1000 B.C.

The massage oil products are extracted from nature mostly from plant roots, seeds, bark, flowers and leaves and most of such derived oils are called essential oils. The plants of various characteristics give distinct smell, flavor and effect for application. To name a few of such oil are sunflower oil for blood purifier that easily turns sour, almond oil to minimize swelling and olive oil loosen stiff muscles. Besides massaging, other properties of such extracted oil are antifungal or antibacterial. Yet some times these oils are also used for aroma therapy, which heals the physical and mental well being and emotional state.

Soft, smooth, younger looking and moisturized skin is very people's especially the woman's desire. Castor oil can leave the skin scar free. Vitamins A and Vitamin E are extracted from avocado and can be used by all types of skin for nourishment. For the facial pimples jojoba oil is the best thing to get rid off as it lessen oily secretion of skin pores to a least possible degree. The most popular use of oil as recreational substance is for sensual massages. The greasy trait of oil allows the slithering hands of the masseuse to effortlessly penetrate the body's pressure points. Though massage oil may be good for the masseuse, oil is frown upon by the person on the massage table. That is the reason why there are light massage oils that do not leave heavy grease on the skin.

In case of aroma therapy as mentioned earlier, the combination of aroma stimulant oils and soothing rubdown can send the senses wild; two of these are oil based. Spas are banking on the disposition like deem lights, music and enticing atmosphere to bring serenity to their customers. Spa therapy can never be without oil based products to elicit a serene indulgence. The additives boost massage oil to exploit its efficiency. Aloe Vera when added to massage oil restores smooth glow of the skin, blood flow of the body can be improved with adding cayenne to the massage oil. Some times the extracts of grape seeds id used in the massage oil as antibacterial to kill viruses dodging infections away from the body.

As a responsible consumer, people should always check the labels for information on the massage oil based products they are about to buy. Knowing the substance can help them avoid allergic reactions that can put their health at risk. People should always be reminded of application instructions and cautionary directions on the labels. Looking after the health is the most important aspect of living. People should make sure to double check their allergens by consulting their doctor first before using any massage oils.

Asian Massage Techniques

2009-05-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

The Asian continent has fascinated the world in many regards. Especially for health enthusiasts, it has always been a mystery as to how the alternative methods for practicing medicine have been leading to success. the Asian health practices include focusing n the mind, body and spirit, reaching the higher self, gaining knowledge and using the combination of all these to achieve better health.

The Asian massages are also constructed on the same lines. Different massage techniques have been developed to build strength into the body while relieving pain and stress. Among the most common of these techniques are Shiatsu, Acupressure, Amma (or anma), Ayurvedic and Champissage. Lets have a brief look at how each achieves the goals of health and fitness.

1. Shiatsu: Shiatsu originated from Japan and focuses on using the fingers and acupuncture points for relaxing the person undergoing the massage. It is a uniquely eastern healing touch that works by controlling and balancing the flow of 'life energy', blood flow, that passes through the body. It concentrates in bringing about self-healing for the body through redirecting its own energies by applying slow pressure and stimulating blood flow. This brings relief from muscle and joint as well as stress. The immune system also gets stronger and the body has a greater fighting chance against disease.

2. Acupressure: Acupressure uses the same basic philosophy as Acupuncture, it is a Chinese technique for bringing rest from pain for the human body and focuses on using the fingers, instead of needles, to press focal points on the body so tension and stress built up within the body is released. A deep sound sleep is ensured after the session. It is also a method for treating anxiety.

3. Anma: Anma is another Japanese massage technique. The very word 'anma' means 'massage' in the Japanese language. Anma combines different limb movements to help a person experience peace and provide relief from pain and stress. It is based on the principles of a dance-like activity called Kata, which works to build up a tempo, pace and precision in a manner decided by the masseuse and makes use of different finger strokes, knee and elbow movements, stretching or manipulating the feet and hands and thus, requires the body to be agile and flexible. There is no need for taking off one's clothes during an Anma session and it can be practiced anywhere since no oils are used.

4. Ayurvedic: Ayurvedic is an Indian form of body massage which is used to cleanse the body of toxins. The basic technique is to use vigorous hand strokes to bring about a sense of peacefulness and restore balance in the body. It typically uses warm oil and concoctions of herbs to get the right results. Sometimes the massage oil is poured into the ears, between the brows and other specific energy points, with a client's permission, and help to reach greater levels of calm and serenity. But you should allow this only if you're totally comfortable with the practice.

5. Champissage: Champissage is essentially on the same basic principle as Ayuveda; it is a technique that mainly deals with treating the upper half of the body in the aim of promoting blood circulation in the scalp. It nourishes the hair roots essentially but the feel-good feeling persists as the masseuse massages the client's face, neck, ears, neck and shoulders besides upper arms to get all the cricks out. The massage is good for relieving headaches, stress and also helps to restore energy levels.

T-touch Cat Massage

2009-05-21T07:56:00.002-07:00

Physical massage therapy is a great relaxant for cat and owner and once people get to know the feel of their cat they can quickly spot anything out of the ordinary that might need treatment sooner rather than later. Massage is provided by the physiotherapists who can assess the disordered condition of, and any damage to, body muscles, ligaments and tendons. Proper massage therapy can help free up stiff joints and seized muscles and promotes healing by encouraging circulation to affected areas.

If people have a dog with arthritis or chronic pain or with behavioral problems or if the dog lunge and bark and jump for no apparent reason or if someone has recently rescued a cat only to find her lashing out at everyone, people might want to give T-Touch massage a try, or if it is actually a severe case, they need to find a T-Touch practitioner who can work with them and their pet. T-Touch massage therapy is a bodywork technique that was invented and developed by Linda Tellington-Jones in the 1980s. She initially developed T-Touch massage therapy for use on horses, but soon started using the technique on wild animals and pets as well and eventually also on humans.

Internationally famous for the revolutionary T-Touch massage therapy and bodywork, Tellington-Jones has been featured in many publications and on TV all over the world. Also Tellington-Jones has been asked to work on different kinds of pets and animals in a variety of settings, such as wildlife rehabilitation centers and zoos. Using T-Touch message therapy to help a monkey overcome emotional trauma after it had been used for psychological research, working on the orca that starred in "Free Willy" to increase his confidence, and helping a young leopard break out of compulsive habits are just a few fascinating instances.

T-Touch massage therapy is not only massage but it works on a cellular level. Scientists have found that light touch and small circular movement of the T-Touch stimulates four different brainwaves at the same time, creating the perfect functioning mode of the brain. While using these small touch and movements of T-Touch therapy, people can help the cells of the pet to awaken, thereby speeding up the process of healing, learning and changing. T-Touch massage can help to calm aggression and fear. It can also effectively help an animal to overcome shyness, nervousness and car sickness as well as bad habits such as jumping, leash pulling and excessive barking. In case of humans disorders like chronic pain, migraines, anxiety and depression have been treated with T-Touch successfully.

One of the many wonderful aspects of T-Touch is that people do not have to know anything about anatomy to be able to use it successfully. Anyone can learn the basics of this massage therapy in a just a few hours, and Linda Tellington-Jones' book "Getting in T-Touch with Your Dog" is a great source if people want to give it a try. Each T-Touch massage movement is thoroughly described and illustrated with photos in the book. There are also a number of case studies, and a list of health issues and behavioral problems and the T-Touches people can use for each.

Sensual Japanese Massage

2009-05-21T07:56:00.001-07:00

When people look at the different kinds of massage available, they will find that the Japanese massage is unique. This is because Japanese massage was originally a form of Chinese medicine which has gone on to become a Japanese technique known as Shiatsu. With Shiatsu massage, the person getting the massage done does not have to take their dress off. The massage therapist will use finger pressure and the body's natural weight to help with the massage. Shiatsu uses the various types of pressure points in the body to help diagnose and treat various conditions, as well as to bring a feeling of relaxation and calm.

Like Chinese Qigong techniques and acupuncture, Shiatsu makes use of the Chi energy that is flowing through the body of the person. The fingers of the therapist not only find what problem the person is suffering from but also find the best way to treat the condition as well as apply preventative measures. Japanese massage has been many a time used to find problems originating in the bone and muscle structure, and has been found to help with the healing process for the nervous system, circulatory system muscles, and the internal secretion process. Shiatsu also stimulates the body to heal naturally when need be.

To be able to do right Shiatsu, the massage therapist needs to undergo many years of strict training. Remember they need to know how to diagnose various conditions and illnesses using their fingers only. Some massage therapists have combined Japanese massage with other techniques in an effort to enhance healing and produce better effects. The best massage therapists understand the problems a client may be facing. Shiatsu is considered a healing practice even more than a relaxing massage therapy. The body works hand in hand with the massage therapist to heal itself while the massage is being done.

Shiatsu is perhaps one of the modern forms of Japanese massage, originating in the early 1900s and born out of older techniques. While other massage therapies might use the forearms, elbows, and even the feet to accomplish various healing and relaxing motions on a patient, Shiatsu massage involves techniques using only the fingers and the palm of the hand. A skilled therapist of Shiatsu massage can not only relax someone, but can use his sense of touch to explore a person's body and find the points that need treatment the most. Like many Japanese massage and medical therapies, the theory behind Shiatsu massage is to help stimulate the body's natural immune response and ability to relax as a means of preventative medicine.

Shiatsu is actually a subset of a larger range of Japanese massage therapies known as Nihon Kaifuku Anma. This form of massage therapy came to Japan over 1300 years ago, and had already been practiced in China for years prior to this. This Japanese massage therapy works with deep tissue massage that is based on kneading motions. Unlike Western massage therapies, this Japanese massage technique is performed without the use of massage oils to reduce friction. Two massage techniques are unique to Anma, and these include kneading the body and the use of percussive techniques, which work by gently striking areas of the body.

Give A Sensual Foot Massage

2009-05-21T07:55:00.001-07:00

A foot massage is both relaxing and sensual. You can give foot massage to yourself

or to your partner. It is somewhat strange that not many people indulge in this bit of luxury, perhaps because they are unaware that a person's feet are potential erogenous zones and comprise four sexual stimulation spots that are connected to the genitals. This is what makes foot massage not only relaxing, but sensual and arousing as well.

It is no big deal to give a sensual foot massage provided you know the basics. To begin with, prepare the feet for a treat. Soak the feet preferably in Epsom salt and wash them thoroughly. Epsom salt is an ideal choice because it has both therapeutic and relaxing properties.

In the next step, dry the feet using a soft towel. Select a suitable foot or massage oil to use for your foot massage. You can also prepare your own foot massage oil by blending 50ml sweet almond oil with six drops of sandalwood oil. Pour a small amount of oil into your hand and start massaging the oil into one of the feet. It is better if you are at the receiving end with your partner doing this for you. You can then relax and thoroughly enjoy every bit of this sensual treat!

The best place to start the massage is the top of the foot. Working about the toes, use slow and gentle motions to work the oil in. Then slowly move toward the ankles. Use your thumbs to massage the bottom of the foot as you proceed towards the ankles. Use light and firm pressure in turns so that the feet become relaxed and circulation flows smoothly.

Apply massage the soles of the feet also. As soles are often a little ticklish, take care to use deliberate, firm stroking which will provide a relaxing experience. Now do what you did earlier - start at the toes and work toward the heels, moving back to the toes again, this time working the sole as you move on. Repeat these motions as many times as you like for an extended period of pleasure.

To make the foot massage more sensual, you can add a romantic touch to it. The atmosphere will turn sensual just if you dim the lights, or decide to work by candlelight. You can also use a massage oil candle for two-in-one benefits. Light the massage oil candle as you soak, allowing the massage oil to melt. Now use the melted oil for foot massage. As the candle continues to burn, emitting light fragrance and melting further massage oil, a romantic ambience is created as you give your partner a sensual foot massage, and you get one back in return.

Disconnect the phone so that no one can disturb you during a foot massage. It's even better to put on some soft background music. Take care to remove your jewelry and cut your nails lest you hurt your partner. During a massage, avoid any scars and varicose veins. Watch your partner's reaction - vary the pressure you apply depending on how much he/she is enjoying it. Take it in turns to massage each other. In all fairness, sensual foot massage should be reciprocal.

What Is A Tantra Massage

2009-05-21T07:54:00.002-07:00

Contrary to what most people believe, tantra massage is not just a type of sexual massage. Although they can indeed be very sensual and do wake up the body's sexual energies, its main goal is not just sexual gratification. The followers of Hinduism consider tantra as a way of achieving personal growth through activities that give pleasure. Accordingly, tantra massage may spark orgasm, but that is more a bonus than the real prize.

Tantra massage has several goals. One is to awaken the "kundalini", a form of powerful energy that lies dormant at the base of the spine. When the "kundalini" is awakened, it boosts the body's capacity to heal itself. Tantra massage also aims to activate the "charkas" of the body. Meaning wheel or disc in the ancient language of Sanskrit, the "charka" is a center of energy in the body located on the spine.

There are seven principal "charkas" along the spine, going from the base of the spine to the neck and head. Another main objective of tantra massage is to facilitate the body's healing in the physical, emotional and spiritual sense. And not only the physical pain, tantra massage also soothes the emotional scars and elevates him to a higher spiritual level.

As tantra massage is an extremely intimate act that involves touching of sexual organs, it sometimes can leave the receiver in a very vulnerable state. That makes it important that the giver of the massage should be someone whom the receiver trusts fully and is comfortable with. No wonder tantra massage is often done between lovers to elevate the sexual experience. In this context, we can talk of two types of tantra massages: "yoni" (vagina) massage and "lingam" (penis) massage.

For "yoni" massage, pour some oil on to the mound of the yoni so it drips down the outer lips. Slowly massage each outer lip between thumb and forefinger, sliding up and down the entire length of the lip. Look into her eyes during the massage and ensure she can see what you are doing. Do the same for the inner lips of the "yoni." Take your time and see her relax. Begin by gently stroking the clitoris in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction and squeeze it gently between your thumb and index finger. She will be aroused but try to stop an orgasm just yet, and let the sensations build. Insert the middle finger of your right hand and gently feel around inside continuing to massage gently.

For "lingam" massage, put him to bed with a pillow under his head. Put a pillow under his hips as well and spread his legs with his knees bent. Expose his "lingam" completely and begin to gently massage all over his body, keeping this area untouched for a while. Pour some oil over his shaft and testicles and softly massage his testicles. Now massage the area on the pubic bone above the "lingam." Massage the area between his testicles and his anus (perineum). Then gently grasp the base of the "lingam" with your right hand and move up the shaft and then remove your hand. Repeat with the left hand and do this for a while. Change to grasping the "lingam" at the top, slide down the shaft and remove your hand, replace with the left and repeat this process. Massage the head of the "lingam" in a circular motion. Even if the "lingam" goes soft, it will shortly perk up again. Keep bringing him close to orgasm and then back off because it helps him control his ejaculation and achieve longer and more pleasurable orgasms.

So, tantra massage gives both physical health benefits and sensual pleasure. The giver of the massage should expecting nothing in return. The receiver should open him/herself to the effects of the massage without the necessity of reciprocation. Sensual pleasure does not always mean sexual pleasure. A session of tantra massage need not end up in actual sex. Tantra massage utilizes specific massage and breathing techniques that are very useful.

Tampa Sensual Massage

2009-05-21T07:54:00.001-07:00

There are many massaging techniques that people can try to soothe or calm themselves after a strenuous day. A Tampa sensual massage is one of them. People can have it done by a professional masseuse or even by a loved one. People should trust that the massage will help relax their body and calm their nerves. The first thing is to determine where they will be laying for the massage. A comfortable firm sofa, floor mat, massage table or chair will work. People should also be in loose fitting clothes or have a cloth that will cover the areas not being massaged.

The next step in the Tampa sensual massage is to work the legs. The masseuse therapy should concentrate on one section at a time, starting from the top at the thighs working down to the knees. The upper part of the body or legs might require the same pressure and kneading motion as the back. Next people providing Tampa massage should work the calves and ankles. Once people get a complete or full body massage, they know a new kind of relaxation. In fact, according to Mosby's Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Dictionary, the term sensual means, pertaining to a great interest in sex, food, or other sensory satisfying activities. A better definition of the term sensual would be providing, creating pleasure for all the senses.

Sensual Tampa massage is a great way to build intimacy and closeness with the partner. A very good book for learning Tampa sensual massage techniques at home is The Joy of Sensual Massage written by Jack Hofer. This guide is a fully illustrated book that teaches people how to give a massage to someone at home. Hofer, the author points out, however, that the main purpose of massage is to relax the body, whereas sex excites it. It is a best practice if people approach the sensual massage as an end in itself, not merely as a prelude to lovemaking. Massage oil is an essential part of the sensual massage toolkit, but people do not have to spend a lot of money on some special sensual massage oil. A rather good inexpensive choice is almond oil.

