Gulfport Healthcare

Naturally Cure for Headaches Part 1 of 40 articles

2010-12-02T01:16:00.000-08:00

Three Exercises That Help with Headaches

All of us need to deal with pain from time to time but the pain of a headache can be something that can really set us on end. Some of us may experience headaches on a regular basis and they can be approaching what would be considered chronic pain. That doesn't always need to be the case and there are three exercises that can be done regularly which will help in many cases to be able to overcome these headaches that you are experiencing.

The first type of exercise is a combination of cardiovascular and weightlifting exercises. There are so many different ways for you to be able to do this exercise but the real essence of it is the fact that you are going to be building up the body from the inside out. Exercise not only helps to balance the body internally, it also assist in doing such things as increasing circulation. A lack of circulation is behind headaches in many cases and other things which exercise does, such as the release of endorphins, can help you to be headache free for the rest of your life. It is important for you to realize, however, that you should not be doing the exercises while you are in the middle of the headache. Just make sure that you get your exercise in daily and you will notice a difference.

Another type of exercises which can assist you with headaches are stretching exercises. It always helps to stretch on a daily basis but this is especially true if you have a problem with tension in the neck and shoulder areas. This is commonly felt by individuals who have desk jobs, particularly those who use computers on a regular basis. Make it a point to stretch on an hourly schedule, keeping your neck and shoulders loose and you will notice less headaches as a result.

One final way of exercising is to do some form of yoga or Pilates. This can fall into either of the two previous categories but in reality, it is a category all of its own. Not only are these exercises excellent for building up the body but they also help us by giving us time to relax and meditate. This can help to build the mind, released some of the stress that you are feeling and avoid many of the triggers would cause headaches in the first place.
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Next Article Part 2 Are You Getting Enough Sleep to Avoid Headaches?

Accelerated Disease of the Aged in Alzheimers

2010-12-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

Due to economical, social, healthcare, education, and other factors the diseases in our older generation are accelerating. Older people may lack education that helps them to spot signs at early stages, which can help geriatrists find cures to various diseases. In addition, as one grows older they tend to avoid socialization. The lack of socialism has caused acceleration of disease. Healthcare is deficient, which has also caused major problems for the older generation, as well as the younger societians.

With so many continuing problems experts of specialize in healthcare for senior citizens is finding solutions, yet these answers is not enough to stop the acceleration of diseases.

Alzheimer’s is a form of dementias, which can escalate to progeroid syndrome. The condition will cause aging signs to increase dramatically, which shortens the expectancy of life. We see this type of disease in our younger generation as well. Children who bald early, or have hunches in the back has encountered accelerated aging conditions.

The condition moves to form Hutchinson - Gilford syndrome, or progeria. Werner’s syndrome may also develop early. In addition, various other diseases may follow, including Down syndrome. This is where Alzheimer’s come in, since it is a general condition known as the sister of progeroid syndrome. Downs starts the aging process to accelerate swiftly. The condition affects glucose, which is the sugar source of energy that promotes proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Blood vessels are affected as well, which starts another disease that leads to intolerance. Gradually the disease begins affecting the entire body, which can develop into cancer. In addition, the disease can escalate to degenerative bone illnesses. Once the bones are hit, thus the body diminishes rapidly. As well, Down syndrome can cause hair loss, which is another symptom of acceleration of aging. Moreover, the disease can cause death prematurely. Down syndrome is damning, since it will target CNS (Central Nervous System), which leads to retardation. The brain starts to deteriorate, which causes Alzheimer’s disease to develop, as well as dementia.

How to fight back

To ward off these diseases early detections must be considered. Most diseases will send signals at the early stages to warn you. If you notice any symptoms emerging, seek medical treatment immediately. Even if the condition is minor, the doctor can move to action to prevent further problems.

The best thing we have in life is the ability to communicate. Use the gift we have, and speak with your physician regularly. Staying informed is another gift, which we have a wide array of information to help us learn. Learning is a beautiful gift and condition that we use to grow healthy. Use it to your advantage.

Statistics has not only shown, but has also proven that those who effectively communicate with their healthcare experts, discussing their condition with the professional medical experts, thus statistics have shown that these people live longer and healthier. Effectively communication however is not only speaking, but it is also the act of joining in the actions to better your health. This moves us back to learning.

When you are informed, you have knowledge that drives you to a well-versed solution. The strategies to take to prevent the diseases include, talking, taking action, partaking, listening, learning (specifically about your condition and overall health), visit your physician at regular intervals, and taking steps with your doctor to prevent disease.

Studies has shown that elders with Alzheimer’s disease also has sister diseases, which counteract the other. To avoid such complications one must consider primary healthcare, and know when to contact the doctor when symptoms emerge. Record keeping can help you continue to monitor your health, which is an outstanding method to reduce disease.

Goal Setting With Hypnosis Chapter 6

2010-12-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

Learn Better Ways To Achieve Your Goals One highly powerful benefit of using hypnosis is the power to train your mind to stay centered on the successful accomplishment of your goal. You will be able to program a specific effect and retain the ability to consciously divert your attention to it in a favorable,success-affirming manner. You can as well eradicate self-sabotage and remove the negative feelings and ideas that are blocking your path to success.

Here are a few ideas for using hypnosis as a goal accomplishment tool.

1. Envision. Program yourself with your desired result. While under the influence of self hypnosis visually imagine that your goal is already achieved and your objective has been accomplished. See it as true. See it through your own eyes and feel all the marvelous feelings associated with that goal accomplishment.

2. Doggedness. Get down into your subconscious mind and alter your inner character traits to match those people who never quit. Program your subconscious mind to be relentless regardless of what is going on in any given state of affairs. Post hypnotic suggestions to formulate an iron will and relentless approach to your goals will be priceless in times of stress and disenchantment.

3. Believe Positively. Discover how to think positively. The subconscious mind has a disposition to replay past memories and cast them back into consciousness in the form of questions and fears. Through the practice of self hypnosis you are able to completely eliminate them. Program your subconscious mind to believe positively and anticipate positive results.

4. Program out the Trouble. Inevitably some trouble will arise when you go after worthwhile goals. Through hypnosis you are able to solve these troubles reasonably quickly. While in trance see yourself successfully passing over the obstacle. You don't have to see how you did it, just visualize yourself at the other side, alleviated, happy and proud that you "figured it out" and reached the other side. If this, in itself, is a problem for you, or you find it difficult to do then look for the advice of a qualified hypnotherapist. A competent hypnotherapist will determine the root of your trouble probably in the fits consultation!

5. Pre-pave your route. Conceive of yourself meeting the correct people and being in the correct place at the correct time. Program your mind like this, by the power of hypnosis, and your subconscious mind will pick up on non-verbal hints, process the 1000000s of bits of information you receive every minute and guide you to the right course of action.

6. Develop Trust. utilize hypnosis to convince the subconscious mind that your destination is already a reality. "Fake it till you make it". Fool your subconscious mind into thinking the "real" world is really exactly like the world you have been envisioning. In the profoundly relaxed state that hypnosis offers you are able to get fully involved in your mental image. Truly feel how great it is to have already achieved all those things you wanted for so long. Enjoy the fact that you're enjoying the benefits of having accomplished that goal.

Immediate Gratification For Breaking Bad Habits

2010-11-30T05:23:00.000-08:00

A habit is any process that we have executed so often that it becomes virtually an involuntary response. If we believe this habit to be unsuitable then we might label it a "bad habit". Individuals spend infinite hours and dollars yearly attempting to break these bad habits and oftentimes don't have any success. How come? Because there's no magic bullet. Modification is hard work and there's no short cut to accomplishing it. The steps an individual needs to take, though, can be very simply outlined. To force a change in habits, one needs to bring the action back into the region of consciousness and find the power to make choices.

The beginning step in breaking a bad habit is to view why you find this action so compelling. Put differently, what's the reward for doing this apparently damaging thing? Since you've already relegated this as a "bad" habit you might be tempted to say there isn't one. However look closer. There's always a reward. Let's say your bad habit is screaming at your kids. What's in it for you? You blow off some steam and feel a bit better for the time being. Or you've a bad habit of leaving the dishes dirty? The reward may be that you get to spend more time on the Net!

Following, consider the trade-off. What is it that you're missing by doing your habit? This step ought to be easier. Just consider why it is that you believe it a bad habit in the first place. Screaming at your children is a bad habit as it leaves everyone feeling tense and pulls down your kid’s self-regard. You're trading a temporary dismissal of tension for the emotional wellness of your kids. Leaving the dishes dirty is a bad habit as your kitchen is a stinking mess. To have more Net time you're swapping off having pleasant living surroundings. When you view it that way it doesn't seem like you're making very sensible choices, does it? There has to be a more beneficial way.

By now you ought to realize that the only way to carry on with a bad habit for very long is to settle back into denial of why you're doing it in the first place. For each one time you start to restart your old patterns the thought will pass across your mind that you're trading X for Y for each one time you execute that action. You'll be forced to make a choice, whether good for bad, about persisting in your habit. What selections will you make? The one that makes you feel sorry about yourself or the one that makes you feel fine? It's up to you.

Quantitative Easing Explained

2010-11-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

Most Requested Prescription Drugs

2010-11-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

Plavix
(Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis)

Lipitor
(Pfizer)

Cialis
(Eli Lilly)

Viagra
(Pfizer)

Propecia
(Merck Frosst)

Nexium
(AstraZeneca)

Advair Diskus
(GlaxoSmithKline)

Flomax
(Astellas Pharma)

Effexor XR
(Wyeth-Ayerst)

Crestor
(AstraZeneca)

Protein Evaluation

2010-10-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Proteins are made up of amino acids. Some of these amino acids are indispensable, others may be made from the essential amino acids.

No two proteins have the same amino acid content. Some of them are very deficient in one or more of the essential amino acids. Either the amino acid is entirely absent or it is present in such minute quantity that one would be forced to consume enormous quantities of the protein to secure an adequate supply of the deficient amino acid. Proteins lacking in an essential amino acid are inadequate proteins.

According to their adequacy, individual proteins are grouped as:

Complete: Those maintaining life and providing for normal growth of the young and reproduction in the adult when fed as the sole protein food. Examples of complete proteins are excelsin of the Brazilnut, glycinin, of the soy-bean, casein and lactalbumen of milk, ovalbumen and ovovitallin of eggs, edestin, glutenin and maize glutellin of cereals. Rose showed that the proteins most suitable for maintaining growth in dogs are lactalbumen (milk), ovalbumen and ovavitellin (eggs); that next in order of suitableness are glutenin (wheat), casein (milk), glutelin (corn) and glycinin (soy bean). Gliadin(wheat and rye) and legumin (peas) are capable of maintaining nitrogen balance, but not growth. Zein and gelatin can do neither.
Partially Complete: Those maintaining life but not supporting normal growth. Examples of these are gliadin, of wheat, hordein of barley and prolamin of rye, legumin of peas, legumenin in the soybean, conglutin, in blue and yellow lupin, phaseolin in the white kidney bean, legumin and vignin in vetch.
Incomplete: Those incapable either of maintaining life or of supporting growth. Gelatin from horn and other hard parts of the animal is the most conspicuous example of an incomplete protein, Zein of corn (maize) is another example of this class.

Let us take a look at an incomplete protein. With zein as the sole source of amino acids, growth is impossible. In fact, experimental animals fed zein as their sole protein, lose weight. If tryptophan isadded to the zein, weight is maintained but growth does not occur. Only after both lysine and tryptophan are added can normal growth take place. Zein is deficient in tryptophan, glycine, lysine and glycocoll.

Gliadin, found abundantly in wheat and rye, lacks sufficient lusine to maintain growth. Gelatin lacks tyrosin and tryptophan. Unless these are supplied to the animal fed on gelatin as its sole source of protein,
it soon dies.

Thus it may be seen that since the nutritive value of proteins is determined by the kinds and quantities of amino acids they contain, all proteins are not of equal value to the body and cannot be used interchangeably. The nutritive value of foods cannot be determined by reference to a table of food composition. This fallacy was exposed by Prof. Huxley many years ago. Sophie Leppel followed him in protesting against the belief that tables of food analysis give reliable indexes to food values. All the fuss made about the need for 118
grams of protein daily, without specifying the kinds of proteins, does not amount to much.

While I have emphasized the fact that the various proteins are not interchangeable, it is necessary to distinguish between the various isolated proteins and the common protein foods. All protein foods
contain two or more proteins. The deficiencies of one protein of a food are often made up by the other protein of the same food. For example, tryptophan may be lacking in one protein and one of the
other proteins in the same food may be rich in this amino acid. Returning to zein of corn, which, as we have seen, will not maintain life; it is supplemented by glutelin, of which the corn possesses almost an equal amount, and these two proteins are capable of supporting a normal rate of growth. Gliadin of wheat and rye lack
sufficient lysine to maintain growth. But wheat contains other proteins which supply liberal portions of this amino acid.

We do not eat isolated individual proteins and do not depend upon but one such protein as our source of amino acids. On the contrary, we eat whole foods which contain two or several proteins. We also eat several foods, all of which contain proteins. Just as one protein in a food may supplement another protein in the same food, so the protein of one food may supplement the protein of another food. Two inadequate proteins may prove adequate when supplied to the same individual. This can be so, of course, only when they are not both
inadequate in the same amino acids. If each is abundant in what is lacking in the other, the combined proteins will prove adequate. The sum total of the various proteins in the diet, if the diet is varied, will prove fully adequate.

It is customary to use young rats in testing the value of the various proteins. It is obvious to everyone that young rats never attempt to live on isolated and single proteins. They eat the whole food and eat different kinds of protein foods so that they receive all of the needed amino acids. Most of the experiments with the different vegetable and grain proteins have been made with denatured proteins and may not prove all that they are supposed to prove. They have been performed with isolated, individual proteins and Hindhede aptly says of these substances that, far from being remarkable that these isolated proteins have so little value, "it is remarkable that such substances, isolated by complicated chemical processes, have any value at all." It may be ideal for experimental purposes, in testing the value of the different proteins, to use only single isolated proteins, but it is a far cry from this experimental condition to the eating practices of man and animals. It is not only true that the diets of both man and animals commonly contain more than one kind of protein food, but it is also true that all protein foods contain two or more proteins. If only a single protein food were consumed, the diet would contain more than one protein. Note the different proteins in corn, wheat, milk and eggs. It frequently happens that the protein in one food is abundant in the amino acids in which the protein in another food is deficient. Thus the two proteins supplement each other so that, together, they constitute a complete protein. Often the deficiency in a protein is so small that a very slight addition of the deficient amino acids from another source suffices to support normal growth and maintenance. All proteins are, therefore, capable of supplying the body with important nutritive substances. The mere fact that a protein is inadequate is not sufficient reason for rejecting it completely.

It is true that some mixtures of protein foods have been shown to be inferior, even, to certain single articles of protein. This is especially true of the grains as compared to milk. Some of the cereal proteins are adequate, but only so when fed in large amounts. Glutenin from wheat may be made to supply a sufficiency of amino acids in which it is deficient only by separating this protein from the wheat and feeding it in concentrated form and in amounts one could not secure by eating wheat. Edistin of hemp is another example of this kind. In
small quantities it does not supply sufficient lusine. The same thing is true of the casein of milk. It is low in cystine, hence in small quantities, does not supply sufficient of this amino acid. Thus it becomes apparent that some complete proteins may prove to be partially incomplete when fed in reduced amounts.

A mixture of grains will not suffice to maintain growth and repair. Rye and barley are about the only grains that are adequate for the adult body. Even a mixture of as many as ten varieties of grains does not provide adequate protein for growth due to the fact that all of them are poor in lysin and cystin and most of them contain too little tryptophan.

In regular practice we do not consume casein as our sole source of protein, nor do we live upon an exclusive grain diet. We regularly consume many other protein-containing foods. Hygienists, on the other hand, have long contended that grains form no normal part of man's diet and have long considered them to be inferior foods. Dr.Densmore was the first to point out the inferiority of grains as an article of human consumption. We are not surprised that the experimenters have fully verified most of his contentions. More of this in a later Post

Amino Acids-What you need to know

2010-10-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

Every species of plant and animal has its own characteristic proteins. The proteins of closely related species are different. Indeed the proteins of different structures of the same organism are different. It has been estimated that there are 1600 different proteins in the human body. Similar complexity of protein constitution exists in the tissues of practically all animals. Each plant, also, possesses several different proteins in its makeup, each different tissue possessing its own characteristic protein. The proteins of the food supply are very different to those of the animal taking that food. These have to be broken down and reconverted into proteins peculiar to the eater. When protein digestion is completed the protein has been broken down into simpler compounds known as amino acids. These are organic acids containing nitrogen. It does not seem necessary that I here enter into any detailed and technical discussion of the complexities of their chemical constitution. This can be of no value to my lay readers and my professional readers may consult their text books and reference books to refresh their memories upon this subject.

Amino acids, called also, the "building stones of the body," are much talked about today. Indeed, it begins to look as though they are now to go through the same over-emphasis, high pressure consideration and commercial exploitation that the vitamins are just now beginning to emerge from. Already synthetic amino acids and amino acids extracted from food sources are offered for sale to the food-conscious public. These offers are accompanied with the usual misleading and unfounded claims for their superior virtues.

The body cannot absorb any protein as such. If protein is absorbed directly into the blood stream, without first undergoing the processes of digestion, it is poisonous. Proteins must be broken down into simpler compounds known as amino acids before they can be absorbed and assimilated. Introduce the amino acids out of which proteins are made and all is well.

Proteins are colloids--amino acids are crystalloids. Plant and animal material should or must be in the colloidal state. Each plant and animal, however, must build its own colloids and in order that the animal body may utilize the substances in plant colloids in building its own colloids, it must first break them down into crystalloids. While it is not entirely correct to speak of protein as containing such and such amino acids, for these are known to us only after the protein has been decomposed; still, for convenience we say proteins are made up of chemical units called amino acids, just as words are made up of letters. Just as the twenty-six letter of the alphabet are sufficient to form millions of words; so, the twenty-two or more amino acids are sufficient to form the many different proteins known and unknown. It is generally believed that there are amino acids that have not been isolated and identified.

Proteins are numerous, each one being different from every other. The protein molecule is exceedingly complex, containing from twelve to twenty different amino acids. Amino acids, themselves, are complex nitrogenous bodies, synthesized by plants in the process of growth. Animals are able only to analyze proteins in the process of digestion, and re-synthesize the resulting amino acids into new and different proteins.

There exists a certain amount of confusion in naming and classifying the amino acids. Berg names the following twenty-one: glycocoll, alanin, serin, valin, leucin, isoleucin, asparaginic acid, asparagin,glutamin, arginin, ornithin, lysin, cystin, cystein, B-phenylalanin,tyrosin, trytophan, histidin, prolin, and oxyprolin. Sherman lists the following twenty-two: glycine, alanine, valine,leucine, isoleucine, norleucine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, serine,theonine, cystine, methionine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid,hydroxyglutamic acid, argenine, lysine, histidine, proline,hydroxyproline, tryptophan and serine. Amino acids serve the following five general functions in the animal body:

They serve as building stones out of which the proteins characteristic of the various cells of the body are synthesized. Thus,they serve as the materials of growth and repair.
The cells use them in manufacturing the many and various enzymes of the body, in producing the various hormones and in producing other nitrogenous products. They are supposed to be employed in the production of genes and antibodies; but as these two "substances" are merely hypothetical entities, who knows.
The blood proteins are made from the amino acids. These proteins, because of their colloidal osmotic pressure, are indispensable.
They are said to be used as a source of energy. In this the nitrogen of the amino acid is regarded as being of little value. But when the amine has been split off from the amino acid the remainder of the molecule, which constitutes the larger part of it, contains no nitrogen,but much carbon. Thus, if they are not immediately needed, certain of the amino acids, such as glycine, alanine, cystine and arginine are transformed into glucose and glycogen.
Some of the amino acids are supposed to serve certain specific functions. A deficiency of trytophan in young rats leads to cataract and blindness and to poor development of tooth enamel. In old as well as in young rats a lack of tryptophan causes blindness and impairs the generation of spermatozoa. Tryphtophan is essential to generation in rats. Tyrosine is thought to be essential to the production of the hormones adrenalin and thyroxin. A reduction of the number of spermatozoa is said to result from a deficiency of arganine.

ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS

The various amino acids are specific in their functions. They are not interchangeable. Of the twenty-two known amino acids only ten or twelve are regarded as essential or indispensable. Tryptophan, tyrosin, lysin, cystin, glutamic acid, histidin and ornathin are among the essential amino acids. If the diet supplies the essential amino acids in adequate quantities, growth, maintenance and reproduction are normal. If one or more of these is lacking or deficient this is not true. Examples: A deficiency of valine in the diet of young animals stunts growth and development to a remarkable degree. If lysin is lacking in the diet there is more or less maintenance but no growth. No matter how much protein and other elements supplied in the diet, if lysin and tryphtophan are lacking, life soon comes to an end.

It is held that the amino acids other than the ten or twelve indispensable ones can be made by the tissues from the essential amino acids, apparently by oxydizing them. Glycine apparently can be manufactured in the animal body from the other amino acids if it is lacking in the diet. Prolin, which may be readily produced in the body

by oxidation of histidin is, therefore, not considered an essential amino acid. Its production from histidin depends, however, upon an over supply of this latter acid. Glycocoll is also of such constitution that it may be produced in the body by the oxidation of several different amino acids. Casein of milk is devoid of glycocoll, but ratsfed upon casein thrive.

By an essential amino acid, then, is meant, one that the body cannot produce by oxidation (reduction) of another amino acid. The animal body cannot synthesize amino acids out of the elements of earth, air and water, but must receive these from the plant, which, alone, has the power to synthesize these substances. The animal body is capable only of producing some of the less complex amino acids out of the more complex ones by a reduction process.

Since the lower grade amino acids are formed within the body out of the higher compounds, they are regarded as of no vital importance. This, in my opinion, is a mistake. The body does seem to require them so that they are actually essential, even if it is not essential that they be taken in as such, but can be produced from other amino acids. On the other hand they can be produced from the higher amino acids only if these latter are present in excess of need. It may also be true that a saving of energy is secured if the lower grade amino acids are taken in with the food stuffs and the body is not compelled to reduce the higher compounds to lower grade. There is another theoretical possibility. The older theories of nutrition overlooked the universal validity of the Law of the Minimum to be explained in a later chapter. Investigators ignored the extent to which every tissue builder is dependent upon all the others. As Berg puts it: "They failed to realize that what is decisive for development, is not so much the absolute quantity of the various nutritive elements, as their relative proportions. They did not understand that the bodily need in respect of any one constituent of a diet can be determined only when we simultaneously take into account all the other factors of nutrition."There is the possibility that when one of the "non-essential" amino acids is lacking in the diet and the body is forced to make it from one of the essential amino acids, an actual reduction, below normal requirements, of the essential amino acid takes place with a corresponding lag in development.

Self Confidence Through Hypnosis-Chapter 5

2010-10-13T02:15:00.000-07:00

The only way to truly succeed in this life and your business is to have ample self confidence. .

Boost Your Self Image

Are you as confident as you would really like to be? Numerous individuals discover that they are subdued from reaching their full potentiality due to a deficiency of self-confidence. The fundamental thing about self-confidence is that it is all in your mind – it is about how you believe and what memories, opinions and thought habits you have shaped since you were young. That which stems from your ideas, conscious and subconscious can be easily changed using your mind.

But it is not as simple as just making up one's mind that you want to think otherwise, and boost your self-confidence. A really important part of taking on new beliefs and change is to make them into automatic habits.

Making them things that you do automatically without having to consciously think about them. As human beings, we are by nature resistive to change. It takes the average person a minimum of twenty-one, conscious repetitions of a new conduct, before they replace an old habit with a new one. So reading this self-help book once is not enough.

There is an easy and efficient way of altering habits and building new subconscious programs. You can use self-hypnosis and guided visualization to get at and re-program your subconscious mind in order to give rise to permanent change in the shortest possible time.

Professionally designed self-hypnosis or plans enable you to access thought patterns, mental attitudes and beliefs that you may not even be consciously cognizant off and replace them with new ones. They also direct you to do active inner searches to enable you to get at undeveloped resources that you can use to help you achieve your potentiality.

A well designed self-hypnosis program will maneuver you through a conscious and subconscious process of releasing negative programming of failure and defeat that you have assembled from childhood on. They motivate you to seriously evaluate all the reasons which you think have added to your lack of confidence, and then to substitute unconscious programming that is no longer of benefit to you.

A well put together self-hypnosis program can outfit you with a powerful guided visualization that you can do whenever you experience your confidence going down, which will fill you with the foregone conclusion that you are capable of achieving the task about which you were doubtful.

What Can Self Hypnosis Do For Your Business-Chapter 4-Programing for money

2010-09-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

Turn Your Brain Into A Money Machine

Now that you are deeply relaxed, it is time to embed (=program) into your Subconscious a few useful statements to help you accomplish your goals. You may supply any instructions of your own design.

You will merely restate each instruction about twenty-thirty times. There is no need to be worried about a rigid count. The more relaxed and untroubled you are when you repeat your instruction, the more in force they will be.

At this time, do not waste your time attempting to envision anything or feel some deep feeling.

Simply take the plan of attack of being the boss who is giving some directions to his servant. There is no need to scream, no need to force.

The less agitated you can feel at the time of giving these directions, the faster they will produce the end-results you want.

Good example: (For the financial area) The succeeding are the instructions you will

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give to yourself, one at a time, and restating each one about twenty-thirty times (or more if you wish to) prior to going to the following instruction and without making any efforts whatever.

Simply think about these instructions sinking deeper and deeper into your subconscious mind:

I am a money attractor
I draw in money like a magnet.
I pull in money quickly and easily.
I am a millionaire. (apply “Every day I am becoming more and more financially well-fixed” if you have a hard time accepting “I am a millionaire”).

Observe: You may as well use different arrangements such as “John, you are a money magnet”, or even “John, BE a money magnet”.

Try out different things and find out which format is most well-situated and natural for you.

Tantric G-Spot Orgasm & Female Ejaculation: Awakening Her Sacred Gate To Supreme Bliss

2010-09-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

Tantric G-Spot Orgasm and Female Ejaculation shows you how to supercharge your sexual play with Tantric G-Spot Orgasms of incredible power and emotional sweetness. In our new how-to sex manual, we guide you to expand your capacity for pleasure by learning to give and receive the amazing ecstasy of Female Ejaculation. Our ebook teaches you step-by-step how to deepen the intimacy of your love life with Tantric Sex, based on thousands of years of tradition and practice. We call the G-Spot the Sacred Gate because it' s the doorway to profound ecstasy, full body orgasms, awakened consciousness, and levels of arousal that can only be described as mind altering. The Sacred Gate to Nirvana or Heaven.

No longer will your or your lover's G-Spot be mysterious and elusive. After reading Chapter 5, you'll know exactly how to find it. After reading Chapter 6, you'll know exactly how to touch and excite it. After reading Chapter 9, you'll know exactly how to pleasure it during intercourse.

In its 12 packed chapters, you'll find powerful techniques to master your own sexual forces, your desires and needs. Because the book is dedicated to the Goddess in every woman, the ebook clearly and graphically explains how to understand female anatomy, enhance female sexual arousal, and find all of her juiciest erogenous zones. Using 36 Kama Sutra sexual positions, we thoroughly demonstrate how to hit your beloved's deepest orgasmic triggers to make sexual intercourse profoundly ecstatic.

More than a reference book or romance novel, we've turned our wealth of knowledge into a practical, do-it-yourself training program for men and women that's both comprehensive and user friendly. It reveals the mysteries hidden deep within your bodies, answers all your questions, and thoroughly explains everything you need to know to have the best sex you've ever had. In addition, we help you experience the feelings you want to create with hot juicy erotic stories of real-life encounters.

Though it's amazingly easy to read and follow, we've jammed Tantric G-Spot Orgasm & Female Ejaculation with frank, accurate, up-to-date information about sexual anatomy, physiology, stimulation and responses. We've backed up the facts with charts, pictures, detailed instructions, and down-to-earth language. Our program-in-an-ebook is richly punctuated with 56 hands-on exercises and 65 sexual practices to quickly teach you these powerful erotic skills.

With the latest scientific findings building on the ancient Tantric traditions, you're going to discover a whole host of new ways to exchange sexual delight: full-body orgasms, multiple orgasms, and extended orgasms with maximum energy that take you to Supreme Bliss. Along the way you'll discover ways that Tantra, the ancient eastern practice of sacred sexuality, can help you drop negative sexual attitudes, release unwanted inhibitions, and awaken dormant sex-positive and expanding responses.

Making Hypnosis Work For You-Chapter 3

2010-09-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

You are able to as well take this self hypnosis a bit further if you want. You are able to learn to give yourself specific therapy as you become more established. Here are a few strategies you are able to use after you have reached relaxation.

What the mind conceives of, it trusts has really happened. If you conceive of something bad happening to you, you'll feel the emotions as though it's truly happening. This can make the mind distressed, as it will inwardly trust that these things have truly happened to you.

Success spawns success, so if you envision yourself achieving something, then it will help you to do simply that. You might wish to envision yourself slimmer, healthier, more successful or wealthier for instance.

Or you might wish to envision yourself having achieved something, like a promotion or a new job. Make the image as real as you are able to, use as many of your senses as you are able to, and do this as frequently.

You're only limited by your vision. As a matter of fact you should notice that your creative mightiness increases the more that you use self hypnosis, as your mind gets more accustomed to using its creative powers. Stick with it.

What I sometimes discover is that individuals will stop using hypnosis once they've made the essential improvements that they wished to make. All the same this may finally deny you the overall benefits of the increased relaxation, as affairs may slowly slip back to

where they started. Set a particular time to do it, even if it's only once or twice a week, and stick to it. If you have particular subjects that you wish to deal with, then step this up accordingly, perhaps daily for a few weeks.

This technique will help some of you to better your mental and physical well-being, and realize what a safe and powerful tool for change hypnosis is. As many people as possible should live long, healthy and happy and successful lives.

Prado E--Cigarette is a battery powered

2010-08-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

Prado E-Cigarette is battery powered and provides smokers inhaled doses of tobacco flavored nicotine by delivering a vaporized liquid nicotine solution to the lungs. When the body absorbs the nicotine, users exhale a harmless water vapor that resembles smoke. This enables the user to smoke the device anywhere without creating harmful second hand smoke.

Chief Medical Correspondent of CNN says, "This is becoming quite popular! Nicotine in and of itself is used to help people stop smoking..."and... "We had somebody who's a smoker try this and they were actually pretty surprised at how much it did feel like smoking, you do have the device that looks like a cigarette, your putting it to your mouth and puffing it like a cigarette...he was actually really surprised at how much it felt like a cigarette."

E-Cigarettes, They’re marketed as a way for smokers to get a nicotine fix without out paying high taxes and facing bans on lighting up in Public Places...

What Can Self Hypnosis Do For You Business-Chapter 2 What the Trance is About

2010-08-24T04:52:00.000-07:00

Chapter 2-What the Trance is About

If you're struggling with the technique of self hypnosis and becoming completely relaxed, then hang in there. Moving into a hypnotic state is a skill that will get better over time.

Don’t anticipate too much, hypnosis isn't the ‘magic state’ that the mass medium frequently portrays it as being. You'll in all likelihood still be cognizant of what is going on around you, and might well think ‘is this it?’ All the same you'll notice the difference when you awake.

It might be worthwhile visiting a clinical hypnotherapist, or purchasing a recording at least one time, in order to get the feeling of a trance. When you have felt a trance a couple of times, you'll be more informed as to what frame of mind you're seeking.

You'll have experienced a hypnotic trance a lot of times in your life. It's the frame of mind where you're so absorbed in a book or movie that you become lost in that domain. It's that frame of mind where you drive for miles without thinking, and you don’t understand how you managed to get to your destination. It's that frame of mind where you gaze into space, daydreaming about nothing in particular.

To deepen the trance or hypnotic state you will direct your mind to go into a deeper and deeper state of hypnosis by counting gradually from ten (10) to zero (0). Some individuals prefer to count upwards from 1 to 20. Here is what you will tell yourself:
As you count slowly from 10 to zero, tell yourself that you are relaxing deeper at each and every falling number.

To heighten the hypnotic state even more, duplicate this countdown one or more times.

As well us this technique if you like:
Mentally focus your attention on different parts of your body and mentally require those parts to loosen up, with no exertion, without forcing:

Begin by telling your feet to relax by directing your attention to your feet and restating several times mentally and absent of force. “Relax both feet, relax both feet.” Some individuals get better results by mentally restating “My feet are relaxing”. Some even use the second person ‘You” as in “John, your feet are relaxing” or even “John, relax both feet”. Restate this instruction several times as you feel your feet starting to relax. Don’t try to make your feet relax. Just permit them to relax.

How to get rid of a cramp immediately-Pinch your upper lip

2010-08-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

My brother recently had hip replacement surgery and during his first day of rehab he developed a severe cramp in his right leg. Since that was the same side as the new hip he couldn't stretch or do anything to avoid the cramp pain. His rehabilitation therapist told us of an old "Eastern Medicine" trick that he learned and it was to simply pinch your upper lip by the thumb and forefinger (as shown in the video) and amazingly enough within a few seconds the cramp goes away. Try it the next time you get a cramp. I can't explain it, but it works!

FREE eBook! What Can Self Hypnosis Do For You And Your Business-Chapter 1

2010-08-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

FREE eBook! "What can Self Hypnosis Do For You and Your Business"

If you would like to receive all ten parts please complete the following:

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1:
Let’s Get Started-Relaxing
Chapter 2:
What The Trance Is About
Chapter 3:
How To Put Self Hypnosis To Work
Chapter 4:
Programming For Money
Chapter 5:
Self Confidence Through Hypnosis
Chapter 6:
Goal Setting With Hypnosis
Chapter 7:
Stress Management
Chapter 8:
How Can Hypnosis Help You
Chapter 9:
Is It Safe?
Chapter 10:
Coming Out

Chapter 1: Let's Get Started-Relaxing

In the first place, you'll need to make certain that you will not be distracted for at the least half an hour, preferably an 60 minutes. Switch off phones, and tell loved ones and friends not to trouble you. Find a comfy place. Someplace that's neat and tidy, and of a comfortable temperature.

Reduce the lighting if this assists you. If you like, you could fire up some candles and burn some incense. You are able to be seated, or you can lay down – whichever you favor. Importantly make certain that your legs are not crossed, as they could end up going to sleep after half an hour.

1. Shut your eyes and conduct ten easy deep breaths – in by the nose, and out by the mouth. Say to yourself the word ‘Relax’ on every out breath.
2. Conceive of yourself at the top of ten steps, with a doorway at the bottom. With every slow step you take downward, feel yourself getting more deeply relaxed.
3. Once you arrive at the bottom open the door to your paragon place of relaxation. It may be a beach, a garden, anyplace. It could be someplace real, or imaginary – your own uniquely particular relaxing haven.
4. Utilize as many senses as you are able to. Take a good look about. Pause and hear all of the sounds. Maybe you are able to hear the call of a bird, or the wind gently blowing out. Perhaps you are able to smell the angelic scent of flowers, or the salt in the ocean? Touch things, and make the experience as actual as you potentially can.
5. Explore your unstraining haven, and enjoy it for as long as you want.

This is a bang-up strategy to help relaxation, and your ability to loosen up will improve the more you do this. Most of us don't relax anywhere near enough, and this can harm our health and our businesses in many ways.
Lack of relaxation can break down our immune systems, making us become more prone to malady. Poor relaxation may as well increase temper, anxiety, poor attention span and sadness. These troubles can affect our behavior, increasing our likelihood to overeat, smoke, drink, takes drugs etc. Even if you just do this relaxation work, you'll massively improve your total health and business in almost every area.

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Chapter 2: What the Trance Is About (Get all ten chapters)

Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System - System with Sleep/Relaxation/Wellness Sound Card

2010-08-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System 650 The Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System is a sound therapy machine that delivers a therapeutic experience, creating a soothing atmosphere to help you relax. By blocking out irritating noises with sounds of nature, the Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System helps the user to fall asleep easier while receiving a higher quality of sleep, thus becoming more alert and comfortable throughout the day. With extra long, high fidelity sounds and the patented Sleep Enhancement technology that slows down to lull users to sleep, the Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System is a perfect sleep aid for anyone suffering from sleep disorders or for those who simply enjoy the soothing sounds of nature. The user may add new sounds of nature to the Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System by simply inserting a memory card containing 12 different sounds. The Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System also features a backlit alarm clock, a multi-positioning timer, and a unique volume reduction for a peaceful decrease in sound volume. In addition to a headphone/speaker pillow jack and a 4-position timer, the Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System is also equipped with an omni-directional reflective speaker that projects sound from the back of the unit for rich, deep sound therapy experience. Get the sleep that you finally deserve when you buy your Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System today from Active Forever! Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System Features: Provides soothing sound therapy to help you relax and sleep Easy-to-use, perfect for all ages Sound themes included: Sleep, Relaxation, Wellness Sound card technology enabled Patented Sleep Enhancement technology lulls users to sleep 4 position timer: continuous, 30, 60, 90 min. plus continuous with gentle off Backlit alarm clock (variable brightness) - wake up to sound or buzzer Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System Specifications: Powered by 4 AA batteries (not included) for portability or AC adapter (included) Headphone/ Sleep pillow jack (headphones and pillow not included) Includes Sleep/Relaxation/Wellness sound card Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System Sleep/Relaxation/Wellness Sound Card Contents: Ocean Surf - Ocean surf provides a calm rhythm that helps you drift off to sleep or creates a relaxing oceanside environment Gentle Rain - A gentle rainfall provides a peaceful setting for relaxation and sleep. The shower sound is particularly good at masking higher toned background sounds Stream - A rippling mountain stream helps you unwind and creates an excellent background sound for daily activities in the home or at the office White Noise - The steady flow of a cascading waterfall is perfect as a natural white noise for masking unwanted background sounds Forest - Peaceful songbirds take you to a secluded forest for relaxation or contemplation Thunderstorm - Unwind to the exhilarating, but soothing sound of distant thunder. More information...

We now carry herbal products from the Hsin Kuan Herbal Store and Clinic

2010-07-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

All our remedies are now available online for worldwide shipping!

Five important facts about Hsin Kuang Herbal Store and Clinic:

specializes in treating rare and refractory diseases
rather than providing general health supplements and vitamins.

does not sell raw herbs but professionally made
capsules and herbal pills with exact formulas and dosage instructions
for easy consumption.

is managed by seven highly qualified and
licensed herbal doctors making us one of the largest TCM centers of
Europe.

has been established since 1956 in London's
Knightsbridge district and treats an average of 15000 patients each
year.

to take our success beyond UK to people all over the
world all our remedies are now available online for worldwide shipping.

