Michelles Health Tips

Relaxation/Stress Therapy For Treating Tinnitus

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:41:19 GMT

A regular relaxation routine is a very helpful part of tinnitus treatment and can help you manage the stress that is often associated with tinnitus.

What has stress got to do with tinnitus relief?

Many people notice their tinnitus more when they are worried or tired, and this in turn increases their levels of anxiety and stress. This becomes a vicious circle. Many of the natural tinnitus remedies described in the tinnitus miracle system include some form of stress relief and relaxation techniques. It is now widely accepted that stress plays a key part in the way people react to their tinnitus. A certain amount of stress is vital to maintain the systems that alert us to possible dangers - for instance, those signals that tell us to leap out of the way of an oncoming car. However, in today's busy lifestyles there is a build up of 'stressors' - things that cause you intense pressure, tension or anxiety - which put both your body and mind on constant alert. You probably do not have enough time to relax and feel calm, so allowing your body and mind to rest. People react differently to different 'stressors', but your reactions to stress will happen whether you think about them or not.

What can be done about stress?

You can learn to control your responses to stress by using relaxation techniques. These are taught in many tinnitus clinics and audiology departments. You will also find local adult education classes teaching relaxation techniques, or you could try classes in meditation or yoga, for example, which can help you learn to relax. You can also buy guided relaxation cassettes and CDs from the RNID Tinnitus Helpline, or your local library may have some you can borrow.

Relaxation techniques can vary widely. They can include brief, 'time-out' exercises, which you can use if you are faced with a stressful event or as part of your everyday routine, or extended body and mind exercises, which create a sense of deep and total relaxation. These are usually practiced lying down, in quiet, peaceful surroundings.

Exercises can be physical, for example, tensing and releasing your muscles, or psychological - where you use your imagination to help you relax. Some form of breathing exercise is usually a key part of a relaxation routine.

Baby Eczema Treatment: An Effective Eczema Treatment For Babies

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 11:18:20 GMT

There are a variety of skin diseases and skin can cause serious skin problems. And there are few, and can be considered as Minor Threat to human skin, it can give us a rash, which can take several days. But that does not mean we do not consider this type of disease problems of the skin, should not be taken for granted. All types of skin diseases on the human skin, it can leave marks and scars that are not good when you look at the healing process.
Having a skin condition can make you feel like you have something for the skin, which makes you ugly and separate from other people, because he said so long ago, dermatology can leave ugly marks and scars on the skin. This may definitely happen especially if you had suffered the worst type of skin disease. Most people with skin disease felt this type of condition; they often feel like they are being deprived from their social connection in their society.
Treatments and remedies that are not composed or made of strong chemical substances are the best type of treatment for eczema. There are fewer tendencies for them to irritate our skin especially to those who have skin disease. There are manufacturers who are making skin disease treatment products out of chemicals compromising not only the products but as well as the user of the product.
Let’s have eczema as an example, it is a common type of skin disease that needs proper attention as well as medication. It normally occurs to infants and they need to have the right baby eczema treatment. There is a lot of eczema treatment available for you to use in order to get rid of the skin disease, but only some of them are effective and can help us prevent the disease from coming back.
Though eczema is one of the most common types of skin disease, it still needs the right type of treatment. It is suggested to visit or consult the opinion as well as the ideas of a health care professional regarding the proper and available remedy to prevent the disease and its effects.

Why The Right Psoriasis Treatment Is Critical To Quality Of Life

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:41:08 GMT

Psoriasis is a widespread skin disorder that can have a very detrimental effect on the lives of people who are afflicted by it. Although considered to be a non-contagious and a non-life threatening disease, psoriasis can significantly have a profound effect on a person’s quality of life and social security.

The foremost distinguishing symptoms of psoriasis are the sudden appearance of inflamed, dry, scaly and itchy patches of skin on the body. Finding an effective psoriasis treatment to soothe the itchy patches of skin plaques is the foremost concern for most psoriasis sufferers since these are the most bothersome of its symptoms that gets in the way of doing day to day tasks and routines

Aside from making it difficult to perform work or household related activities, it also has a big impact on their sleeping habits. With getting less and less sleep and rest, psoriasis sufferers tend to become withdrawn, depressed, irritable, and physically weak or drained out. And to add insult to injury, if ever the condition appears on the face, it makes it harder for the victim to go out and socialize because of its social implications.

The most practical and widespread approach for treating psoriasis is through the application of over the counter or prescription strength drug based psoriasis treatment recommended by doctors or dermatologists. A psoriasis cream can effectively neutralize the constant itchiness, swelling, redness, and pain to greatly ease the suffering of psoriasis plagued individuals. With a marked reduction of its many symptoms, the dry and flaky patches of skin may soon disappear at no time at all if no other complications present itself. Some unforeseen issues might occur by way of side effects that may instigate other troubling conditions or worsen the condition itself. Should this happen, it is important to stop using the medications and to inform your doctor immediately to avoid additional problems. At this point you may want to consider some natural or home remedies for psoriasis like those discussed in the psoriasis free for life report.

In case the topical psoriasis treatments fail in giving the desired results, or only work to a certain point, then the doctor might recommend a secondary form of treatment to supplement the initial treatments. These secondary treatments may involve the use of UV (ultraviolet) therapy or otherwise also called phototherapy. For chronic or severe levels of psoriasis, doctors may resort to using the systemic approach which involves giving patients oral treatments and injections. There may also be instances when the doctor will dole out antibiotics to treat a psoriasis flare-up when it is found out to be caused by an infection of some sort. Bacterial infections like that of a throat infection caused by the streptococcus bacteria can lead to a psoriasis flare-up with some people.

After undergoing various treatments for psoriasis without showing much success, some conditions may become resistant to the medicines being given and so will require a combination of various treatment methods. With the resurgence of natural alternatives and homeopathic psoriasis remedies, people should not only rely on one type of treatment method but also try undergoing a natural psoriasis treatment in order to find more success in fighting the condition.

How effective the psoriasis treatment one initiates depends heavily on a person’s overall physical and mentally health and the doctor’s prognosis. There might be a single treatment that can work at greatly reducing the symptoms of psoriasis and ease the sufferings of some psoriasis victims, or there it might be a combination of two or more forms of treatment methods - it all depends and varies from person to person. With varying triggers and instigators for this type of skin malady, it is important that each person be diagnosed properly by a doctor in order to receive the best psoriasis treatment for their case.

How To Deal With Hair Loss

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:29:40 GMT

Losing Your Hair

Not every hair loss treatment on the market today is created equal - but you probably know that already, or you wouldn't be looking for something to deliver the promises of the other "snake oil" potions that have left a gaping whole in your purse or wallet, and a distinct lack of anything else.

The good news is that there are hair loss remedies available today that do work - but you probably won't find them in your doctors surgery, or the local pharmacy, or many of the websites that you've recently visited.

So, at least for a minute or so, feel confident that there are options out there that help with hair restoration (I'll tell you about them in a few minutes) and kick back and let me help reassure you about hair loss and how it affects us (and how we can deal with it).

When it happened . . .

Anna, 24, a beautiful nurse, called off her wedding.
Ross, 45, a former army officer, felt he would never satisfy a woman again.
Hilary, 35, the sophisticated wife of a city industrialist, spent a fortune trying to get her hair back - only to lose it all in the shower of her Mediterranean villa.
Joanne, 7, suddenly stopped wearing dresses. She felt like a boy.
Toni, 9, a star of BBC TV's Bob says 'Opportunity Knocks', was tormented cruelly by other children.
Sally, 18, tried to kill herself with an overdose of alcohol and drugs.
Duncan Goodhew, swimmer, turned his affliction to advantage.

The Olympic gold medalist says. 'If it hadn't happened to me when I was 10 years old I might never have made it as a champion in sport. Adversity either makes or breaks.'

These people have one thing in common. They have all lost their hair, rapidly and frighteningly, through the scalp disease alopecia areata. It can happen to anyone, man or woman, at any age. It happened to me, when I was in my thirties and appearing on television for a living.

It could happen to you.

So you have suddenly lost your hair? Maybe you are only starting to get small bald patches, or perhaps you have lost it all. You are shocked, horrified and panic-stricken, and all you can think about lately is finding some effective hair loss treatments that can undo the damage.

Of course you are. One minute you are taking your hair for granted - complaining, perhaps, that it is too dry, too greasy or that your hairdresser has cut it too short. Or maybe you just dislike the style. Then wham! Out of the blue, for no reason you know of, your hair falls out. The process may take six months or just a day or two. It can even happen overnight.

The result is the same. A scalp made unsightly by large bare patches, a thin top layer of hair you can see through... or a shiny, completely bald head. Miserable enough for a man. A downright catastrophe for a woman.

When you suddenly lose your hair as an adult, you feel immediately humiliated. It destroys your confidence in yourself in every aspect of your life.

You see a different person in the mirror. That unfamiliar hairless head - is that mine?