In a professional setting of spa, sensual massage is usually another way of saying that the massage will include intimate contact. People should not expect to get a sensual massage at a spa. The professional massage therapists who work at spas are trained in therapeutic massage which is based on Swedish massage techniques. It is a little breach of spa etiquette to ask for intimacy as part of a therapeutic massage. If people can do, the massage therapist will explain that is not the purpose of this massage and continue working. If people persist, they will end the massage.

People sometimes ask for greater intimacy during massage in an indirect and people also ask the therapist to remove the sheet or ask if the therapist does extras. None of these massage techniques are appropriate or legal in a spa setting.

Buttock Massage

2009-05-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

It has been seen that buttock or butt massages have various kinds of benefits for the body and also improve the overall health through extreme relaxation. Basically the butt or the buttocks are one of the most tired parts of the body and this happens because you are sitting on it the entire day. Stating it simply, with long hours in front of the computer and prolonged sitting, the butt muscles are often in a lot of pain and get stiff and sore.

The butt muscles also need their share of relaxation, and apart from exercises massages are the best way to achieve the same. Basically the butt massages helps to reduces stress and getting regular massages helps to relax these muscles. Many health experts have determined that many of these diseases are stress related and aggravated by the same. Hence relaxation through these butt massages can help you to reduce stress and risks of diseases.

It has been seen that these butt massages include special techniques and hand movements that help to reduce the stress in these areas along with providing overall relaxation. There are various butt massages where the feet are also used to relax these muscles and the Thai and Swedish massages are some of the most popular butt massages. The butt massage also helps to fight back pain and these nerves are related to different parts of the body like the back, which helps the muscles to relax.

It has been seen that the muscles may get stiff and begin to pain during long work hours of sitting in front of the computer. But these massages can help stretch these stiffened muscles so that the body becomes more flexible and the sore feeling from these areas is gone. Usually the butt massages are accompanied by a full body massage so that you have a feeling of overall relaxation with emphasis on the core areas like the butts or the back.

Apart from the many benefits of butt massage, one of the most important benefits is that it improves blood circulation and ensures that the body gets an abundant supply of oxygenated blood. Through these butt massages you can also benefit from the removal of toxins from the body and it enhances easier pregnancy. During pregnancy periods, most women have chronic pain in their buttocks and hence these butt massage are like a boon to them. It has also been proven that massages during pregnancy helps to ease labor and help in smooth delivery.

Those who are athletes and are into vigorous physical labor, and even those who have to sit for prolonged hours, should get these massages to relax and rejuvenate. If the massage is done in the correct way then it would also help to avoid and reduce both stretch marks as well as surgery marks. These massages also help in the circulation and working of the lymph nodes.

Butt massages also improve the bone joints and thus movement becomes easier and you become more active and the chances of muscle injury during exercises are reduced through these massages.

Tantra Lingam Massage

2009-05-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

There are various kinds of massage that provide health benefits and other physical gains. The Tantra lingam massage is a spiritual tradition, which had its origin in India and had been invented about 4,000 years ago. The tantra lingam massage is a way of life that celebrates and strives for the union of body. Here importance is given to the union of the body along with the mind, heart and soul. Hence tantra can also be stated as a form of yoga, which means union and the ultimate purpose of Tantra is the union of lovers.

The principles of tantra believe to ultimately union with the Divine and in the Tantric tradition and massages, both sexuality and spirituality are joined. Here the lovers actually aim to invite god to their beds. There are many cultures, which have a variation of this challenging and delightful practice. These include the Taoists massages in China and the Cheyenne in North America. Even thought these are differences in practices, they are all forms of sacred sexuality.

Here the motive is to share the intentional cultivation and use of sexual energy in healing, spiritual growth, creativity and enhanced pleasure. During the 1800's the practices of Tantra were first introduced to the west and the Tantric revival during the late 1960s led to popularization of these practices in Europe and North America. Recently there have also been testimonials by celebrity musicians and movie stars who have promoted it.

Thus Tantra is becoming the sexual learning of choice and is an ideal option for those who want to enjoy a passionate sex life, healthy body and spiritual growth. The concepts of the tantric massages are to involve various forms of contractions and massages and even sound into the massage to evoke desire. The concept of this form of massage is based on sound, visualization, affirmations, creating a sacred loving space and other ceremonial practices. The use of meditation, sensual massage, and sexual play is also vital here.

For building high sexual energy charge the massage is suggested as this leads to enhanced pleasure and also helps the person getting the massage done to enjoy other blissful moments. The tantra massage helps you to continue to learn and advance, with never-ending potential for growth and scope of learning. The tantric massage is a practice that yields immediate results and thus people can experience a difference in the lovemaking process. This massage can be given to both the partners and even the partners can give the same to each other.

There are various vital factors here that should be considered and unlike the regular lovemaking, which has the goal of orgasm, this massage believes in making performance better. The approach often results in a great deal of frustration and performance anxiety as there is no goal, but there is a purpose, which is the union. These massages have become popular these days as most couples find less time to interact with each other and look for alternatives to seek reunions of the body and mind along with rejuvenating the soul and your spirit.

Tantra Massage For Men

2009-05-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

There are many pressures that men go through such as performance providing as well as to accomplish. Tantra massage is one such massage which is without any sort of goals. In a tantra massage the man is absolutely receptive. It is generally followed after a warm shower with a full body sensual massage which helps tune the man inward and focus the mind during engaging the pleasure receptors in the body. It helps in deepening a person's awareness.

As soon as the body is massaged as well as relaxed the spirit of the body is nurtured and awakened. The focus is of course on the first as well as the second chakras. These chakras are the known to be the area of the male g-spot or prostate gland which is well known to be the energetic access point for all energy which then leads to enlightenment. A digital but gentle technique is required for getting in touch with these subtle places with an increased receptivity. Eye contact, expert stimulation and even a conscious focus is used to heal the trauma or clear any kind of old as well as negative imprinting on the sub conscious.

Mostly the issues of sexual abuse at a young age or abandonment or even rejection may be accessed through the sexual centre. Most issues dealing with the securities, finances as well s commitment may reside in the muladhara or the root chakra which is located in the base of the spinal cord. A loving energy and a focused intention may help to bring these centers into harmony, heal all wounds given from the opposite sex and also increase the person's capacity to feel a pleasurable sensation.

The experience for every individual with tantra massage is absolutely different. Some men experience a full body orgasm, while there are others who may have a deep emotional release which is followed by immense pleasure. Maximum people would have strong dreams son after the massage for few nights. The important thing is that the men will be given a safe environment to feel as well as express whatever needs to come out. A devoted healer and guide would be there to support them. It's a feeling which will be transformative for the man as well as unforgettable.

Most would associate orgasm with ejaculation as lovemaking has become a performance as well as a race to orgasm. But sex should not looked at as a routine to release tension as it is not. Different parts of the nervous system activate the orgasm as well as ejaculation. Most occur simultaneously but they can be experienced separately and independent of each other. This means that men can have prolonged as well as multiple orgasms even without ejaculation.

With a tantra massage man will actually have the ability maintain a heightened level of arousal with frequent climaxes and pleasures which are unmatched. This would help a person learn about their inner body and what is going on inside them, their mind, body as well as spirit. Once a person can reach a multi orgasmic state then they will be able to be more emotionally intimate with their women and have a more comfortable time reaching their sexual bliss.

Oriental Massage Parlors

2009-05-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

There are various kinds of oriental massage parlors available these days and basically they use different oriental methods for treating the body. These massages are good for your health and provide various kinds of benefits. The oriental massages have been known for the use of ancient remedies, therapies and healing arts from the regions of Asia, especially China. These massages are ideal to improve muscle building and they are excellent therapeutic massages, which help in the accentuating the muscles.

These massages do not actually contribute to the building or development of the muscles, but they help in making them more visible and prominent. With the help of these oriental massages the muscles of the body are also more relaxed and are able to perform much better. Through these methods the body and the mind are able to relax and thus oriental massages have become very popular these days. Through these healing art methods used in oriental massages, you can rejuvenate your mind and the body.

One of the most vital aspects of healing arts includes topics that have existed since ancient times and people are familiar with them. These are techniques which are not assembled from one culture but are the amalgamation of various cultures and medicines. There are many kinds of oriental massages available today and they use healing art topics like acupuncture, massage, and perhaps one or two other holistic types of treatments. There are various tricks and methods behind these massages, which remain a mystery.

The skilled masseuses from the orient have information on the same and these are available at different schools and colleges. These institutions teach the different methods of healing arts and massages, and here the process of massages are taught and the students are shown how this process works for the body and not against it. Hence this aspect is very successful in treating various kinds of problems for the body. The people who learn these techniques should keep in mind that the human body is an organic engineering marvel.

Thus there are various things about the body, which is still superior to the other science forms that are being discovered today. These massages motivate all your senses and goes deep into the psyche and the work at the cell levels. With the help of these oriental massages different kinds of techniques and movements are used on the body, which can also help you to lose weight. There are various massages here that can aid in weight loss apart from relaxing the body.

There are various forms of western massages that can also be combined with the oriental massages. For example, the butt massages, which are very popular these days, are also a part of the oriental massages. Apart from this, there are various forms of exotic massage available in oriental massages that are known to evoke desires. Through these massage the body and the mind are able to rejuvenate and you can experience the wonders of the same at your home or at the oriental massage parlors, which are now available through out the world.

Slow And Sensual Massage

2009-05-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

The origin of massage can be traced back to Rome, Greece, Japan, China, Egypt and India. It involves putting pressure on selected body parts manually or with aids. Tissues that are usually targeted include skin, tendons, muscles, ligaments, joints, lymphatic vessels, or even the gastrointestinal system. Fingers, elbows, hands, feet, forearms are used to apply the massage. Massages are seen as a form of therapeutic touch to bring about a sense of relaxation and relief from muscle tension. It's been found particularly useful for backaches, body aches, headaches, joint pains and sensual arousal. Actually, nothing is more natural than the use of touch to relieve pain or distress.

Various types of therapeutic and aromatic oils are used while massaging the body. To remove dry skin and soften the body, salts are used along with oils. The massage can be performed by a massage therapist or by other health care professionals like chiropractors, osteopaths, athletic trainers, and/or physical therapists. Though medical research has shown various benefits of massaging, it is not supported by proper clinical studies.

A sensuous massage or an erotic massage is the use of the massage techniques for erotic purpose. Erogenous zones of the body such as the area around the groin and intimate parts of the body, which are normally not touched in therapeutic massage, are touched in ways that increase sexual arousal. The focal area of sensual massage depends on the gender of the person receiving it and the masseuse/masseur.

Sensual massage can be utilised as a sex therapy, that is, as a means of stimulating the libido, or increasing the ability of a person to respond positively to sensual stimulus. In some cases, it can be a form of foreplay without sexual gratification, intended to heighten the sensitivity of an individual. Sometimes, sensual massages are used for a professional purpose to help men address issues of premature ejaculation.

There is nothing more sensually tactile than soothing hands gliding over the skin in a softly illuminated room. Aromatherapy is the art of using essential oils extracted from aromatic plants to enhance health and beauty. And it not just helps to achieve physical benefits. There is a subtle effect of essential oils on the mind and various emotions.

Sensual massage is romantic, intimate and relaxing. In fact, after a hectic and tiring week, there can't be a better way of unwinding. A proper massaging of the body involves the application of pressure at various nerve points. The touching of certain focal points in the body needs to be continuous. Such a massage helps to release all kinds of pain and tension from the body. The end result is a totally relaxed feeling.

However, before initiating the massage, one needs to set a proper mood. Scented candles help in creating the right ambience by providing both a soothing smell and a dim light. Flowers placed strategically can also help. A soft music is needed in the background. Certain oils like rose and jasmine are known to have aphrodisiacal qualities and are great for sensual body massages. So how about going for a relaxing massage this weekend?

Tantra Massage Therapists

2009-05-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

The origin of massage can be traced back to Rome, Greece, Japan, China, Egypt and India. It involves putting pressure on selected body parts manually or with aids. Tissues that are usually targeted include skin, tendons, muscles, ligaments, joints, lymphatic vessels, or even the gastrointestinal system. Fingers, elbows, hands, feet, forearms are used to apply the massage. Massages are seen as a form of therapeutic touch to bring about a sense of relaxation and relief from muscle tension. It's been found particularly useful for backaches, body aches, headaches, joint pains and sensual arousal. Actually, nothing is more natural than the use of touch to relieve pain or distress.

Various types of therapeutic and aromatic oils are used while massaging the body. To remove dry skin and soften the body, salts are used along with oils. Various types of massage exist and can be performed by a massage therapist or by other health care professionals like chiropractors, osteopaths, athletic trainers, and/or physical therapists. Though medical research has shown various benefits of massaging, it is not supported by proper clinical studies.

Tantric Massage, though a sensual one, is scientific in its method of manipulating the soft body tissues. A sensuous massage is the use of the massage techniques for erotic purpose. Erogenous zones of the body such as the area around the groin and intimate parts of the body, which are normally not touched in therapeutic massage, are touched in ways that increase sexual arousal. The focal area of sensual massage depends on the gender of the person receiving it and the masseuse/masseur.

Tantric massage can be utilised as a sex therapy, that is, as a means of stimulating the libido, or increasing the ability of a person to respond positively to sensual stimulus. In some cases, it can be a form of foreplay without sexual gratification, intended to heighten the sensitivity of an individual. Sometimes, these massages are used for a professional purpose to help men address issues of premature ejaculation.

There is nothing more sensually tactile than soothing hands gliding over the skin in a softly illuminated room. Tantric massage is romantic, intimate and relaxing. In fact, after a hectic and tiring week, there can't be a better way of unwinding. Certain oils like rose and jasmine are known to have aphrodisiacal qualities and are great for such body massages. A proper massaging of the body involves the application of pressure at various nerve points. The touching of certain focal points in the body needs to be continuous. Such a massage helps to release all kinds of pain and tension from the body and achieve total relaxation.

Tantric massage can also be a spiritual practice, going way beyond just touching the skin. Knowledge and understanding of the human aura and energy centers are required before indulging in this massage. Apart from increasing one's sexual energy, Tantric massage can awaken the spiritual energy of Kundalini. The Kundalini lies dormant at the spine base. Through this massage its energy is stimulated, the seven chakras are activated and all these rise up the spine. With the awakening of these essential energies, emotional, physical and spiritual rejuvenation take place.

Free How To Give A Sensual Massage

2009-05-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

You can find plenty of free sites online, which can help you to learn how to give sensual massages. These are massages that can help you to relax and help your partner to enjoy too. These massages are ideal for the couples who want to experiment with their relationship and also for those, who are suffering from any kinds of sexual problems. You can find various kinds of sensual massages available on these sites. All of these massages are known to not only rejuvenate your spirit but also your senses.

Basically these sensual massages are a life altering experience and provide you with arousal of senses. Hence the person getting massaged experiences a mixture of relaxing, rejuvenating and erotic senses. These merge to create a simply unique session that leaves the user filling rejuvenated and relaxed. However these massages ensure that the user is relaxed with sensual urges aroused and leave you feeling like you've never felt before.

One of these massages is the Taoist sensual massage that has been known to leave the body excited yet calm. You can learn different kinds of Taoist massages that have been popular for a while now. This includes the traditional Taoist massage, which releases sexual energy as a very powerful healing modality. In this erotic massage, you have to incorporate focused breath and relaxation and re-connection to the physical being. Here the target is to reach the stage of one's energetic self and re-balance and heal.

These sensual massages had been developed and re-introduced in the western world by such healers and teachers. You can learn more about these sensual massages at massage schools where certifying and legalizing the concept of Taoist erotic massage has been socially acceptable and very viable healing modality. These sensual massages are one of the purest forms that help one to use sexual energy and help to reach states of higher consciousness. Basically these processed involve diverting the ejaculation response and reaching altered states of consciousness for men.

Help is taken from the recipients to overcome sexual concerns and disorders like premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Those suffering from poor pelvic floor pain can benefit from the same. There is also a sexual massage modality that honors this massage without any preferences of gender.

The other massage here includes the Tantra sensual massage, which is also a very highly spiritual form of massage. This sensual massage is ceremonial and both the masseuse and the receiver are taken into another world. Here the entire body is being coaxed into releasing sexual energy into every pore and every cell. Relaxation is gradually transformed into divine bliss and eruption of passion and the feeling of arousal are experienced.

For trying out these forms of sensual massages there is no need of preparedness required. Here you have to let go of all that you have learned about sex and enjoy what is happening at the moment. Basically you have to capture what the other is lacking in and explore the unique qualities in each person through these massages and enjoy this blissful experience to the most.