More information

Buy Pet Meds Online

2010-07-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Below are listed all pet medications that are currently available.

Atopica (Cyclosporine)

This product is an oral soft capsule for the treatment of skin allergies in dogs. Signs of skin allergies are scratching, licking, gnawing, chewing, skin infections, hair loss, terrible odor and sleepless nights.
read more

Drontal (Praziquantel/Pyrantel)

Drontal is a prescription medication FDA approved for use in cats and kittens. Drontal is a broad spectrum dewormer used in the treatment of tapeworms, hookworms and large roundworms in cats and kittens.
read more

Drontal Plus (Praziquantel+Pyrantel Pamoate+Febantel)

This product is a broad spectrum dewormer used in the treatment of tapeworms, hookworms and roundworms and whipworms in dogs.
read more

Frontline Plus (Fipronil 9.8% and S-methoprene 8.8%)

Frontline Plus provides convenient and effective flea and tick control in dogs and cats, puppies and kittens. It is effective against all stages of the brown dog tick, the American dog tick, lone star tick and deer ticks (the major carrier of Lyme disease). It also kills flea eggs and flea larvae.
read more

Frontline Spray (Fipronil 0.25%)

This product provides fast acting, effective flea and tick control for adult dogs and cats and for puppies and kittens 8 weeks of age or older. It is effective against all stages of the brown dog tick, the American dog tick, lone star tick and deer ticks (the major carrier of Lyme disease). It is also used to kill fleas.
read more

Frontline Top Spot (Fipronil 9.7%)

This product provides convenient and effective flea and tick control for dogs and cats, puppies and kittens. It is effective against all stages of the brown dog tick, the American dog tick, lone star tick and deer ticks (the major carrier of Lyme disease).
read more

Heartgard Plus Chewables (Ivermectin+Pyrantel Pamoate)

This product is given to dogs once a month for the prevention of heartworm disease. This product also protects against hookworms and roundworms in dogs. It is recommended by the American Heartworm Society that heartworm prevention be used year round. This product may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this guide.
read more

K9 Advantix (Imidacloprid/Permethrin)

K9 Advantix is a monthly preventative for dogs that both repels and kills fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. Because it repels and kills, K9 Advantix offers a more comprehensive protection against fleas & ticks in comparison to other veterinarian-recommended brands. K9 Advantix stops biting fleas within three to five minutes and kills 98-100 percent within 12 hours.
read more

Malaseb Shampoo (Miconazole nitrate 2%+Chlorhexidine Gluconate 2%)

This product is an antifungal and antimicrobial shampoo used for dermatological conditions such as ringworm and dermatitis caused by gram positive bacteria, fungi and yeast . This product can be used for dogs, cats and horses.
read more

Metacam (Meloxicam)

This product is an oral nonsteroidal ant-inflammatory drug (NSAID). This product works by reducing hormones that cause pain and inflammation in the body. This product is used to reduce pain, inflammation and stiffness as a result of acute and chronic musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis. This product may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this guide.
read more

Optimmune (Cyclosporine)

This product is an immunosuppressive agent used to reduce inflammation in the eye(s). This product is used to treat chronic dry eye (KCS, keratoconjuntivits Sica) that may be caused by inflammation. This product may also be used for purposes other than those listed.
read more

Revolution (Selamectin)

Revolution is a topical parasiticide applied once a month for the prevention of heartworm disease in dogs and cats. Revolution is also used on dogs for the treatment or prevention of fleas, the American Dog Tick, ear mites and canine sarcoptic mange. When used on cats it is also used to treat or prevent fleas, ear mites, hookworm and roundworm. It is recommended that heartworm prevention is used year round. Revolution may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this guide.
read more

Rimadyl (Carprofen)

This product is a nonsteroidal ant-inflammatory drug (NSAID). This product works by reducing hormones that cause pain and inflammation in the body. This product is used to reduce pain as associated with surgery or dental procedures. This product is also used for the treatment of inflammation and stiffness as a result of conditions such as arthritis or hip dysplasia. This product may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this guide.
read more

From PMS to PPD-Understanding the Pases of the Female Body

2010-07-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

The female body is a mystery to most--including women! With cycles and phases, hot flashes and periods, it's no wonder people get a little confused when discussing the who, what, when, where and why of the female body. This e-book should shine a little light on the subject. When you're done reading, hopefully and new found appreciation of the complex systems that keep our bodies in check will be developed. If not, at least you'll know just what causes PMS and why pregnant women have morning sickness.

Are you ready to learn all there is to know about the science of the female? Hold on tight! It's going to be an emotional, nausea-ridden, and otherwise stereotypically feminine ride.

Please note: this e-book is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have any conditions or complaints they should be checked out by a licensed physician. The content included herein is for informational purposes only.

Chapter 1 – It's That Time of the Month, Again

You may hear about it often. Women might refer to it as Aunt Flow, the rag or that time of the month. These colorful names all refer to the same thing: menstruation.
Menstruation

More commonly referred to as one's "period" menstruation occurs approximately every 28 days. Beginning at around the age of 12, although a littler earlier or a little later is perfectly normal, a young girl will experience her first period. She will have a period every month or so until she gets pregnant or until she reaches menopause later in life.

However, during these 28 days, there is always something going on in a woman's reproductive system. The menstrual cycle takes about 28 days to complete and takes in several stages. For convenience's sake, we've divided the cycle into two halves.
Menstrual Cycle Part 1

At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, the body begins to prepare for the possibility of becoming pregnant. So, when estrogen levels rise, the body takes that as a signal to start thickening the uterine lining. At the same time, the egg or ovum is stimulated in one of the ovaries to become mature.

At the halfway point, the mature egg is released from the ovary in a process called ovulation.

Menstrual Cycle Part 2

After the egg has been released from the ovary, it begins to make its way through the fallopian tube. At this point in time, a woman can become pregnant. When the uterine lining is at its thickest and if the egg is fertilized, it will attach itself to the lining and pregnancy begins. However, if the egg is not fertilized, it is then passed from the body along with the uterine lining during menstruation. This material is passed from the body through the cervix and out through the vagina.
Dealing With The Period

There is a law of averages in play when people discuss a woman's period. The fact of the matter is, no two women are exactly alike. One woman may have a period that lasts two days, is super heavy and pain free while another may experience an eight-day period, with moderate bleeding and severe cramps. It's really hard to say what one's experience will be.

However, in the world of averages, a period typically lasts between three to five days. Some women have to take over the counter medication to ease the discomfort associate with their period.

As an adolescent, one's period may be quite irregular and hard to predict just adding loads of fun to the already turbulent teen years. As a woman grows into maturity, her period should become more regular and predicable. If this is not the case, birth control pills are often prescribed to keep things regular and healthy.

Menstruating women have two choices between products to deal with the menstrual flow. These include pads or sanitary napkins and tampons.
Common Menstrual Problems

As you can imagine, a woman's menstrual cycle is not all fun and games. While it usually is carried out without too much problem--not including cramps and PMS, of course-- menstruation problems are common and affect many women.

Dysmenorrhea

Dysmenorrhea is essentially a condition involving painful periods. Symptoms are most often extremely painful menstrual cramps. Sometimes, an underlying condition can be causing the pain.

- Endometriosis is a painful condition involving the growth of uterine tissue in other areas of the body. When menstruation occurs, this overgrown tissue has nowhere to go, and can cause severe pain. Eventually, this condition can cause pain during sex, irregular periods and even infertility.
- Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that attach themselves to the uterine wall. Their presence can cause painful periods, excessive bleeding and potentially infertility.
Amenorrhea

This condition is the lack of a period. A young woman may have never started her period or she may have started and then stopped having it abruptly. Causes for amenorrhea vary widely on the individual but include anything from complications from an eating disorder, stress or exercising, to pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Menorrhagia

Menorrhagia is, essentially, abnormal bleeding from the uterus or vagina. It can appear as very long periods, periods every other week, bleeding between periods much heavier than spotting, or very heavy bleeding. This condition often appears in women approaching menopause and women with hormone problems.
Period Abnormalities

As stated before, most women begin their periods between the ages of 11 and 15. This is perfectly normal. However, women who have not yet had a period by the age of 16 should see a doctor.

Other menstrual related reasons to see a healthcare provider include:

- Excessive bleeding.
- Severe abdominal cramping.
- A period that lasts much longer than normal.
- Bleeding that is more than spotting between periods.
- An abruptly stopped period.
Toxic Shock Syndrome

Toxic Shock Syndrome or TSS is a condition that can arise from the wearing of tampons. TSS can be fatal, so it is important to know the signs and symptoms and what you can do to prevent it from occurring.

Symptoms

- High fever.
- Diarrhea.
- Bloodshot eyes.
- Sudden dizziness.
- Aching muscles.
- Rash.
- Sore throat.
Preventative Measures

In order to help prevent the potentially deadly TSS, follow the instructions included with the tampon pack carefully. Also, only use tampons when you are on your period. Be mindful of your personal flow and use the lowest absorbency necessary. It is better to change your tampon often that keep the same one in for a longer period of time. Finally, change your tampon every 4-8 hours and try alternating between pads and tampons, especially on your light days.
Chapter 2 – PMS Is Not Just "Cramps"

Oh, it is the bane of most women's existence: PMS, or Premenstrual Syndrome to be exact.

Can you believe people used to believe PMS was a myth? On the contrary, it is a real condition with real symptoms that many women experience each month.

These symptoms occur about a week before your period starts and usually stop right after menstruation begins. However, many women experience PMS up to 14 days prior to their period and throughout it as well.

There is a difference between discomfort prior to your period and PMS. PMS makes it nearly impossible to function at work or at home either due to physical discomfort or emotional turmoil.
Causes of PMS

While no one knows for sure what causes PMS, it is most likely caused by the hormonal fluctuations and changes at certain points in a woman's menstrual cycle. It is important to note that PMS is not caused by any underlying psychological condition. Rather, stress and intense situations may worsen PMS symptoms.
Symptoms of PMS

The symptoms of PMS vary widely. Have you caught on yet? Just about everything related to the processes of the female body vary between individual women. However, some of the most common PMS symptoms include:

- Increased appetite.
- Depression.
- Constipation.
- Bloating.
- Edema or swollen extremities.
- Muscle and joint pain.
- Irritability and anxiousness.
- Lessened sex drive.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Tender breasts.
- Tiredness.
- Headaches.
- Difficulty concentrating.

PMS Treatments

PMS does not have a cure, but it can be treated and managed in several ways. There are many things you can do at home to manage PMS (see following section) but your doctor can also prescribe some medication should he or she deem it necessary in adequately treating your symptoms.
Antidepressants

Some women suffer from severe anxiety, nervousness and irritability as a part of PMS and are sometimes prescribed antidepressant medication to help stabilize the mood swings that would otherwise be raging due to hormonal fluctuations.

Diuretics

Diuretics are sometimes referred to as water pills because they help the body eliminate unnecessary stores of fluid and sodium--the primary culprits in PMS bloat. After some careful monitoring of your symptoms, you'll usually be advised to begin taking the diuretic pills just prior to the beginnings of your PMS symptoms.
Birth Control Pills

"The Pill" can help stabilize PMS symptoms substantially by making hormone fluctuations less intense. Birth control pills have also been shown to make periods shorter and less painful in some women. However, just like with any other medication, birth control carries with it risks of its own, and should be considered before deciding to take it.

At-Home Remedies

We've discussed what your doctor can do to help you relieve those pesky PMS symptoms, but now we're going to look at what you can do from the comfort of your own home.

There are, of course, several over-the-counter medications available to help treat PMS and other period-related problems. They usually combine a diuretic with a pain reliever. But there's more you can do to make your menstrual cycle less miserable.

- Eat Right. For starters, getting yourself on a healthier diet can reduce PMS symptoms. Avoid foods high in sugar and in fat and try to cut out caffeine altogether to reduce irritability. Also, lots of salt intake can really up the bloat factor. Try to reduce your salt intake the days right before your period. Lastly, break up those large meals. Three full meals a day can be heavy on the stomach and lead to constipation, bloating and all sorts of other PMS-related troubles. Try eating six small meals rather than three large ones.

- Sleep Right. Try to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. Attempt to get a full eight hours each night. Also, establish your bed as a place of rest, not a place for eating, reading, watching TV, working or whatever else it is you do!

- Exercise Right. Try working out every other day on a regular basis. Try to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity four times a week. This keeps you in shape and helps you to feel better all the time, not just during that time of the month.

- Schedule Right. Although some things cannot be moved, try to move events and happenings in your life that are taxing to the week following your period. This reduces your stress level and decreases your overall suffering.

Another great way to battle PMS is to load up on the calcium. 1000 mg a day helps to reduce bloating, cramps and joint pain associated with your oncoming period. Plus, you can't ignore the other wonderful benefits of a steady diet of calcium such as strong bones, teeth and a lessened risk of developing osteoporosis later in life.

Some months, your PMS may be barely noticeable. Others, it might be uncontrollable. The female body can be quite unpredictable, hence the importance of learning about the functions and phases women go through and how we can make each of them easier to deal with.

Chapter 3 - Pregnancy

It's one of the most joyous and stressful times in a woman's life: pregnancy. While physically taxing and nerve-wracking, it is also wonderful. This section breaks down just how the process of conception works, fertility issues, how to tell if you’re pregnant and what you can expect along the way!
Fertility and Conception

Some people just become pregnant out of the blue, while others have to work hard to achieve a pregnancy. A lot of it depends on where you are in your life and your own predisposition to becoming pregnant.
Preconception

There are many ways to monitor your fertility to ensure you try to conceive on the most optimum days. One of the most common ways to do this is to chart your basal body temperature or your BBT.

The BBT is the temperature of the body at rest and it can tell you a lot about a woman’s fertility and where she is in her cycle. You can do this by taking your temperature with a digital thermometer at the same time each morning when you wake up. Write down the temperature for each morning, beginning on the day you first start your period.

After you ovulate, you will notice a rise in temperature of around .4 degrees. Now you know that the days prior to this increase in temperature were your most fertile days—the best time to attempt to conceive.

Another way to monitor your fertility is to chart the cervical fluid. This can be done by wiping the vaginal area with your fingers before you urinate. If you are ovulating, the fluid will be of an egg white consistency, slightly clear, wet and stretchy. This it he best time to have sex, as this type of cervical fluid is indicative of prime fertility. This phase is preceded and following by a period of creamy, white fluid. While it may seem somewhat gross, this is your body’s natural way of telling you when you’re ready to conceive.
Boosting Fertility

Not every couple can have a baby just like that. In fact, many have to boost their fertility by monitoring their daily activities. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating properly and exercising regularly all contribute to an individual’s ability to conceive. While it is primarily the woman that must be in the normal weight range, men should also be cautious of this factor.
Along with being in good health in general, the foods you eat can play a vital role in boosting fertility. Some foods to add to your diet include:

- Antioxidants: Green tea, in particular is a great source of antioxidants which keep the immune system high and makes sure baby will be healthy when you do conceive.
- Vitamin C: Oranges, or any other citrus fruit act as a terrific fertility booster.
- Water: Good ‘ol H2O may seem like a no brainer, but ensuring you’re getting your 8-8 oz. glasses a day can work wonders on fertility.
- Calcium: Women in particular need lots of calcium to grow a healthy baby. After all, it promotes the growth of healthy bones.
- Folic Acid: Whole grains and green, leafy vegetables are great for you and baby. Eating foods rich in folic acid can actual help prevent defects.
Fertility Problems

Many couples suffer from infertility wherein the man, woman or both suffer from a condition that makes it difficult for them to conceive a child.

Infertility can be caused by:

- Ovulation problems.
- Low sperm count.
- Low quality sperm.
- Infections of the vagina, cervix, and other reproductive organs.
- Certain illnesses such as diabetes.
- STDs.
- Aging.
- Radiation exposure from cancer treatment or other sources.
- Genetic diseases.

As you can see, there are many factors contributing to a couples’ ability to conceive. It only takes one problem to cause infertility; however, most couples who suffer from fertility problems have more than one problem to contend with. The best way to beat fertility issues is to see your doctor. If you have been trying to conceive for a year with no luck, it may be time to pay a visit the doctor so both man and woman can be tested.
Signs and Signals of Pregnancy

Sometimes, you might just have a sneaking suspicion that you're expecting. Not because you've skipped a period, either. Rather, the body provides several clues that one is pregnant, several weeks before a pregnancy test can even provide a result. If you've been trying to get pregnant and experience one or several of the following symptoms, you might just be expecting!

- Light Spotting: A bit of bleeding at the earliest stage of pregnancy is completely normal and indicates the egg has implanted itself in the uterine lining. This may also cause mild cramping.

- Tender Breasts: Also in the earliest parts of pregnancy, your breasts will begin to enlarge and feel fuller. They may also be quite tender, sore or just feel plain odd.

- Nausea: While morning sickness typically doesn’t begin until around four weeks, it can start as early as two! You may feel nausea and experience vomiting, especially after having just eaten or being around any strong odor.

- Fatigue: In the earliest stages of pregnancy, your body is preparing to support and nurture the life that is growing inside you. Your heart pumps faster as your body produces more blood to accommodate the carrying of nutrients to baby. All of this internal work is bound to leave you feeling drained.

- Dizziness: A number of factors may contribute to a feeling of lightheadedness early in pregnancy. Your blood pressure drops as the blood vessels in your body expand to accommodate the increase in blood. Low blood sugar can also contribute to this sensation of faintness.

- Constipation: Fatigue is a common symptom of pregnancy. Funnily enough, this fatigue does not just slow down how you feel and function. It also slows down the digestive tract. With high levels of the hormone progesterone in your system, digestion slows down, leading to potential constipation.

- Cravings and Aversions: Pregnant women are known for their killer sense of smell. Little do people know that it is this heightened olfactory awareness that causes women to become violently ill at a whiff of certain foods. Primary culprits include coffee, spicy foods, meats and dairy products. Pregnant women are also known for their out of this world cravings. Your food actually tastes different in early pregnancy as hormones prepare your body to grow a human being.

- Elevated BBT: Your BBT or Basal Body Temperature is your temperature immediately after you wake up in the morning. Many women use the BBT to monitor their ovulation, as it is slightly raised at this point in the cycle. If your BBT is raised for two weeks or more after ovulation, you’re very likely pregnant!

Each trimester of your pregnancy brings with it unique challenges. Your expectations of yourself and others will change as your body changes. The following breaks down what you can expect out of each trimester of your pregnancy, along with how to stay healthy for baby—mind, body and soul.
First Trimester

This is it! You’re pregnant and may not even know it yet as a tiny baby begins to grow inside you. But becoming pregnant brings with it massive changes. Pregnancy is one of the most physically demanding tasks a woman can endure, so brushing up on some of the basics certainly can’t hurt.
Symptoms

Much of the symptoms you’ll encounter during the first trimester of pregnancy are the same or similar to those that may have indicated you were pregnant to begin with. As hormones begin to rush throughout your body in preparation for a brand new life, you may experience nausea, dizziness, fatigue, sore breasts, and frequent urination. It can be difficult dealing with these symptoms, but with a bit of knowledge you can battle these pregnancy ailments like a pro.