You feel unattractive - how could anyone possibly fancy such a poor, bald freak? To be attractive you need to feel - at least a little - enamored of yourself. When your hair goes and self-esteem with it, your self-image is shattered.

So, probably, is your sex life. Without hair, many people find that their first problem is sex. Their second problem is sex. And their third problem is sex. To survive severe hair loss you need a whole new outlook on yourself and your relationships.

With my blog and articles I will do more than tell the story of the thousands who suffer. I will also tell you how to survive, how to come out of the situation looking as good as you did before - perhaps even better!

One in a hundred

As many as one in a hundred people lose their hair through the scalp disease alopecia areata, according to leading American dermatologist Dr Sigfrid A. Muller of the Mayo Clinic

For years, no one has known how many people suffer this freak hair loss. This is because only a tiny percentage of victims ever goes to a hospital. Many don't even see their family doctor. Medical statistics, therefore, reflect only a tiny fraction of the problem.

To find out the true incidence, Dr Muller led a team of doctors in a major epidemiological survey in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

He asked: 'Just how many of the population get this disease?' His conclusion was staggering. Over the next 60 years, he discovered, approximately one per cent of the population will have alopecia areata - not the gentle, gradual balding of old age, but sudden, devastating hair loss which can happen at any time.

Dr Muller emphasizes the good news. He told me that as many as 95 per cent of these cases may be only mild ones, but his earlier research suggests that the number of people who lose all their hair could be as high as 30 per cent.

Alopecia areata (from the Greek for 'mangy fox') usually starts with a tiny bald patch the size of a 10 pence piece. Sometimes it becomes diffuse alopecia, spread over the entire scalp. Younger patients often find their alopecia areata begins as a diffuse loss.

When it happened to me, it was first diagnosed as post partum telogen effluvium - hair loss related to a recent pregnancy; later, by a consultant dermatologist, as classic alopecia areata; and later still, by another consultant, as diffuse alopecia.

Worldwide, experts have suspected for the past 30 years that there has been an increase in diffuse alopecia, particularly among women. As far back as 1960, a team of German dermatologists reported an increase in diffuse hair loss in women. This came at a time when - coincidentally - women were beginning to take the contraceptive pill. All over the world, women were swallowing high quantities of synthetic hormones, progestogens and estrogens.

Several years later, dermatologist Dr Frank E. Cormia of Comell University, New York, linked cases of female hair loss directly with the pill and suggested that it could trigger 'male pattern' baldness in women, telogen effluvium and other types of diffuse hair loss.
His report prompted the question: 'Is a generation of balding women the price we pay for the convenient chemical?'

Alopecia areata is the mystery scalp disease which strikes savagely without warning, so that someone who has had a perfectly normal head of hair suddenly loses it. Hair comes out from the roots in ugly clumps. You may be lucky and have only a small patch, which clears up and never reappears. You may be unlucky and lose the lot - all scalp hair plus eyelashes and eyebrows (alopecia totalis). You may lose all body hair, including scalp (alopecia universalis). Or you may be plagued by odd patches all your life.

At the same time, nails often become pitted and ridged. You won't know why, neither will your doctors. They know the mechanism, that it is almost certainly an autoimmune disease in which some of the white blood cells - the lymphocytes - overwork and produce antibodies which attack the hair follicles as though they were foreign bodies. But doctors don't know what triggers it or, more important, how to stop it.

After years of research across the world, dermatologists admit that they are still baffled. Too often they are forced to tell patients: 'There is nothing we can do. Go home. Leam to live with it.' Or without it! Doctors daily carry out miraculous treatments on tragic cases of cancer, heart disease, polio, but when it comes to the apparently simple fact of baldness there is - too often - little they can do.

When it happened to me, I was perfectly happy with a young family and an exacting career as a television journalist. I felt totally alone and a complete freak. I thought I was the only young woman in the world to go bald, but an article I wrote in a top women's magazine, and a radio feature on BBC Radio Four's Woman's Hour convinced me I was wrong.

Countless letters poured in, all from people in the same boat. Sudden baldness had isolated them, had caused marital, social and psychological problems. One woman, who had been a glamorous nightclub dancer, confessed: 'There's never a week when I don't consider suicide.'

They wrote from the United Kingdom, Europe, America, the Far East. All over the world women were spending their lives in headscarves or wigs, terrified of revealing their secret, that underneath they looked like plucked chickens or victims of Chemobyl. Men wrote that alopecia areata (AA) had shattered their confidence and wrecked their relationships. The moth-eaten patches had played havoc with their appearance and made them look slovenly. They felt odd, different from other men.

For years, the subject had been swept under the carpet. Pre-mature baldness, particularly in a woman, is by no means a seductive sight.

Some doctors, embarrassed perhaps by their inability to help, have blamed it vaguely on stress or shock, or prescribed tranquillizers with advice to 'stop worrying'. Some have suggested that it is imaginary. In a few rare cases, they are right. The patient may have a distorted body image. But for most of us, when hair falls out suddenly it is an all too horrifying fact.

As I mentioned above, there are several effective hair loss treatments that work and actively stimulate and encourage hair regrowth, but because they're not medical treatments, you won't hear about them through your doctor. But you can learn more about them at this site, and discover the best hair growth products for your specific condition.

How People Get Tinnitus

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:33:16 GMT

A constable was standing in the car-park at the police station where he worked when a roof slate fell on his head. At that moment he became one of the average of 200 people who experience the onset of tinnitus each day. The same fate awaited a youth when kicked in the neck in a rugby scrum. A thirty-year-old mother driving to school to collect her child was involved in a slight accident. She found that the whiplash effect caused by the collision brought with it a mixture of head sounds.

Most people, however, cannot point to a specific incident, but can usually say on what day - perhaps the hour and minute - it began. This exposes a paradox, that although tinnitus still insists on being an enigma wrapped in a mystery, it announces its attachment to an individual unequivocally and with a timing and precision lacking in most other medical conditions - making finding a tinnitus treatment even more difficult.

This distinction would probably remain merely academic were it not for the fact that knowing the tinnitus causes of when and in what circumstances it started can have a bearing on useful treatment. The policeman, for example, could have sustained a slight fracture of the skull, with the tinnitus serving some purpose in revealing the whole picture of the injury. The rugby player and the motorist could have sustained disruption of the neck or shoulder, and treatment for these injuries could well reduce the consequent tinnitus. Anyone new to tinnitus should try to recall any injury, however slight, before the noises commenced and mention the possible connection when seeing a doctor. But treatable physical injury associated with head noise accounts for only a small fraction of reported cases.

The trigger can be a surge of music at a pop concert, well above the decibel safety level, an explosion, a burst of gunfire, or surgery conducted on the ear or close to it. The list is a long one and has never been fully written. Even so it is of more anecdotal than scientific value to be able to pin-point the circumstances when the internal sounds began. It does not, for all its precise timing, help to reveal exactly what happened to the ears and the brain when excessive sounds lasting perhaps seconds left behind them other sounds for life. Did the sonic impact shake the nerves between the ears and the brain so badly that the hearing system was left incapable of accurately conducting messages for conscious, aural perception? Even to ask that is to speculate more than explain. At the same time, it does help some people to know of a link between, say, a blow or a loud bang and their tinnitus. It goes some way to rationalize the baffling business and to anchor their problem in a single explicable event that may have caused it, however mysteriously.

There is a list of things it is well to avoid, from discos and pop concerts to firing-ranges, if no ear protection is worn. One day, taking care of the ears and the dangers of exposing them to excessive noise will be included in health education.

There are many internal sounds without a causal link, however superficial. 'I woke up one day and it had just started' or 'I was sitting quietly reading a book when I heard what I thought were plumbing noises from the next room' are the sort of statements a family doctor hears in the surgery. They vastly out-number stories of kicks, accidents or big bangs. In a perverse way, it could be said that these totally unexplained beginnings of tinnitus correspond most accurately to the totally perplexing nature of the condition itself.

It is to some extent age related. A seventy-year-old stands a greater chance of getting it than a seventeen-year-old. There has been a tendency among some doctors to point to another mystery, the ageing process of the body, and say patients should accept tinnitus as easily and naturally as they accept growing old - fortunately there's a few tinnitus remedies that don't follow that pattern. When pressed to explain the spread of tinnitus through the age groups, they are tempted to round off their theory by saying that parts of the body can age prematurely. If it is possible for a man to be bald at thirty, why not tinnitus thirty or forty years earlier than one could reasonably expect it? The reasoning is rather threadbare, and at best supplies only a part of the answer.

If a physical, external blow can disturb the ear-brain mechanism and bring on tinnitus, can a psychological condition start it in the brain, causing equal disturbance? Can the power of thoughts troubled by distress and anxiety, for instance, shatter internal silence just as external blows or sounds can, from the other direction?

The burden of personal worry, if not somehow released through the sharing of it with others, or diminished by a third party such as a skilled therapist, can bring about physical illness and malfunction of the metabolism. The mind dictates to an extent the course of health, and manifests its power in ways that illustrate persuasively the unique and abiding oneness of mind and body. Research into tinnitus underlines the importance of the brain in the false and disruptive perception of sound that has no external source. It also seems that a mind plagued with anguish, probably unexpressed by the sufferer, is capable of originating the din that no one else can hear.