Acne Cure - Acne Cure Naturally With Clear Skin Secrets

2009-05-10T08:04:00.000-07:00

Most of the people who suffer from acne problem go out and spend good money on common over-the-counter acne treatment products. The truth is that, most of these skin care products are full of chemicals that can actually slow down the healing of acne, and irritate the skin, causing farther breakouts. When an acne care product has many ingredients listed on it, it can be hard to know if one of those ingredients is actually stopping people from having success. It can be even harder when people can not pronounce the ingredient, much less know what it is and how it is going to affect their skin.

Most mainstream acne care treatments are not only much more expensive than common household items, but they also do not always work as well either. There are some basic household items that can rather work wonders on clearing up the skin. Baking soda is a very economical cooking ingredient that most people have in their homes already; baking soda can be used as a great scrub. The actual purpose of a scrub is to exfoliate the facial skin, removing dead skin that can eventually clog pores and lead to acne spots. To get started people will want to mix a small amount of baking soda with some water for form a paste. Baking soda is very effective as a natural scrub, so people want to be sure to be extra careful when applying it to their face. People need to massage gently the paste into their skin for ten to fifteen seconds and then should rinse the baking soda off, and pat their face dry with a clean towel.

Apple Cider Vinegar is another natural product can be used for acne cure. Though most of the people that use vinegar to treat their acne use the apple cider form of vinegar, they can also use plain old regular vinegar. Regardless of which type they use, vinegar can be very helpful with it comes to clearing up acne. It can naturally kill off acne causing bacteria, balance the skin's pH, and absorb extra oil on the skin. Starting with dry and clean skin people need to apply diluted vinegar (eight parts water to one part vinegar) directly to their skin with a cotton ball, and leave it on. If people want, they can also use a stronger vinegar solution (say, 2 or 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar), and apply it directly to problem areas, rinsing it off after ten minutes.

Lemon or lime juice can also be an effective substitution of vinegar. Both of these citrus juices are rich in citric acid, and can exfoliate the skin very well, halting the growth of acne spots, as well as fading previous, non-active acne quicker. Egg Whites are rich in protein and for that, these can be used as a mask to heal and rebuild the skin. Egg white can also help to absorb excess amount of oil from the skin. To get started people need to crack an egg, removing the yolk so that just the egg whites are left behind and then beat these egg whites, and apply them directly to the face and should let it sit for fifteen minutes, and then rinse the egg off.

What Causes Back Acne

2009-05-10T08:03:00.002-07:00

Nearly all of the people have had to deal with acne at some point in their lives. This annoying skin problem usually badly affects the face or quite possibly the neck or down the chest. However in some cases acne also develop on the back, usually in the form of pimples, blackheads or other forms of acne similar to what develops on other areas of the body.

Much like pimples on the faces, there is no single cause for the formation of acne break out on the back. Though some skin care experts presume that the formation of acne might be due to the same type of factors as facial acne or other forms of acne, which are possibly causes by overproduction of the sebaceous glands around puberty or during other times when the body experiences significant hormonal changes.

However several other factors might cause the formation of acne on the back which is specific factors to acne development on this area of the body. For example tight synthetic clothing might be one possible culprit. By wearing tight synthetic clothing, this forces perspiration from the skin to be trapped against the skin which can lead to irritation. Also carrying a heavy weight bag or backpack can also cause irritation in areas where the strap presses against the back and shoulders. Irritation causes by the constant rubbing motion of carrying such a bag can cause some people to develop back acne.

Another thing that causes back acne different than other forms of acne is that what people eat does not appear to have as much of an affect on acne development on this region of the body as it does in the case of facial acne. However, if people have back acne they might also have acne in other places where diet might play a role in acne development; also since there is no conclusive evidence as to the effect diet has on back acne development, it might not be a bad idea to adjust the diet for a period of time just to see if it improves the results.

Moderate cases of back acne occurrence can be treated in much the same way as other acne, by using over-the-counter products or prescription medications. When back acne turns severe, causing cysts and other serious skin damage, it is important to seek out the expertise of a dermatologist or other skin care specialist to prevent possible damage to those areas of the skin. This can help effectively to minimize the damage and possible scarring that might result from serious cases of back acne.

The sebum secretion by the sebaceous glands of the skin comes out through the small openings on our skin. These small skins opening are also termed pores. When there is excess amount of secretion of the sebum by the sebaceous glands, the skin pores and the hair follicles on the skin get blocked. Dead cells of the skin surface that are shed by the skin every minute can not find a way to escape from the skin; instead, they gradually accumulate around the hair follicles and that is when bacteria begin to develop in the region; these bacteria accumulation that begin to irritate the surrounding tissue lead to the inflammation of the skin.

What Is The Best Acne Treatment Available

2009-05-10T08:03:00.001-07:00

Getting rid of acne is a task that most of the individuals think is downright impossible and many others have used several products that did actually not do anything. Though acne is a big trouble people should not fear; getting clear skin is entirely possible. Most of the skin care products that are designed to only treat existing acne instead of taking prevention into mind and really attacking the causes of pimples; this is a large issue. These skin care products don't actually address the problem; they merely try to get rid of one pimple at a time after they have already popped up.

In fact the problem is somehow different. There is no point of trying to get rid of acne if people are not also trying to prevent new zits from forming. This problem is a big annoyance of mine and most of the individuals tend to wasting cash for this reason. In order to get rid of the acne, people need to find a system that targets all of the things that cause acne. To knock out the zits, people have to treat the following - bacteria that causes acne, irritation of the skin, clogged skin pores and excess oil on your skin. People can not find any treatment or anything really effective in the stores, but there are treatments available that can actually clear their skin. People will find that these treatments work as a system and usually use a few steps to ensure they are fighting the causes properly.

If people use an anti acne product that truly treats the causes of zits, they will notice improvements within a week or so. It is a great feeling to look in the mirror and notice the flawless results. Getting rid of acne and zits is not only possible, but it's really easy once people find the right treatment system. Knowledge is power when people want to clear their acne up for good, since every little tip or piece of useful information helps. Those people that are most successful with eliminating acne breakouts are the ones that are open-minded and adopt a variety of different strategies to rid themselves of pimples. Since they never really know which strategies will work best, should try all of these 5 acne treatment tips they can use today for best results.

The skin of every people is different, and acne can arise for a lot of different reasons. Most of the people think of greasy foods or a lack of regular hygiene as the main pimple culprits, but hereditary reasons and other factors can also come into play. Even though some of the folks wash their faces regularly and still get acne breakouts, the number one effective tip is to wash the face regularly with a mild soap or cleanser. The second effective tip is to drink more water to ensure that they hydrate themselves properly. This will help people more than they would think, especially when it comes to acne prevention. As a third effective tip, people should also watch their diet and eliminate acidic foods such as certain vegetables like corn, soft drinks and most alcoholic drinks, if possible. The fourth tip effective is to use household remedies whenever possible.

What Is Acne Vulgaris

2009-05-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

Acne vulgaris is commonly referred to as normal acne. From the start of the early years, almost all of the people suffer from some form of acne. It is a kind of inflammation of the skin that causes irritated skin sores, commonly on the face. This commonly led to low self-esteem, embarrassment, and depression so it is important to treat it and take care of the skin. The cause of acne vulgaris disorder can be due to a number of different factors. Stress and anxiety, hormones, and pore-blocking dead skin and oil are some of the most common reasons behind the development of acne Vulgaris. It is also an inherited characteristic that people could get from their parents.

Mental stress and anxiety changes the level of hormones and neuro-active substances that cause acne vulgaris. A way to treat this type of occurrence is to take some time to relax and de-stress the mind by exercising or writing. People can also find something that they enjoy doing and practice it when they are feeling particularly stressed over something. Hormone changes that occur during the early years can trigger acne vulgaris to flare up. This formation of hormones is referred to as androgens. They actually stimulate oil glands to over-produce and contribute to developing blemishes.

It is a very common misconception that almost all of the acne is the result of being unclean. If this matter was true, most of the people would not ever have to deal with acne. When natural skin oil gets combined with normal skin bacteria and dead skin cells, the dead skin gets forced to the surface in fact the greater the amount of oil that is produced, the better the chance it as of clogging the skin pores. Clogged skin pores are where bacteria feed to produce inflammation, which results in pimples. Washing the face cannot treat a condition that develops primarily under the skin.

The result of having acne vulgaris can be long-term if remain untreated. If the disordered condition is severe, there is a chance for permanent scars to form. Most of the young people have trouble dealing with the way they feel when they have this type of acne break-outs. Social conditions can be avoided at all costs to prevent the embarrassment of a flawed appearance. Some people even go as far as missing school or colleges because of the appearance of acne vulgaris. Severe mental depression could also result from prolonged unhappiness with the appearance of their skin. Self-esteem and self-worth can even diminish gradually unless their skin is absolutely flawless. There is not a complete cure for these feelings; though getting an effective acne vulgaris treatment could eliminate appearance from being the cause of it.

Treatment for acne vulgaris is as common as finding which medicine or treatment works best for an individual. Severe types of acne are usually treated by a dermatologist who will prescribe a medication specific to individual needs. If the acne problem is less severe or occasional, an over-the-counter solution could be best for someone. There are all types of conditions that contribute to the development of blemishes so when picking out the right medicine, one need to consider the specificity of his or her skin. If people notice that their skin is especially oily, then they should be sure that they use something that will target the oil.

How To Remove Acne Marks

2009-05-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

There are many ways on remove acne scars. The appearance of acne starts during puberty when the body actively produces hormones that causes too much sebum in the skin. This skin stage may pass but it would definitely leave marks to trouble our appearance forever. Treating acne scars can be done through natural inexpensive ways and also through dermatological procedures that can be a pocket pinch. However, acne scar treatment still depends on the mildness and severity of the scar.

Hydration is the key. It has been confirmed that water is one of the best natural methods to remove acne scars and prevent acne breakouts. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water or more helps the skin to shed those unwanted dead skin cells. Water is the best treatment. It is the most inexpensive remedy. Water helps to remove all the toxins from the body and clears the skin bringing out the natural glow.

A lot of people recommend the use Vitamin E capsule for acne scars. We can apply it topically to the affected area by pricking a spot in the capsule and apply the oil to the scar. Another option is to take it orally to have that cell renewal from within the body. Rosehip seed oil is also a valuable remedy on removing acne scars. This is an anti-ageing and anti-wrinkling agent that helps the skin to regenerate. This oil can be massaged on the scar twice a day for best results.

Eating a balance diet may help in removing acne scars. The more nutritious foods we include in our meal, the faster the scar will heal. It helps in building the skin cells and gives a healthy skin glow as well. Food rich in vitamins and fiber help in easy digestion. Fresh fruits and vegetables help the body get all nutrients and help the skin glow. Combining rose water and paste of sandal wood on the spot where the scars is also helps in reducing the marks. We should leave it overnight then rinse with cold water the next day.

Aside from the natural ways of removing acne scars, there are also dermatological procedures that would definitely give us a much faster result. However, pregnancy and other health conditions may hinder our want to undergo these procedures.

Nowadays, not only certified dermatologists do a dermabrasion but facial salons as well. Dermabrasion is the removal of the top skin layer using a machine that chafes off the skin. Once the skin heals, the top layer will then have a smoother and clearer appearance. Laser resurfacing is one of the most affordable anti-scar treatments available. It simply uses a high-energy light that would remove the fine scars and even prevent wrinkles.

We may also have a chemical peel procedure. This is just like dermabrasion. The only difference is that the top layer of the skin is peeled off using chemicals not machines. This is not a very advisable procedure for all since some people may have allergic reactions to the chemicals.

With all the available choices for treatment, we surely would not have an excuse as to why our acne scar is still obvious. It's our choice whether we would opt for the natural way or the dermatological procedure on how to remove acne scars.

Treating Acne Scars

2009-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

A majority of people in their teens and twenties are affected by acne, while this skin condition rarely affects older people. Acne leaves some people with ugly scars while some escape with no such permanent damages. Once an acne lesion has healed, it can leave a red or hyperpigmented mark on the skin which is an indicator of the healing process that can last for a year. If no more acne lesions come up in that area, the skin can heal normally. But any change in color or skin defect that persists after a year is a permanent acne scar.

There are various topical skin care products and medications that can heal mild acne scars, but most acne scars have to be treated with a combination of surgical procedures and skin resurfacing. Acne scars are classified into categories such as icepick, rolling, and boxcar depending on their appearance. Such classification also helps in identifying suitable acne scar treatment methods. Icepick scars are narrow and sharp as if the skin has been punctured with an icepick. Boxcar scars may be round or oval shaped depressions having sharp vertical edges. Rolling scars give the skin a rolling or undulating look.

There are various procedures for the treatment of acne scars. Each procedure has its advantages and drawbacks, and a number of them are usually combined for the treatment of such scars. These procedures include dermal fillers, punch excision, punch excision with skin graft replacement, punch elevation, subcutaneous incision, and laser resurfacing.

Dermal fillers can be of various types that are injected into acne scars to elevate the surface of the skin and give a smoother look. Dermal fillers include fat, bovine collagen, human collagen, hyaluronic acid derivatives, and polytheyl-methacrylate microspheres with collagen. More than one injection may be needed in this method. Punch excision

is a surgical procedure used for the treatment of deep acne scars such as icepick and deep boxcar scars. It uses a punch biopsy tool to excise the scar under local anesthesia and to suture the skin edges together. The new scar ultimately fades and may not be noticeable.

With the method of punch excision with skin graft replacement, the scar is excised with the punch tool as described above. In this case, however, the skin edges are not sutured together but the defect is filled with a punch skin graft usually collected from behind the ear. Punch elevation is a surgical method for treating acne scars like deep boxcar scars that have sharp edges and normal appearing bases. The same punch tool as mentioned above is used to excise the base of the scar. But the walls of the scar are left undisturbed. The excised base is then raised to the surface of the skin and attached with sutures, steri-strips, or skin glue known as Dermabond.

Subcutaneous incision, also called subcision, breaks up the fibrous bands that are responsible for rolling scars. This procedure is performed under local anesthesia by inserting a special needle under the skin so that it is parallel to the skin surface. The needle is gently advanced and retracted in a piston-like motion cutting the tethering bands. Laser resurfacing is a highly popular treatment for various skin problems. The most common laser types used for the treatment of acne scars are the carbon dioxide (CO2) and erbium:YAG (Er:YAG) lasers.

Different Types Of Acne Scars

2009-05-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

Most of us in our teens and twenties are affected by acne, while older people are mostly unaffected by this problem. Acne sometimes leaves ugly scars in its victims while the more fortunate ones suffer no such permanent effects. When an acne lesion is cured, it can leave a red or hyperpigmented mark on the skin; this, in fact, suggests that a healing process is in progress. If no more acne lesions appear in that area, the skin can heal normally. But if a color change or skin defect persists for over a year, it is a permanent acne scar.

Acne may be mild such as whiteheads or blackheads that most of us get at various times; moderately severe, including red inflamed pimples called papules and red pimples with white centers called pustules; severe, which causes painful, pus-filled cysts or lumps to come up under the skin; and the most severe one that leaves permanent scars. Acne scars have been classified into five different types: ice pick scars, box car scars, rolling scars, hypertrophic scars, and also pigmented scars. Such classification of acne scars into different types actually helps in identifying the appropriate method to treat them. The type of the skin also plays a key role in choosing the right method of treatment.

Among the different types of acne scars, the most common are ice pick scars. These scars look like deep pits. Ice pick scars are narrow and sharp as though the skin has been punctured with an ice pick. Box car scars are the types that usually appear on the cheeks and the temple. Resembling chicken pox cars to some extent, these angular scars may be quite shallow or even deep. Rolling scars give the skin of the victim a rolling or undulating look. Hypertrophic scars are the types that are thickened or keloid. Keloid means a raised scar tissue caused by excessive tissue repair.

Pigmented scars are usually the result of nodular or cystic acne (the painful 'bumps' that lies beneath the skin). These scars leave behind an inflamed red mark, but one can often avoid them by not making any attempts whatsoever to pick, pop or itch the cyst or nodule. Most of these scars mercifully disappear with time taking between 3 months and two years to fade away completely. However, these scars can persist only in rare cases.

Those who have naturally tanned skin may develop brown hyperpigmnentation scars because of excessive production of the pigment melanin. But these scars also fade away with time.

There are a number of methods for the treatment of acne scars. Each procedure has its pros and cons, and in most cases, a number of them are combined for effective treatment of these scars. Among these methods are dermal fillers, punch excision, punch excision with skin graft replacement, punch elevation, subcutaneous incision, and laser resurfacing. The doctor will recommend the best treatment option for you after examining your scars.

But you, on your part, should refrain from loading up your face with masks or fancy, popular lotions. Instead of helping your cause, it will cause further irritation on your skin and make your acne scars red and even more prominent.