For instance, if you’re experiencing morning sickness, eating smaller meals, keeping saltines nearby and avoiding odors that make you queasy can help to squelch the nausea. Or, if you’re lightheaded, avoid standing in one spot for lengthy periods of time and stand very slowly when getting up from a nap or from sitting. It may seem impossible to deal with at first, but you can learn to cope with these early pregnancy symptoms.
Prenatal Exam

This should be the first thing on your pregnancy to-do list. While you may want to go out to find cute things to decorate the nursery with, the first thing you should do upon finding out you’re pregnant is to set up an appointment with your healthcare provider. This initial appointment will cover a lot of ground regarding you, your health and your baby. Expect to go through all of the following:

- Health assessment. Basically, you’ll undergo a regular physical exam to determine your overall health. Expect to be weighed, have a height measurement taken and to have your heart listened to.

- Medical History. Even though it’s annoying and it seems like you’re always asked the same questions each time you go to the doctor, this time, your healthcare provider will ask questions with your pregnant state in mind. You will be asked about your menstrual cycle, allergies, and family history of certain medical conditions including genetic defects.

- Pelvic Exam. Your healthcare provider will evaluate the vagina and the cervix for abnormalities. They will also look to confirm how far along in your pregnancy you are.

- Blood Samples. No one likes needles, but blood tests are absolutely necessary to have important information about you on file. They will test to see what your blood type is, for Rh factor and to see if you have been exposed to diseases such as syphilis, measles and hepatitis B.

- Urine Samples. Yes, you need to pee in a cup. But this test is good for determining whether or not you have a kidney or bladder infection and can determine if you are a candidate for gestational diabetes.

- Due Date. One of the most important things you’ll learn at your prenatal exam is your due date! This is determined by taking the date of your last period and adding 40 weeks.
Diet and Exercise

A prenatal vitamin should become a part of your daily regimen right when you find out your pregnant. If you smoke, you’ll need to quit right away, along with ceasing the consumption of alcohol. Remember: whatever you put in your body, you’re also putting in your baby’s body.

With your healthcare provider’s go-ahead, you should be able to maintain your regular fitness routine. If you’re not one for exercising, take up walking. This will help you maintain a healthy weight during your pregnancy and keep up your strength for when it comes time to deliver.
Development

By now, you may be wondering what baby is up to in the womb while you’re keeping doctor’s visits and puking up a storm. The first trimester is the first three months of your baby’s life. Let’s look at it by week.

Weeks 1-3 are devoted to becoming pregnant: They include your last period, conception and the actual point the fertilized egg becomes implanted in the uterus.

Weeks 4-6: At week 4, baby is officially an embryo and begins to develop major organ systems such as the brain and spinal cord. Week 5 brings the first beats of your baby’s heart and Week 6 brings the first hint of facial features.

Weeks 7-9: The appearance of the umbilical cord, completed limbs, fingers and toes and the first hints of movement mark these three weeks in your baby’s development. Note: even though baby may begin to move as early as week 9, you will not be able to feel it yet.

Weeks 10-12: The embryonic tail disappears at week 10 and bones begin to form. At week 11, baby is officially a fetus and the sex of the baby can now be easily determined. Up to three inches long at week 12, baby begins to form fingernails and toenails.
Second Trimester

We’re moving right along! Many women consider the second trimester to be the most enjoyable of pregnancy. Most of the morning sickness and fatigue have subsided by now and baby is not big enough to make your internal organs feel squashed leaving you horribly uncomfortable. Enjoy these three months while they last!
Symptoms

Many of the bodily symptoms associated with the second trimester of pregnancy are common sense, but they still need to be mentioned. After all, it’s better to know what to expect, right?

- The Ever-Expanding Tummy: Of course your belly grows! In fact, you’ll probably gain around 4 pounds every month until it’s time to deliver. As your baby grows, your uterus grows. As your uterus grows your abdomen grows too.

- Bigger Breasts: Did you know your breasts can grow up to two cup sizes during pregnancy? The hormones surging through your body stimulate the glands that produce milk in your breasts. Fat can also accumulate in the breasts.

- Constipation: You may have experienced constipation during the first trimester as well, but it can still be quite a problem throughout the rest of your pregnancy. As your baby grows, she presses on your internal organs, causing the digestive system to slow down considerably, resulting in complications such as constipation.

- Discharge: A bit of extra vaginal discharge during the second trimester is completely normal. It is believed that this highly acidic discharge helps to fight off bacteria that could potentially enter the vagina.

- Braxton-Hicks: You can consider these contractions as “practice” contractions. Your uterus has a very big job to do come delivery day, so it starts to build its strength early on. Painless contractions in the lower abdominal and groin areas are perfectly normal.

- Bladder Infections: The longer urine sits in your bladder, the more likely you are of developing a bladder infection. As the uterus grows, it presses on the bladder, further slowly down the flow of urine. Be sure to drink plenty of water to combat this unpleasant side effect.

- Dizziness and Shortness of Breath: As your body prepares for baby, blood vessels expand yet may not have a sufficient enough blood volume to fill them, causing you to feel dizzy. While this problem will generally work itself out, it’s best to avoid standing for long periods of time to combat the lightheadedness. Likewise, your lungs are filling up with more oxygen than they ever have before, leaving you feeling slightly out of breath.

- Darkened Skin: Because of all of this increased blood flow, your skin can change pigment as well, especially the nipples, genital area and face. While you may end up with a healthy glow, you may also end up a bit blotchy!

- Heartburn: Again, your digestive system slows way down during pregnancy. When you eat, the food is pushed down the esophagus much slower than normal, leaving you with a nasty case of heartburn.

- Sinus Congestion: While this increased blood flow thing has been good for the rest of your body, it can be quite disruptive to the nasal passages. In fact, as your blood volume increases, the mucous membranes of the nose and sinuses swell up, leaving you feeling congested.
Prenatal Care

You should be getting quite friendly with your obstetrician by now! During the second trimester, you’ll probably have an appointment once a month to make sure everything is right on track. Here are some things you should expect at the doctor’s office.

Tests: Lots of them, too! Everything from the standard diagnostic procedures like blood tests, urine tests and blood pressure checks will be performed to make sure you are in tip-top shape. Likewise, your weight will be monitored closely, as will the size of your abdomen.

Movement: At around 20 weeks, you should feel baby move for the first time. Your healthcare provider will want to know when you first feel movement in the womb.

Heartbeat: An ultrasound will be performed to gain a visual of the baby and make sure everything is fine developmentally. At this time, you’ll be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat.

Prenatal Testing: While certainly not necessary, it is always a good idea to consider having prenatal testing done to determine the risk of congenital defects, genetic diseases and other such problems. Common tests performed are blood tests to check for genetic problems, ultrasounds for development problems and more invasive tests such as the amniocentesis to check for specific conditions.
Diet and Exercise

If you were active before your pregnancy and during the first trimester, there is no reason why you cannot continue to be so during the second trimester, with your doctors’ permission, of course. Avoid jarring physical activities, however and anything that may put your balance at risk. As your belly grows, your center of gravity becomes quite thrown off, making it more likely than ever you’ll take a tumble. Activities to avoid include hiking, mountain biking, skiing and anything else that puts your tummy at risk.

You may notice your appetite increasing. While you are not literally eating for two, you will have to eat a bit more (of healthy foods, that is) to keep up a higher caloric intake. You need to keep your energy up so baby can grow healthy and strong. Try eating several smaller meals throughout the day to keep those carbohydrates in your system.
Development

Now you’re really cooking! Baby is changing each and every day and she’s looking more and more like an actual little person! Here’s the week-by-week rundown of what the little one is doing in the womb.

Weeks 13-15: Baby starts kicking and moving all over the place at week 13, even though you can’t feel it yet. The sex of the baby continues to become more and more apparent with the prostate developing in males and the ovaries moving into place in females. Likewise, at week 15, baby will develop skin and possibly hair follicles.

Weeks 16-18: The fetus can now make a fist and is capable of simple facial expressions. At week 17, fat begins to be stored in the body for protection and warmth afterbirth. The ears will become functional as well, allowing baby to hear your heartbeat, stomach grumble and loud noises from outside the womb.

Weeks 19- 21: A protective coating called vernix now covers baby’s skin. At 20 weeks, you’re halfway through your pregnancy and baby’s movements are probably perceivable by you now. At week 21, baby can swallow amniotic fluid and gain nourishment from it.

Weeks 22-24: Your baby will begin to develop the sense of touch and try touching everything around him or her. Amazingly, females are now equipped with all of the eggs they will ever have at this point. The lungs prepare for breathing outside the womb at week 23 and the skin slowly loses its transparency. Baby has a completely developed inner ear at this point and can tell if he is upside down or right side up. Baby will also sleep and wake regularly.

Weeks 25-27: While nerve connections are not fully developed as of yet, baby will still use her hands to touch and feel all that is around her. Hair on the head, eyebrows and eyelashes are forming well and fully. At the end of the second trimester, baby will have at least tripled her length from the end of the first trimester.
Third Trimester

You’re nearing the end of the exciting journey of pregnancy. You might be counting the hours until the end, or enjoying every last minute of it. Each woman’s experience is different.
Symptoms

While much of the annoying symptoms you experienced at the beginning of pregnancy have now passed by, you may find yourself more uncomfortable than ever or suffering from new symptoms altogether. The following should give you an idea of what to expect.

- Swelling: Swollen feet are no stranger to pregnant women in the third trimester. As your belly continues to grow, it presses on the veins that bring the blood back out of the legs, leaving them swollen. With all of those dilated blood vessels, other parts of the body may begin to swell as well such as the face and hands.

- Backaches: As baby grows, so does your abdomen throwing a considerable amount of strain on your lower back. Not to mention the fact that hormones during pregnancy work to loosen the ligaments between your bones. This places an even larger strain on your back.

- Varicose Veins: If you notice blue or raised veins on your body you have varicose veins. These appear most frequently in the legs during pregnancy. Since the veins in the pelvis are somewhat compressed, blood tends to pool in the legs, causing unsightly eruptions.

- Increased Urination: Expect to be running to the bathroom often during the last trimester of your pregnancy. As baby grows, the more she will press on your bladder making it feel as though you have to go all the time. Plus, once baby drops nearer to your due date, the pressure will increase even more.

- Bigger Breasts: Yes, they keep on growing! Women tend to gain 1-3 pounds of breast tissue during pregnancy! Also, as your due date draws near, expect to begin to leak colostrum, the nutrient-rich substance your baby will survive on for a few days after birth.

- Increased Weight: About 30 pounds of weight gain is normal during pregnancy. While baby factors into part of this added weight, so do several other things such as the placenta, the extra blood in your system, increased fat and a fluid retention.

Prenatal Care

Your doctor visits will become more frequent now as your due date approaches. Expect more pelvic exams and general discussion of the condition of your cervix. You will also be tested for certain conditions during the third trimester including:

- Group B Strep: Group B Strep is a bacteria that lives in the rectum or vagina of some women. While it is not harmful to you, it can cause a serious infection if baby is exposed to it at birth. If you test positive for this bacteria, you will most likely be required to go on antibiotics during labor.
- Anemia: If you are found to be anemic, wherein you have a low red blood cell count, you’ll need to take iron supplements to boost the hemoglobin in your blood. Being anemic during pregnancy can cause slowed development and even preterm labor.
- Diabetes: Some women experience gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that is only present during pregnancy. If you are diagnosed, a proper diet should be able to manage the problem.

Your baby’s position will also be monitored. If your baby is breech, or feet down, the doctor may attempt to turn the baby using a procedure called external version, where he presses on the abdomen in a certain way to encourage the baby to turn. C-Section is always a possibility in the case of a breech baby.

After week 36, you’ll most likely be asked to come once a week until you begin labor.
Diet and Exercise

If everything looks good, you will most likely be able to continue your fitness plan as normal. Just avoid any activities that put your balance in question. Also, avoid any strenuous weight lifting, as this can also throw you off balance and it places a large amount of pressure on the abdomen.

And remember: you’re not eating for two, but you are eating for more than one! A slightly increased caloric intake is necessary to ensure both you and baby receive all the proper nutrients.
Development

It’s on now! Baby is developing fast and changing everyday inside the womb. Keep reading to find out what your baby is doing as you get closer to your due date.

Week 28-30: Baby’s eyes can open and close now and you’ll be much more aware of her movements. As her bones harden, her kicks will be much more noticeable. Baby will also continue to gain weight, up to a 1/2 pound a week, from here on out.

Week 31-33: Baby’s lungs continue to develop to maturity. If he is born at this point, the survival rate is extremely high. Also, the hair that has covered his skin now begins to fall out. By week 33, he can see light and his pupils contract and dilate.

Week 34-36: That white, filmy coating called vernix now becomes much thicker and may even still be visible at birth. You will probably not feel baby moving quite as much, as he’s growing rapidly and room is running out! He can also suck now and is probably moving into the head down position to prepare for birth.

Week 37-39: Congratulations! Baby is full-term at 37 weeks. She continues to put on weight and store fat, giving her that baby roundness at the time of birth. The brain continues to develop, as it will continue to do so all throughout childhood.

Week 40: It’s here! Your due date has arrived and baby should make an appearance in the world anytime now.
Labor and Delivery

The time has finally arrived! You’re watching a favorite TV show rerun, when all of a sudden you feel your very first contraction. Don’t panic! Call who you need to call, pick up that overnight bag and head off to the hospital once your contractions are five minutes apart.
Stage 1: Early Labor

It may be hard to determine exactly when labor starts, unless your water breaks or contractions become regular immediately. You may experience Braxton Hicks contractions all the way up until labor starts. Or, your contractions may be so mild at first you don’t notice them.

However, once early labor starts you may experience pain with these contractions. Some women can go about their household activities during early labor. In fact, some report it takes their mind off of the impending more intense labor and allows them to relax. The key is to do what makes you most comfortable. Take a walk or take a bath.

You’ll also experience a greater rate of vaginal discharge called bloody show, as it is often a bit bloody. You will most likely be able to wait out early labor from the comfort of your own home

Once your contractions become more regular, it will be time to go to the hospital, although the precise time you need to go should be discussed with your healthcare provider at one of your prenatal meetings.

You’re best bet for dealing with this stage of labor is to take it easy, drink plenty of water and urinate often. You want to maintain your energy for the more difficult stages of labor.
Stage 1: Active Labor

Contractions now become more frequent and more intense. Your cervix continues to dilate from 4 cm at the beginning of active labor to 10cm at the end. Baby will most likely descend further into the pelvis, placing pressure on the rectum.

You can expect to be in active labor for about six hours on average. It may be best to change the position you’re in, walk around or get on all fours to cope with the contractions. You will also want to try to rest as much as possible between them.

A nice massage from your partner, practicing breathing techniques and encouragement can help you get through this phase. Now is also the time to get an epidural if you want one.
Stage 1: Transition

You’re in the home stretch of labor. Your cervix will dilate from around 8 to 10cm and your contractions will get even closer together and more intense. You may feel nauseous and have the urge to vomit. You may also find yourself shivering as though cold. You’ll also begin to feel pressure on your rectum as baby descends further into the birth canal.
Stage 2: Pushing

It’s show time! With each contraction you’ll now most likely have the urge to push. With your caregiver’s okay, it’s time to bear down and push with all your might. As baby makes his way further down the birth canal, you’ll begin to feel pressure on your perineum. At some point, the doctor may instruct you to stop pushing in order to allow the perineum to stretch naturally. Pushing too hard and too fast can cause tears.

It won’t be long now. Once baby crowns and his face appears, his mouth and nose will be suctioned. Baby’s shoulders are delivered one at a time and then it’s over! Your child has arrived!

Without an epidural, delivery can take around an hour for a first time mother. With an epidural can take a bit longer.

Take these moments while waiting for Stage 3 to enjoy your baby.
Stage 3: Placental Delivery

After a few minutes of rest, your uterus will begin to contract once again to detach the placenta from the uterine wall. Once it has, in fact, detached, you’ll be instructed to push gently. Once the placenta is delivered, your uterus will contract, closing off any open blood vessels.

You may wish to try to nurse your baby now. Even if he is not ready to do so, just hold him close to the breast and he may latch on eventually.

Any tears or problems will be taken care of at this point. You can use that time to bond with baby and your partner. It’s an exciting time and you certainly don’t want to let routine doctor checks and such interfere.

Chapter 4 - Motherhood

You’ve gone through the grueling hours of labor and delivery, and now it’s time to enjoy your newborn. While you may not get enough sleep and will feel like you’re running on empty, the sheer joy that a child brings is enough to make up for all of the sacrifices.
Taking Baby Home

While your body went through massive changes during pregnancy (and will continue to do so postpartum) your life will also change dramatically now that baby has arrived. Once you get home you’ll more than likely want to take a nap. The old adage, sleep when baby sleeps is a good one to follow. You and your partner may wish to introduce the little one to his or her new home and then tuck them in their new crib.

New fathers can help out by taking care of household duties, changing diapers and letting mom get some well-deserved sleep. You may even wish to take a nap together while baby sleeps. You probably haven’t had very much alone time these past few days, so take these relaxing moments for all they’re worth.

You should also expect visits from family and friends at this point in time. Everyone will be enthusiastic to see your baby, but be careful not to run yourself ragged. Be honest with family when you’re tired and need to rest rather than socialize.

While you’ll most likely feel overwhelmed, remember that there are always people to help you. Your partner, your family and friends are more than willing to lend a helping hand so you can have some time for yourself.
Becoming a "Mom"

It may be a bit strange to take on this new role as “mother,” considering the only mother in your life up until now has been your own. Becoming a mom isn’t that difficult in the sense that you must suddenly begin acting like one. For most women, it will be instinctual. You will naturally worry about the wellbeing of your child and do your best for them all the time. However, as your child grows, the skills necessary to cope with your child’s behavior are learned. Just as with every other role in life or even jobs, the finer details are learned, not inherited.

A lot of new moms and even many not so new moms feel as though they lose a bit of themselves or a bit of their personal identity upon becoming a mother. While it may feel this way, it certainly doesn’t have to be this way.

Letting a child take over your entire life is not very healthy. You still need things for yourself as well like your career, love life and hobbies. While you may not be able to devote as much time to these things as before, you can still keep your “old” self alive and kicking.
Postpartum Depression

While many women experience what is called the “baby blues” or a period of about a week after baby is born where she is a bit depressed, postpartum depression is an entirely different story. Between 10-15% of women experience postpartum depression to some degree and while the condition is treatable, it’s very serious.

Postpartum depression can be defined as the onset of serious mood changes anywhere from one month to one year after baby is born. It is much more serious than the baby blues and must be treated by a doctor with appropriate therapy and medication.
Causes

Postpartum depression is believed to be caused by the radical shifting of hormones after childbirth. While some women only experience mild mood swings, others are thrown into the depths of depression.
Symptoms

PPD can express itself in several different ways. While the symptoms are very much like those of regular depression, there are a few key differences. Common symptoms of postpartum depression include:

- Lethargy.
- Hopelessness.
- Lack of appetite.
- Inability to sleep.
- Restlessness.
- Continuous crying.
- Mood swings.
- Lack of interest in once enjoyed activities.
- Lack of interest in baby.
- Confusion.
- Fear of harming oneself.
- Fear of harming baby.

Likely Candidates

As with all mood disorders and instances of depression, a family history of the disease automatically predisposes you to becoming diagnosed. You are also more likely to have postpartum depression if you have suffered from depression prior to pregnancy, or suffered from postpartum depression with a prior pregnancy. An unhappy or stressed marriage can also contribute to a woman’s likelihood of developing the disorder. Women without close relatives or friends to discuss their feelings with are also more likely to become depressed.