Weight loss tips that work

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 15:19:06 GMT

Losing weight is a struggle. Sometimes if you shed off a few pounds, it is possible to regain the fats again. Unfortunately some of the programs targeted for weight loss are ineffective because it fails to target the true strategies of becoming permanently fit. With the help of research, you can find weight loss tips that would work out for you. Some of the tips can be incorporated if you want a long term success for your goal. Exercise is not something but it is said to be essential for keeping the weight off. In order to maximize this strategy, be sure to engage in exercise routine 3 hours a week.

It doesn’t have to be a strict routine. Ideally find something that you enjoy and be sure to stay committed to your chosen activity. Weight training is part of the list of exercise. This is something that can strengthen the muscles and boost your metabolism. Have a notebook on hand and take time to jot down your food intake for the day. With the help of this, one can easily identify triggers that might cause overeating. It is ideal to see any patterns that can lead to healthy change. With the help of this, you would be focused and committed.

Most people seek the best way to lose weight because they want to be thin but forgot to be healthy. Go for the food that will make you healthy compared to worrying about the one’s that would lead to gaining of weight. Let the food pyramid serve as your guide in order to know how much nutrients your must get to achieve optimal health. It is best to analyze what cause you to overeat. This could be a lot of things from depression, loneliness, anger, stress and boredom. If you can overcome the emotions, then expect to be successful in controlling your weight.

Sometimes there are people who need to seek the help of professional. A big help to achieve the goal of losing weight is get support from friends or family. There are programs in your area that you can join. These programs are meant to motivate people. Nowadays restaurants are offering huge portion compared to normal serving size. If you plan to eat out, be mindful on the size of the food that you eat. Divide the plate into two and take home the other part. If you are already full then stop eating. Lose the excess weight slowly but surely.

Realize that losing weight fast could be a signal that you can gain it back quickly. Target a pound or two per week. Small changes in your lifestyle could have a good effect so that the body wouldn’t be too overwhelmed. Take time to eat the food. It is one of the weight loss tips that are proven to be effective. It would help a lot to take smaller bites and enjoy every minute of it. When losing weight, you need to be wise about it. This is not just about eating less food but also eating something that has good effect for the body.

How To Find The Best Liposuction Surgeons

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:22:42 GMT

Q: Is it ever possible to talk with a doctor on the phone before making an appointment to come in?

A: To the best of my knowledge, only a very small number of liposuction surgeons will talk to prospective patients they have never met. Some physicians give consultations on the web, but they charge for them. In both cases, I think there is a danger of giving advice to people you have never seen or examined, so most physicians don't want to do that. You really need to meet in person and establish a physician-patient relationship. The best you can probably hope for is to get access to some of their liposuction before and after photos on their website, which would of course be there to help encourage you to make an appointment.

For example, if I talk to you on the phone, I have no proper documentation, because there is no patient chart. I can't examine you and give you an informed opinion about what treatment you might or might not need. Then, if I see you a few months later, I have no way of remembering everything that was discussed.

Q: How can a prospective patient make judgments about a doctor?

A: The most important way to do that is to make an appointment for a consultation and meet your surgeon in person. A surgeon may be technically wonderful, but if you can't develop a bond or rapport or feel comfortable in the presence of that surgeon, that could be a warning sign. Patients need more from a doctor than just technical expertise. They need someone who is responsive to their needs, especially at the times when it is most important. Calling a physician and talking on the phone cannot provide you with knowledge about whether or not a rapport is there. I don't think you have anything to gain by speaking to a doctor on the phone about liposuction. You need to go into the office and meet.

Q: What kind of printed information will a doctor's office send you?

A: You have to ask about what they have available. Some offices don't have any printed material or only limited brochures and nothing on liposuction- They may do the procedure and do it well, but they may not be as concerned with communication skills as other offices.

In our office, we have spent a lot of time over the years constantly updating and modifying our patient handouts, and we always take our patients' comments into consideration. We love to send this information out to patients who express an interest. We also refer them to our website, and we have a patient coordinator who will speak with them on the phone. So a phone call to a prospective doctor's office can get very good results, depending on what is available in that office.

Q: What are some other ways to get information from the office?

A: General questions about liposuction can often be answered by a member of the office staff, such as a nurse or patient coordinator, and printed information can be mailed or faxed to you or may be available on the doctor's web site.

Q: Should prospective patients specifically seek out a doctor who is board certified?

A: Not necessarily. There are surgeons who perform wonderful surgery before they become board certified. But if they have certification, that means they have a certain amount of experience in their specialty, and more experience almost always makes for a better physician. But there are also surgeons who are board certified and who might not be me best choices for you. Board certification is only one consideration and should not be me only factor in your decision.

Common Causes Of Macular Degeneration And How To Deal With It

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:18:24 GMT

Age-related macular degeneration, typically abbreviated to AMD, is caused by damage to the macula's delicate cells - a process that gradually prevents it from working as the cells become worn out. This can cause vision loss if left unchecked, and age-related macular degeneration is currently the leading cause of registered blindness in the western world.

However, this is different to total blindness, since only central eyesight is affected; almost all AMD sufferers retain their peripheral vision.

Despite being one of the eye's most important components, few people know about the crucial role played by the macula. This small area in the middle of the retina governs the central part of our field of vision, processing sharp details for tasks like reading and writing.

There are two main types of macular degeneration - wet and dry. Also known as advanced AMD, the former involves leaking blood vessels under the macula, and it develops from the more common and insidious dry type, which is caused by a build97up of cellular debris. One eye often deteriorates before the other, making the condition harder to recognize, and many people's first experience of AMO is a gradually expanding blurred or dark spot in their central vision. Other early symptoms include straight lines appearing distorted, or a blurring of objects, along with light sensitivity and "Seeing" colors that aren't actually there.

The exact causes of age-related macular degeneration are not fully understood, although the elderly and people with a family history of the condition are at greater risk. Recent research has indicated a link between smoking and AMD; risk rates double and onset takes place considerably earlier, much like the established links between smoking and lung cancer.

Obesity and high cholesterol or blood pressure can also heighten the risks, whereas a diet including green leafy vegetables and fruits rich in zinc or vitamins C and E can help the eyes to fight off macular degeneration.

Since excessive exposure to sunlight over many years may contribute to the disease's onset, this is another reason to invest in effective sun protection eyewear, and perhaps stay away from cheap contact lenses which may offer little if any protection.

We can test for AMD in several ways, often by dilating the pupils and then using retinal photography to map any changes taking place in the macula. If there are any signs of damage at this stage, your Optometrist may refer you to an eye specialist.

Various treatments are currently available to slow down any deterioration or even partially reverse the onset of some types of AMD. Because age-related macular degeneration is painless and can take years to fully manifest, you may not recognize its symptoms, especially if you have been wearing discount contact lenses - and as with so many conditions, regular eye examinations are essential to assist with early diagnosis and any course of treatment.

Understanding and Dealing With Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:36:06 GMT

Every physician knows that the tendency of anxiety is to intensify any symptoms of physical disease which may be present, as anxiety is something which affects, the total individual. It may incapacitate the patient more than any actual disease present, and it is part of the doctor's job to determine how much of the patient's distress is due to anxiety and how much to an actual physical condition that exists, if one does.

Anxiety attacks characteristically produces alarming symptoms such as respiratory difficulties, discomfort in the region of the heart, dizziness, perspiration, palpitation of the heart, weakness, disturbances of stomach and intestines, muscular pain and headache.

If the patient with these anxiety symptoms is carefully questioned, he usually betrays certain fears, fears which may be of wide variety.

Many times the appearance of the patient is suggestive. He has a tense, restless, uneasy look. Examination reveals cold, moist lands and feet, dry mouth and lips, a pulse rate and blood pressure which may vary from time to time.

In the early stages of the anxiety state, the patient is tense, restless, irritable easily tired, and suffers from sleeplessness and other panic attack symptoms. He may find his memory faulty, his powers of concentration lessened, and his ability to make decisions weakened.

Later when his panic attack symptoms deepen, it may concentrate on some organ or system of the body or take the form of depression, hysteria, or the. feeling of being compelled to do certain actions or think certain thoughts.

As a rule, patients with anxiety dislike crowds, new and unfamiliar situations, tension and struggle. Since these things tire them quickly, they prefer to remain in the familiar groove with people - preferably a few or even one person - whom they know well. They show a .loss in general effectiveness, impairment in memory, concentration, sleep and appetite.

It is important to recognize that anxiety symptoms have a purpose. They serve to control some threat to the personality. Quite often they permit the patient to cut down on his activities, thus keeping him away from places, situations and relationships that, arouse anxiety.

It is of the greatest importance that such patients have a complete, careful physical examination when they first come to the physician. Unlike most persons with real organic diseases, people with anxiety states are extremely difficult to convince that their symptoms are not dangerous.