Cystic Acne - Cystic Acne Laser Removal

2009-05-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

Cystic acne scar removal has been suggested as one of the best methods for getting the scars for these acnes removed permanently. There are various treatments available these days, which help in the removal of these acne scars along with various other marks. These days the occurrence of cystic acne has been one of the severe types of acne, which leaves a scar on the affected area. Most of the times this scar takes a long time to heal and many times, it can leave pits and permanent marks on the skin.

These scars also spread on a wide area of the skin and you should try and avoid deep scars by not trying to itch the area. Hence prevention is the best cure for avoiding the marks caused by them and hence the affected areas of the skin should not be touched or picked with hand. There are many kinds of cystic scar creams available that can be used to treat these problems but if these scars are deep in several layers of the skin, then it is suggested to seek other forms of help.

It has been seen that the creams and gels are not useful in treating the scars of these kinds and hence it is vita to resort to other treatment methods like microdermabrasion, chemical peel and laser resurfacing etc. But it should be kept in mind that before you start using any treatment you should understand that the skin has the natural ability to heal and rejuvenate itself. Hence each day, the top most part of the skin wears off and new layers emerge below keep surfacing above.

With the help of these processes, the mild scars will be removed and the deep scars would require additional treatments. It has been seen that the skin scrapes out many levels of the outer layers so that it can speedup up the natural skin rejuvenation process. But the scar removal treatments here would require some intense planning and many layers of skin would have to be removed. This also depends on the nature of the treatment and the severity of the scarring.

Thus you should opt for the laser treatment only if the skin has not responded to a particular scar over a period of time and thus the skin also needs appropriate protection for removing the skin layers. There are cases where the scar removal process can also lead to infection and increased sensitivity to the sun's UV light. Thus you should also try and consult the doctor before availing these kinds of treatments and laser therapies.

Even though the laser acne treatment is one of the fastest ways to reduce acne and get rid of these scar marks. But these treatments are getting more popular with time and the works for numerous individuals who battle with breakouts. But it should be kept in mind that is important to see a doctor and get these treatments done from a professional of a reputed center. The acne of the body along with the cystic scars can also be treated through these methods of laser surgery.

Learn The Truth About Collagen Facial Creams

2009-05-10T07:57:00.001-07:00

Using a collagen facial cream is regularly often recommended, but rarely beneficial. There is no scientific reason supporting the use of collagen creams for any purpose on the face and body. There are a number of scientific reasons that explain why they are ineffective and could cause adverse reactions. The rising popularity of modern collagen facial cream is probably due to the increasingly popular collagen-injections that stretch out wrinkles and puff up the lips. For those people who want this kind of procedure, the risks are explained in detail.

The most common skin problem is prolonged redness caused presumably by an allergic reaction. Doctors perform a skin patch test to rule out the reaction before proceeding. Collagen facial creams are also known to redness and it is advisable to test on an inconspicuous patch of skin, before using the product all over the face. In this situation the redness may not show up until after people have used the product for several weeks. For that reason an extensive and proper testing period is recommended. There is really no point in going to all of that obvious trouble, because collagen creams are simply ineffective. When people do see visible results, it is due to other ingredients in the product. The layers of the skin will not absorb collagens. There are no collagens in the layer of epidermis, the four or five outermost layers of skin. Those skin layers are composed primarily of keratin.

In the basal skin layer, which is about five layers down, "daughter" cells are produced and begin to make their way to the surface. As there are no blood vessels in the skin layer of epidermis, the cells change shape and composition as they die. The protein keratin is inserted and eventually they come to the outermost skin layer where they slough off. The whole chemical process takes about 27 days. For that reason every month or nearly so, people actually have a brand new bunch of cells on the skin's surface. There is no way that collagen facial cream products can contribute to this process; but, there are some alternatives. Instead of looking for collagen facial creams, people might want to look for those that contain bio-active keratin.

This form of the protein part of the product was extracted from sheep's wool and through the use of patented processes, the company that makes it was able to make it water soluble, which it ordinarily is not, without rendering the protein inactive.

The cells of the skin can pick up and use keratin, which will contribute to the cell rejuvenation process described above. In medical studies, it has been seen that lotions containing bio-active keratin stimulate the production of new cells.

Now the rate of actual turn-over, which usually slows down with age, improves. A collagen facial cream product has never been shown to do anything in clinical trials. There was never any reason to think that collagen facial creams would "work". The inclusion of the ingredient of the product is basically an advertising gimmick. If people want to delay or reverse the signs of advancing age, they want something better than a collagen facial cream.

Anti-aging Ointment

2009-05-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Keeping a healthy fresh looking skin needs more than moisturizing the face or a simple daily skin care schedule. Our skin is exposed to millions of free radicals every day and it ranges from pollution, chemicals, smoke, sunlight, etc. It is very obvious for scientist that free radicals are one of the most important reasons for skin aging. The UV rays of the sun causes a lot of damage to the skin due to the amount of free radicals it creates, luckily there are anti aging ointments and creams that can avoid premature aging due to sun damage. In order to avoid the dangers of free radicals our skin needs to have strong anti oxidants that will destroy them and keep the skin protected from further damage.

Some of the best anti oxidants are Vitamin A, C and E, nonetheless there is a very special anti oxidant called Coenzyme Q10 which protects the skin against the harmful UV-A rays of the sun, reduces wrinkles, nourish and revitalizes the skin. It does not matter if we use an anti aging ointment, cream, gel or lotion, what we should look for in a good anti wrinkle product is natural ingredients that will penetrate deeply in the skin and regenerate new cells that will reduce wrinkles and improve the texture and quality of the skin. Other natural ingredients like CynergyTk kindle new collagen in the skin, create elasticity and fill the wrinkles without any side effects or painful treatments.

Anti-aging creams are predominantly moisturizer based cosmeceutical skin care products marketed with the promise of making the consumer look younger by reducing visible wrinkles, expression lines, blemishes, pigmentation changes, discolorations and other environmentally (especially from the sun) related conditions of the skin. Today, the most effective products are made using the best quality care ingredients in cosmetology, inspired by biological compositions naturally present in human skin. Those compositions, often reduced by age, usually enjoy an excellent skin tolerance and are smoothly absorbed by the skin.

Some anti-wrinkle creams contain some form of retinol which in various formulations has been shown to give a "rejuvenating" appearance to the skin, in that it stimulates the renewal of skin cells and reduces dark spots. Alpha hydroxyl acids and beta hydroxyl acids have a peeling effect when used as chemical peels. However, the effects of these compounds depend greatly on their concentration and mode of application, making the effects of the commercial products less certain. Some other known ingredients are Boslowox, Peptides, Q-10, anti-oxidants, and sunscreens.

The most effective results come from a formal anti-aging treatment, as opposed to the single product approach, based on the use of moisturizers with an exfoliation and renewal capacity of AHA fruit acids (Alpha Hydroxyl Acid) which help to dissolve the intracellular "glue" that holds the dead cells together on the skin. The use of this type of product on a regular basis rapidly enhances the exfoliation of the epidermis and stimulates the production of fresh skin cells to compensate for the missing ones. This gradual renewal process exposes a more moisturized skin with less sun damage. This means a lighter complexion, fewer pigmentation spots and less marked wrinkles.

We should also remember that in order to keep a healthy skin we need to have a strong immune system, drink plenty of water, take vitamins, eat healthy foods, avoid smoking and exercise regularly. This is the best way to keep the skin looking young.

Anti Aging Research - The World Of Anti Aging Research Is Rich With New Discoveries

2009-05-10T07:54:00.002-07:00

For ages, people's search for the fountain of youth has remained unending. Men and women can go to any extent to retain a youthful appearance, irrespective of the expenses incurred or the pain that occurs in the process. Anti-aging has always been one of the main concerns of life. Scientists and doctors have tried finding out remedies and cures for aging. But for long, the most that they achieved were virility restorers and baldness cures. Lately, various research and experiments have come up with quite a few anti-aging formulas like hormone therapy, protein treatment, skin tightening and wrinkle lift among others.

Aging isn't something that comes on suddenly like other diseases. It happens suddenly and spares nobody. Research shows aging is a physical process that occurs as the different life systems in the body start to wear out beyond repair. Aging is a breakdown, but it can be repaired to a certain extent. In fact, with proper maintaining of the body aging can be prevented for a considerable period.

There are many healthy options to reduce the process of aging. Drinking lots of water and consuming foods having high antioxidant properties can help in fighting aging. Take a balanced diet rich in proteins, antioxidant-rich fruits, green veggies, berries and omega oils. Regular exercises can help to prevent wrinkles and make the body strong. Another important thing is the right skin care regimen. Natural supplements are also effective in preventing the onset of aging. Scientific research supports the intake of multiple vitamins with minerals and anti-inflammatory supplements like fish oils and spices like turmeric.

If all these regimen appear time-consuming, you can always opt for the various anti-aging hormones. However, it is absolutely necessary to consult a doctor and know your health situation before starting on the therapy. As per some doctors, the main element of the aging process is the hormone loss. There have been studies showing anti-aging hormones helping to enhance hormone levels as well as counter other problems like osteoporosis, fatigue, depression and heart disease. The essential hormones helping to slow down the process of aging are estrogen, testosterone and DHEA.

Osteoporosis is prevented to a large extent by estrogen and it also helps in the improvement of mental clarity. It has been found to be a deterrent to Alzheimer s disease. On the other hand, testosterone assists to improve libido. DHEA has quite a few anti-aging advantages.

You can use various skin tightening and anti-wrinkle creams and lotions available in the market. There is also the option of cosmetic surgery (peeling, lifts, skin resurfacing) and liposuction through which you can hide most aging signs of your body. Non-surgical options include botox, collagen and isolagen treatments. Cell therapy and the treatment of various medical conditions like diabetes, menopause and hypothyroidism are the other options available.

But before surrendering to the temptation of any of these treatments, take into consideration the various side effects. The main side effect is shooting up of blood pressure. Scars, headache, nausea, fatigue and soreness are some of the other side effects that have been experienced by people who underwent anti-aging therapies.

American Anti Aging Association - The American Anti Aging Association

2009-05-10T07:54:00.001-07:00

The American Aging Association (AGE) is a national not-for-profit organization. AGE was founded in 1970 by Denham Harman, MD, PhD, who is often known as the "father" of the "Free-Radical Theory of Aging". The aim of this organization is to promote biomedical aging studies directed towards increasing the functional life span of humans with one goal being to slow the aging process. To keep the public informed of the progress of aging research and of practical means of achieving a long and healthy life.

To increase knowledge of gerontology among physicians and others in the health fields.

As a national, tax-exempt health organization, the American Aging Association was formed in 1970 and includes both laymen and scientists who share a common interest in the aging procedure and its cost. AGE was established at a seminal time in the development of modern biological research. It endows with a venue for scientists to exchange data about the biology of aging and provided a forum for students and new colleagues brought into the field to exchange new ideas about the basic mechanism of the aging process. The American Aging Association has served a determining role in helping to give birth to this authority.

There are a number of organizations that are devoted to various aspects of aging. Some organizations have a significant focus on the social problems of the elderly; others focus on the psychological aspects, while other organizations focus on the medical problem of the frail and elderly. There are others that will focus on the elderly, some will focus on interventional approaches to delay clinical aging and some others will focus on a combination of these various problems related to the elderly and some will focus only on geriatrics. In this attempt, the American Aging Association is unique.

The organization through its membership has provided an advocacy voice to congress explaining the importance of supporting basic biomedical aging research. The number of scientists that are working on this significant essential biological problem called aging remains too few. The field is still in its formative years. The American Aging Association has been a foundation stone and continues to provide for the development of this mushrooming field.

Membership in AGE is open to all interested persons in the United States and abroad and is available in three categories: scientific, lay and student. All AGE members receive discount registration to the annual conference and the newsletter AGE NEWS, which gives information on the organization's actions as well as reports on recent scientific findings related to aging. Scientific members also receive the Journal of the American Aging Association and subscriptions are accessible to laymen and student members for an additional fee.

The primary activities of AGE are to hold annual scientific conferences every year in June, give awards to researchers making significant contributions to the goals of AGE, to promote interest among young scientists in the goals of AGE and to publish newsletters and journals. The journal of AGE is published quarterly and is available to all who wish to buy it.

Anti Aging Drugs - Anti Aging Drugs Could Change The Nature Of Death

2009-05-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of drugs available in the market that can alter the nature of death. Often we can take these medicines and live a little longer. Most disease has some form of medication to help the disease subside.

Dementia is important loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to hinder with social or occupational functioning. There are a number of causes of dementia. In general dementia is more frequent with increasing age. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. Among other causes are medical conditions (thyroid disease, drug toxicity, thiamine deficiency with alcoholism, and others), brain injury, strokes, multiple sclerosis, infection of the brain (such as meningitis and syphilis), HIV infection, hydrocephalus, Pick's disease, and brain tumors.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disease of the brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and a disturbance in at least one other thinking function.

Many scientists believe that AD results from an increase in the production or accumulation of a specific protein (beta-amyloidal protein) that leads to nerve cell death. Loss of nerve cells in strategic brain areas, in turn, causes deficits in the neurotransmitters, which are the brain's chemical messengers. Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging and is not something that inevitably happens in later life. Rather, it is one of the dementing disorders, which are a group of brain diseases that result in the loss of mental and physical functions. The medication used Alzheimer's is ARICEPT and the Substance is Donepezil.

Depression is a psychiatric syndrome consisting of dejected mood, psychomotor retardation, and insomnia and weight loss. Behavior is governed by pessimistic or despairing beliefs. It is sometimes associated with guilt feelings and somatic preoccupations. Treatment of depression is with antidepressant drugs or psychotherapy, while very severe cases may require electroconvulsive therapy. Anxiety is generalized pervasive fear, a form of neurosis in which anxiety dominates the patients' life immensely and effectively.

It is characterized by a feeling of apprehension and uncertainty and is associated with physiological changes. It can be treated with psychotherapy, behavior therapy and tranquillizing drugs. Panic disorder is a disorder where the patient experienced panic attacks during which there is extreme and unreasoning fear and anxiety. The medication used for it is Paxil Seroxat and the substance is Paroxetine.

Any substance that reduces oxidative damage (damage due to oxygen) is caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that attack molecules by capturing electrons and thus modifying chemical structures.

Well-known antioxidants include a number of enzymes and other substances such as vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene (which are converted to vitamin A) that are capable of counteracting the damaging effects of oxidation. Antioxidants are also commonly added to food products like vegetable oils and prepared foods to prevent or delay their deterioration from the action of air. Antioxidants may possibly reduce the risks of cancer and age-related muscular degeneration (AMD). Antioxidants clearly slow the progression of AMD. Red wine extract is used to cure this disease.

Safe Ways to Lose Weight

2009-04-18T02:57:00.000-07:00

Weight Loss and Diet

Everyone in today's age is running after having a good physique. That's the foremost reason why you can see innumerable institutes, organizations and groups promoting the need for attaining a healthy and perfect physique. A sound and healthy body is a result of having healthy lifestyle and eating a right diet. Though regular exercise is a must to lose weight but maintaining a healthy diet is equally important. You may not even require joining a strenuous workout on a regular basis, if you keep an eye on what you eat. It has been rightly stated by someone that we are who we eat. It simply means that if we keep on eating cheesy and greasy foods, our body will shape accordingly. Most of the people choose cutting down their diets to achieve a fast results in weight loss. However, they forget that cutting down the essential diet would result in lack of nutrients in our body. Therefore, we must take care that our body gets sufficient nutrients even after cutting down the heavy meals.

Facts behind Dieting

It's a general belief of a mass that cutting down the calories from the diet would reduce the excess weight. To some extent they are perfectly right but on a long run they tend to be faulty. People blindly keep on cutting the calories from the diet without realizing that they can harm themselves. An optimum amount of calorie intake is a must for a healthy body. Lack of calories in the body may result in feeling fatigue and weak throughout the day. These people find difficulty in accomplishing easy tasks at office and even at home. Insufficient food intake may also hamper the immunity of a body and the person becomes susceptible to various infectious diseases.

Adapting a right way of dieting

Before saying yes to dieting, you must be well aware of our weight. The first thing you need to know before start dieting is to know your BMI (body mass index). You must be aware whether you are categorized into overweight range or obese range. An individual is said to have normal weight, if his body mass index falls in a range of 19.0 to 24.9 (according to the National Institute of Health). If you fall above this range (above 25.0), then you are considered as overweight. People with BMI more than 30.0 are said to be obese and they must undergo weight loss program to stay away from diseases. Once we know the extra weight, we can choose a right diet to achieve weight loss without affecting the nutritious needs of our organs. The only foods we need to avoid are the foods that are oily and greasy. Regular exercise becomes essential for burning out the extra fats that we achieve through our diets. By burning the extra fats, we can easily acquire the shape that we wish to have. We shall also be aware of what foods are good for our body and what foods can bring harm to the body.