Many women feel ashamed of their feelings and disinterest in their baby when suffering from postpartum depression, so do not share them with their spouse or loved ones. While it is understandable why a woman would feel this way, there is no need to be ashamed or feel guilty. PPD is no ones fault (except for maybe hormones). If you think you may be suffering from PPD, it is imperative you notify someone so you can seek proper treatment. PPD left untreated can escalate into a more serious condition or leave you unhappy for a long time.
Treatments

Upon seeing your doctor, he or she will evaluate you to rule out any sort of physiological problem first. Next, you’ll be evaluated and then diagnosed with PPD. Once diagnosed, you can receive proper treatment. The most common forms of treatment for PPD include a combination of medication and therapy. Antidepressants can help restore the chemical balance to your brain, therefore lifting your mood and allowing you to enjoy life once again. The therapy portion provides women with the proper coping skills.

Many women also enroll in a support group to help get through this trying time with women that are going through the same or similar thing. It is also very important for women to continue their treatment plan until their doctor says otherwise. To stop medication suddenly is dangerous and increases the likelihood of a relapse.
Psychosis

A small portion of women suffering from postpartum depression end up suffering from postpartum psychosis. The depression in these women has escalated out of control to the point where they hear voices, hallucinate and fantasize about the death of their baby. It is often characterized by “command hallucinations to kill the infant, or delusions that the infant is possessed,” according to HealthyMinds.org.

Postpartum psychosis can tragically end in infanticide. Treatment for mental disorders is very important. It can save lives.
What Your Partner Can Do

Sometimes, a woman’s husband or partner may not understand just what PPD is, and place guilt on the woman. In most cases, your partner is willing to help you and be there for you, he just may not know how. The partner of a woman with postpartum depression can do several things to help speed up the healing process including:

- Make yourself available: Many new fathers are feeling overwhelmed, too. But you can help your wife considerably by making yourself available to her. Be open to talk and listen to her feelings
- Don’t judge: Being judgmental of your partner’s feelings can be incredibly detrimental to her health. Be honest but don’t make her feel guilty for being sick—she can’t help it. And with your help, she can get better faster.
- Take on responsibilities: New moms feel overwhelmed. You can help her deal with it all better by cleaning up the house, cooking meals and taking care of the baby more often so she can rest.
- Be observant: if the mother of your child is acting strangely, shows no interest in the baby at all or does not care about her own life, contact her doctor immediately.

Above all else, it’s important to be aware of your body and your mental state. You can easily avoid unnecessary complications by keeping a close watch on your own emotions.
Getting Back To Normal

Having a baby changes everything. As cliché as it sounds, it’s true. Regardless of whether you had a baby a month ago or ten years ago, having a child creates a whole new set of demands in your life. But, you can regain some bit of normalcy in your life after the upheaval of having a newborn settles down.

Redefining “normal” for your life is essential to being happy. You will no longer be able to go anywhere you want at any time. You have to consider your baby in every decision you make. The sooner you accept this, the happier you’ll be.

Knowing when to ask for help can also take a bit of the burden off of you. You can’t be expected to take care of your child every day and night without a moment’s rest for yourself. Have a close friend or relative baby sit every once in awhile so you can take a nice long bath, read a book or spend a night out with your partner.

Getting back to normal also involves regaining the body back you had prior to pregnancy. While you won’t go back to stick thin right away, you can certainly begin to up your exercise levels and lower your caloric intake within a few weeks after giving birth (with your doctor’s permission, of course).

Becoming a mother is a life-changing event, but it doesn’t mean you have to change your entire life. Keep your hobbies and interests alive by planning time to participate in them. Keep your love life alive by taking time out to spend with your partner. Go out to dinner, see a movie or just have a nice relaxing night at home without baby.

Chapter 4 - Menopause

Being a woman can be quite the rollercoaster ride. Since puberty, you’ve been able to conceive a child. Your body went through massive changes and your emotions may have been all over the spectrum. During pregnancy, a life grows inside of you and as a mother, you devote much of your time and energy to raising this life. Now, as a woman in her late 40’s or early 50’s, you’ll experience yet another change: menopause.

What many people don’t realize is that menopause is a very gradual process. You do not go from being a woman able to conceive to a woman unable to conceive in a matter of days. It can start as early as your 30’s and last into your 60’s.

Menopause is associated with several changes including hormonal, physiological and even psychological changes. Knowing what to expect can save you a lot of grief when your body starts to suddenly change and you don’t know why.

Symptoms

To call them symptoms makes it seem as though menopause is a disease. While it is certainly not a disease, it does carry with it several signs and symptoms that can be a bit unpleasant. Common symptoms of menopause include:

- Lowered fertility.
- Urinary frequency.
- Urinary incontinence.
- Increased incidence of urinary tract infections.
- Vaginal itching and burning.
- Decreased vaginal lubrication.
- Unpredictable periods.
- Night sweats.
- Inability to sleep through the night.
- Hair growth on your face, chest or abdomen.
- Weight gain.
- Thinning hair.
- Acne.
- Hot flashes.
- Irritability.
- Fatigue.
- Decreased Memory.

What Causes Menopause to Start?

Menopause begins once the ovaries start to slow down estrogen production and you will be increasingly less likely to become pregnant. The first phase of menopause is called peri-menopause. It consists of the signs and symptoms of menopause even though you are still ovulating and can become pregnant. Your hormone levels rise and fall radically. The second phase occurs once you have not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. It is called postmenopause and you will live the rest of life in this phase.
What Can Trigger Premature Menopause?

While menopause is a completely natural process, it can be set off earlier than normal due to surgery or some medical treatments.

A hysterectomy that involves the removal of the uterus but not the ovaries will typically not cause menopause to start, but one that does involve the removal of the ovaries can cause menopause to kick into gear. There is no perimenopause in women who have this procedure. Instead, they’ll experience menopause symptoms and will cease to menstruate immediately. Women who have undergone radiation therapy as a part of their cancer treatment may also go through an early menopause
Medical Treatment Options

While menopause is not a condition to treat, per say, the symptoms it causes can be unpleasant and can be relieved with certain medical treatments. There are also many conditions that are more prevalent in postmenopausal women that can be treated as well.

- Low-dose anti-depressants have been shown to reduce hot flashes.
- Non-hormonal treatments such as Fosamax and Actonel that help to prevent osteoporosis and reduce bone loss.
- Local estrogen is sometimes applied to the vagina to help relieve dryness and some urinary tract problems associated with menopause.
- HT or hormone therapy is the most commonly used medication to treat the symptoms of menopause. While it can offer considerable relief for your menopause symptoms, the extra estrogen can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke and even breast cancer.

At-Home Remedies

There are many things you can do from the comfort of your own home to relieve the symptoms of menopause. They include:

- Just staying sexually active during menopause can help decrease the vaginal discomfort. The use of water-based lubricants can also help ease the dryness and irritation during intercourse and throughout the day.
- Eat a well-balanced diet filled with fruits, green, leafy vegetables, whole grains and plenty of calcium.
- Exercise regularly and wear layers to help zap those hot flashes.
- Avoid things that seem to bring on hot flashes such as really warm rooms, alcohol or hot foods.
- Get the best sleep you can by learning how to wind down at night with relaxation techniques like meditation.
- Practice Kegels everyday. These exercises help to strengthen the pelvic floor and help to fend off urinary incontinence.
- See your doctor regularly. Having regularly scheduled check ups helps you feel secure in yourself and allows you to receive any medical treatment you may need as soon as you need it.

While the road in life women must walk on may be quite a bumpy one, it is one filled with changes and experiences that are truly remarkable. Only by understanding our bodies and the processes they go through can we truly appreciate the wonder that is woman.

How to be genuinely happy

2010-07-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

Life isn’t the sweetest candy. Sometimes, when I feel like the world is just too heavy, I look around and find people who continued to live fascinating and wonderful lives. And then thoughts come popping into my mind like bubbles from nowhere – “How did their life become so adorably sweet? How come they still can manage to laugh and play around despite a busy stressful life?” Then I pause and observed for awhile… I figured out that maybe, they start to work on a place called ‘self’.

So, how does one become genuinely happy? Step 1 is to love yourself.

My theology professor once said that “loving means accepting.” To love oneself means to accept that you are not a perfect being, but behind the imperfections must lie a great ounce of courage to be able to discover ways on how to improve your repertoire to recover from our mistakes.

Genuine happiness also pertains to contentment. When you are contented with the job you have, the way you look, with your family, your friends, the place you live in, your car, and all the things you now have – truly, you know the answer to the question “how to be genuinely happy.”

When we discover a small start somewhere from within, that small start will eventually lead to something else, and to something else. But if you keep questioning life like it has never done you any good, you will never be able to find genuine happiness.

I believe that life is about finding out about right and wrong, trying and failing, wining and losing. These are things that happen as often as you inhale and exhale. Failure, in a person’s life has become as abundant and necessary as air. But this should not hinder us from becoming happy.

How to be genuinely happy in spite all these? I tell you… every time you exert effort to improve the quality of life and your being, whether it is cleaning up your room, helping a friend, taking care of your sick dog, fail on board exams and trying again, life gives you equivalent points for that.

Imagine life as a big score board like those which are used in the NFLs. Every time you take a step forward, you make scoring points. Wouldn’t it be nice to look at that board at the end of each game and think to yourself “Whew! I got a point today. I’m glad I gave it a shot.”, instead of looking at it all blank and murmur “Geez, I didn’t even hit a score today. I wish I had the guts to try out. We could have won!” and then walk away.

Genuine happiness isn’t about driving the hottest Formula 1 car, nor getting the employee of the year award, earning the highest 13th month pay, or beating the sales quota. Sometimes, the most sought after prizes in life doesn’t always go to the fastest, the strongest, the bravest or not even the best. So, how do you become genuinely happy? Every one has his own definition of ‘happiness’. Happiness for a writer may mean launching as much best selling books as possible. Happiness for a basketball rookie may mean getting the rookie of the year award. Happiness for a beggar may mean a lot of money. Happiness for a business man may mean success. So, really now, how do we become genuinely happy? Simple. You don’t have to have the best things in this world. Its about doing and making the best out of every single thing. When you find yourself smiling at your own mistake and telling your self “Oh, I’ll do better next time”, you carry with you a flame of strong will power to persevere that may spread out like a brush fire. You possess a willingness to stand up again and try – that will make you a genuinely happy person.

When you learn to accept yourself and your own faults. You pass step 1 in the project “how to become genuinely happy”.For as long as you know how to accept others, you will also be accepted. For as long as you love and know how to love, you will receive love ten folds back.

Again, throw me that same question “how to become genuinely happy?”. I’ll refer you to a friend of mine who strongly quoted- “Most of us know that laughter is the best medicine to life’s aches and pain. But most of us don’t know that the best kind of laughter is laughter over self. Coz then you don’t just become happy… you become free.”

We carry a complete line of diabetic products

2010-07-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Top Sellers

Smith-Nephew No-Sting Skin Prep Protective Wipes Box of 50 $13.49 Smith & Nephew No-Sting Skin-Prep Protective Wipes are: Effective protection between tape and skin. Reduces risk of tape stripping. Helps tape, film and appliance adhes... [Read more]	ExtendBar Peanut Butter Chocolate Delight - Naturally and Artificially Flavored $1.34 ExtendBar Peanut Butter Chocolate Delight is an ideal snack between meals and before exercise or bed for diabetics. Sugar Free and has Only 1g Net Carbs. Helps control bloo... [Read more]
Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm Quick-Set Infusion Set Box of 10 $109.96 The Quick-set Infusion Set offers a 6mm soft cannula for leaner individuals or a 9mm soft cannula for most everyone else. We carry 23 inch and 43 inch Tubing. The Quick-set... [Read more]	Novo-Nordisk Novolin-N Insulin U-100 - 10 mL Vial $54.99 Novo-Nordisk Novolin-N Insulin - NPH, Human Insulin Isophane Suspension(recombinant DNA origin), 100 units/mL, Vial of 10mL. [Read more]
Diabetic Shoes: Acor Comfort Street Diabetic Shoes - Bone $75.79 Acor Comfort Street Diabetic Shoes are perfect for accomodating swollen feet. It is made from a stretchable material that comforms around your feet. Machine Washable. Avail... [Read more]	Omron MicroAir Vibrating Mesh Nebulizer System Kit - NE-U22V $198.79 The Omron MicroAir Vibrating Mesh Nebulizer System is the world's smallest nebulizer. It utilizes the Vibrating Mesh Technology to efficiently deliver solution medications.... [Read more]
Owen Mumford Unifine Pentips - 12mm x 29 g - Box of 100 $18.59 The Unifine Pentips by Owen Mumford are triple sharpened and have a unique silicone lubricating coating for maximum comfort. These universal needles easily fit into virtual... [Read more]	FREE Freestyle Lite Meter with 200 Test Strips $139.96 Get a FREE Freestyle Lite Blood Glucose Meter Kit with the purchase of 200 Freestyle Lite Test Strips. The FreeStyle Lite Blood Glucose Monitoring System makes testing your... [Read more]
FREE AgaMatrix WaveSense KeyNote Meter Kit with 200 Strips $73.96 Buy 4 boxes of the Aga Matrix KeyNote Glucose Test Strips (200 strips total) and receive the AgaMatrix Blood Glucose Monitoring System for free! The AgaMatrix Diabetes Mete... [Read more]	UltiCare U-40 Pet Insulin Syringes - 29 Gauge 1/2 cc 1/2 inch Box of 100 $14.99 UltiCare Vet Rx U-40 Insulin Syringes - 29 Gauge 1/2cc 1/2inch (12.7 mm) needle, 100 Single use syringes (10 packs). For 20 units or less. For Veterinary Use Only. You shou... [Read more]

Profitable website for sale

2010-07-08T02:30:00.000-07:00

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All brands of contact lenses at discount prices

2010-07-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

Type 2 Diabetes. Do the Treatments Work?

2010-05-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition that can lead to significant health problems. However making changes to your lifestyle and taking medicines may help you live a long and prosperous life. Please note that not everyone with diabetes requires medication. But in real life most people do and can end up taking numerous medicines. I will attempt in this blog to outline most of these medicines and tell you a little bit about them.

Medicines to control your blood sugar

By being diagnosed with diabetes what your doctor is really telling you is that you have too much sugar (glucose) in your blood. Glucose is kind of like a fuel that your body uses for energy. So this is a good thing provided you have a hormone called insulin to control the levels of glucose that you have in the blood. Insulin is usually made in the pancreas of your body however if you have type 2 diabetes your body is not making enough insulin, or the insulin that your body does make is not working properly. As a result of this the glucose builds up in your blood stream and can really make you quite ill. The medical name for too much glucose in the blood is hyperglycemia.

If this hyperglycemia is not treated then this is bad news and can result in the damage of your blood vessels as well as putting you at higher risk of stroke, heart attack or poor circulation problems in your legs. Your kidneys, feet and eyes may also be adversely affected. Your doctor may suggest several types of tablets that can act to keep your sugar levels under control. These work differently and some help you to produce more insulin while others help your body to use insulin better.

Metformin) is one of the first medicines you are likely to be offered. This helps you to control your blood sugars more effectively than just using diet and exercise. One of the benefits of metformin is that it does not make you put on weight, unlike many of the other diabetes medications. One of the problems is that it may make you feel sick or get diarrhea especially if you take it on an empty stomach. Your doctor may give you this to take alone or you may be given another medication in addition.

Sulphonylurea medicines are sometimes used as a first diabetes medicine. These medicines come in different shapes and sizes. Their generic names are chlorpropamide, glimepiride, glipizide, tolbutamide, glibenclamide, gliclazide and gliquidone. These medicines help to control your blood sugar and you may be given one of these on its own, or with metformin. The only problem with these medications is that they may make your sugar levels go too low. That’s more likely with chlorpropamide or glibenclamide, which are older drugs that seem to hang around in the body for longer than the newer ones. Things you need to watch out for when on these meds are symptoms of low blood sugar such as feeling dizzy, shaky, nervous, drowsy or confused. The medical name for the combination of these symptoms is hypoglycemia. If this is to happen to you, medical assistance is required immediately. Also some people have an allergic reaction when they start these meds that usually manifests as a skin rash.

Meglitinide medicines are sometimes used instead of sulphonylureas. There are two types of meglitinides, called nateglinide and repaglinide. These medicines are to be taken right before you eat in order to help control your blood sugar. You may be given these medicines in addition to metformin and one of the complications is that they may make your blood sugar too low, but this is less likely than it is with sulphonylureas.

Glitazone medicines are only used if you are also taking either metformin or a sulphonylurea. There are two types, rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. These are medicines that are used in addition to metformin or sulphonylureas if they are unable to keep blood sugar levels down low enough on their own. The problems with these medications are that they can make you put on weight, they may cause some liver damage and can cause swelling in your hands and feet. You will need to go to the doctor for regular blood checks to ensure they are not harming your liver. These medications can also cause heart failure in some people; this is where your heart doesn’t pump as well as it should. They can also make the bones weaker and may result in a higher risk of you getting a broken bone, especially in women.

Acarbose is sometimes used if you can’t take another type of diabetes medicine. It slows down the speed at which your body breaks down food to make glucose. There is a good chance that this will help control your blood sugar, but one of the problems is that it can cause bloating, diarrhea and wind. It may be taken on its own or with another type of medicine for diabetes.

Medicines to control your blood pressure

When you have diabetes that means you are more likely than the rest of the population to have a heart attack, stroke or problems with your circulation. This is because having too much sugar in your blood thickens the blood and does not allow it to flow as well through your blood vessels. By keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level you will be able to decrease your risk of having these complications. Because doctors want you to have a low level they are willing to help out with medicines that will keep the pressure down. So if you are given blood pressure tablets do not just assume that your pressures have skyrocketed, it may just be a preventative method or your values may just be a little high. These medicines are to help you to avoid getting heart and circulation problems in the future. There are lots of different types of medicines that are given to lower blood pressure. Below are some of the more common types, remember that you may be given one or many of these medicines depending on the recommendations of your doctor.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors keep your blood vessels from narrowing and your heart from working as hard. Examples are captopril, perindopri and ramipril. They all work well to lower your blood pressure. And there is some evidence to show they reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. There is however some side effects associated with these medications the most common of which being a dry cough. Other people will get low blood pressure that will make them feel dizzy and others may experience problems with their kidneys and/or heart rhythm.

Beta-blockers, work by slowing down your heartbeat and by reducing the amount of blood that is pumped with each beat. Examples are bisoprolol, carvedilol and propranolol. These are highly effective medicines but may not be as effective as ACE inhibitors. When you take a beta-blocker you may notice that you feel more tired than usual or that your hands and feet feel cold. There may also be erection problems in the male user.

Diuretics help your body to get rid of excess salt and water. Examples are: bendrofluazide, indapamide, metolazone. Usually a diuretic is given in combination with other blood pressure lowering medications. Diuretics can make you feel thirsty, and put your blood sugar up.

Calcium channel blockers keep the blood vessels relaxed and open, making it easier for blood to flow through them. Examples are amlodipine, nifedipine and verapamil. These are effective blood lowering medications but are most often only used in combination with other blood pressure lowering meds. Some of the side effects of this class of drugs is that you may experience headaches, swollen ankles, flushing, dizziness, constipation and an unusual heart beat.

Medicines to control your cholesterol

Taking medicines to keep your cholesterol (a fatty substance in your blood) at a healthy level can help reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke. These medications can help in diabetes even if your blood cholesterol is not that high to start with.