They tend to view their distress as a sign of future disaster and to try to reassure them on anything but firm factual grounds will serve to increase their anxiety and, hence, their symptoms.

Diabetes Diet Tips - A New Approach To Blood Sugar Control

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:19:41 GMT

I'm assuming that you're reading this diabetes diet article for one simple reason. You (or a loved one) have diabetes or a family history of diabetes and you want to find a healthy diet for diabetes that will help you manage the condition more effectively. Maybe you'd like to reduce your reliance on medication. Perhaps you're hoping to avoid having to resort to drugs in the first place. Maybe you simply want a diabetes diet plan that will allow you to do everything in your power to keep your blood sugar under control and to keep serious health problems at bay.

No matter what your situation, if you have Type 2 diabetes, there is a lot you can do to help you to tame it.

By following some healthy type 2 diabetes diet tips you'll be able to lose some weight and also boost your cells' ability to respond to insulin.

If you have Type 2 diabetes, your primary goal is simple: to bring your blood sugar levels under control. By doing so, you'll help to stave off diabetes-related complications that can compromise your quality of life, such as serious eye and kidney problems; you can reduce your risk of heart disease (did you know that people with diabetes have two to four times the normal risk of heart disease and stroke?); and you'll most likely live longer. Best of all, you will soon feel better both physically and mentally and more in control of your day-to-day health.

How to lower blood sugar levels is another matter entirely, and one that can seem anything but simple.

Medications can achieve this, of course, and you may need to be on some. But there are many more measures that you can take to control your diabetes and slow its progression, starting with changing your diet.

There are countless different ways to regulate your diet, from simple healthy eating to choosing the foods you eat according to their Glycaemic Index ratings. But we don't think you should have to research each and every food before you eat it.

Taking charge of diabetes doesn't have to be all that complicated. In fact, it shouldn't be, because the more complicated a piece of advice is, the less likely you are to follow it. Approaches that involve a lot of time, attention and planning can be difficult to stick with permanently.

The truth is that all you really need to do to achieve a radical change in your health is to make a few small changes in some of your everyday habits, such as what you eat for lunch or what you do during the commercial breaks on TV. How can such small changes possibly add up to controlling diabetes?

Lowering your blood sugar levels is reason enough to lose weight for someone with diabetes. But shedding surplus pounds may also help to relieve or prevent a multitude of secondary health problems, including

High blood pressure

Heart disease

Stroke

Gallbladder disease

Joint pain

Sleep apnea

Arthritis

Breast cancer

Colon cancer

Prostate cancer

Kidney cancer

Stop Smoking Tips - Overcoming Deprivation

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:13:39 GMT

If you are reading this as a smoker, the fact that you're free to smoke might seem rather obvious. Here you are, lighting up cigarettes and smoking them. Of course you can do that. It's after you have made an attempt to stop that your choice to go back to smoking can seem to have been surrendered.

The work involved in stopping smoking is in coming to understand that you have the freedom to return to smoking - even though you are not exercising that freedom by smoking.

The chances are that you have a deep-seated belief that you have been developing for many years, even decades. And it takes some time and effort to turn this false way of thinking around.

A friend of mine, Susan, is typical of someone working through a substantial problem with deprivation. When she first stopped smoking she got very angry, then lethargic and apathetic. When I spoke to her a week later she was feeling very deprived, yearning to smoke for hours on end, even though she was genuinely horrified by the thought of going back to smoking.

Dealing wth deprivation is part of learning how to quit smoking.

Understandably, she said that she didn't feel very confident at all. She told me that she couldn't smoke. Her (false) logic was that if she wanted to stay off smoking, then she didn't have the option of smoking. 'If I want to live,' she said, 'then I can't smoke.' 'Not true,' I told her. You want to live; true. Smoking will kill you; that is possible. But the truth is that you still have the option of doing that. It's a freedom you have, whether you want it or not. It's a fact of life.'

I wasn't encouraging her to smoke, I was encouraging her to acknowledge that the choice to smoke exists, so that she wouldn't think she was being deprived. When she turned this thinking around she felt much more positive and in control, and found staying stopped much easier.

Her background explains the trouble she was having coming to terms with the concept of free choice. Her parents were both heavy smokers. While they smoked and smoked every day, they always told her, over and over again, that she 'must never become a smoker'.

They were both very ill from smoking, and understandably wanted a better life for their daughter. Susan started smoking when she was 16 and you can imagine the reaction when her parents found out. There was much screaming and yelling, and again she was told that she was not allowed to smoke, that she 'had to stop'.

Once, a few years ago, she stopped smoking after a visit to a hypnotist, but she had just repressed her desire, and was back smoking after two weeks. She didn't even see the issue of choice and deprivation until she read a few good self help books, after 30 years of smoking, simultaneously believing she just wasn't allowed to smoke.

When she reminds herself that she does, in fact, have the freedom to smoke, not smoking becomes easier and far more positive. Her desire to smoke is significantly more tolerable, when before it was 'like a scream through my body'. Knowing she has a choice provided the key.

She goes through periods of forgetting her freedom, but then she will remember it again, eventually shifting her thinking enough so that her choices are real to her.

Sometimes it does take a while for the penny to drop, and this is what causes the initial difficulty in quitting smoking. It's important to keep on repeating to yourself that you are totally free to be a smoker. You may understand that you have the choice to smoke, but only on a relatively superficial level. You see the logic, but inside you are still fighting against the belief that you are not free at all. It takes a while for your thinking to change on every level.

Many people feel the effects of thinking they are deprived, but are not aware of the thinking that is causing them. In fact, most people aren't even aware that it is thinking that is causing them at all.

Often a person who has been feeling deprived for a week or two will say to me, 'When will it get better?' 'When you change the way you are thinking,' I reply. A common mistake is to believe that the sense of deprivation is caused by something physical, like a flu virus, and must be patiently tolerated until it runs its course. I have seen the transformation in so many people, though, who have made that all-important shift in their thinking and instantly stopped feeling deprived!

If you feel angry, remind yourself that nobody is making you do this and that you have not trapped yourself: you are free to return to smoking, whether you actually do that or not it's up to you.

If you feel grief, remember that you have not lost anything; smoking is completely available to you.

If you forget your motivation, remember that you are not locked into one irrevocable decision: you can become a smoker again. Consider that option carefully and honestly, and if there's anything you like about not smoking, it will become obvious.

Stopping smoking doesn't have to feel like a restriction and a tragedy: it can be a liberation and a genuine reward. But you will only experience it that way while you really understand you have still got the freedom to be a smoker if you so choose.

That choice doesn't exist only at the time you stop. A return to smoking continues to be an alternative for the rest of your life, and this can be difficult to accept, especially if you have a strong fear of failure. How to enjoy your continued freedom to smoke - and not deny it or fear it - is something you can learn, with the right techniques.

How To Detox Your Whole Body

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:21:17 GMT

Detoxing your body can take many additional forms as well as learning how to detox your body through diet.

Have you ever considered that maybe it might be a good idea to detox your mind too?

Try this:

Take a perceived risk

Test your comfort zone and feel the thrill.

If anything concentrates the mind it is a small dose of abject terror! Not only does it concentrate the mind but, as you go through the 'my whole life flashed before me' bit, you also get to take a long look at yourself and that is incredibly interesting. You find out so much about yourself and how you feel, how you react, in just a few small moments.

Now, a healthy mind detox is not about putting you at risk - far from it. But it is about looking at things differently in order to clear your mind of the rubbish and keep the important stuff. Putting yourself through an extreme experience (with all safety measures observed so there is no actual risk) is a very good way to find out what is important to you.

Perceived risks can be taken by going along to a place where there are professionals ready and equipped to take you through an extreme experience whilst observing all the correct safety rules and guidelines. They will also assess if you are fit and able to carry out the task without putting yourself in any danger. The risk is all in your head!

The sorts of things we are talking about are:

Parachute jumping
Rock climbing
Flying
White-water rafting
Going on a balloon flight
Going on a glider
Holding an insect or reptile
Mountain hiking
Cave diving
Bidding at an auction
Scuba diving
Public speaking

The list goes on ... It is hard to name everything that would fit into this category but you need to find something that would truly be a massive thing for you to do.

Top tips

Just because something is a big deal for you does not mean it would be such a big deal for the next person. Just do something that would really challenge you. Don't listen to anyone else about what they think would be the most terrifying thing. Work it out for yourself and then, when you feel ready, start to make the necessary arrangements.

Call the association or club that operates the 'risk of your choice' and find out as much as you feel you need to know.

Once you have found something that you would like to have a go at, and that fits your budget and your timing, then just book it!

Obviously this is a lot to get done in one day but you should be able to start to think through the project - and work out the best time to schedule your risk taking. Good luck and fingers crossed!

If you can do this - is there anything beyond your reach? So rather than just embarking on a detox diet, why not detox your whole body too? You never know, it could be fun!