It must be remembered that eating healthy foods can help us to stay fit and healthy.

Is Cholesterol always bad?

2009-04-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

Cholesterol is a fatty acid that is naturally found in the brain, nerves, liver, blood and bile and is needed to build cell membranes, insulate nerves, and produce vitamin D, hormones, and bile acid for digestion. It even helps provide antioxidant protection when your vitamin and mineral stores are low. However, cholesterol seems to have got a bad name. In fact, Cholesterol is so crucial, in fact, that each cell is equipped with the means to synthesize its own membrane cholesterol, to regulate the fluidity of those membranes when those membranes get too loose or too stiff.

Cholesterol is also necessary for hormone production.

The steroid hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are manufactured from cholesterol. In addition, the adrenal corticosteroid hormones that regulate water balance through the kidneys and through cortisone and the anti-inflammatory hormone that controls our stress response, all come from cholesterol.

Normally, the liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs. But sometimes, because of our poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyle, we produce way too much cholesterol. This can increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke. Also, some people have a genetic disposition to high cholesterol levels.

A cholesterol primer

Cholesterol moves in bloodstream in the form of substances called lipoproteins. Cardiovascular risk can be assessed by measuring total blood cholesterol, as well as the proportions of the different types of lipoproteins in the bloodstream.

Total cholesterol is the most common measure of blood cholesterol and is mentioned in any lipid profile test that you may take at a diagnostic laboratory. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood. A total cholesterol reading of less than 200 mg/dL means a lower risk of heart disease. Everyone should try to attain this benchmark figure. (Although cholesterol is not the only measure of risk of heart disease.) A person with a total cholesterol count of 200-239 is considered to be a borderline high cholesterol person and someone with a total cholesterol count of 240 and over is considered to be a high cholesterol person.

However, it is important to note that there is such a thing as 'good cholesterol' and it is called HDL. HDL or the 'good' cholesterol, helps carry cholesterol out of the body, this includes the dreaded cholesterol deposited on the inside of blood vessels, where it can block the flow of blood. If there is too much cholesterol for the HDLs to pick up, or there is an inadequate supply of HDLs, cholesterol may aggregate into plaque groups that block arteries. Those blockages are the main cause of heart attacks. So remember that with cholesterol, higher can sometimes mean healthier.

A total cholesterol count of less than 40 is low, and a count of 60 or greater is considered a 'negative' risk factor.

There's also another type of cholesterol called LDL. This is considered the 'bad' cholesterol. It is known to haul the cholesterol from the liver to all cells in the body. With LDL, remember that lower is healthier. With LDL, less than 100 is optimal; 100-129 is near or above optimal; 130-159 is borderline high; 160-189 is high; 190 or more is very high.

As a 'Rule of thumb' you would want to raise your HDL and lower your LDL.

Triglycerides make up most of the body's fat, and are the storehouse for energy. Edible oils from seeds, egg-yolk and animal fats also are composed mainly of triglycerides. Though these may not be as corrosive as LDL, excess triglycerides exacerbate heart disease potential because they can oxidize and thereby damage the linings of the arteries or induce blood cells to clump and form a blood clot.

With triglycerides, a reading of fewer than 100 is optimal, Under 200 is normal, 200-400 is borderline high, and Over 400 is high. When high triglycerides and low HDL occur together, there is higher risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart and kidney failure, and other degenerative diseases.

In fact, another up-and-coming index of heart disease risk is your triglyceride-to-HDL ratio. A ratio of less than 2 is considered good.

The best ways to lower your triglyceride levels are:

To reduce your intake of carbohydrates, especially sugar and starch foods and
To eat a high-quality fish oil products.

Benefits of Quitting Smoking

2009-04-18T02:53:00.000-07:00

Why to stop smoking?

Smoking is injurious to health and is responsible for causing number of diseases. Smoking is responsible for one out of every five deaths. Smoking is said to bring diseases such as cancers, heart problems and cardiovascular issues in the body. Besides these life-threatening diseases, it also contributes to the other problems like aging, skin problems and respiratory disorders. Skin problems such as drying and wrinkling are some of the common problems that arise due to smoking. Other health hazards that may occur as a result of smoking are:

Breathing problem.
You may develop yellow tooth, skin and fingernails.
Increase rate of hypertension.
Nausea, anxiety, severe headaches and migraines.
Cold and bronchitis.
Low motivation and energy.

Staying smoke free

Everyone starts smoking without knowing the exact reasons behind the act. There are absolutely no physical reasons to start smoking. Our body needs food, water, sleep and exercise for proper functioning. Smoking a cigarette often starts for a fun but gradually it becomes a daily routine for smokers. All forms of tobacco like cigarettes, cigars, pipes and smokeless tobacco are injurious to the healthy body. The only solution to keep our body away from diseases linked with smoking is to stay smoke free.

It is often difficult for smokers to quit smoking. However, there are number of ways through which we can stay away from smoking. It is normal that smokers will find it difficult to stay away from cigarettes during the initial days of quitting smoking. But once they overcome this period, they soon realize the life-long benefits of quitting smoking. Therefore, you are advised not to lose hope and stay firm during this phase to achieve the purpose.

The best way to stop smoking is to have a gradual approach towards quitting. If you smoke a pack of cigarettes daily, make it half a packet. Keep a target of staying away completely till the end of the month. Start exploring about the reasons that made you to start smoking. Once you are aware of the reasons, you can easily delete the causes and stay smoke free. If the reason behind smoking is boredom or stress, try doing some relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation. Inculcating good habits such as reading books, listening to light music and doing the things of your interest can help you in quitting smoking. Once you start smoke free life, constantly praise yourself by telling the remarkable benefits of quitting smoking. This will not only motivate yourself but would keep you firm about your healthy decision.

Remarkable benefits of quitting smoking

Once you start a smoke free life, your body will gain number of benefits as the time passes. Some of the healthy benefits of quitting smoking are:

Blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature will return to normal.
Blood oxygen level increases and carbon dioxide level decreases.
Enhances the sensory organs such as smell and taste.
Decrease the rate of developing heart diseases, respiratory disorders and heart attacks to a great extent.
Increase in rate of blood circulation.

There are numerous such benefits of quitting smoking. Start a smoke free life and save your money and add some healthy years in your life.

13 tips to manage your joint problem

2009-04-18T02:49:00.000-07:00

Today, many people are suffering from acute or severe pain in joint problems. Women are more prone to joint-related problems as compared to men. The joint problems become more severe in older ages. A nutritional diet and healthy lifestyle can help in reducing the extent of joint problems. Following are the 13 essential diets that can be cultivated to avoid joint problems:

1. 6-7 servings of protein rich foods such as pulses and milk products must be included in the diet. Consumption of excess protein may contribute to loss of bone mineral. Doubling protein intake increases urinary calcium excretion by 50%.

2. Fish oil tablets (omega-3) and omega-6 present in most oils and fats of plant origin is recommended. These together control the inflammation.

3. Calcium and vitamin D helps to a limited extent. Calcium intake has been the most publicized factor for promoting healthy bones. The calcium supplement industry has not been slow to jump on the bandwagon. Good sources of calcium include milk and milk products, dark green vegetables such as broccoli, sardines and canned salmon (eat the soft bones too).

4. Very high fiber diet blocks the optimum absorption of calcium from the intestine into the blood since dietary fiber binds the calcium and excretes it. However moderate fiber diet is essential for normal functioning of the body.

5. Vitamin D improves the absorption of calcium into the blood and deposition onto the bone. Vitamin D production in the body is induced by sunlight and is obtained from food.

6. Vitamin C, abundant in several fruits and vegetables, and vitamin A present in carrots, papaya and other yellow vegetables and fruits is beneficial.

7. Several minerals in addition to calcium are required for bone formation and maintenance. Magnesium found in seeds, grains and vegetable, manganese found in berries, greens, and legumes, and boron found in green leafy vegetables, grapes, apples, pears, and legumes.

8. Copper supplementation is beneficial.

9. Frequent dieting can change bone density, as the body draws calcium from the bone to make up for calcium missing from the diet. Therefore it is likely that frequent periods of low calorie intake worsen the situation.

10. An arthritic jaw may jeopardize chewing, biting and swallowing, limiting food intake and variety of food thereby threatening nutritional status. In such a case, soft, liquid, blender zed foods are a good choice. Avoid peels of fruit and seeds, tough meat and large pieces of food.

11. Taste alterations may be experienced due to medications. The food may have to be made attractive and differently spiced and flavored as governed by the taste buds.

12. The association between a high level of alcohol consumption and osteoarthritis and osteoporosis may be a consequence of poor nutrition, lower body weight, liver disease, or other illness, or it may be a result of toxic effect of alcohol.

13. Studies have revealed that smoking can contribute to the onset of joint problems. Hence, smoking must be avoided to prevent any future complications related to the joints.

Treating Hair Loss in Men

2009-04-18T02:47:00.003-07:00

Hair is one of the important factors to beautify the appearance of women as well as men. However, not everyone is lucky to stay with this factor for the entire life. Today, men as well as women are suffering from the condition called alopecia. Alopecia is a medical term used for hair loss or baldness. All hairs that grow on different part of our body have a life expectancy of three to six years. A normal hair passes through three stages during its life cycle, growing, resting and falling-out phase. At any point of time, some hairs are in the phase of growing, some are in resting phase and rests of them are in falling-out phase. Once the hair enters in the resting phase, it sheds out after the period of two to three months. It is considered as absolutely normal, if 50-100 hairs shed everyday. After the shedding period, new hairs grow on the site and the growing cycle starts again. Scalp hairs grow about one-half inch a month. As a person grows old, the rate of hair growth also slows down.

Causes of Hair Loss

Essentially, hair loss is considered as a genetic problem. People with hair loss or baldness are found to regrow the hairs at the sites where they lose hairs as a result of shedding. Increase hair shedding is a result of number of factors. Some of the common reasons behind hair shedding are poor nutrition, age, hormones and genes. Certain illnesses or diseases are also associated with the hair loss such as low thyroid hormone levels, anemia, lupus and cancer. It has also been found that medications such as chemotherapy, chemicals and radiation treatment are also responsible for causing baldness or hair loss. Concisely, hair loss can occur as a result of combination of following:

Hormonal changes
Family history of baldness
Trauma, stress
Burns
Aging

Hair loss in early life can result in severe baldness in future. Hence, one shall try to avoid the causes of hair loss by taking necessary preventive measures and treatments in the early stages.

Treatments for hair loss

Statistic shows that two out of every three men and one in five women suffer from hair loss. Heredity is the major cause of baldness in men while hormonal changes such as menopause can cause hair loss in women. There are number of hair replacement techniques available for hair loss. However, hair replacement surgery is not of so much use to people who suffer from total baldness. There are four foremost types of hair replacement techniques which include:

Tissue expansion

Tissue expansion is a technique that makes use of a device called tissue expander. This device is placed underneath a hair-bearing area that is located next to a bald area. Tissue expander helps in causing the skin to grow new skin cells, which occurs after several weeks. Another operation is performed to place the newly expanded skin over the adjacent bald spot.

Hair transplantation

Hair transplantation is a unique way of preventing hair loss. The surgeon removes small pieces of healthy hair-bearing scalp and grafts it on the bald or thinning area.

Flap surgery

Flap surgery is especially useful for the one who have large balding areas. During this procedure, a portion of bald area is removed and a flap of the hair-bearing skin is placed on to the bald area.

Scalp reduction

Scalp reduction is a special technique which is performed in order to cover the bald areas at the top and the back of head.

Women who have the habit of Smoking.

2009-04-18T02:46:00.000-07:00

Tests have shown that women may, on average, find it harder to give up smoking than men. This is despite the fact that women are often more at risk to smoking related diseases than men. A woman's menstrual cycle can affect the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine is an alkaloid. It is found in tobacco and coca, and in lower quantities in tomato, potato, eggplant (aubergine), and green pepper. Nicotine constitutes approximately 0.6 - 3.0% of dry weight of tobacco.

Smoking can interrupt the menstrual cycle and may cause women to enter menopause earlier than otherwise. Depending on what phase their cycle is in when they start an anti-smoking programme, it may alter how they respond to some anti smoking treatments. Among the sociological factors, women tend to be more concerned about gaining weight if they try to stop smoking. Women may also be more susceptible to environmental factors than men, associating smoking with specific moods or friends. Women and girls may be more susceptible to peer pressure and advertising.

Women smokers are just as vulnerable to serious health problems like lung cancer or cardiovascular disease as their male counterparts. In women, however, smoking carries an increased risk of cardiovascular disease because it can affect their hormones, causing an oestrogen deficiency. Estrogen is a group of steroid compounds, named for their importance in the estrous cycle, and they function as the primary female sex hormone.

Women smokers are 10 times more likely to die from bronchitis (an inflammation of the bronchi in the lungs) or emphysema (a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and 12 times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smoking women. The rates of life-threatening smoker-related diseases are even worse for post-menopausal women and women taking birth control pills. Women who smoke and are also use oral contraceptives may have an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke. If you are a woman smoker aged between 35 and 64 then you are statistically nearly five times more likely to suffer from a stroke (rapidly developing loss of brain functions) than a non-smoking woman the same age.

In the developed nations like USA, lung cancer now accounts for 25% of all cancer deaths among women and has surpassed breast cancer as the leading form of cancer death. Smoking is believed to double the risk of cervical cancer. About 30% of all cervical cancers have been attributed to women smoking.

Smoking by women puts them at a higher risk of early menopause and infertility. If women smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day or have started smoking before they were 18 years of age are placed at a greater risk of infertility. Women who smoke are also put at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis and other degenerative bone disorders. Smoking hinders the flow of blood to the bones and retards the creation of the cells that form new bone.

Pregnancy and smoking

Women smokers who are pregnant run a greater risk of pregnancy complications, pre-term delivery, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death. Smoking can result in low birth-weight as babies born to smokers are on average 7 ounces lighter than those of non-smokers. If a women smokes while pregnant she is thought to have a 33% higher chance of losing her baby before or just after its birth. Even after a child is born, smoking by a parent increases the chances of sudden infant death syndrome, infant and prenatal deaths, learning disorders and attention deficit disorder in young children.

Women who are pregnant, or are intending to become pregnant, generally should not use Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) because of the damage that nicotine can do to the fetus. Women who are breast-feeding should not use NRT because the nicotine that passes into the system can easily enter the breast milk

Meditation and Mental Fitness

2009-04-18T02:44:00.000-07:00

Basics of Meditation

Brain is the only organ that separates human beings from other living animals on this planet. By using this incredible source of knowledge, we can manage, develop, apply and evaluate the upcoming things in and around us. However, not everyone finds it easy to use their brain. Even the great personalities have been found to use only 20 to 30 per cent of their brain. Hence, it can be rightly said that the brain has an extraordinary features which can help us in performing various tasks of our life. Eating right food, maintaining healthy lifestyle, staying away from stress, anxiety and negative thoughts are some of the factors which can help us in using the brain in a proper way.

Meditation is found to offer some extraordinary outputs to our brain. Meditation not only helps in relaxing the body but also sharpens the functioning of our brain. It can also help people to relieve from conditions such as insomnia, stress, depression, anxiety, pain and emotional problems. As a matter of fact, meditation not only helps to prevent certain diseases but also contribute to the well-being of mind and body. Few things that you must know before starting to mediate are as follows.

Sitting posture

The first thing to understand while mediating is to sit right. You must find a calm place to start your mediation. Once you set a place for meditation, sit with your back as straight as possible. You can also take the help of cushion to keep your back straight. You may come across meditations cushions, candles, bells and statues in the market. Do not worry about all these articles, meditation can be performed without their help. The basic important thing is to sit straight and start meditating often.

Count the time

Usually, people sit for mediation and keep on thinking about the time. During the process, they often stop meditation in between and look out for a watch. This happens because people take out time for meditation during the early hours of morning when they have to get engaged in other routines such as office, packing meals and so on. To avoid this, always keep a timer. If you do not have a timer, set an alarm on the clock and forget about the time while meditating.

Breathing exercise

Breathing exercise is considered as the perfect way to start meditation. It is hard to believe but we take over 10 millions breaths per year. Breathing is a unique exercise which shall be carried out carefully. When you start meditation, try to bring all your concentration on breathing mechanism. Notice every little thing about breathing such as the way we exhale, inhale and the tiny pauses that we tale in between. Just breathe naturally and try to focus on your breathing. Initially, you may start wandering in the thoughts but try to get back to breathing. With time, you will master this technique and would start getting benefits out of it.

Meditation can help to keep you calm and stay alert in your daily routine. As you move further with meditation, you will start realizing the unbelievable benefits.