Statins are the usual cholesterol lowering medications and are very effective. They can cause damage to your liver or muscles but this is very rare. If statins are not effective for you, you have side effects, or if statins alone are not sufficient then you can take another class of drugs called fibrates. These reduce the amount of simple fats (triglycerides) in your blood. They also lower cholesterol.

Also Aspirin stops your blood from sticking together thus making you less likely to form blood clots. This can help to prevent stroke or heart attack that are more common in those with diabetes. Many people with diabetes take a low dose of Aspirin to avoid this.

Type 2 Diabetes. Do the Treatments Work?

2010-05-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition that can lead to significant health problems. However making changes to your lifestyle and taking medicines may help you live a long and prosperous life. Please note that not everyone with diabetes requires medication. But in real life most people do and can end up taking numerous medicines. I will attempt in this blog to outline most of these medicines and tell you a little bit about them.

Medicines to control your blood sugar

By being diagnosed with diabetes what your doctor is really telling you is that you have too much sugar (glucose) in your blood. Glucose is kind of like a fuel that your body uses for energy. So this is a good thing provided you have a hormone called insulin to control the levels of glucose that you have in the blood. Insulin is usually made in the pancreas of your body however if you have type 2 diabetes your body is not making enough insulin, or the insulin that your body does make is not working properly. As a result of this the glucose builds up in your blood stream and can really make you quite ill. The medical name for too much glucose in the blood is hyperglycemia.

If this hyperglycemia is not treated then this is bad news and can result in the damage of your blood vessels as well as putting you at higher risk of stroke, heart attack or poor circulation problems in your legs. Your kidneys, feet and eyes may also be adversely affected. Your doctor may suggest several types of tablets that can act to keep your sugar levels under control. These work differently and some help you to produce more insulin while others help your body to use insulin better.

Metformin is one of the first medicines you are likely to be offered. This helps you to control your blood sugars more effectively than just using diet and exercise. One of the benefits of metformin is that it does not make you put on weight, unlike many of the other diabetes medications. One of the problems is that it may make you feel sick or get diarrhea especially if you take it on an empty stomach. Your doctor may give you this to take alone or you may be given another medication in addition.

Sulphonylurea medicines are sometimes used as a first diabetes medicine. These medicines come in different shapes and sizes. Their generic names are chlorpropamide, glimepiride, glipizide, tolbutamide, glibenclamide, gliclazide and gliquidone. These medicines help to control your blood sugar and you may be given one of these on its own, or with metformin. The only problem with these medications is that they may make your sugar levels go too low. That’s more likely with chlorpropamide or glibenclamide, which are older drugs that seem to hang around in the body for longer than the newer ones. Things you need to watch out for when on these meds are symptoms of low blood sugar such as feeling dizzy, shaky, nervous, drowsy or confused. The medical name for the combination of these symptoms is hypoglycemia. If this is to happen to you, medical assistance is required immediately. Also some people have an allergic reaction when they start these meds that usually manifests as a skin rash.

Meglitinide medicines are sometimes used instead of sulphonylureas. There are two types of meglitinides, called nateglinide and repaglinide. These medicines are to be taken right before you eat in order to help control your blood sugar. You may be given these medicines in addition to metformin and one of the complications is that they may make your blood sugar too low, but this is less likely than it is with sulphonylureas.

Glitazone medicines are only used if you are also taking either metformin or a sulphonylurea. There are two types, rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. These are medicines that are used in addition to metformin or sulphonylureas if they are unable to keep blood sugar levels down low enough on their own. The problems with these medications are that they can make you put on weight, they may cause some liver damage and can cause swelling in your hands and feet. You will need to go to the doctor for regular blood checks to ensure they are not harming your liver. These medications can also cause heart failure in some people; this is where your heart doesn’t pump as well as it should. They can also make the bones weaker and may result in a higher risk of you getting a broken bone, especially in women.

Acarbose is sometimes used if you can’t take another type of diabetes

Medicine. It slows down the speed at which your body breaks down food to make glucose. There is a good chance that this will help control your blood sugar, but one of the problems is that it can cause bloating, diarrhea and wind. It may be taken on its own or with another type of medicine for diabetes.

Medicines to control your blood pressure

When you have diabetes that means you are more likely than the rest of the population to have a heart attack, stroke or problems with your circulation. This is because having too much sugar in your blood thickens the blood and does not allow it to flow as well through your blood vessels. By keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level you will be able to decrease your risk of having these complications. Because doctors want you to have a low level they are willing to help out with medicines that will keep the pressure down. So if you are given blood pressure tablets do not just assume that your pressures have skyrocketed, it may just be a preventative method or your values may just be a little high. These medicines are to help you to avoid getting heart and circulation problems in the future. There are lots of different types of medicines that are given to lower blood pressure. Below are some of the more common types, remember that you may be given one or many of these medicines depending on the recommendations of your doctor.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors keep your blood vessels from narrowing and your heart from working as hard. Examples are captopril, perindopri and ramipril. They all work well to lower your blood pressure. And there is some evidence to show they reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. There is however some side effects associated with these medications the most common of which being a dry cough. Other people will get low blood pressure that will make them feel dizzy and others may experience problems with their kidneys and/or heart rhythm.

Beta-blockers, work by slowing down your heartbeat and by reducing the amount of blood that is pumped with each beat. Examples are bisoprolol, carvedilol and propranolol. These are highly effective medicines but may not be as effective as ACE inhibitors. When you take a beta-blocker you may notice that you feel more tired than usual or that your hands and feet feel cold. There may also be erection problems in the male user.

Diuretics help your body to get rid of excess salt and water. Examples are:

Bendrofluazide, Indapamide, Metolazone. Usually a diuretic is given in combination with other blood pressure lowering medications. Diuretics can make you feel thirsty, and put your blood sugar up.

Calcium channel blockers keep the blood vessels relaxed and open, making it easier for blood to flow through them. Examples are amlodipine, nifedipine and verapamil. These are effective blood lowering medications but are most often only used in combination with other blood pressure lowering meds. Some of the side effects of this class of drugs is that you may experience headaches, swollen ankles, flushing, dizziness, constipation and an unusual heart beat.

Medicines to control your cholesterol

Taking medicines to keep your cholesterol (a fatty substance in your blood) at a healthy level can help reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke. These medications can help in diabetes even if your blood cholesterol is not that high to start with.

Statins are the usual cholesterol lowering medications and are very effective. They can cause damage to your liver or muscles but this is very rare. If statins are not effective for you, you have side effects, or if statins alone are not sufficient then you can take another class of drugs called fibrates. These reduce the amount of simple fats (triglycerides) in your blood. They also lower cholesterol.

Also Aspirin stops your blood from sticking together thus making you less likely to form blood clots. This can help to prevent stroke or heart attack that are more common in those with diabetes. Many people with diabetes take a low dose of Aspirin to avoid this.

The Invisible Solution to a Naturally Perky Look!

2010-04-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

Check our our low prescription drug prices

2010-04-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

The Planetdrugsdirect Benefits:

Lowest Price Guaranteed. We will meet or beat the shipped prices of any PharmacyChecker and CIPA approved pharmacy.
Savings of up to 90% on common prescriptions drugs and OTC drugs.
Free shipping on all orders.
Fully licensed PharmacyChecker approved pharmacy.
Physicians on staff assisting with quality control.
Toll-Free customer support and order line.

Products	Typical Price	Our Price	You Save:
Cialis 20mg 32 tablets (Generic) (Rx)	$490.00	$79.00	$411.00
Lipitor 20mg 90 tablets (Pfizer) (Rx)	$299.00	$112.00	$187.00
Plavix 75mg 90 tablets (Generic) (Rx)	$389.00	$64.00	$325.00
Viagra 100mg 32 tablets (Generic) (Rx)	$478.00	$75.00	$403.00
Propecia 1mg 90 tablet (Generic) (Rx)	$179.00	$46.00	$133.00
Advair Diskus 250mcg/50mcg 3 diskus (GlaxoSmithKline) (Rx)	$590.00	$184.00	$406.00
Levitra 20mg 30 tablets (Generic) (Rx)	$439.00	$78.00	$361.00
Effexor XR 150mg 90 XR capsules (Generic) (Rx)	$369.00	$65.00	$304.00
Crestor 10mg 90 tablets (Generic) (Rx)	$355.00	$63.00	$292.00
Benicar 40mg 90 tablets (Generic) (Rx)	$311.00	$55.00	$256.00
Nexium 40mg 90 tablets (Generic) (Rx)	$439.00	$49.00	$390.00
Celebrex 200mg 90 capsules (Pfizer) (Rx)	$348.00	$121.00	$227.00
Valtrex 1000mg 90 tablets (Generic) (Rx)	$899.00	$145.00	$754.00
Cymbalta 60mg 90 capsules (Generic) (Rx)	$431.00	$108.00	$323.00

Please note generic products may be used for these price comparisons

Freequently Asked Questions about ordering prescriptions drugs from Gulfport Healthcare

2010-03-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

Q: How does your Pharmacy work?

A: Please click on the "New Customers" and "Existing Customers" links on the homepage.

Q: Do I need a prescription?

A: Yes, for our prescription drugs only.

Q: What are your hours of operation?

A: We are open Mon-Fri 8.30am to 5pm PST.

Q: How much medication can you supply?

A: We will dispense up to 3 months medication at a time. You will have as many refills as your doctor has authorized you to have on the prescription that you fax to us. The maximum your doctor can authorize is a one year supply.

Q: How long will my order take to arrive?

A: Prescription orders will normally be shipped within 5 business days of receiving your prescriptions. Once shipped, it will take up to 15 business days for delivery. OTC orders are shipped within 2 business days. US postal addresses must be USPS deliverable. On rare occasions some shipments may take more than 15 business days to arrive due to possible disruptions with international postal services or customs. We ask that you be patient and should your package not arrive within a 4 week time period, please call us and we will investigate and provide you with an update and if necessary we will send out a replacement. As a suggestion we recommend that you try to place your order as far in advance as possible, such as 30 - 45 days prior to when you actually need the medication.

Q: Will you ship any prescription drugs?

A: We do not ship tranquilizers or opiate-containing drugs. We reserve the right to refuse to dispense orders for drugs where we are concerned at the potential for abuse.

Q: What is the difference between a generic drug and a brand name drug?

A: A generic drug is a drug which is manufactured by a company that is not the innovator. Because of this, other manufacturers are allowed to produce and sell the exact medication at a lower more competitive price. The generic drug is the exact same medication as the original brand name drug, simply made by another company. Due to strict regulations on the generic drug industry, these drugs must provide the same therapeutic effect as the brand name drug.

Q: Why do the pills I received look different than the ones I get from my local pharmacy?

A: Firstly, if you are used to brand name pills and you have ordered a generic from us, the pills we send you will look different. Generics do not look the same as the brand name products, even though they have the same active ingredient and work in exactly the same way. In addition, the same brand name pill may look slightly different coming from Canada and in some case have a different name. In different countries manufacturers will often use different trade names and under international licensing agreements a different manufacturer may sometimes be responsible for the distribution of a brand name drug. Lastly, when comparing 2 different generics, they will look different if they are made by 2 different companies.

Q: Do you source drugs internationally?

A: Prescription Drugs from our international dispensary are available at even lower prices than Canadian ones in some cases. All prescription medications internationally sourced meet the high standards of the country of origin. Customers will receive notification by email if their order contains an internationally sourced product.

Q: I am on 5 different drugs, you don't seem to list them all-can you ship them?

A: We have identified a large number of drugs where we can offer significant cost savings. If a drug does not appear on our list it is probably because there is not a significant saving on what you would pay normally.

Q: How can I pay for my order?

A: We accept Visa and Mastercard. We do not accept debit cards. We also accept personal checks, however these must clear your bank before the medication can be shipped, thus delaying the arrival of your order. We do not accept other credit cards or any other form of payment.

Q: Is it safe to use my credit card?

A: Absolutely. We have taken every precaution to make your transaction secure. Our website utilizes industry-standard security measures, including SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). All account information submitted to us is safely isolated from unauthorized internet access.

Q: Are there any additional charges?

A: No. Our prices include shipping, insurance and are sales tax free.

Q: What guarantee do you offer that I will receive my order?

A: As long as you have provided the correct delivery address, if your order does not arrive we will offer to re-ship or apply a credit for the full amount to your credit card, whichever you choose.

Q. Will you accept returns if I am not satisfied?

A. It is not legal for us to accept returns of prescription medications.

Q: Will you accept my insurance?

A: At this time we do not have arrangements with health insurance companies or PBMs (prescription benefit management companies) for prescription drug coverage. We will however provide you with an invoice so you can make an insurance claim. Please retain this invoice as we are unable to issue duplicates.

Q: How does you pricematch guarantee work?

A: Planetdrugsdirect will match or beat any Pharmacychecker approved Pharmacy. Shipping methods must be included when making the comparison. Competitor promotions and specials are excluded. Competitor price quotes must be provided and valid at the time of placing the order to be eligible. Competitor must have product in stock.

Old Age, From Youth’s Narrow Prism

2010-03-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

Published: March 1, 2010

The old woman had drawn down the shade in her room — hoping, I imagined, to stop the midday Miami sun from penetrating her grief. But the sun still hit the window full force and illuminated the shade like a Chinese lantern.

She sat silently in a wheelchair, her 93-year-old silhouette stooped in the bathing light. I entered, held her hand for a moment and introduced myself. “Sit down, doctor,” she said politely.I asked her why she had come to the nursing home, and she described the recent passing of her husband after 73 years of marriage. I was overwhelmed by the thought of her loss, and wanted to offer some words of comfort. I leaned in close and spoke.“I’m so sorry,” I told her. “What has it been like for you losing your husband after so many years of marriage?”She paused for a moment and then replied: “Heaven.” Seeing my bewilderment, she smiled and went on to describe how she had endured decades in an unhappy marriage with a gruff, verbally abusive man.

As she spoke, I realized why my instincts were so completely off. In my misguided empathy I had committed what William James called the psychologist’s fallacy, assuming incorrectly that one knows what someone else is experiencing. With this newly widowed patient I imagined that only a life of sadness and decrepitude remained, and I felt bad about it. But I was wrong. She had not fallen into the abyss. She was glad to have finally won a measure of freedom and was determined to make the best of it. As her life unfolded at the nursing home over the next year, she threw herself into new activities and relationships in a way that was quite unexpected.

All of us lapse into such mistaken impressions of old age from time to time. It stems in part from an age-centered perspective, in which we view our own age as the most normal of times, the way all life should be. At 18 the 50-year-olds may seem ancient, but at 50 we are apt to say the same about the 80-year-olds.

“So what’s it really like to be old?” I often ask my patients, who are mostly in their late 80s and 90s, and the responses are unexpected.

“I forgot I was so old,” a 100-year-old patient recently told me, and then excused herself to make it to bingo on time.

This age-centrism is particularly pervasive in people’s attitudes toward nursing homes. All too often we imagine that life seems to end at the nursing home door — that it is loveless and lonely, with death hovering close by.

We make this mistake when we refuse to see the needs for intimacy even in the most debilitated elderly. Our youth-centered culture equates love with sex; in contrast, I have seen with my older patients that love can be an endlessly blossoming flower, felt and expressed in hundreds of ways. A friend’s mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease has fallen in love with another resident on her floor, and they walk around holding hands and snuggling with a new found innocence that perhaps only their memory loss restored.

We also project our terror of death onto the aged, assuming that fear and depression must stalk the final years of life. And yet in my 15 years of working in nursing homes, I have never heard a patient say that he or she was afraid of death. Sometimes there is acceptance, other times anticipation, but most often it is not a great concern. Life goes on in its shadows.

In the end, there is a cost to our myopic view of aging. We imagine the pains of late-life ailments but not the joys of new pursuits; we recoil at the losses and loneliness and fail to embrace the wisdom and meaning that only age can bring. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow captured the sentiment well:

For age is opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another dress,

And as the evening twilight fades away The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.

Dr. Marc E. Agronin is a geriatric psychiatrist at Miami Jewish Health Systems.

Part 4 Stress and Your Diet

2010-03-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

Your diet can actually make stress worse. If you aren’t eating well, it can cause disturbances in your mental and physical health that can lead to all sorts of stressful situations. An improper diet can actually lead to all sorts of problems in your life. If you’re eating very poorly, you could experience:

.

Brain fog
Memory problems
Depression
Inability to focus
Difficulty concentrating

These are just a few of the many problems that can be caused by a poor diet, and each of these can contribute to excessive stress. If you have memory problems, brain fog, and the ability to focus, for instance, you may have a lot of trouble getting your work done on time and meeting deadlines at work.

Excess Carbohydrate Consumption

Perhaps the most common dietary cause of these issues is the consumption of excessive carbohydrates. Not all carbohydrates are bad, but refined carbohydrates can lead to many types of mental disturbances when consumed to excess.

It is advisable to limit the consumption of refined carbohydrates and “white” carbohydrates such as white rice, white flour, white potatoes, and white sugar. While other types of carbohydrates can also cause issues if

consumed to extreme excess, these refined sources can be especially problematic.

Try replacing these refined carbohydrates with healthier versions. Use whole grain breads instead of white, brown rice rather than white rice, and replace sugary drinks with diet versions.

Caffeine Consumption

Caffeine consumption can also cause problems, especially in individuals who develop a sensitivity to it. Even if you have been consuming caffeine on a regular basis for your entire life, you may suddenly become sensitive to it.

Consuming too much caffeine can also lead to sleep disturbances, which can definitely lead to many problems, including the same types of mental disturbances that are caused by excessive consumption of carbohydrates. Cut caffeine down to no more than a couple of servings per day at most.

Part 3 Eliminaring Stress-Managing Common Stressors

2010-02-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

Most people have very similar lists. The number of issues that seriously affect the majority of people is actually quite small. Money, work, and relationship issues are the most common causes of stress. Any time you interact with other people, there is the potential for stress. And the lack of money is certainly extremely stressful.

These issues are all very common, but they cause some people more stress than others. Why? Well, some people seem to have better built-in coping mechanisms than others. Perhaps it’s just a natural, innate ability. Perhaps it was somehow taught to them or passed on to them by the people around them.

If you want to learn how to cope with these stressors in a better way, it can be learned. Fortunately, anyone can learn how to develop these coping mechanisms.

We’re going to take a look at ways to deal with some of the most common stressors. You’ll learn how to manage these issues in order to minimize their impact on your life, and how to deal with the stress they do bring in to your world.

Money Issues

The most common source of stress in most people’s lives is money, or lack thereof. The old saying says “money is the root of all evil”, but perhaps it would be more apropos to say “the lack of money is the root of all evil”.

It’s understandable that money troubles are such a huge cause of stress. When money is tight, you may face all kinds of issues. You may be at risk of losing your car, your utilities, even your home.

Not only do you have to worry about losing the actual items, but you have to worry about the repercussions of this. For example, your family might be pretty upset with you if they suddenly had no cable television. This might cause arguments within the family. Also, if you lost your car, you might have no way to get to work. If you lost your home, you might have nowhere to live.

These are all extremely stressful situations. And the arguments and conflicts that tend to crop up as a direct result of money problems can make the situation a lot worse.

When dealing with money issues, there are two main elements at play. First, you must make more money. Next, you must find ways to control expenditures so you spend less.

Making more money may involve taking on another job, but this could end up being more stressful, especially if you are already under a lot of pressure at your main job.

You may also take on some part-time freelancing or consulting jobs, perform odd jobs here and there, start a small business on the side, sell some of your unused stuff, or something similar.