How To Floss Your Teeth

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:00:01 GMT

Flossing is one of those areas where many of us need improvement. It can seem like too much of an effort to floss when all you want to do is brush your teeth and fall into bed at the end of a long day. Taking care of your teeth is far more important than any oral cosmetics or buying the best teeth whitening products.

Flossing, however, is one of the most common and effective ways of getting rid of plaque and food debris between your teeth; that's why your dentist or oral hygienist flosses your teeth at every visit.

There are many kinds of dental floss on the market, so if you are at a loss as to which one to use, consult your dentist, or try a few different brands until you find one that works well for your teeth. Also ensure you are using the correct technique, as flossing incorrectly can actually damage your teeth. Again, your dentist or oral hygienist can help you here, and demonstrate correct techniques if necessary. Here's a basic guide:

Cut off a good length of dental floss, about 50cm (20in), and twist it around the middle or index fingers of both your hands, so that you have about 10cm (4in) of floss pulled tightly between your hands. Supporting the floss with your index fingers or thumbs, guide it between the teeth, and use a gentle sawing motion to move it back and forth from the base of the tooth to its crown. Take care when pulling the floss: use your other teeth to support your fingers as you can cut your gums if your hand slips.

It's vital that when you insert the floss between your teeth you curve it into an arc around one tooth, which you clean thoroughly, and then clean the adjoining surface of the adjacent tooth. Don't simply place the floss between your teeth and slide it to and fro. You need to ensure you clean each tooth individually.

Flossing is a very important part of looking after your teeth. For more teeth care tips including reviews of the best teeth whitening products and home teeth whitening kits visit TopTeethWhiteningTips.com today.

Mantra meditation Techniques

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:46:32 GMT

The word mantra is a root derived from the Sanskrit language and is associated with a spiritual context. Mantra is a sacred word, verse, or syllable representing the name or form of the god. It is given by an enlightened master also known as Guru to a seeker or disciple; who seeks it earnestly for spiritual pursuits or simply for purification of the mind. Mantras are considered very sacred and powerful and they are normally used in rituals as well as meditation techniques.

Buddhist meditation is a concentrated effort taken by the mind and it helps in perfecting the thought process. It is not associated with any specific religion and anyone having the desire to do a meditation can go in for a mantra meditation. Chanting a mantra or making the mind to dwell on a mantra can be termed as mantra meditation. Mantra meditation helps in purifying the mind and creating clarity in the thought process.

Mantra Meditation is a repeated chanting of the sacred syllable, word, verse mentally or inwardly to keep or acquire a balanced state of mind. This type of mediation when done repeatedly helps a person to attain mental tranquility and clarity in the thinking process.

Several people have several objectives concerning the benefits of meditation, like spiritual pursuit, self awakening, inner realization, self understanding, relaxation or it is done simply as a stress buster. Whatever be the objective of meditation the full potential of it is derived when it is done in the appropriate manner. Mantra meditation similarly is done with several objectives in mind, since mantras are sacred syllables and there are several mantras associated with several deities the result or the end objective for choosing a mantra is dependent on the seekers goal or objective. If a person seeks prosperity there are mantras and deities for the same such as Goddess Lakshmi mantra or Kubera mantra. Similarly if one seeks knowledge or wisdom etc, through learning how to meditate, there is another deity which is worshipped for the same and thus there are several mantras to choose from depending on the person's pursuit.

When a seeker is interested in Mantra meditation he has to be clear on the objective for doing the meditation. Accordingly he can choose the right mantra, deity and get the initiation from a spiritual guru or master. Once he gets the mantra from the master he can start practicing meditation or chanting as specified by his master or guru. When the person practices mantra meditation, he will slowly start gaining a mental clarity which will help him to attain his objective or goal of life in a successful manner.

What Causes Acne?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:27:42 GMT

Almost all of us are going to have or have had some problems with facial spots and acne, even if it is just a few blackheads.

Acne is a very common condition and we can describe in great detail what goes on in the skin to produce the various types of spot. What we don't know so much about is why it all happens. This applies to many medical conditions but research is always going on to try to improve our understanding. It is very frustrating not to have an answer to the question 'Why me?' but it would be wrong to pretend that there will ever be one simple answer.

Genetic factors certainly play a part but an acne gene has not yet been identified. Environmental factors are also important and there may be various triggers that set the whole process off. The control of sebum production is thought to be most important in causing acne, and more study of why some people respond differently to the same levels of hormones circulating in the blood will help us to understand this. The bacterium P. acnes was once thought to be the cause but we know now that it is not, though it is a very important part of the process. These bacteria live naturally in our skin, as do many others, and in normal circumstances cause us no problems at all.

In the past, doctors felt that a variety of other factors caused acne, including constipation! They also believed that diet was very important and advised a very plain diet avoiding soup, pastries and alcohol. We now know that this is not true but many people still search for a miracle cure for acne, be it a special diet or a new acne cream. This is natural if you don't know enough about a subject. In this article you will find information that should help you avoid wasting money on 'quack' acne remedies that won't work.

Who Gets Acne, And Why?

My doctor had a go at me about smoking and said it would make my acne worse. I think he is just using that as an excuse to try to get me to stop. Am I right?

Some scientific reports of surveys studying people with and without acne suggest that smoking cigarettes makes it more likely that you will develop acne or, if you already have it, make it worse. One such survey studied almost 900 people aged from 1 to 87 and found that almost double the number of smokers had acne. However, even this report concludes that, although there seemed to be an association between acne and smoking, there was little if any scientific evidence to prove this.

Nevertheless, smoking has its own risks and implications for your long-term health. If your acne might improve as a consequence of giving up smoking, why not use that as your motivation? Just think how good you'll feel in six months' time ... and all the money you'll have saved'

If acne is caused by hormones from puberty, why does my baby brother have acne?

Newborn babies do sometimes get a form of acne called infantile acne. It relates to hormones but these have come from the mother while the baby was in the womb. Infantile acne usually appears in the first few weeks after birth and can persist for several months. Although pustules may be present, it is usually just comedones and papules on the cheeks and chin. Anything more severe or long-lasting than this needs investigation and treatment, as there are some conditions in which babies start to produce hormones.

It has been suggested that if you get acne as a baby, even if for only a short time, when you are older you might develop a more persistent type of acne. This could be an early warning to get treatment at the first sign of spots appearing in later years.

My forehead is all spotty but I don't have acne anywhere else. Why is this?

It is difficult to give you the right answer without seeing you but it is helpful to think about what is different about your forehead. Below are two likely reasons.

One problem can be your hairstyle. Ordinary hair across the forehead does not cause any problems but if you use greasy hair products, including hair waxes and gels, to keep your hair in a particular style it could cause acne. Greasy things can block up the pores and lead to the formation of comedones - we therefore call them 'comedogenic'. If this is your problem, stop using the grease and your acne should clear with or without one of the simple topical acne treatments. If your hair is naturally greasy, wash it as often a necessary with shampoo designed for greasy hair.

There is a type of acne called pomade acne, which is a direct result of using pomade hair products, more commonly used on African-Caribbean hair styles. If you wish to continue using these, you will need to keep it off your hair-line and wipe away the excess from the surrounding skin with a towel or damp cloth and keep your hands away from your face until you have washed them thoroughly.

Is it just me or are all burger restaurants staffed by kids with acne?

This is a bit of an urban myth but one that may have a little truth behind it. A hot sweaty face leads to more blocked pores and more acne. So the combination of heat and humidity in poorly ventilated kitchens where a lot of frying goes on and where everything gets a fine coating of grease can make acne worse.

Also, these types of fast food outlets tend to employ students looking to boost their pocket money and therefore you have more teenagers - the classic age for developing acne. The worst cases of acne triggered by heat and humidity occur in soldiers on jungle training where the added friction from their packs can cause an extensive and serious flare-up of acne.

I have heard that you can get a type of acne called 'handbag acne' where a; handbag strap can cause you to get spots on your shoulders. Why would this happen, and would you have to already have acne to develop it on your shoulders?

Yes, this can happen. Guitarists can: get this sort of problem from the guitar strap across the shoulder and back. The basic cause is pressure on that part of the body. This can happen in different situations; for example, violinists can get acne on their chin from the pressure on the violin chin rest. Tight headbands or a close-fitting motorcycle helmet could do this, too, and some soldiers can have similar problems from wearing heavy backpacks for long periods.

I am 29 and have just started to get spots. Is this the same as teenage acne?

Yes, it is but, although the same basic process is going on in your skin, it could have a different cause. Three questions need to be asked about acne appearing in someone over the age of 25:

Is it a recurrence of acne that cleared up after adolescence?
Is it a flare-up after settling down for some reason (e.g. being pregnant)?
Is it a first presentation with no previous history of acne?

If it is truly a first for you, your doctor might want to do a little bit of investigation before treating you. 'Adult onset acne' could be due to drug treatment for other conditions, such as lithium for some types of mental ill health, epilepsy drugs, drugs used to treat TB and steroids. By 'steroids' we mean both those prescribed by doctors and the anabolic steroids used (illegally) by some athletes.