Improving the Mental Fitness

2009-04-18T02:42:00.000-07:00

Human beings have ruled the planet earth by virtue of his brain. Brain is the active organ of our body which differentiates us from all the other living animals. With the help of brain, man has developed many valuable and precious inventions. During the schooldays, you may not require to do much of mental exercise as you learn lot of things on a regular basis. Even when you opt for a career, your brain constantly works on developing new skills and techniques. However, if your job does not require much of brain work, you need to do some exercises for its better functioning. After your retirement, you must start some kind of brain exercises to keep yourself active. Small things like reading novel, newspaper, enjoying the hobbies can help your brain to work constantly. Remember, as long as you keep your brain busy, you will stay active. Some of the factors that can enhance your brain performance during the childhood and early years of career development are:

Engage yourself in games

Any kind of game is useful in maintaining the equilibrium of your body organs. Games that ask your brain to work shall be included in daily routine. Generally, games are said to be associated with physical fitness. But playing games can develop your brain to a large extent. Every game is played with a definite plan and that's how our brain comes in demand. Indoor games such as suduko, chess, crosswords and electronic games can help your brain to work speedily and efficiently. These games are fun and solely depend on logic, word skills, math and more.

Meditation

Physical exercises are essential for maintaining the overall health of the body. People join gym and aerobic classes to keep themselves in shape. Meditation, however, serves the purpose of maintaining the efficient working of your mind as well as body. Meditation helps in relaxing and giving workout to your brain.

Diets

A healthy body is a result of regular exercise and nutritious diet. This holds true for the brain, too. It has been found that some foods can help the brain to work more efficiently. Try to add fish oils from wild salmon, seeds such as flax seed and olive oil and nuts such as walnuts in your diet. Avoid less saturated fat and eliminate transfats completely from your diet.

Develop new skills

Always try to learn new things on a regular basis. It can be anything such as learning language, computer skills, reading different books and so on. Books are considered as the great source of knowledge. Pick up any book and start reading. Once you finish the book, try to memorize what have you read. Write down few things about the book like special characters, theme, what have you learned from the book and so on. This will help your brain to get sharp and know yourself more. Often, you can make the changes on the subjects of reading like if you read a book on history, try out a book on cooking or autobiography for the next time. You can also develop new skills like working with the opposite hand, preparing a plane from the sticks and renovating your desk. Each of these will help your brain to stay active.

Few other things like staying away from television, telling good stories, making simple changes in your daily routine can offer your brain long-term benefits. Remember, if your brain is in sync with you, you can achieve anything in your life.

How to Stay Mentally Fit

2009-04-18T02:41:00.000-07:00

Maintaining the mental status calm and active has become a dream in today's stressful lifestyle. To earn name and fame, people have started ignoring the basic requirements of a healthy mind and body. As a result, a large crowd has started experiencing the life threatening diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attacks and cardiovascular disorders. It is very important to stay active and alert to meet the needs of fast pace changing world. People keep trying various ways to achieve a healthy mind and body. To be competent in today's tech world has become the basic need of the hour. This can only be achieved with a healthy and active mind. Though maintaining a healthy mind seems to be a difficult task, it can be accomplished through daily workouts and doing innovative things. Let us see how we can improve the efficiency of our brain by inculcating some small activities in our daily routine.

Meditation

Meditation is probably the easiest and most effective way of improving our brain. It has been proved that people who meditate regularly are more active and innovative. Meditation is an inexpensive way to achieve a healthy mind. Small exercises such as breathing exercise can prove beneficial to one who undergoes meditation. Meditation shall be performed in silent places to gain the ultimate benefits. Regular meditation will help you to relax your body by reducing the stress levels.

Keep a positive environment around you

Healthy mind can be maintained by keeping yourself in the environment of positive energy. To stay around the positive energy, always think about the time when you had an experience of pleasure, comfort, happy and confident. If you find it difficult to recollect the positive thoughts, just stay calm. Negative thoughts are the major cause of depressive mind. It is hard to block them but they shall not be allowed to take you over. Try getting away from the negative results or thoughts, if you can not solve them at the first instant.

Cultivate hobbies

Everyone has some kind of interest in doing something. Explore the things that you like doing the most. Make a hobby that you can perform on a regular basis. Hobbies such as playing musical instruments, gardening, playing games, collecting articles and so on can be adopted to stay busy. Performing hobbies will help you to keep your brain active.

Setting goals

Setting goals does not necessarily mean to be linked with the career growth. Personal goals such as completing a painting, writing the diary, reading a book or even washing the car can boost your confidence to a great extent. Interesting things like calling a friend for a dinner, talking a walk around the corner, shopping for parents can also give you the utmost level of satisfaction. This will eventually help in elevating the healthy levels of your brain.

Socialize yourself

Try to meet new people and learn positive things from them. Share the humor when you read it somewhere to someone whom you know. Laughing is considered as the best medicine which holds perfectly true for healthy mind.

Keep yourself doing the things that you really want to do. Remember, satisfaction and confidence are the two pillars of a healthy mind.

The healing powers of barley water.

2009-04-18T02:37:00.000-07:00

Barley is an annual cereal plant (Hordeum vulgare and sometimes other species) of the family Gramineae (grass). Any plant of the family Gramineae, is an important and widely distributed plant. Barley was known to the ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Egyptians and was the chief bread material in Europe as late as the 16th century.

Historic Background...

Today barley is typically a special-purpose grain with many varieties rather than a general market crop. It is a valuable stock feed (often used as a corn substitute) and is used for making malt (when the grain is of high quality). It is a minor source of flour and breakfast foods. Pearl barley is often used in soups. In the Middle East a limited amount of barley is eaten like rice. In the United States most spring barley comes from the western states and most winter barley is grown in the southeastern states for autumn and spring pasture and as a cover crop.

Health Benefits

Barley Water is an ancient home remedy that was supposed to clear up the complexion and stop the formation of wrinkles.
This water mixture is for someone who has low agni (digestion). It is very easy to assimilate and nutritious for fat tissue which in turn makes good quality bone tissue.
According to the scholars of hadith, barley is very nutritious and provides energy for the body, besides this is also beneficial in pharyngitis and cough.
It resolves inflammation of the stomach (Gastritis), expels toxins from the body and is a good diuretic.
It quenches thirst. Barley water is a good remedy for kidney problems. Barley water is given to sick people and to those who have lost their appetite. Barley water is a traditionally acclaimed drink which will support and nourish the kidneys in times of stress. It is an integral part of a kidney cleansing program, which will produce tremendous overall benefits.
According to Firdous Al-Hikmat, if a suspension prepared from one part of barley and Fifteen part of water is boiled, this volume becomes 2/3rd of its basic solution and it is a good antidote for at least a hundred diseases of the body
Barley water is a traditionally acclaimed drink which will support and nourish the kidneys in times of stress. It is an integral part of a kidney cleansing program, which will produce tremendous overall benefits.
It is also used to treat cystitis.
Barley water is a wonderful way to control Urinary Tract Infection during pregnancy. Upon regular usage, the foul smell of urine as well as the burning sensation totally disappears.
Barley water has been used as a first baby food, before feeding with barley mush.

Considering the health benefits, barley is yet another cereal added to the diet of health conscious people. Our ancestors, used barley as a remedy for a number of disorders. They were also aware of its preventive properties. As they say 'Prevention is better than cure', it would be a wise decision to use this tasty diet option in our day-to-day eating patterns.

Ayurvedic Treatment of Diabetes

2009-04-18T02:33:00.000-07:00

According to Ayurveda, diabetes is a metabolic disorder (Kapha disorder) in which diminished functioning of Agni (Digestive power) leads to a tendency toward high blood sugar. (Ayurveda recognizes 24 forms of the disease commonly classified under Prameha - 4 are due to Vata dosha, 6 are due to Pitta dosha, and 10 are caused by Kapha dosha. The main causes of these diseases are fat, urine, and Kapha buildups due to foods, liquids, lifestyle and others.)

Ayurvedic practitioners attack diabetes using a multiprong approach. First, they address diet modification, eliminating sugar and simple carbohydrates, and emphasizing complex carbohydrates. Protein is limited, since excessive intake can damage the kidneys. Fat is also limited because there is often a deficiency of pancreatic enzymes, making fat digestion difficult. Since many diabetics have autoantibodies, a cleansing program is instituted.

Panchakarma therapy is typically used for this purpose. This begins with herbal massages and an herbal steam sauna, followed by fasting to cleanse the body. This is followed by an herbal purge for the liver, pancreas, and spleen. Colon therapy is next, first to cleanse the digestive tract and then to reconstitute the system.

Ayurvedic practitioners also use several herbal preparations for diabetics. Exercise is another cornerstone of Ayurvedic treatment of diabetes. Yoga and breathing exercises are traditionally used.

Herbs

The most important herbs for all doshas are shilajit, gudmar turmeric, neem, amalaki, guggul, and Arjuna. Turmeric with aloe Vera gel (1 to 3 gms./.035 to .1 oz) is best used during the early stages of diabetes for regulating pancreas and liver functions.

1. Juice of bitter melon or bitter gourd (Momordica dioica, Roxb., Karela), or Rose apple (Eugenia Jambos, Linn., Jambu) or two tender leaves of Bilva (Aegle Marmelos, Corr., Bael fruit) and Neem (Melia azadirachta, Ravipriya, or Indian Lilac) may be taken on empty stomach daily. Juice of Jambu should be taken in an ounce quantity twice daily and that of Karela in 1-1/2 ounce dose daily. Shilajit (Swertia Decussata Nimmo.) is another useful medicine (250 mg as a single dose) should be taken, twice daily with juice of stone apple.

2. Use turmeric. Fill some 00-size capsules with turmeric, and take 2 capsules 3 times a day, a few minutes before meals. Continue this program for up to a month, and then reevaluate your condition. Clinical observation suggests that a person who is insulin dependent will experience a markedly diminished requirement for insulin; the diabetes can often be brought under control.

3. Take 1/2 teaspoon of ground bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, mixed in 1-tablespoon aloe Vera gel. Take the mixture twice a day before lunch and dinner.

4. Mix and grind seeds of Fenugreek (Methi) 100 gm, turmeric 50gm, Dakhni Mirch (white pepper). Take one teaspoon of this powder with a glass of milk twice daily. Alternately, immerse and soak one teaspoon of fenugreek seed in water. Take this in the morning, with water or with milk.

5. Take twice daily, with powder of rose apple stones (powder of Jambu or Jamun-ki-Guthali).

6. Include decoctions of triphala, fenugreek, musta, Arjuna, sandalwood, lodhra, ajwan, gokshura, vidanga, guduchi, haritaki, and chitrak. These may be taken with a small amount of ghee. Gudmar and shilajit are excellent.

7. Amalaki Churna (500mg), Haldi Powder (Turmeric Powder) 500mg and Naag Bhasma (125mg) should be taken with honey, twice daily (A 12-hourly dose).

Few Palliative Diabetic remedies:

1. Vasantha kusumakar Ras

2. Chandraprabhavati

3. Madhumehari granules

The Ayurveda preparation Vasanta Kusumakar Ras is very good buts expensive. Take two grains daily with a tsp. of cream or honey. In certain cases, the said medicine brings down sugar lever quite quickly; hence sugar-levels should be carefully monitored. When sugar has touched its normal range, the dose should be tapered in a graduated manner, and added with 500 mg pill of Chandraprabhavati.

Diet

Avoid excess intake of sweets, carbohydrates, and dairy products.

Take more fresh vegetables and bitter herbs.

Other useful foods include:

1. Roasted or fried barley, corn flour, light, bitter vegetables, barley porridge, ghee, rice, and herbs like gokshura, gudmar, triphala, musta, cardamom, fenugreek, or coriander, mixed with honey.

2. Triphala with amalaki juice can also be used to heal Prameha. Barley is the main food to heal urinary diseases.

3. Other Ayurvedic methods to heal Prameha (diabetes) include strenuous exercises, oil massage, steam, sitz or waist bath, and sprinkling of water and ointment.

4. Dry ginger, cardamom, and sandalwood may be used in baths or taken orally. Gudmar is the best herb for digesting sugar in the pancreas.

5. A combination of gudmar and shilajit is an excellent remedy for diabetes that is often prescribed by Ayurvedic practitioners.

Copper Water

Put one cup of water into a copper vessel at night, and drink the water in the morning.

Avoid:

1. Eliminate all objects that contain sugar from diet, like wheat, rice, potato, sugar, sugar cane and its juice, jaggery, sweet fruits.

2. Reduce fats, especially butter and ghee from diet.

3. Take barley soaked in a triphala decoction overnight, then mixed with honey and eaten several times a day.

4. Orange, and lemon, may be taken as and when needed.

5. Take bitter melon, in any form, without any fear, and Jamun and powder of its seed.

6. Take plenty of vegetables, black gram, soy, fish etc.

Overview of Alternative Treatment for Hypertension

2009-04-18T02:31:00.000-07:00

overview

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the artery walls when the heart contracts and relaxes. This blood pressure rises and falls with every heartbeat and is recorded as two figures which denote the normal blood pressure reading. High blood pressure is also called hypertension. More commonly, doctors ask for lifestyle changes and medications to treat hypertension. There are number of alternative methods through which a person can reach the goal of reducing high blood pressure. Some methods have come from traditional approach while some have been evaluated by clinical research and the others methods adapts the ways of reducing stress. Three most common alternative methods used for reducing high blood pressure are:

Mind, body and traditional medicine
Medicinal herbs
Food supplements

Mind, Body and Traditional Medicine

Acupuncture is a popular name and way to reduce hypertension. This therapy involves inserting thin needles to particular spots on the skin. Acupressure is another method used for reducing the causes of hypertension. However, this method is extremely dangerous for people with a blood pressure of more than 200/100. It has also been found that people with high blood pressure who undergo chiropractic spinal manipulation experience a significant reduction in blood pressure. However, experts are still finding out the exact uses of chiropractic manipulation for hypertension.

Another study has revealed that regular massage can offer significant reductions in blood pressure. Stress is considered as one of the major causes of hypertension. Hence, it is believed that relaxation technique can help in reducing hypertension by alleviating feeling of stress. Transcendental meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, self-hypnosis and biofeedback technique have shown promising results for reducing hypertension. Biofeedback technique also helps in achieving healthful lifestyle modifications such as quit smoking and losing weight.

Medicinal Herbs

There are number of herbs that help in lowering the blood pressure. However, some herbs are found to have serious side effects. Hence, before using medicinal herbs for cutting down the blood pressure, consulting a doctor becomes essential. Some of the herbs that are found to be helpful in lowering high blood pressure are garlic, Hawthorne, and rauwolfia serpentina. Garlic has been useful in treating various diseases such as common cold and cancer. Use of garlic helps the blood vessels to thin and reduce the blood pressure by 5 to 10 per cent. It is also used for lowering cholesterol and discouraging clot formation. Hawthorne berries is widely used for treating cardiovascular diseases as they are considered as the safest herbs. Studies has revealed that Hawthorne berries protect arterial walls, lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and strengthen the heart's pumping ability. Rauwolfia serpentina is a powerful herb that can reduce blood pressure by taking small dose.

Food supplements

A nutritious diet is must for eliminating high blood pressure as well as other diseases. A nutritious diet is the one that contains all the essential elements required for better functioning of our body organs. Calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and omega-3 fatty acids are considered as the essential nutrients require for normal blood pressure. They all are believed to contribute to lower the high blood pressure in one or the other way.

Taking Control of Diabetes

2009-04-10T03:08:00.000-07:00

Taking Control of Diabetes

Diabetes can bring about many changes, but the most important thing to remember is that you are in control! Making small changes in the way you manage diabetes and how you eat and live can bring about a healthier future.

Having a sick day? Illness, such as a cold or flu, can cause serious problems with your diabetes control. Because everyone reacts differently to illness, talk to your doctor or diabetes educator about the best ways to manage your diabetes when you are sick. Here are some general guidelines:

Always take your diabetes medication, even if you are not eating. Check the dosage with your doctor.
Check your temperature four times a day.
Drink plenty of calorie-free liquids (8 to 12 ounces per hour).
Check your blood glucose every four to six hours and record results.
If you can't eat your meals, drink regular liquids (with sugar) and try eating crackers, toast, soup, hot cereal, juices, milk, eggs, etc.

How to care for your feet? Your feet need special attention because diabetes can reduce the body's ability to sense problems. By checking your feet daily, you can detect blisters, calluses or cuts and act to prevent bugger problems. Follow these guidelines for healthy feet:

Wash your feet every day. Dry them, even between toes.
Get your feet checked at every doctor's visit.
See a foot doctor for nail and foot care.
Inspect feet daily - especially between toes.
File nails - do not cut them.
Treat infections or sores right away.
Protect feet from injury - do not go barefoot.
Wear proper fitting shoes.
Exercise feet, ankles and legs.
If you can't see the bottoms of your feet, use a mirror or have someone check them for you.
Do not wear shoes without socks. Wear cotton socks.
Do not use inserts or pads.
Avoid pointed or open-toe shoes.