It may not be realistic for you to make more money if you’re already extremely short on time, so you may have to instead work on spending less. There are many ways to cut expenditures. Even if you think you aren’t spending much unnecessary money, almost everyone can find ways to cut expenses without experiencing too much discomfort. Some ideas to get you started include:

Cutting down to basic cable
Moving your cell phone plan down to a cheaper monthly rate
Eating out less often
Taking your lunch to work instead of eating out
Eating breakfast at home instead of on the way to work
Turning lights off when not in use to save electricity
Taking public transportation instead of driving
Take coffee to work in a thermos instead of buying it
Pursue free forms of entertainment

These are just a few ideas to get you started. If you don’t feel comfortable cutting out certain expenditures, don’t. Just find some that you can feasibly cut out and do so.

The point is to make your life less stressful. If cutting out a certain expense would make your life less happy and fulfilled, don’t worry about that one. Just do your best to cut spending down as much as possible without affecting your quality of life too much.

Relationship Issues

Perhaps the second most common source of stress is difficulties in relationships. While there will usually be problems in all interpersonal relationships, those that happen between romantic partners are usually the most stressful.

Your romantic partner should be your rock, your biggest supporter, the person who helps ease your stress. Unfortunately, this is an unrealistic ideal in most relationships. While this should be what happens, it rarely is. Most relationships are filled with a lot of hostility, jealousy, and other negative emotions that cause excessive stress for both partners.

One thing you need to realize is that if you are experiencing stress due to your relationship, your partner probably is, too. This leaves open the possibility of talking with your partner and working things out.

Sit down with your partner and let them know that you feel the problems the two of you have are contributing to your excessive stress levels. Let your partner know you don’t blame them for the issues, and that you know that they are probably also experiencing stress.

Tell your partner how much you care about him or her, and how you want things to be better. Stress is not healthy for either of you, and it’s certainly not healthy for your children, if you have any.

By sitting down together and working on the issues, the two of you might be able to come to some sort of peaceful resolution. If nothing else, perhaps the two of you could see a therapist who might be able to help you through your issues in order to ease the stress that both of you are experiencing.

It might be a good idea to sit down together and make a list of all of the things that are currently bothering you with regards to your partner and your relationship.

Once you’ve completed your lists, swap lists and discuss the issues. Try to find ways that the two of you can work together to eliminate some of the issues, as well as ways to reduce the stress you feel from those you can’t eliminate entirely.

It’s extremely important for the two of you to be able to work together in order to improve the relationship. It’s best to stick together if at all possible, but if you cannot resolve your differences, you may have no choice but to leave the relationship behind in order to reduce your stress levels. Remember, this is a last resort. Ideally, you want to work out your problems and stay together if you can be happy together.

Workplace Issues

Issues at work are a huge factor in the stress levels of most people. Whether you’re the boss or an employee, whether you work for someone else or you’re self-employed, you will undoubtedly experience some stress as a result of your job.

One of the most common sources of workplace stress is the inability to realistically meet deadlines. If you feel the deadlines you receive aren’t realistic or are problematic, you will either need to discuss the issue with your boss or clients and try to get your deadlines relaxed a little, or you will have to learn better time management skills.

If other employees are given similar deadlines and are successfully meeting those deadlines, you may have to take a look at the situation and try to find out if there are specific reasons that you are not able to meet your deadlines when other people are. It could be a problem with your time management skills, it could be that you have special circumstances, or it could be that you have an issue like depression or ADD that might need to be treated.

Another common workplace issue is simply not getting along well with your coworkers. If you are having an issue with a coworker that you feel is interfering with your work or causing you undue stress, try talking it over with them first. If you go behind that coworker’s back and talk to your superior first, you may alienate that coworker even further, perhaps making the situation even worse.

If you try to work out your differences and aren’t successful, you may have to go to your boss for help. Just explain that you have already tried unsuccessfully to work out your differences with your coworker, and that you really need help. Your boss might be able to at least work with your coworker to find a reasonable solution for both of you.

If you are having trouble at work, don’t ever be afraid to talk to your boss. Even if your main issue is caused directly by your boss, talking to him or her may be beneficial. If you can’t work out your problems no matter what you try, you may have to consider finding another job. Since your job is your livelihood, you can’t let this kind of stress stay in your life.

Time Management Issues

As I mentioned in the previous section, time management issues are common in the workplace. They can also cause problems at home, at school, and anywhere else.

If you don’t have very good time management skills, you may find it very difficult to get everything you need to get done finished in a day. This can lead to you getting behind on your work, which is very stressful.

I suggest taking a time management class or getting a good book or course on it. Even if you think you already have good skills in this area, it can’t hurt to improve them. Time management can help you in every area of your life, from work, to school, to home, and more.

If you aren’t good at managing your time, you will find yourself under extreme time constraints often. This can happen at work when you fail to manage your workday efficiently or you fail to meet deadlines. It can happen at school if you aren’t able to get your homework done on time. And it can happen at home when you fail to manage your housework and scheduling well.

Imagine how stressful it would be to have your teenage daughter yelling at you because you were supposed to take her to a party at the same time your son had a baseball game that was very important to him and your sister had planned for the two of you to go out to lunch together.

In this situation, you would upset your daughter, your son, and your sister all at the same time. This would be detrimental not only to your relationships with these very important people, but also to your own sanity!

With better time management skills, you would be able to manage your schedule better, and you might be able to find a way to fit everything into your day without upsetting anyone.

At work, you would be able to better manage your time each day, and you would also be able to meet deadlines more effectively. This type of thing can translate into absolutely every aspect of your daily life, and it could really help you reduce your stress.

Family Issues

Sometimes you may have issues with family members that cause you a lot of stress. Usually these issues can be resolved by simply talking things out, but sometimes things are more complicated than that.

If you’re having very serious issues with a family member that you can’t seem to resolve, you basically have two issues. You can either seek the help of a mediator such as another family member who is neutral, or a professional such as a therapist, or you can simply cut that person out of your life.

If that person is your child, it may not be that simple. You can’t simply cut your child out of your life without causing yourself significant guilt and distress. In fact, it may be more stressful to cut your child out of your life than it is to have them in it. In this case, it’s vital to try as many times as necessary to talk out your differences, and to seek qualified help if you are unable to work anything out on your own.

If the family member is not your child, it is still preferable to try to work out your differences first. Family is important. Having a strong, tight-knit family structure is actually a great stress reducer. Even if you have to see a therapist or other qualified mediator together, it can be very beneficial to repair the relationship rather than just abandoning it.

Of course, if you try everything you can to repair the relationship and are unsuccessful, you may have no alternative but to cut off contact with that person. Your mental and physical health should be your top priority, and if your family member cannot respect that, perhaps they have no place in your life at the present time.

Friendship Issues

As with family, friends can often be a major source of stress. Just like with family, you should first try to resolve your problems amicably. It is a much better idea to try to repair an existing friendship, and it’s sometimes easier to do that than to try to make new friends.

Sadly, there will always be times when a relationship simply can’t be mended. If you must, don’t hesitate to cut people out of your life. Remember, your mental health and physical health is at stake, and they are far more important than any friendship could ever be.

Illness

If you are physically ill with a major disease or injury, especially if it causes you significant disability, it can be extremely stressful. Mental illnesses can also be extremely stressful.

If that illness is life-threatening, the stress it could cause you could be immeasurable. Life-threatening illnesses, either your own or that of someone you care about, are one of the most terrifying and stressful events you could ever imagine.

If you are experiencing a serious illness or injury, it’s very important to seek help from a therapist, especially if that illness could be life-threatening. You should never have to go through something like that alone, and even your friends and family may be unable to support you in such a frightening time.

If the illness is not yours, but that of someone you love, you should be sure to spend as much quality time with that person as possible. Not only will it be comforting to you to know that you spent as much time as possible with them before they passed away, but you would also be providing them with love and support in their greatest time of need

Next Part 4 Eliminating Stress-Stress and Your Diet

Part 2 Stess Reduction Basics

2010-02-26T15:27:00.000-08:00

Reducing stress is a step-by-step process. It requires a thorough assessment and examination of your daily life in order to develop your own customized stress-reduction program. The process is not as time-consuming as you might think. It’s actually quite simple. First, you have to figure out which issues are causing you the most stress, including those hidden sources you might not necessarily think of. Next, you have to come up with a plan. Finally, you have to work toward implementing that plan.

Discovering Your Stressors

The first step in this process is to figure out what is causing you the most stress. Until you know which elements of your life are the most stressful, you won’t be able to do very much to eliminate your stress. Start by making a list of everything you feel is causing you significant stress. It doesn’t matter at this point how big or small these stressors are, just write down everything that comes to mind. Chances are, if they are stressful enough for you to think of them, they are causing problems for you.

Next, you need to prioritize each of these stressors. Make a numbered list that starts out with what you believe are your most serious stressors, and moving on down the list to those that you feel aren’t necessarily as serious. This will let you know where to focus most of your efforts.

Once you have this list, you can start putting together your customized plan for reducing stress.

Customizing Your Plan

You’ll want to take your list and start at the top, going through each of you major issues one by one. For each one, think of a way that you can reduce the stress that particular issue causes you.

Make a plan for changing every major source of stress in your life. Explain to your family that these changes are absolutely necessary for your mental well-being, and that you wouldn’t be making such changes if it wasn’t absolutely critical. Hopefully they will understand.

Remember, you probably won’t be able to eliminate these problems entirely. Your goal is not necessarily to eliminate the problems, just to reduce their impact on your life. If you can reduce the amount of stress each issue causes you by a small margin, it will go a long way to reducing your overall stress levels.

Implementing Your Plan

The hardest part of the process will probably be implementation. It’s easy enough to figure out which issues are causing you stress. It’s even fairly simple to think of ideas that might reduce the stress these issues cause you. But implementing the changes can be tough. For example, you may not have a lot of services you wish to part with. Perhaps you feel comforted by having the extra cable channels. If you use them regularly, just keep them and find another way to cut back. But if your family rarely uses these channels, you’re going to have to look at the situation realistically. If they are used rarely, they are an expense that is unnecessarily causing you excessive stress. It’s worth cutting out the extra expense to get rid of that source of stress, even if it means occasionally missing a movie or show you would have like to watch. Just rent it on DVD or ask a friend to record it for you. In the next chapter, we’re going to look at some specific ways to manage some of life’s most common stressors.

Part 1 Eliminating Stress-Introduction

2010-02-25T04:39:00.000-08:00

Did you know that stress is one of the most common causes of illness in today’s society? Stress is becoming an extremely serious problem for all of us. As the expectations that are made of each of us increase, we are under extreme pressure every day, both at work and at home.

Stress can have very severe detrimental effects on the immune system, which can lead to a variety of different illnesses and ailments. It can also cause chiropractic problems that are caused by tension in the muscles of the neck and back. Furthermore, stress can lead to severe tension headaches, anxiety, panic attacks, and other physical and mental disturbances.

This is part one of a six part article series on stress. If you would like to receive all six articles please submit the form below:

Even some major corporations are beginning to realize the serious effects that stress can have on their employees, and are instituting stress reduction programs at their own expense.

Stress-related issues are one of the most common causes of workplace absenteeism, and corporations realize that reducing stress in their employees will save them money in the long run, because employees will be present more often and more efficient and effective while they are there.

In order to truly treat any type of illness or condition, you must first understand it. Then you must develop a solid plan for managing Eliminating Stress symptoms, and treating the underlying causes. In this article series, you will learn the most common causes of stress, and how to manage those issues in order to treat the condition. Once you begin managing your stress effectively, you will notice major changes in your life. Your health will improve, you will be more effective and efficient at work, your relationships will improve, and you will get more done at work, at school, and at home.

Effects of Stress

Stress is a lot more serious an issue than most people think. Obviously stress can lead to anxiety and other relatively minor mental disturbances, but it can also lead to much more serious problems.

Stress can lead to a shocking assortment of illnesses and ailments, but we’re going to discuss only a few of the most common effects of stress here. If you’re experiencing issues that your doctors can’t seem to find the cause of, ask if stress might be causing the issue, or at least exacerbating it. Managing your stress might help reduce or eliminate those symptoms that seem to have no cause.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common effects of stress.

Immune Suppression

One of the most common problems that can be caused by excessive stress is suppression of immune function. Whenever the body is stressed, the immune system begins to lose a lot of its effectiveness. This can lead to the development of illnesses, and the amplification of existing ones.

Headaches

Tension headaches are very common in people who suffer from extreme stress. They can be very painful and distracting, and may prevent you from being effective at work or in your daily life.

Back and Neck Pain

Another problem commonly caused by stress is pain in the neck and/or back. This is caused by the excess tension in the muscles that can build up as a result of the stress. Chiropractors get an incredible amount of business due to this.

Hives and Other Skin Issues

Stress can cause hives, which is a type of skin reaction that is commonly caused by allergies, but may also be caused by stress. Hives look a bit like blisters that cover the skin. They are generally flesh-colored or slightly pink, and may be quite numerous. Other skin issues such as eczema and psoriasis can be caused by, or at least aggravated by, excessive stress. If you have either of these conditions, reducing your stress may reduce (or even eliminate) the condition.

Panic Attacks

Panic attacks are a horrible affliction than can make sufferers feel like they are going crazy or even dying. They can cause chest pain, rapid heartbeat, heart palpitations, tingling, and other extremely uncomfortable physical symptoms.
Stress is one of the major causes of panic attacks.

Depression

Depression is a very common effect of stress. When someone experiences stress, it can cause all kinds of problems in their life. These problems can mount up, leading to depression. If the depression is left untreated, it can become major depression. Major depression can be very difficult to treat.

Suicide

If stress is not managed for a long period of time, all aspects of a person’s daily life can be affected. If this leads to depression or other mental disturbances, or if it leads to serious problems with relationships or work, the sufferer may reach a breaking point at which they are no longer able to cope with the situation.

Once that breaking point is reached, some individuals will see no way out other than suicide. Without receiving help for their issues, these people have a strong chance of killing themselves.

It’s important to not let it get to this point. Once stress levels reaching a breaking point like this, it can be very difficult to treat. If you can treat stress before it reaches this stage, it is much easier to manage.

Compare our prescription drug prices with other Canadian online pharmacies

2010-02-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

We invite you to compare our prices for common prescription drugs with the prices at other Canadian online pharmacies. In some cases we can offer discounts of up to 90% on retail pharmacy prices. Our cheap Lipitor, discount Xenical and other cheap prescription drugs as featured on our price comparison table demonstrate the significant savings we can offer. Lowest Canadian Prescription Drug Prices

Generic Drugs 101

2010-02-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

Many people do not clearly understand the difference between brand drugs and generic drugs. Many drugs which are available as brand drugs only in the USA have overseas generic versions, this list includes Lipitor, Plavix, Propecia, Nexium, Celebrex, Advair, Cymbalta, Zetia, Singulair and Flomax. This guide from Humana clears up some common misconceptions. Read on.. Frequently Asked Questions About Generic Drugs

Natural Cures for Menopause

2010-02-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

Menopause is the term used to signify the end of menstruation in women. Menopause goes on to suggest a great deal more than this basic fact.
Menopause is when a woman stops ovulating and stops having periods.
One reason why menopause is the cause of anxiety and fear amongst women is during this time there are significant changes in hormones.
In most women, menopause occurs between ages forty seven and fifty three. This is generally considered to be the natural age for menopause although there are some exceptions.

During menopause many women experience a variety of symptoms; the most common being hot flushes from hormonal imbalances. Some women have a lot of problems during this transitional phase of life. Many find they need help to treat the symptoms of menopause.

This 37 page eBook will show you the best possible ways to combat the common symptoms of menopause naturally and help you live a healthy and happy life post menopause.

To get your free copy fill in the info below for immediate access to the eBook:

Hay fever? Don't forget to check your plate

2010-01-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

By Coeli Carr
msnbc.com contributor
updated 8:06 a.m. ET, Fri., Feb. 20, 2009

The road to health usually means eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. But that might not be the case if you suffer from seasonal allergies.

People with seasonal allergic rhinitis — which affects one in five Americans — know that when the pollen count rises in the spring and fall they’ll be tormented by chronic sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, watery eyes and sleep problems. But what many people may not realize is that the same chemicals that cause hay fever may also trigger a reaction to certain raw foods.

“As many as one-third of the people with seasonal allergies experience oral allergy syndrome,” says allergist Dr. Clifford W. Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, and vice chairman of public education at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. More information

How to Save Money on Your Medications

2010-01-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

From About.com

Drugs, especially brand-name prescription medications, can be very expensive and may strain your budget, especially if you have a chronic illness. Whether or not you have health insurance with drug coverage, there are many ways to save money on your medications.

Save on Drug Costs: Getting Started

If you are not sure how to lower your drug costs, these recommendations can get you started. If you have drug insurance, learn how to cope with your health plan's formulary. And, if you do not have any drug coverage, learn where you can buy your medications for less money.

Medicare Part D

Medicare Part D is the voluntary prescription drug plan for people age 65 and older or who have certain disabilities. Learn about Medicare Part D, including how to choose a drug plan and how to deal with the dreaded coverage gap.

Health Insurance and Your Medications

Many health insurance plans include coverage for prescription medications. Understanding your health plan’s formulary and your drug benefits will help you make choices that can save you money.

Generic Drugs

Generic drugs can save you up to 80% on the cost of a prescription when compared with the brand name drug. Generic drugs are readily available to treat many common health conditions. About 50% of all prescriptions in the U.S. are filled with generic drugs.

Buying Medications Safely Online

Online pharmacies can provide you with an easy and private way to buy prescription and over-the-counter medications, often at a more affordable price. Learn how to recognize a reliable online pharmacy and ways to protect your information and avoid getting conterfeit drugs.

Buying Medications in Foreign Countries

Many Americans save money when they buy their medications from foreign pharmacies by crossing the border into Canada and Mexico, or when they travel to another foreign country. However, you need to be aware of regulations when you come back into the U.S. and how to safely carry your medications while traveling.

Splitting Pills to Save Money

Splitting pills has become a popular way for people to save money on some prescription medications. Learn how to split pills safely and what types of pills cannot be split.

FAQs About the Cost of Drugs

Dr. Mike provides advice on how to save money on your prescription medications, from splitting your pills to managing your health benefits to buying medications online and in foreign countries.

What To Do When Someone Experiences Depression After A Stroke

2010-01-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

by: Stephanie Trelogan

For most people, the word "stroke" brings to mind a constellation of problems, including paralysis and difficulty with speech. But if someone has recently had a stroke, you're probably well aware that the effects go well beyond the physical. The emotional aftermath can be just as overwhelming and far more difficult to sort out.
Although depression can strike anyone, those who've suffered a catastrophic illness may be more susceptible than other people. And when you throw a brain injury into the mix, the risk of developing a mood disorder becomes even greater. As many as half of stroke survivors will become depressed, according to James Castle, a neurologist at Stanford University.

Depression isn't just miserable, it may also make a stroke survivor more susceptible to pain and fatigue and may even delay his recovery.

In a study published in the journal Stroke, researchers reported that stroke survivors who were treated for depression demonstrated improved recovery in regular daily activities compared with those whose depression went untreated.

People who are depressed also tend to be less compliant with rehabilitation and more resistant to making lifestyle changes to prevent a second stroke.

Fortunately, depression can be treated. With the appropriate care, a patient will lead a happier life -- and life will be easier for you, too. Here are some practical things you can do if you think the person you're caring for is depressed after a stroke.