'Mechanical' causes should also be considered, as any constant friction or pressure on the skin can induce acne. There are also some diseases that upset the balance of hormones in your body, leading to acne. Another possibility is that you might have just finished taking a long course of the contraceptive pill and your skin is now reacting to the changing hormones. This may settle in time, although you should still be able to get an effective acne treatment to keep your skin under control.

Menopause Diet Tips - Eat Plenty Of Foods Rich In Phytoestrogens

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:53:57 GMT

Foods rich in phytoestrogens are a very healthy addition to any menopause diet as they can help relieve and alleviate a lot of the symptoms of.

Here's some specific foods you can include in a menopause diet to help relieve the symptoms and signs of menopause, and improve your overall health:

Green Soya Beans (Edamame)

Fresh soya beans in pods are harvested when they are young and tender. When steamed and salted they make a delicious snack. Green soya beans are available from Chinese supermarkets.

20 mg isoflavones per 100 g

Canned Soya Beans

These can be added to salads or casseroles or pureed with olive olive, lemon juice and garlic to make a dip similar to hummus.

80 mg isoflavones per 100 g

Tofu Or Bean Curd

Made from pureed, pressed soya beans, tofu is low in fat and is a good source of protein. There are three basic types: firm, soft and silken. Firm tofu has a texture similar to cheese; it can be marinated and used to make kebabs or cut into cubes and added to stir-fries. Soft tofu is used in recipes that call for blended tofu or in Oriental soups. Silken tofu has a texture similar to set yogurt; it can be used to make dips, salad dressings, sauces or desserts.

11-30 mg isoflavones per 100 g

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

This is a meat substitute made from soya-bean flour It is low in fat and rich in protein. It is available as dehydrated chunks, as a ground beef substitute or incorporated into prepared foods such as burgers or sausages. The ground beef substitute can be used in dishes such as spaghetti sauce or lasagne.

114-245 mg per 100 g (dry weight)

Soya Milk

This is available unsweetened or sweetened and in a variety of flavors. Look for one with added calcium. Soya milk is cholesterol-free and available in low-fat varieties. It is also lactose-free. Soya milk can be used in the same way as cow's milk, as a drink, on cereals, in cooking or to make smoothies.

A 250 ml glass provides 10-20 mg isoflavones

Tempeh

A thin cake made from fermented soya beans, it has a mushroomy slightly smoky flavor It can be grilled and used as a meat substitute or added to stews, casseroles or pasta sauces.

35-19 I mg isoflavones per 100 g

Isolated Soya Protein

This powder can be mixed into drinks and sauces or added to baked goods such as bread.

46-100 mg isoflavones per 100 g

Soya Flour

Made from ground, roasted soya beans, it comes in full-fat or low-fat versions. It can be used as a substitute for white flour in recipes such as muffins and cakes. It has quite a strong flavor so it is best mixed with another type of flour; try substituting 20-30 percent wheat flour with soya flour.

188-276 mg isoflavones per 100 g

Miso

Made from fermented soya beans, miso is used mainly as a seasoning or condiment. It is very salty and should be used sparingly.

8-28 mg isoflavones per 15 ml (1 level tbsp)

Soya Desserts

There are many different types including yogurts and ice creams. Isoflavone content will vary according to brand.

Soya ice cream - 4-5 mg isolfavones per 100 g

Soya custard - 5 mg isoflavones per 100 ml

Soya yogurt - 16 mg isoflavones per 100 ml

Soya and Linseed Bread

contains around 7 mg isoflavones per slice.

It's also worthy to note that soy sauce, soya oil and soya margarine contain no isoflavones, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't include them as part of a menopause diet, as they offer other health benefits including helping to lower cholesterol.

Get the facts about natural hormone replacement therapy and other natural herbs for menopause. We don't need pumping full of drugs just because our bodies are changing - take control and learn how to manage your symptoms with natural alternatives.

How To Get Rid Of Chronic Neck Pain

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:05:51 GMT

'What we have here is lower back pain that has traveled north,' said a doctor to a warehouse foreman who couldn't move his neck without feeling severe pain.

There may be some truth in what you say,' replied the foreman, who had never suffered low back pain. 'But what should I do about it?'

'A good question,' the doctor said, reaching for his prescription pad.

It is a good question. The answer, believe it or not, has almost nothing to do with viewing neck pain as a bad back problem that just happened to land higher up on the spine.

There are similarities, of course, between neck and low back pain. But mostly there are differences - major differences in self-help therapies (including the kinds of back pain exercises to do), in practitioner effectiveness, and in the success rates of a wide variety of neck pain treatments.

Pretty much everybody has had neck pain at one time or another: a stiff neck when they woke up, a painful neck after painting a ceiling, a 'crook' in the neck after holding the telephone in an awkward position during a long conversation.

About one-third of people who suffer with chronic pain injured their necks in accidents. And they usually suffered years of pain before learning how to improve their conditions.

'My problems stem from a minor car accident at which time I was rear-ended while stationary in my vehicle,' a human resources director reported. What happened to her reflects the experiences of many people with neck pain: 'I felt fine at first, but the next morning I could barely move my neck.' After trying manipulation, physical therapy, prescription drugs and acupuncture, and after 'a period of being totally immobile due to the most excruciating pain I have ever felt,' she finally found the support and neck pain treatment she needed.

A construction worker's injury also typifies the traumatic origins of most neck pain. 'I was hurt on a construction job and was in the hospital forty-one days,' the worker wrote. 'I saw many doctors. Most had different opinions on the extent of damage done to my back. All I know is that I have suffered severe pain.'

In a recent international survey of back and neck pain sufferers, almost one-third of survey participants attributed the onset of neck pain to emotional stress. For example, a television personality suffered neck pain while two members of her immediate family were gravely ill. A teacher linked her neck pain to working with highly disturbed and disabled children. An executive experienced severe neck pain while going through a painful divorce.

The remaining survey participants just 'found' themselves with a pain in the neck one day. Some had had the pain for years, but at a nuisance level. Others found that it seemingly struck full blown out of the blue.

'I woke one morning and, for no apparent reason, could not raise my head or move it from left to right,' said a family therapist. Other participants who echoed her words endured pain for months or years before obtaining neck pain relief.

Relationship Problems And The In-Laws

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:46:50 GMT

Both partners in a relationship are usually in touch with their own parents, and although this is usually a great support for them, it can sometimes cause difficulties. Relationship problems may arise where, say the parents of Partner A do not approve of their son/daughter's partner, and conflict arises.

The dilemma that Partner A has is to keep both relationships going without losing either his/her parents or his/her partner. It may take quite a lot of skill to balance this situation, for example not challenging either the partner or the parents too heavily when they express their opinion of the other, and managing to keep the peace at times when the two antagonistic parties meet.

Christmas and birthdays may be a particularly tense time for partners in this position. One trap to avoid is talking negatively about one party to the other, because a kind of amplification process may build up, in which the person being talked to begins to sense that they can win the battle and detach the partner from the other party.

If you are forced to make a decision between partner and parents, this can be difficult, and your decision will have to depend on how much is at stake (e.g. the welfare of your children) and on how much you value your partner and your parents.

Other relationship problems with families of origin (in-laws) is when Partner A's parents want to be a controlling influence in the relationship, especially where the rearing of children is involved. Their advice may be very good, but when Partner B (often the male in this situation) is bypassed in making important decisions about the children, for example about education or religion, he may feel neglected and resent it.

This situation may arise especially when children are very young, and their mother is insecure about parenting. The father may feel really out of touch, and either becomes a non-participant parent or fights for his parental influence, with negative consequences for the relationship.

The best relationship advice, as is often the case, is for both partners to act as a team, to consult each other as much as possible and to discuss Partner A's mother's advice together before deciding whether to follow it.

Case example

Liam (45) is married to Siobhan (42) and. they have two boys, aged 10 and 8. Liam's mother, who has not worked outside the home, used to be very close to Siobhan, meeting her regularly to take the children out, and giving the children presents. There was a serious argument, however, between her and Siobhan, and Siobhan has now refused to see Liam's mother without Liam being present. The mother is very upset by this, and puts pressure on Liam to arrange meetings with Siobhan and the children.

In therapy the couple agreed that it would be sensible for Liam to see his mother alone on a regular basis, and to arrange frequent family meetings including her, himself, his wife and children.

The mother was not completely satisfied by this arrangement, but accepted it, and at the eldest son's first communion there was a pleasant family gathering with all attending. The important thing in this case is that the couple worked out their strategy and then put it into practice with Liam's mother and the children.

How I Stopped Smoking For Good

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:33:21 GMT

I remember my first cigarette. I was in the woods of the local golf course with three or four other 15-year-olds. The first drag made me feel sick and giddy. But, like an idiot, I stuck with it and pretty soon I was indeed stuck with it - a 25-a-day habit that would, over the following 23 years, cost me thousands of pounds, make me smell revolting, and give me a wheeze that sounded like the massed pipes of the Royal Navy.