Daily Monitoring

You are the person making decisions about your health on a daily basis. Monitoring is the key to staying in control. Checking glucose levels allows you to:

Detect problems before they get out of hand.
Determine where changes in your diabetes plan are needed.
Determine if how you feel is because of high or low blood glucose levels.
See the effect of food or activity on glucose levels.

Check your blood sugar more often when:

You are sick.
There are changes in your treatment program, activity or food intake.
Glucose values are outside of the desired range.
There are many high or low blood glucose levels.

Exercise

There is no big secret to getting in shape. But there are some things you should know that can make it easier. There are several benefits of regular exercising including that it-

Relieves tension and stress.
Reduces body fat.
Controls your appetite.
Improves muscle tone and strength.
Helps lower glucose levels.
Lowers blood pressure.

REMEMBER TO CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING ANY EXERCISE PROGRAM!

Know Your Target Values

The HbA1c is a blood test done in the lab that averages all the glucose levels in your body over the past two to three months. Together with a record of your daily glucose levels, you and your doctor will be able to see how well your overall treatment plan is working and where changes are needed.

Use the Blood Glucose Tracker to keep a track of your daily glucose levels.

It is important to know what you are working so hard to achieve. Discuss what your glycohemoglobin and glucose levels should be most of the time with your diabetes doctor.

Making Sense of Those Blood Glucose Readings

To be in charge of your diabetes, you need to know how to respond to your glucose results. Try these steps:

Know your target glucose levels.
Monitor glucose levels for three to four days in a row.
Look for a pattern of glucose levels.
If they are higher or lower than target, determine which factors are responsible for the patterns.
If patterns are outside your desired range and you do not know what to do, call someone.
DO NOT ignore your results!

Prevention

Make sure you're doing all you can to prevent health problems later! During each visit, discuss the following points with your Diabetes Team or Doctor:

Glucose goals.
Meal plans.
Activity program.
Glucose testing schedule.
Treatment of high and low blood glucose levels.
Changes in medication.
Birth control (if applicable)

Your Annual Review

At least once a year, be sure to have these tests:

Kidney function: Protein may signal that your kidneys are not working properly.
Blood fats: Cholesterol and triglycerides tell you about your risk for developing or worsening heart disease.
Eye exam by an eye doctor specializing in diabetics: Early detection and the proper treatment does make a difference.
Blood pressure: Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases the chances for all the diabetes health problems.
Blood flow and nerve check of the feet: Your feet are the only ones that you have! Protect and treat them with tender loving care.

Coping Strategies

Research shows the coping strategies can help people stay healthy. See if you can work some of these ideas into your own routine:

Take time each day to relax.
Focus on your positive qualities.
Maintain a good support system - including friends, family and pets.
Use humour and laughter to ease stressful times.
Give yourself a positive "self" message every day.

Food Poisoning

2009-04-10T03:04:00.000-07:00

What is food poisoning?

Food poisoning is a condition that arises as a result of eating or drinking contaminated food. Foods that contain harmful organisms such as viruses, bacteria and parasites are responsible for food poisoning. These organisms are generally found in fish, chicken, egg, raw meat and eggs but can spread in any kind of food. Food poisoning can also occur in people who do not wash hands before taking their meals. Essentially, foods containing germs is the main cause for food poisoning. Germs can enter in our foods through following ways:

Eating flesh of the animal which already had bacteria in their intestines.
Through the water that we use for washing the food. This water may contain germs from animal manure or human sewages. Thus, the germs can be found in the vegetables and fruits, too.
Germs can also enter into your body, if you do not wash your hands before eating. Unwashed hands may contain number of germs in it which is spread to the food items after touching them.

Commonly, food poisoning is mild and goes away after few days. However, if it lasts longer, it may lead to health complications.

Symptoms

Sometimes, it gets difficult to figure out that you have food poisoning or something else. You may start feeling sick soon after eating the contaminated food. If the food poisoning is mild in nature, you will soon be fit. Some of the common symptoms of food poisoning are:

Nausea (upset stomach)
Stomach cramps
Diarrhea
Fever

Treatment for food poisoning

In most of the cases, food poisoning goes on its own and does not require hospitalization. The type of treatment for food poisoning will depend on the specific germ that makes you sick. Hospitalization is only required when you get dehydrated. Doctors would recommend you to stick with normal diet to get the essential nutrients. Try avoiding foods that are high in sugar and fat. Stay away from spicy food, coffee and alcohol till the complete recovery.

Dehydration is often associated with food poisoning as the body loses fluids due to diarrhea and vomiting. Fluids and electrolytes that are lost due to these factors are normalized by providing it intravenously. Rehydration drink such as Lytren, Rehydralyte or Pedialyte can help in preventing dehydration. Sometimes, medications can be recommended to minimize the symptoms. Antibiotics are rarely used for treating food poisoning but pregnant women may be recommended to achieve immediate results.

How to prevent food poisoning

Food poisoning can be completely avoided by taking necessary precautions before, during and after having the meals. Always wash your hands before taking any kind of food. Check that everyone else in your family follows this healthy habit. Some of the precautions that you can cultivate to avoid food poisoning are:

Wash fruits, vegetables and meat before cooking them.
Stick to well-cooked food. If the meat looks pink and raw from inside, avoid it!!
Smell and see the food before eating. This is especially good if you are eating outside. If you smell something different than normal, reject the food.
While eating leftovers, always heat them first and then start eating.
Do not eat the packaged foods if they have passed the expiry date. Always look for the expiry date before purchasing any kind of packaged foods.
Always keep the food inside the refrigerator as the bacteria grow rapidly in room temperature.

Following the above precautions will always keep you away from food poisoning.

Feed your bone with Calcium

2009-04-10T03:02:00.000-07:00

Understanding Calcium : Calcium is essential for all living organisms, particularly in their cell physiology, where the movement of the calcium ion functions as a signal for many cellular processes. Bone and joint problems that develop in the late 40s of ones life, clearly indicate the deficiency of calcium. Calcium (Ca) deficient abnormalities like Osteoporosis (Osteoporosis is a disease of bone that leads to an increased risk of fracture) in women and Rickets in children are commonly prevalent in India.

Calcium constitutes a major portion of bones, teeth, soft tissues and fluids. It is involved in normal muscle stimuli, clotting of blood, and maintenance of permeability of cell membranes. The amount of Calcium in ones diet determines the future status of bone health. As in the case of pregnant and lactating mothers, if adequate Calcium is not provided in the diet, the bones will become porous and lead to Osteoporosis where the bones will either bend or break with the weight of the body. In children too, Calcium deficiency affects the skeletal formation resulting in weak bones and rickets.

Calcium- rich diet:

Adult men and women require between 700-1000 mg/day. When measuring this intake one must remember that only 20-30% of calcium in the average diet is absorbed. This is why, some healthier options that would help to meet one's Calcium requirements include:

A glass of milk twice a day.
Use of curd at one meal instead of salads.
Til and groundnut chikki.
Fish such as mackeral, hilsa ravas
Green leafy vegetables
Some spice - methi, poppy and coriander seeds contribute to the given recipe.

Hence, before making these changes in your diet, it is very important to get rid of the hindrances that prevent calcium absorption. It helps to bear in mind these ground rules:

Presence of phytates (cereal bran) hinders the absorption. of Calcium. Absorption is also adversely affected by excess fats, fiber and oxalates (leafy veggies) in one's diet. Use of sodium (salt) increases the rate of calcium depletion.

However, there are many substances that aid calcium absorption:

Vitamin C in one's diet aids Calcium absorption.
Potassium rich foods (fruits, vegetables, roots and beans) reduces calcium losses and bone turnover.

Moderate, rather than low or high, protein intake is probably best for resolving calcium related problem and Osteoporosis:

Physical activity along with adequate calcium in ones diet will help make your bones stronger. At the same time negligence of these factors will make your bones weak and porous and this could lead to Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is the major cause of bone fractures in the elderly. Hence Osteoporosis is better prevented than treated. Prevention includes an adequate intake of calcium throughout ones life, especially in childhood and young adulthood. You can also minimize osteoporosis by avoiding risk factors like smoking, heavy alcohol use and lack of physical exercise.

'Effort and Awareness are like the 2 sides of a coin that can really create wonders in your life.'

Burning fat

2009-04-10T02:57:00.000-07:00

Facts about Fat

Almost everyone today is obsessed with losing weight. There are many different methods of achieving a fat-free body. Some methods prove beneficial to a group of people while others do not acquire the same results. If you look after your diet, exercise regular and consult our doctor regularly then it isn't difficult to achieve a fat-free life. However, if your body does not have excess fat, you do not need strenuous exercise. Also note that all of us require certain amount of fat for our vital organs to function properly. Here are some not-so-common facts about body-fat.

The human body can burn 10% of its fat naturally. It can do this by efficiently processing all the nutrients we consume. The cells in the muscle tissue can burn calories more efficiently than fat cells. Hence, a person with more muscle can burn calories more easily as compared to someone with low or weak muscle cells.

Simple tips for burning calories

You can easily adapt a lifestyle that can help you in burning the extra fats. The body can be molded into a real fat burning machine just by increasing the activity level in your daily activities. It is always better to actively participate in some aerobic exercises to burn more fat. Some of the most common activities that you can include in your daily life to burn extra calories are:

Walk regularly. Do not try to find the closest park for walking or jogging. Instead, try to walk to the park which is away from your home.
Try to adapt walking after the lunch. There is no need to walk to a park after having your lunch. You can walk around your office building after completing the lunch for 10 minutes. The idea behind it is to inculcate the walking habit everyday after your lunch.
Women can also adapt walking whenever they go out for shopping. Try to walk around the shopping mall before entering the building for shopping.
People who go to office by bus or company transport should try to pick the bus from one or two stops later from the usual stops.
During holidays, try to walk around your locality or near the favorite place for at least 10 minutes. Burning calories is all about walking some extra mile everyday.

Exercising tips

Regular exercise of any kind is useful for burning those extra fats on your body. However, taking some care before going for exercise can help you to increase your time during work out. Eating a low-carbohydrate protein bar 90 minutes before actual work out will help you to spend more time in gym. Always inhale and exhale through nose instead of mouth which will help in stabilizing heart rate and increasing the endurance. Before adapting a heavy exercise, always do a warm up. A quality warm up is very much essential before undergoing strenuous exercise. Try to cultivate the habit of doing different workouts everyday for e.g. Jog one day, swim or do some biking the next day.

Preventing Hair Loss through Diet

2009-04-10T02:53:00.000-07:00

Understanding hair loss:

Alopecia is the medical term used for hair loss. Loss of hairs can occur in any part of the body that normally has hair, such as eyelashes and eyebrows. Hair loss to certain extent is common and occurs in every individual. It has been found that a normal, healthy person sheds around 50 to 100 hairs on a daily basis. But most of the hairs that had been shed grow back. A healthy hair has a life cycle of approximately three to six years. Hair loss becomes a problem when the shed hairs do no come back or fail to regrow. Baldness or hair loss is considered as a genetic problem. Hair shedding or temporary hair loss can occur due to various reasons. Poor nutrition and diet, genetics, hormonal changes, and aging are some of the causes of hair loss. Certain medications such as chemotherapy, infections, chemicals and radiation therapy can also lead to hair loss. Some diseases such as anemia, cancer and low thyroid hormone levels can also cause hair loss. Let us see some of the essential nutrients that can help in preventing hair loss.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a vital nutrient which helps in promoting the growth and health of cells and tissues. Even the cells and tissues of the hair and scalp require this nutrient for better growth. Deficiency of Vitamin A in the body can result in dandruff and thereby causing hair loss. Vitamin A can be achieved in two ways, through plant sources and animal sources. Plant sources contain Carotenoids which converts beta carotene into Vitamin A in the body. Animal sources provide vitamin A in the form of retinol. Some of the vitamin A sources are:

Red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables.
Liver
Fish oil
Fortified milk
Eggs.

Other Vitamins

Vitamin B6, folic acid and vitamin B12 are the three essential vitamins required for the normal formation of blood cells or hemoglobin. Hemoglobin helps in transporting oxygen from the lungs to the tissues in the body which includes the hair, too. Healthy and strong hair is a result of constant supply of blood and oxygen. Deficiency of these vitamins can reduce the blood and oxygen supply to hairs and thereby resulting in hair shedding, slow regrowth and damaged hair. Leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, fortified cereals are some of the plant sources of these vitamins. Chicken, liver, kidney, pork and fish are some of the animal sources of these vitamins.

Other essential nutrients

Protein is another vital nutrient needed for normal growth of hairs. Vitamin C is essential for producing collagen that helps to strengthen the hair. In some cases, deficiency of biotin can also cause hair loss. However, people who follow a healthy diet will rarely come across this deficiency. Deficiency of iron in the body leads to cause anemia and eventually hair loss. Absence of adequate zinc in the body can result in dandruff as well as hair loss, too. All of these essential nutrients can be achieved through healthy diet. Healthy diet must contain vegetables such as dark green leafy vegetables, cereals and nuts. Fruits such as citrus fruits, berries and melon shall also be included in the balanced diet to prevent hair loss. Animal sources such as meat, poultry, egg, fish and pork can also help in preventing hair loss. Along with these sources, try to keep your body hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Once you cultivate the habit of balanced diet in your daily regime, hair loss and other diseases will get miles away.

Diet for handling stress

2009-04-10T02:50:00.002-07:00

Stress and food habits:

How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? No, it's not your imagination. You really do crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting. When you experience sudden danger, your brain instantly signals your body to turn out a hormone called Cortisol. It in turn relays the message throughout the body to mobilize you for a life-saving response. Blood vessels constrict and divert the flow of blood from leisurely processes such as digestion to fast-acting muscles. Metabolism shifts too, and energy is made rapidly available to your muscles, readying them for action.

How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? No, it's not your imagination. You really do crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting.

When you experience sudden danger, your brain instantly signals your body to turn out a hormone called Cortisol. It in turn relays the message throughout the body to mobilize you for a life-saving response. Blood vessels constrict and divert the flow of blood from leisurely processes such as digestion to fast-acting muscles. Metabolism shifts too, and energy is made rapidly available to your muscles, readying them for action.

Why is it that whenever we overcome incredible stress, we want to reach for something to binge on and engage in over eating? We tend to overeat when faced with stress. So what are we left with here? There is no way to avoid stress, so are we doomed by the influence of stress on our eating habits? Is it possible to make some healthy changes even though you may be eating for reasons other than hunger?

Breaking the food habits:

Different types of stress can cause you to crave different kinds of foods. However, there are ways to break that cycle and stop eating to feed emotional hunger.

Try to limit refined carbohydrates as much as possible, as those foods can (easily) cause blood-sugar swings that lead to anxiety, irritability, headaches, confusion and other signs of stress. Such foods include refined sugar and anything made with it, refined flour and its products such as bread or pasta, and vegetables that are high in starch, such as potatoes (chips!).
A little chocolate may help fight stress, since it helps release endorphin neurotransmitters, nature's morphine. Excessive stress depletes neurotransmitters that help regulate emotions. However, using food to alter your moods won't make the reason for your stress disappear.
Anything from a walk around the block to a gym workout will help lessen the effects of stress, while helping your body be and feel healthier. Exercise is essential to any weight loss program. Just start moving.
Don't deprive yourself of food, which often leads to binge eating. Instead, eat what you want and toss out guilt. Balance that choice with a healthier option.
Do a stress inventory when you find yourself eating more, or not eating at all. By tuning in to your physical and behavioral reactions, it's easier to face stress-causing problems head-on.
Learn what purpose food is serving. Stress eating is usually a response to emotional hunger. Keep a chart for two weeks to monitor your food and feelings connection.

Overcoming stress-related eating isn't always easy, but it is possible. The bottom line is that the more you know and care for yourself, the less likely you will be reaching for food.

Healthy Living Diet & Nutrition Exercise & Fitness Alternative Therapies Women's Health Men's Health Children's Health Pregnancy Weight Manag

2009-04-10T02:48:00.000-07:00

Facts behind Fats

Losing weight is a burning issue in today's modern world. Almost everyone today is after finding the ways and means of losing weight. A fat-free life can be achieved by cultivating a healthy lifestyle. Some methods prove beneficial to a group of people while others get depressed by the results. Looking after a diet, regular exercise and consulting a doctor are some of the traditional and efficient ways to achieve a fat-free life. However, if your body does not have excess fats, you do not require adapting strenuous exercises. That does not mean that you should stop exercising and wait for the fats to overcome the limits. Some amount of fats is required for proper functioning of the organs. Let us see some of the facts behind fats that are normally not known to many.

Our body consists of billion of cells which are categorized into muscle cells, fat cells, blood cells and so on. These cell burn lots of energy while performing their daily activities. Our body burns 10% of fats naturally by processing the nutrients that we consume. Muscle cells are more efficient to burn calories than fat cells. Hence, a person with healthy or more muscle cells burn calories easily as compared to a person with low or weak muscle cells. Optimum amount of calories are required by the body to conserve the fuel and maintain proper metabolism. Here are the 7 most easy and efficient ways to burn fats:

Fat burning foods

There are numerous foods which are capable of burning fats naturally. Spices can help in burning more calories by triggering a thermodynamic burn which lasts for several hours after eating. Hence, we must add optimum amount of spices in our daily diet to reduce the excessive fats naturally.

Eating schedule

Many people come across problem of excess fats even after adapting a regular exercise. In such cases, the excess fat may be because of not having proper eating time. You must take care of having your breakfast, lunch and dinner on time. Keep sufficient break times in between eating the meals. Breakfast is considered as highly essential for being active throughout the day and hence it shall not be skipped. The best time to eat the largest portion of the food is before 2'o clock. Try taking light foods during the night as your body is at rest when you go asleep.

Check the amount of food

The ideal way to stay active is to have three small meals and two small snacks daily. If you keep your stomach empty, it will hamper the burning process of fats and if you eat more, the extra calories will be stored as fat. Therefore, one must take optimum amount of food after considerable interval for proper functioning of burning mechanism.

Regular exercise

Cultivating a habit of regular exercise helps the body to prevent build up of fat. There is no need to go to gym or perform strenuous exercises for burning the fats. Climbing the stairs, 30 minutes of walk or even light aerobic exercise can provide positive results. Do not try to do the same exercise everyday as the body will get used to it and eventually it will stop burning fats. Inhaling and exhaling through your nose instead of mouth can also help in stabilizing heart rate and increasing the endurance.

If you adapt the above tips in you daily activities, you would surely achieve a fat-free life.

Know more about your Tongue

2009-04-10T02:01:00.000-07:00

Role of Tongue

Would you ever like to have a tasteless food in your meal? How would you feel if you find it difficult to feel the taste of your favorite food like jalebi, samosas, burger, and pizza and so on? Surely, you will choose to stay without food. So, who brings the taste to your food when they are eaten? Which organ of your body takes effort to give taste to your deliciously cooked food? Yes, you are absolutely right; it's the tongue that helps in understanding the taste of any kind of food. The tongue helps in distinguishing the taste and nature of food that we take. However, besides the taste, it also plays a vital role in articulating words. Our speech is incomplete without the use of tongue. Hence, when someone asks you the use of tongue, do not just reply taste but add one more function as speech.

Anatomy of tongue

You can move your tongue in multiple directions. It is possible due to the presence of group of muscles which run in different directions. Underneath your tongue is a thin, soft and smooth skin called mucous membrane. Just have a look at your friend's tongue and you will see a lot of blood vessels and the mucous membrane. The tongue's muscle requires a lot of blood as they work throughout the day.

Tonsils are present at the back of your mouth. There are two types of tonsils, lingual and palatine tonsil. Lingual tonsil is present at the back of your tongue. The two tonsils called palatine tonsils are present near the beginning of the throat, each at one side. Tonsils help in catching and destroying the germs which try to enter our body. However, when there is more number of germs, the tonsils get swollen up. That is how we get tonsillitis.

The tongue is fastened to the mandible (jaw bone) and to the front of the throat. Pharynx is present just behind the tonsils. It can be seen when you look past the tonsils.

Working of Tongue

Tongue is especially engaged in the work of tasting. However, it contributes in performing various other activities, too. It co-operates with cheeks and teeth for moving the food around the mouth, when you eat or swallow. Tongue also helps in digesting the food and cleaning your mouth and teeth, once you finish eating. The tongue muscles also push saliva and small portions of food into the oesophagus. Tongue and nose work in combination for smelling and tasting the food that you take inside.

There are hundreds of small bumps called papillae on the top of your tongue. Some of these papillae are like short stiff threads that are rough in nature. They have number of nerve endings that are sensitive to touch. Their rough nature helps in licking the smooth foods such as ice-cream. Inside the papillae, there are lots of taste buds which help in differentiating tastes. Different region of tongue are specialized in giving or evaluating different tastes, such as:

Front part of the tongue- senses salty or sweet tastes.
Sides of the tongue- senses sour tastes.
Back of the tongue- senses bitter tastes.

Besides tasting, tongue works with lips, teeth and palate to make different sounds while talking or singing. Babies learn the feel of various objects by putting them inside the mouth and feeling them with the tongue. This is the only reason why you will find that small children always try to put the things inside their mouth.

Know more about your Digestive System

2009-04-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Can you name few of the activities that you perform everyday? You will certainly have a long list which would include things like eating, playing, cooking, reading, washing, traveling and so on. Now, can you list some of the activities that you accomplish in the early hours of morning? Your list would surely have one activity, going to bathroom!!!

Most of us start our daily activities by going to bathroom. The rest of the day is passed comfortably, if the bathroom activities are accomplished properly. If you suffer from even a minute problem in digestive system, you are likely to suffer from a range of other problems like headaches, dizziness or laziness etc. therefore, it is very essential for us to accomplish the two bathroom activities comfortably, poo and wee. The solid waste produced by our digestive system is called as poo or faeces while the liquid waste is produced by kidneys, termed as urine or wee. Let us see how does the digestive system work for us?

How does Digestive System work?

The digestive system includes a range of organs that starts from mouth and ends in anus. During the entire process, many organs participate to remove waste materials from our body. When we start eating the foods, they are properly chewed into smaller pieces and water (saliva) is added to it. The chewing is one of the essential parts of digestion. Smaller pieces of food help in digesting the food easily. Therefore, doctors suggest that everyone should masticate (chew) the food at least for 32 times before proceeding further. Saliva helps the food to pass through oesophagus easily and reach to the stomach. The muscles in the oesophagus squeeze the food along and the process is called as peristalsis.

Acid is mixed with the food in the stomach to start the digestion process. The food is passed into the small intestine for further digestion. Small intestine is the upper part of the bowel where the enzymes are added to the food. Here, the complex food molecules are converted into the smaller particles in such a way that they can be sent to the other organs and body cells. The smaller particles of the food are absorbed through the wall of the small intestine into the blood. From here, the journey of the food starts to different parts of the body. The complex or big molecules of food that can not be absorbed in the small intestine goes to the lower bowel.

What happens to the Complex molecules?

Water, the undigested food and the body waste move to the lower bowel which is known as the large intestine. Here, bacteria help in breaking the complex molecules into nutrients like water and some vitamins. These nutrients are absorbed by the body. The bacteria also prepare some gases such as hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen sulphide. Besides these, if there are still any food particles present, they stay in the lower part of the bowel called the rectum. Once the waste in the rectum reaches its limit, the nerves in the rectum sends the message to the brain for the disposal of waste. That is the time when we rush to the bathroom for removing the waste from the body. At the time of waste disposal, the anus opens and the muscles in the rectum push out the faeces.

Know more about Skin

2009-04-10T01:58:00.000-07:00

Basics about Skin

Many a times you must have come across a saying which goes "First impression is the last impression". This saying means the way you appear, and the way you carry yourself in different situations. However, a general conception about first impression stresses on how you look. So, which organ plays an important in displaying your looks? Of course, skin is probably the most important part of your body that helps in enhancing the entire looks. So, let's learn some basics things about this important and vital part of our body.

Skin is considered as the basic and sensory organ which helps in sensing the touch and feel of any object. However besides these, skin also performs a lot of work in our daily life. Some of the important activities that skin performs are:

Holding the body structure together.
Preventing leakage of water and body fluids from the body.
Preventing the entry of germs and infection inside the body.
Sensing the temperature of objects.
Providing the feel of pain.

Main components of Skin

Skin is essentially made up of 3 layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous layer. They work together and perform the important functions like protecting the body. Let us learn more about these three components of skin.

Epidermis

Epidermis is the layer of the skin that you can see. Epidermis cells are divided into two major parts. Deep down the epidermis lives the growing cells and the outside cells are termed as dead cells. The dead cells are easily rubbed off and the growing cells take their place. These cells contain keratin which is waterproof and hard in nature. Other cells in the epidermis produce a pigment known as melanin. Melanin is responsible for the color of your skin. It also protects the skin from harmful radiation from sunlight. Darker the skin more is the protection. Hence, people with fair skin are more prone to sun burn.

Dermis

The dermis is a thicker and more elastic layer of the skin. The dermis is probably the most important layer of skin which comprises of sebaceous glands, hair follicles, blood vessels and nerves.

Sebaceous gland produces sebum oil which keeps the skin soft and waterproof. Sweat glands produce sweats and send it to the surface of the skin through small pores. Sweating is generally occurred when you are in hot surroundings. This phenomenon helps in keeping the body temperature cool. Most of the body parts are covered with hairs which are developed in hair follicle region of the dermis. Blood vessels carry oxygen and nutrients to the cells as well as carry away the waste.

Subcutaneous layer

The subcutaneous layer is mainly made up of fat which acts as protector as well helps in keeping the body warm.

Some interesting facts

Believe it or not, skin is the largest organ of our body. Around 15 per cent of the total weight or 6 pounds is due to the skin. Skin is different for different people. Remember, no one in this world has same fingerprints!!!!!

Know more about Nails

2009-04-10T01:56:00.000-07:00

Basics about Nails

Nails are found only in two parts of your body, fingers and toes. They are developed in folds of the skin near the end of fingers and toes. The growth of the nail starts underneath the skin and continues over the nail bed towards the end of toes and fingers. Nail separates from the skin underneath it and changes from pink to white.

Nails are formed by the process known as keratinization. Keratin is a type of protein present in the top layer of skin, nails and hairs. Due to the presence of keratin, cells in the root of the nail flatten and become harder. The new cells formed push the hard cells out and finally emerges as the nail. Nails have a pink appearance due to the presence of tiny blood vessels underneath which feed the nail bed. Nails are dead and do not require any food.

Importance of nails

Though nails are tiny parts of our body, they help in various ways. The foremost function of the nails is to protect the ends of fingers and toes. Which part of the body helps you in a situation of itching? Yes, nails also helps in scratching the body parts where you feel itching. Nails are useful when you want to pick up small things. Ever imagined how you would pick up needles or pins, if they fall on the ground. Nails can only perform this part of picking up the small things like pins, nuts, needles and so on. In animals like dog, cat, and wild animals nails provide the ease of catching and tearing the foods for them. Hence, claws of wild animals are nicely developed with specialties like narrow, strong and spiny structures.

Taking care of Nails

We are often careless about keeping the nails healthy. However, everyone must take care of this tiny but important part of our body. Some of the tips to keep the nails healthy and beautiful are:

Wash the areas around and near your nails, everyday.
Cut your nails on a regular basis.
Fingernails can be filed with a nail file or can be cut with nail clippers.
It is always better to cut the nails after taking the bath. This is because the nails gets softer and easier to cut after the bath.
Always keep the nail straight and short.
If your nails are weak, use a nail cream to provide the strength.
Always wear shoes or thongs to prevent fungal infections.

Interesting facts about nails

Nails of fingers grow about 2 times faster than the nails of toe. Nails grow faster in summer than winter. If the root of nail is not badly injured, it will grow again. Nails are the organs which does not give pain at the time of cutting. Thumbnail is the slowest growing nail on the hand while middle finger nail is the fastest. Nails and hair get longer after the death of the person due to the changes in the tissues around them.

If your nails are pink in color, it means that you have enough iron in the body and the blood circulation is efficient throughout the body.

Know more about Muscles

2009-04-10T01:54:00.000-07:00

Introduction

You can see lot of youngsters sweating out in four-walled gymnasium and health clubs. It is a fashion trend now-a-days to have a muscular structure to attract people and to make a distinct place in the group. It seems everyone today is running after having a muscular body. Before building your muscles, let us try to learn something about this special part of our body.

Muscles are essentially made of fibers which help in moving the various parts of our body. Each fiber is made up of long thin cells which are packed in bundles. Myosin and actin are the two kinds of protein present in fibers. Perimysium is a thin skin that covers each bundle. More bundles of fibers indicate that the muscles are big. Muscles also consists nerves which carry messages to and from the brain. Blood vessels in muscles help in providing energy to the muscles and carry away the waste.

Types of muscles

Primary function of muscles is to provide movement to the different parts of the body. Many of the muscles are termed as skeletal muscles as they are attached to the bones. Muscles can be categorized in two ways depending upon the shape and functioning. Depending on the shape of the muscles, they can be categorized into four types which are as follows:

Spindle shaped muscles- this type of muscles are thick in the middle and thinner at the ends. Muscles of your biceps and triceps of upper arms are the best example for this kind of muscles. Bend your arm up to see the shape of such muscles.
Flat muscles- they are flat in shape such as muscles in your diaphragm and forehead.
Triangular muscles- this muscle is like the deltoid muscle which is present at the top of your arm. This muscle helps in pulling your arm up.
Circular muscles- these muscles are found in many parts of our body, also called as ring-shaped muscles. Muscles around the mouth, pupils of the eyes, inside the bladder and the anus when you have finished going to the toilet.

Muscles can also be categorized in another ways as voluntary muscles and involuntary muscles. Voluntary muscles are the one that can work when the message is sent to the brain. In simple ways, these muscles work in control condition. Muscles of your arms, legs are the best example of voluntary muscles. Involuntary muscles do not need any messages from the brain to work. They know their job perfectly and accomplish it without any order from the brain. Muscles in your heart, digestive system and the tiny muscles at the bottom of the hairs are the best examples of involuntary muscles.

Keeping the muscles healthy

There are only two ways of keeping the muscles healthy, by eating right food and by exercising. Muscles get energy to work efficiently from glucose. Therefore, foods that are rich in carbohydrates or glucose shall be taken to keep the muscles healthy. Foods such as meat, egg, fish and broccoli are rich in carbohydrates.

Regular exercise is the best way to keep the muscles active. Always perform some stretching exercise to flexibility to the muscles. While exercising during summer, drink lot of water to prevent stiffness after the work out. Sweating and not drinking lot of water leads to problem called muscle spasm. Too much of stretching can also develop strain in the muscles.

Eating foods such as fruits, vegetables, pasta, bread and potatoes can give enough fuel to your muscles to work efficiently. To have strong and healthy muscles, include foods like milk products, fish and meat in your diet.

Know more about Moles

2009-04-10T01:50:00.000-07:00

Overview

A mole is a common benign growth of the color cells of the skin called melanocytes. Melanocytic nevus is a medical name for mole. Moles are commonly found in almost everyone's body. Moles that appear right from the birth are termed as birth marks. However, not all birthmarks are moles.

Moles normally appear in the first year of life and the number increase during the second and third decade. The number of moles can also increase due to the increase in sun exposure. Some moles may disappear in the seventh to ninth decade of life. Number of moles on your body is the strongly indicates the risk of developing a malignant melanoma. Researchers believe that number of innocent moles on the skin and the chances of developing an abnormal or changing mole have direct relationship.

Basic facts about Moles

Moles present in the arm area predict the number of moles elsewhere on the body. Usually, body parts that are exposed to the harmful sun rays are more affected. These parts of the body would have more number of moles. Highly dense mole area would have moles that are less than 5 mm in diameter. Larger moles are found on intermittently sun exposed areas such as back and chest. Moles are likely to grow in size before 20 years of age. As you grow old, normal moles are unlikely to grow.

Puberty is the time when the developments of moles are at its peak. Moles may have following feature and characteristics:

Moles may vary in color such as brownish, brownish-black, blue-black or skin colored.
Moles can develop individually or in a group.
Some moles might seem smooth or "warty".
Initially, they are flat but may grow in size. Some moles may also grow hairs over it.
Sometimes, moles slowly fade and go away.
As you grow old, some moles may change and disappear.

Keep a close eye on Moles

Moles can be dangerous as they can develop into malignant melanoma. Often, they do not hurt or pain you, but you must keep a record of your moles to prevent future health problems. Some of the essential tips to keep a close look at your moles are as follows:

Keep a record of the area of your moles.
Keep a record of their size and shape.
Keep a count on the number of moles. This will help you to recognize the additional moles.
Also note the shape and color of larger moles.
If the mole size changes in size and color or begin to itch or bleed, immediately contact your doctor.
Molemax is a machine which will take pictures of your body and store them. Few days later when you come back and take the pictures from the machine, doctor will evaluate the numbers and appearance of the moles.

Protecting yourself from Moles

Follow the listed tips to avoid moles on your body:

Always wear the clothes that can provide protection to the entire body.
Apply sunscreen before leaving the home in sunny days.
Wear a hat which gives shade to your face.
Use zinc cream on the moles that are not covered by the clothes.