The first time I tried to quit smoking was on National No-Smoking Day. By 11 o'clock I was a wreck. By ten past I was smoking. So I trotted out the usual smokers' excuses: it's the pressure of my work ...I don't really smoke that many... it's just something to do with my hands... I couldn't have a drink or a meal without a cigarette.

At first I was wary of any "cold turkey" how to quit smoking programs. I figured that it was just a mind game, a trick. But reluctantly I started to focus on the choice that comes with every cigarette, eliminating the automatic flipping open of my pack of Rothmans. Did I really want to go on smoking? Wouldn't I prefer to give up coughing and wheezing? I started to deal with my habit one moment at a time. Logic entered into a subject that had always been dealt with on an emotive basis. I started to feel in control. The first few weeks were tough, but recognizing that feeling uncomfortable was a critical and positive part of the quitting process made all the difference.

I had previously tried to quit smoking for good by cutting down gradually over a period of time. I realise now that I was trying to get rid of the desire - and why I was so unsuccessful! I thought at first that any stopping smoking techniques would also help me get rid of the desire and that because I was still having these feelings I couldn't be using the program properly.

I'm one of those people whose pain threshold is very low and I'll do anything to avoid it and protest loudly if I can't. Among other things, what any good quit smoking program requires is that you accept the pain! This idea had never occurred to me before. For me, it made all the difference when I acknowledged the desire instead of being frightened that I would immediately have a cigarette. In other words, I had a choice.

What helped the most was when I treated the desire - the voice nagging at me to have a cigarette - like a little child who needs attention. All the child needed was not to be ignored but to be given sympathy, love and attention.

Now. some three and a half years later, the choice of whether to smoke or not arises far less frequently, and has become much easier to deal with. I don't feel smug - just pleased. I'm in control of my life and I'm not smoking - not at the moment.

How The Laser Works In Laser Eye Surgery

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:51:38 GMT

What is a Laser?

LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The first word is a good place to begin. A laser is a light. Not a light like the one in your living room, but a special kind of light. It has unique qualities.

Monochromaticity - A laser has only one wavelength or color. A regular light bulb has a range of wavelengths.

Directionality - A laser has a narrow beam which does not diverge. Compare a laser pointer with a regular flashlight.

Intensity - A laser is an extremely powerful light. A simple laser can produce light which is a hundred times more intense than sunlight.

These properties make the laser useful in light shows, war games, and incidentally, health care. Within medicine, lasers were first adapted for eye surgery.

The Excimer Laser

Lasers are differentiated from each other by the wavelength of their light beam. A laser generated from krypton gas produces light with a wavelength of 647 nanometers (nm). This wavelength falls within the visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation and is seen as red. An argon laser which is used in retinal surgery has a wavelength of 514 nm and is green. A holmium:YAG laser with a wavelength of 2.13 micrometers is useful in the treatment of hyperopia.

The excimer laser uses a combination of argon and fluoride gases to produce radiation in the ultraviolet range (193nm) which is invisible to the naked eye. This laser light has the ability to break molecular bonds in a process called photoablation.

In 1983, it was first realized that this laser could be useful for corneal surgery. Why? Because this laser was different. Unlike other lasers, the excimer had the ability to remove corneal tissue with a high degree of precision, and equally important, without causing thermal damage to the remaining tissue. Sculpting of the cornea entered into the realm of possibility.

It is difficult, yet desirable, to comprehend the degree of precision exhibited by the excimer laser. A millimeter is one thousandth of a meter or four hundredths of an inch. A micron, or micrometer, is one thousandth of a millimeter. That is, one millionth of a meter. For the sake of comparison, a potato chip is about 500 microns thick, a human hair is about 50 microns thick and a single red blood cell is seven microns in diameter. The excimer laser has the ability to sculpt the cornea within a fraction of a micron.

Advocates of laser eye surgery point out that the steadiest hands in the world cannot even approach that level of surgical precision.

There are other kinds of lasers on the horizon which act in a similar fashion to the excimer. The light from these solid state lasers is produced from a crystal, whereas the excimer beam is created from a gas. Technically, solid state lasers are not excimer lasers, but that's a whole new area to explore.

Before you have laser eye treatment, are you certain you fully understand the risks and implications of the procedures, and have you selected the right type of corrective eye surgery for your specific condition? Get all the facts that the ads don't tell you here.

Laser Eye Treatment - What You Need To Know

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:48:23 GMT

It will take a very comprehensive article begin to show realistically the promise of laser eye surgery and other refractive surgery treatments - the power of these highly-technical, life-changing procedures to correct focusing errors such as common nearsightedness. Unfortunately, many people are learning about the popular state-of-the-art LASIK operation through mass advertising campaigns. Some marketing methods can be misleading. Although "sound-bite" commercials help make people aware of this innovative technology, they are unable to tell the whole story.

For example, TV and radio advertisements seldom explain refractive surgery's effect on age-related presbyopia (a condition causing blurry near vision that affects middle-aged and older people). Nor can short commercials present details about potential complications.

Many LASIK eye surgery newspaper articles begin with a happy story about a thrilled patient praising their new miracle vision and end with a sad case about a different person with a poor result. While most people get excellent results, problems absolutely do occur.

Complication rates can vary considerably among doctors, depending upon their surgical skill, their training, and their understanding of their laser. A corneal surgeon - an ophthalmologist specially trained to operate within the cornea's multiple layers - may have an advantage performing LASIK. The newer flying-spot lasers may decrease the chance of problems.

Statistics can be confusing. You may wonder what is covered in the "complication rate."

Does it include "undercorrections" where the patient's eyesight after surgery remains a little near- or far- sighted?

What is the rate of rare serious infections that must be treated immediately with antibiotics?

Are the complications temporary or permanent?

Can they be surgically corrected?

Some complications can be managed immediately during the surgery, some are temporary, and some can be permanent.

You need to be able to select a doctor with the lowest possible complication rates for the procedure that you are considering.

Keep in mind that a physician may have a distinguished career in general ophthalmology, yet still be inexperienced at performing LASIK. LASIK eye surgery looks deceptively easy to perform, but it requires great technical finesse. The surgeon's learning-curve is steep and endless. LASIK has the potential to help millions of people, but the reputation of a procedure is only as good as its worst results. As much as humanly possible, doctors and their informed patients must reduce surgical risks to a minimum.

You may be fascinated with the idea of improving your vision, but you probably fear an operation on your eyes - especially after reading about a poor outcome in the popular press. Knowing the right questions to ask can help you achieve your goals and reduce your anxiety. Of course, caution is always prudent. But I believe that patient education is the key to managing the fear of refractive laser eye surgery.

Such knowledge should enable you to use this sophisticated medical technology to your benefit.

After researching your options you should begin to think more as an expert does. You will gain a better understanding of how your remarkable eyes work. You will have more insight into the benefits and risks of the operations mentioned above. You will know key questions to ask your doctor to see if you are a good candidate for refractive laser eye surgery. My goal is to help you make an informed decision about your eyes. Only then can you decide if the benefits are worth the risks, considering your lifestyle.

Do you want to have refractive surgery? Which kind? Are you a good candidate? If so, which procedure is right for you? And of paramount importance to your future vision, who should be your doctor?

Laser eye surgery is becoming an extremely popular method of correcting vision problems, but do you fully understand the implications and risks of opting for laser eye correction? Arms yourself with the facts about corrective eye surgery to help you make an informed decision before you risk the health of your eyes.

Body Detox Tips - Inject Some Creativity Into Your Life

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:31:51 GMT

Do something different, swap things around and see how it feels. Get a new perspective.

I get up at the same time
I have the same thing for breakfast
I go into my office
I have lunch
I finish at the same time every day
I go home
I watch TV
I make supper
I go to bed
I get up at the same time . . .

Sounds familiar?

There is no room in there for any creativity. I know what happens and when it happens during my day, so I have no need to think about anything because it just happens that way!

Now, if I was to change everything around - I would need to keep my wits about me in order to get everything done in the same length of time.

Your day of change should be total. Everything you do should be done differently. Choose a day that would have been completely routine and turn it topsy turvy:

Set the alarm earlier or later

Get out of the other side of the bed

Have your shower/bath before breakfast or after breakfast, whichever is not the norm

Wear a completely different outfit. If you normally wear dark colors then choose anything you have that is bright and vice versa. Wear trousers not skirts. Wear ties not bowties. Wear cufflinks. Carry a handbag not a carry-all

If you normally wear make-up then go fresh-faced

If you don't wear aftershave then put some on

Get the bus instead of taking the car, or take the car instead of the train

Buy tea on the way into work rather than coffee

Take the stairs, not the lifts

If you normally have tea then use herbal or make coffee instead

If you normally go to lunch then buy a sandwich to eat at your desk or bring in a packed lunch

If you call your friends in the afternoon then call them in the morning

Leave work later than normal or go earlier

Go a different route home

Eat out if you normally eat in, or cook something that you have never had before or get a friend to cook

Watch TV if you normally read, or read if you usually watch TV

Call your parents today instead of Friday

Do the weekly shop late evening instead of Saturday morning

Have a bath before you go to bed or take a shower

Read a book or talk about the day instead of going straight to sleep

Apply moisturizer if you don't normally, then turn off the light.

Any of the above activities could make you look at your day completely differently. You may want to change things permanently, or you may decide to go back to normal. It's up to you. But, for today, be different, be refreshing and inspiring.

There can a lot more to detoxing your body that simply following the latest detox program. Whether it's a more serious drug detox you're starting or are looking for healthy detox tips, check out HealthyDetoxTips.com to get started the right way.

Why You Need To Detox Your Body Regularly

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:26:05 GMT

Every day we hear about new man made chemicals, toxins and pollutants being released into the environment that are polluting the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. Although the toxicity of our environment sounds terribly alarming, the good news is that the human immune system (our main method of fighting off threats to the body) is incredibly robust and very good at dealing with many of these poisons. The body also has its complex excretory system whereby it can eliminate toxins - through breathing, sweating, urinating and defecating. It is only when these elimination processes are impaired or compromised that we accumulate toxins in the body and have to endure the resultant debilitating symptoms.

Problems arise when you are in contact with toxins all the time, ingesting them bit-by-bit, often in minute amounts. It is their cumulative effect over a long period of time that is dangerous and can eat away at the body's strength and core stability. If combined with stress, irregular sleeping patterns and eating hollow foods, the toxin will start to weaken your body, thus making it more prone to disease.

Strong and efficient though your immune and excretory systems are, you probably have (most of us do) a body that is suffering from toxic overload and are desperately in need of a detox.

How often, then, should you detox? If you are constantly absorbing these toxins, you need to be getting rid of them just as frequently. Should detox be a way of life? Yes, it should. If you have thoroughly cleansed your body but you are still exposing it to the same pollutants as before then, every so often, you need to embark on an internal spring-clean to remove all the particularly stubborn toxins.

A concentrated, deep-cleansing detox once or twice a year will keep your body's level of toxicity under control and ensure that the more intransigent toxins are eliminated. You'll notice the difference: as your bodily functions improve, you will, for instance, suffer far less feeling bloated or tired and those headaches will most probably vanish. Your digestive process will improve, your liver and kidneys will function more effectively, your blood will purify itself more easily and your hormone levels will find their perfect balance.

The effect of a full body detox diet is to allow your body to cope with external evils more easily; but, to achieve that, you have to stop putting them into your body in the first place. Because you can do nothing about toxins such as traffic fumes, over which you have no control, the basis of a healthy detox is to eliminate most of the toxins you ingest for a minimum period of three weeks. This has the effect of giving your body a rest from struggling to digest and eliminate poisons and also helping it to remove those already stored.

A healthy detox diet is a twofold process. First: you are going to alter the habits (eating, drinking and smoking) through which we all abuse our bodies and thereby create those symptoms of sluggishness, tiredness, hormonal imbalances, aching joints, headaches etc. This means eliminating potentially harmful toxins from your diet.

Second: you are also going to ensure that you use fewer chemicals in your make-up, homes, workplace, car, etc. You know that CFCs (those chemicals containing atoms of carbon, fluoride and chlorine which are daily released by such objects as hairsprays) are doing untold damage to the ozone layer, so imagine what they must be doing to your liver!

There are plenty of simple steps to take to minimize the damage. One of the easiest ways of reducing toxins coming into the house is by taking your shoes off and leaving them at the door. Studies have shown that one of the main transporters of lead into the home is the shoe. It is extraordinary how seldom we think about the toxic-laden tarmac, dirt and other unknown substances found in the street that we pick up on the soles of our shoes and then cheerfully distribute through the home.

Discover the secrets the celebs use when it comes to healthy body detox diet programs that cleanse and detox your body and help burn fat at the same time. Learn how a simple milk thistle liver detox drink can rejuvenate your health and improve your complexion.

Why You Need To Detox Your Body

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:03:46 GMT

Why A Body Detox Diet Is A Good Idea When We're Living In A Polluted World

We all know about car fumes and air pollution, but many of us don't realise that perfume sprays, furniture polishes, make up, washing detergents and other everyday items contain substances that are toxic and can be responsible for making us feel lethargic and generally unwell, as well as ageing us prematurely.

That lovely pine-fresh smell and orange glow emanating from your wooden chest or floor is nothing more than harmful chemical vapors which, if they enter your system, will start to deplete your metabolic functioning and make you ill. The long-term effect of amalgam fillings in your teeth can cause heavy-metal poisoning which, while it might not be evident for many years, could eventually lead to impaired nerve function.

Scientific studies have shown that people who cook with aluminum saucepans and utensils have higher chance of developing Alzheimer's because the aluminum (not only in the food, but also as a vapor coming off a hot saucepan) enters the bloodstream and eventually makes its way into the blood supply of the brain. There, it is absorbed into the cerebrospinal fluid and causes amyloidal plaques (deposits of aluminum silicate) within the brain tissue that dramatically inhibit certain cells critical to memory and learning. These plaques can eventually lead to Alzheimer's and other conditions causing mental impairment.

Every year, we create thousands more poisons, toxins and chemicals that are dangerous to the body. Their purpose is to speed up and make more efficient the tasks of cleaning, cooking, traveling, producing food and communicating via mobile phones, but they also greatly increase the amount of chemicals that we eat, drink, breathe and otherwise ingest. Nowadays, because there are so many of them, they can quickly accumulate to a toxic level.

Every chemical process in the body - and we have tens of millions of such processes happening every minute - produces toxins as an end result, and these waste products need to be eliminated from the body and eliminated effectively. If they are not, then the toxins will be stored and the effects of them will build up over time.

Primarily they will simply make our bodies tired and sluggish; but eventually, if not cleaned out, they will result in problems of all kinds - impaired kidney function, gallstones, increased hyperacidity (and, therefore, ulcers) and, finally, a deeply depressed immune system.

Following a healthy and craving-free detox diet has been the best kept secret of well known celebrities for years. Find out how a liver detox diet can help rejuvenate your health, improve your immune system and help you lose weight all at the same time.

Everything You Wanted To Know About Laser Eye Surgery

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:37:59 GMT

For millions of nearsighted people and those with other refractive errors, laser eye surgery offers a way to eliminate or reduce dependence on glasses and contact lenses.

Today, several million people around the world can see better as a result of the advances in computerized excimer laser technology. Over the past twenty years, many people have improved their vision with the older, non-laser-based procedure called radial keratotomy, or RK. In the near future, laser refractive surgeries, which are more accurate, may become the most popular of all ophthalmic procedures.

Before having any refractive operation, patients need expert answers concerning all the potential benefits and risks of these ever-evolving surgical techniques. Today, people want to know precisely what happens when a surgeon permanently refocuses their eyes. No longer do patients merely ask their ophthalmologist, "Can you help me see better?" They want the tools to be able to participate in their health-care decisions. They want to know how their eyes work. They want to understand their diagnosis. They want to know exactly how excimer laser eye surgery can improve their vision and why it might work better than RK. And, most important of all, they want detailed answers about their individual chances for better eyesight.

To find answers to these questions, patients need a physician who is experienced in corrective eye surgery - a doctor who follows the latest developments in this complex, technology-based field. If you are considering eye surgery, the relationship between you and your doctor is a special one. Your eyes are as unique as your fingerprints. Your surgeon and your individual healing response will determine your vision for the rest of your life.

Your doctor must help you understand the surgery that is designed to allow you to overcome poor vision. Not only should you have a thorough eye examination with the latest ophthalmic instruments, but you also deserve your physician's complete attention during his time with you. You must make absolutely certain that he clearly understands your visual goals and needs.

Though your eye doctor and his staff may be totally committed to answering your questions, the spontaneous spoken word is seldom as well thought out and detailed as the written word. Hence, even if your physician spent hours explaining refractive laser eye surgery to you, he probably would be unable to present a totally clear and comprehensive picture of these procedures.

For this reason there are many books, articles and websites designed to help you make informed decisions concerning your eyes. They want you to have an absolutely realistic grasp of what can and cannot be done to try to improve your vision. Offering clear explanations in easy-to-read language, most doctors "sit down" with you and present an in-depth look at all the latest life-changing breakthroughs in this highly specialized field.

A well researched article will answer your questions about the newest laser eye surgery, known as LASIK, and about all of the other types of refractive eye surgery, including the original laser-based PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) procedure and the older RK (radial keratotomy) operation. Ideally you also want information that is devoted to comparing the merits of these procedures, and the chances of attaining better vision during an enhancement procedure to fine-tune the first refractive operation.

Laser vision correction procedures are becoming ever more popular these days, and consequently are getting cheaper and therefore within the budget of a lot more people. Before you take the plunge make sure you fully understand the different types of corrective eye surgery and all the risks involved.