It's not always easy to recognize depression. In the case of someone who's had a stroke, the situation can be even more complicated. If a patient has trouble talking or understanding language, it might be especially difficult to recognize depression. Increased emotional liability -- sudden and extreme mood swings, common after a stroke -- may also hide symptoms of depression.
You may also think he has good reason to feel depressed. After all, he's just had a stroke and can't do the things he used to be able to do. But there's a difference between the normal grieving process and depression. The warning signs of depression include:

Frequent crying episodes

Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness

Poor appetite or increased appetite

Sleeping too much or not enough

Increased agitation and restlessness

Loss of interest in life

Expressing thoughts of dying or suicide

A stroke survivor should be evaluated for depression if he has had several of these symptoms for more than two weeks.

If you believe a patient is depressed, the first step is to talk to him about his feelings. This isn't always easy, especially if he isn't used to expressing emotions. Ask him if he's feeling sad or hopeless. Try to get an idea if it's really depression or just a temporary case of the blues.

The next step is to schedule an evaluation. His primary care physician may want to talk to him first, or she may refer him to a psychiatrist or counselor. In any case, the evaluating doctor will talk to him and assess his mood. She may also order screening tests to rule out other medical conditions that can mimic depression, such as a thyroid disorder or infection.

If he resists the idea of testing because he's embarrassed or afraid, help him understand that a diagnosis of depression isn't the shameful secret it once may have been. It doesn't mean he's "crazy" or is going to be taken away to a nursing home. And his test results are private, so no one but he and his doctor needs to know.
If he absolutely refuses to see a doctor, there's not a whole lot you can do. "There's no way to force the issue unless there are severe circumstances," says Castle. If he has become psychotic or suicidal, or if his depression has progressed to the point where he can no longer care for himself, Castle recommends that you notify his doctor or emergency medical services immediately. Otherwise, your best bet is to enlist family members and friends to try to persuade him to seek help.

If a patient is diagnosed with depression, the doctor may prescribe antidepressant medications and/or recommend psychotherapy. "Most doctors take a multidirected approach toward battling depression," says Castle. "Medicines can be highly effective, but often there's a role for psychotherapy and lifestyle changes."

Even if a primary care doctor diagnosed depression, a patient may still benefit from seeing a mental health professional, says Castle. "Some primary care physicians feel comfortable treating this disorder, but many would prefer the assistance of a psychiatrist or psychologist." Castle says this can be difficult for people who associate a stigma with mental health treatment. "It's important for the family to support the patient over that barrier."
The person in your care may also be nervous about taking antidepressants, but Castle points out that they present very little risk: "If anything, there's some evidence to suggest that these medicines might actually decrease the chance of having another stroke." Some of the common side effects, such as loss of libido or excessive sweating, can be annoying, but they're nothing compared to the misery of depression. And the doctor can work with the patient to find the most effective medication with the fewest side effects.

Simply supporting the patient as he struggles with depression can help him a great deal. Here are some other things you can do:

Help him stay as physically active as possible. Talk to the doctor and rehabilitation team about what exercises are appropriate. Find activities you can do together, such as a morning walk around the neighborhood.

Depressed people often want to sleep during the day. "As much as possible, don't allow a patient to slip into a depressed routine," says Castle. "Break the cycle by encouraging him to be awake during the day with exposure to sunlight." A simple walk outdoors or some time in the garden can really help.

Structure the day around activities that give him pleasure and a sense of purpose. For example, meet friends for lunch or enjoy a leisurely walk through the mall.

Try to stay positive and upbeat, but don't foster unrealistic expectations. Instead of saying, "You'll be hiking again in no time," you might say, "If we keep walking together every day, you'll notice that it gets a lot easier."

Join a support group -- for either or both of you. Talking to other people who're struggling with similar issues can be enormously comforting and helpful. It's also a great way to connect with other stroke survivors and caregivers. Remember that it's not all up to you

In the end, it's really up to the stroke survivor to get help for depression. If he won't talk to his doctor or comply with treatment, you can't make him -- and you shouldn't blame yourself. Keep offering support and provide positive reinforcement when he takes those difficult steps toward recovery.

But there's only so much you can do. If feelings of guilt and sadness overwhelm you, you may need help coming to terms with the fact that he isn't going to get help. Ask his doctor for information about support groups and other resources to help you manage your own feelings.

Source: E. Chemerinski et al. "Improved recovery in activities of daily living associated with remission of post stroke depression." Stroke 32, 2001.

Resources:

Stroke Depression

Be Alert To Warning Signs Of Depression After A Stroke

About the Author

Stephanie Trelogan is Senior Editor of the Heart, Stroke, and Depression channels. Older people in Stephanie's family have coped with a variety of stroke- and heart-related conditions, and several family members including Stephanie have struggled with depression.

Maintaining a sodium intake below 2000 mg/day requires considerable effort.

2009-12-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

The information below is provided to assist patients maintain a low-sodium diet. The following numbers may be useful as a guide.

Dietary Salt (sodium) Intake

"Normal" salt diet ... ... 1100 - 3300 mg/day

"High" salt diet ... ... 4000 - 6000 mg/day

"Low" salt diet ... ... 400 - 1000 mg/day

Physicians may initially suggest a partially reduced salt level, in the range of 1000 - 2000 mg/day, to see if symptoms can be alleviated. Maintaining a sodium intake below 2000 mg/day requires considerable effort. Eating in restaurants causes difficulty as the majority of restaurant food is salted. To maintain a low sodium diet, you need to scrutinize the "Nutritional Information" boxes on food cartons. The amount of salt is listed as "sodium". Choose those products which would give you the least sodium, based on the amount of product you eat. Note that many "high salt" products (ketchup, salad dressing, corn chips) show relatively low sodium values based on very small serving portions (who eats only 12 corn chips at a sitting??). What is important is the total amount of sodium you are eating each day. As shown in the list below, fresh fruits and vegetables have low sodium content, but avoid adding salt to vegetables during preparation. The following advice may help maintain a low salt intake.

Do not use salt at the table

Reduce the salt used in food preparation. Try 1/2 teaspoon when recipes call for 1 teaspoon. Many cakes and desserts can be prepared without adding salt.

Use herbs and spices for flavoring meats and vegetables instead of salt.

Avoid salty foods such as processed meat and fish, pickles, soy sauce, salted nuts, chips and other snack foods.

Check every "Nutritional Information" label before you buy or use a product. Note sodium and portion size information.

A cautionary note: The body posesses exquisite systems which accurately regulate body sodium. The goal of a low sodium diet is to "push" this regulation system toward one end of its range,without pushing it to the limit when body sodium starts falling. Although a low-salt diet if difficult to achieve, be aware that the low-salt diet can be "overdone" with possible adverse consequences. For this reason, if your vestibular symptoms persist, do not keep decreasing your salt intake. The level of sodium intake should be decided in consultation with your physician or nutritionist. Lower levels require more rigorous monitoring by your physician. You should also be aware that your body can lose sodium by a number of routes other than in the urine. Sweating, vomiting and diarrhea can all produce significant sodium loss. In addition, other diseases, such as those which impair kidney function, may result in greater than normal sodium losses. In the event of adverse symptoms, you should contact your physician.

Sodium Content of Common Foods

All values are given in mg of sodium for a 100 g (3.5 oz) food portion. These values are a guide. More accurate values are given in the Nutritional Information on the package of most products, in the form of mg of sodium per serving.

Apple, raw unpeeled 1

Apple juice, bottled 1

Applesauce, sweetened 2

Asparagus, cooked 1 (regular canned 236)

Avocado 4

Bacon, cooked 1021

Bacon, canadian 2500

Baking powder 11,000

Banana 1

Barly, pearled 3

Beans, Lima 1 (regular canned 236)

Beans, snap green, cooked 4 (regular canned 236)

Beans, white common, cooked 7

Beans, canned with pork and tomato sauce 463

Bean sprouts, cooked 4

Beef, roasted broiled or stewed 60

Beef, corned 1,740

Beef hash, canned 540

Beef, dried 4,300

beef hamberger 47

Beef pie or stew, commercial 400

Beets, cooked 43 (regular canned 236)

Beverages, beer 7

Beverages, liquor 1 (avoid margueritas with salt!)

Beverages, wine 5

Beverage, soda 0 to 100 (check can)

Beverage, fruit drink 0

Beverage, water 0

Biscuits 630

Blackberries 1

Bluefish, cooked 104

Bouillon cubes 24,000

Bread 300 to 500

Broccoli, cooked 10

Brussel sprouts, cooked 10

Butter, salted 826 (unsalted - less than 10)

Cabbage 20

Cakes 100 to 300

Candy, caramels, fudge 200

Candy, hard, marshmallow, peanut brittle 30

Cantaloupe 12

Carrots 40 (regular canned 236)

Cashews, unsalted 15

Cauliflower 10

Celery, raw 126 (cooked 88)

Cereals bran, wheat, crude 9

Cereals, commercial 700 to 1100

Cereal, Corn grits 1

Cereal, Cornmeal 1

Cereal, Farina, dry 2 (cooked salted or instant 160)

Cereal, Oatmeal, dry 2 (cooked salted 218)

Cereal, Rice flakes 987

Cereal, wheat flakes 1000

Cereal, wheat, puffed 4

Cereal, wheat, shredded 3

Cheese, cheddar 620

Cheese, processed 1189

Cheese, cottage 406

Cheese, cream 296

Cheese, Mozzarella 373

Cheese, Parmesan 1,862

Cheese, Swiss 260

Cherries, Raw 2

Chicken, cooked, without skin 60 to 80

Chicken pot pie, commercial 411

Chickpeas, dry 8

Chicory 7

Chili con carne, canned with beans 531

Chili powder with seasonings 1574

Chocolate, plain 4

Chocolate syrup 52

Clams, raw soft 36

Clams, hard, round 205

Cocoa, dry 6

Cocoa, processed 717

Coconut, fresh 23

Coffee, instant, dry 72

Coffee, beverage, 1

Collards, cooked 25

Cookies, Fig bars 252

Cookies, oatmeal 170

Cookies , plain 365

Corn, sweet, cooked 0 (regular canned 236)

Cowpeas, dry, cooked 8

Crabmeat, canned 1000

Crackers, Graham 670

Crackers, saltines 1,100

Cranberry juice or sauce 1

Cream 40

Cucumber 6

Dates 1

Doughnuts 500

Duck 74

Eggplant, cooked 1

Egg, whole, raw 74 (whites 152, yolk 49)

Endive, curly 14

Figs 2

Flounder 78

Flour 2

Fruit cocktail 5

Gelatin, dry 0 (sweetened, ready-to eat 51)

Grapefruit, fresh, canned or juice 1

Grapes 3

Haddock, raw 61 (battered 177)

Heart, beef 86

Herring 74

Honey 5

Honeydew melon 12

Ice cream, vanilla 87

Jams and preserves 12

Jellies 17

Kale, cooked 43

Lamb, lean 70

Lard 0

Lasagna 490

Lemon, juice or fresh 1

Lettuce 9

Lime, fresh or juice 1

Liver, beef 184

Liver, pork 111

Lobster 210

Macaroni, dry 2 (commercial with cheese 543)

Margarine 987

Milk 50

Milk, buttermilk 130

MIlk, evaporated 106

Milk, dried 549

Molasses, light 15 (Dark 96)

Muffins, plain 441

Mushrooms 14 (canned 400)

Mustard, prepared yellow 1,252

Mustard greens 18

Nectarine 6

Noodles, dry 5

Nuts, in shell 1 (processed nuts may contain high amounts of salt)

Oil, corn 0

Okra, 2

Olives, green 2,400

Onions, green 5 (mature 10)

Orange peeled, juice, canned or juice 1

Oysters, raw 73

Pancakes 425

Papayas, raw 3

Parsley 45

Parsnips, cooked 8

Peaches 2

Peanuts, roasted 5 (salted 418)

Peanut butter 607

Pears 2

Peas, cooked 2 (regular canned 236)

Peas, dried 40

Pecans, shelled 0

Peppers, green 13

Perch 79

Pickles, dill 1,428

Pickles, relish, sweet 712

Pie 250 to 450

Pie crust, baked 617

Pike, walleye 51

Pineapple, raw or canned 1

Pizza, cheese 702

Plums 2

Popcorn, salted with oil 1,940

Pork 65

Pork, cured ham 930

Pork canned ham 1,100

Potatoes, baked, boiled or french fried 2 to 6

Potatoes, mashed salted 331

Potato chips, up to 1000

Pretzels 1680

Prunes 4

Pumpkin, canned 2

Radishes 18

Raisins, dried 27

Raspberries 1

Rhubarb 2

Rice, dry 5 (cooked salted 374)

Rolls, bread or sweet 400 to 550

Rutabagas 4

Rye wafers 882

Salad dressing 700 to 1300

Salmon 64 (canned 387)

Sardines, canned 400

Sauerkraut 747

Sausage, pork 958

Sausage, Frankfurter 1,100

Sausage, Bologna 1,300

Scallops, 265

Shrimp 150

Soup, canned 350 to 450

Spaghetti, dry 2

Spaghetti with meatballs, canned 488

Spinach, raw 71 (cooked 50)

Squash 1

Strawberries 1

Sugar, white 1 (brown 30)

Sunflower seeds 30

Sweetpotatoes 12

Syrup 68

Tapioca, dry 3

Tomato 3 (canned 130)

Tomato ketchup 1,042

Tomato juice, canned 200

Tongue, beef 61

Tuna in oil 800

Turkey, 82

Turnips 34

Veal 80

Vinegar 1

Waffles 475

Walnuts 3

Watermelon 1

Wheat germ 827

Yeast, compressed 16 (dry , active 52)

Yoghurt 46

Page generated by: Alec N. Salt, Ph.D.,

Cochlear Fluids Research Laboratory,

Washington University, St. Louis

Importance Of Resistance Training For Women

2009-12-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

Many women nowadays are into resistance training. Many get into resistance training programs engaging into sports. Resistance training is important for women. It allows you to be active and have a healthy body. You may also gain the needed strength and physically built muscles.

Before you start lifting weights, you should know the proper ways on how to execute the exercise. Many women seriously encounter injuries when they incorrectly lift weights. It is important that you get rid first of the excess weight that you have by walking or jogging. You may also purchase weight loss equipment such as treadmills, cross bar platinum, and nutrition book guides for a better health.

Women usually do not have the natural muscle structure that most men have. They may not also have the same strength to carry heavy loads or the same resistance that men have. What more if you get older? Your body may no longer have the same strength when you were still young. This happens because of the lifestyle you have or just because of aging process. Your resistance may have just decreased and your body tends to weaken.

You can benefit many things when you get into resistance training. Even if you are not an athlete or a body-building enthusiasts, you can get into resistance training programs. Having an active body and well-toned muscles can provide you the more strength and good resistance. You can do some workout outdoors like walking or jogging to get a better blood circulation.

You may also do some stretching and warm up exercises to allow the blood nutrients go to the muscles and joints of your body. Muscle stretching also helps in lessening the risks of injuries and muscle pains after the work out. Muscles tend to sore and get strained if you are not well warmed-up and do the proper stretching techniques before the work out.

In addition, muscle stretching also gives you more flexibility. You will be able to execute exercises comfortably and effectively. It is advisable that you do repetitive stretching and warm ups. Repetition of exercises makes your muscles and joints more enhanced and more adapted to the motion you are executing.

When you are ready to lift weights, you should first work on your larger muscles then the smaller ones. You may then finally go to the muscles that are isolated. You may execute push-ups that can enhance the upper muscles of the body. Before doing triceps extension exercises, you should first focus on the larger muscle groups such as the muscle found in your butt. You may execute exercises like repetitive squatting, box step-ups, and lunges.

You may also work on your quads which is the muscle found on the front thigh. You may perform repetitive squatting and lunges as well. You may also use the leg extension machine and the leg press machine for a well-executed exercise.

You should always remember that you work on the opposite muscles. Muscles tend to get imbalanced especially if the amounts of exercises you do are not equally distributed. When performing triceps extension, it is advised that you also do bicep exercises. If you work out on the chest and the stomach area like crunches, it is important that you do back extension exercises to get a balanced upper muscle toning.

Always take a rest after your resistance training work out. Allow your muscles to cool gradually so that you will not feel any sore or strained muscles. After the resistance training, you will see that you are more ready and physically fit for many kinds of sports.

How and When to Be Your Own Doctor

2009-12-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

by Dr. Isabelle A. Moser with Steve Solomon

"In the matter of disease and healing, the people have been treated as serfs. The doctor is dictator who knows it all, and the people are stupid, dumb, driven cattle, fit for nothing except to be herded together, bucked and gagged when necessary to force medical opinion down their throats or under their skins. I found that professional dignity was more often pomposity, sordid bigotry and gilded ignorance. The average physician is a fear-monger, if he is anything. He goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may scare to death. Dr. John. H. Tllden, Impaired Health: Its Cause and Cure, Vol. 1, 1921." Read this fascinating 266 page ebook

Down load here

Advances In Drug Treatment For Alcoholism

2009-12-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

Two drugs, ReVia and Topamax — are not yet the equivalent of Prozac for depression, but they can help many alcohol abusers learn to drink more moderately or abstain altogether. Read on..Primary Care for Alcoholics

101 Steps to Better Health

2009-12-08T04:38:00.000-08:00

More than any other time in history, people are all vying to have the best, healthiest body possible. The health and fitness industries are making billions of dollars every year on herbal supplements, fitness equipment, gyms, and special diets. If you watch TV or read magazines, there are always some intriguing ads and commercials asking for money for products to help you get into shape. While many of these options are good and healthy, others you should stay as far away from as possible. Recently popular over-the-counter diet supplements have been in the news, after a number of deaths were associated with the main ingredient used in many of these pills.

More Information

Care for Those with Dementia

2009-12-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

The word dementia refers to many types of cognitive breakdown, including loss of memory and reasoning power. Because of the mental issued, they cause disruptions in the person’s daily life. Since it is usually found in elderly patients, some people refer to it as going senile. Although untrue, people used to believe that dementia was just what happened when one got old. In fact, dementia is actually a symptom of other…

problems, and it is not age specific. Sometimes, the effects of the mental disorder are able to be reversed with treatment. Often, though, the illness is not reversible and will slowly worsen.

Since the patients lose most of their memory, they often require constant care. Along with memory loss, the patients will also lose other cognitive function, and they may become unaware of their surroundings.

Many elderly people become fearful of dementia when they suffer common slips of the memory. Often, elderly people suffer from some memory loss, called by the professionals “senescent forgetfulness.” This type of problem is more of an aggravation than a serious issue.
Dementia will affect all of the person’s ability to think and understand the things around them.

When someone shows symptoms like memory loss, severe mood swings, confusion, and difficulty with speech, a physician should be consulted. The symptoms and causes of dementia can be treated and cared for once a physician has made the proper diagnosis.

A person suffering from dementia will need much care, and that need will increase over time. One of the well-know types of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which requires constant supervision. In most Alzheimer’s cases, the family cares for the patient in their own home.

Care for people suffering from dementia does not follow a certain pattern. While it may be frustrating, the caretaker should always treat the patient with respect and provide them patience. The caretaker will see major changes in the patient’s personality, but they are suffering and they are still the same person they were.

One way to help a person with dementia is to spend time working on the strengths that they still have, since this will give them something else upon which to focus. Remember that people with dementia still enjoy spending time with others socially.

Family and caregivers will need to remind themselves that each dementia patient’s experiences will be unique. A patient must be allowed to express themselves while the caretakers work to provide the best care for them.

It can be difficult, but one must remember that the memory loss can be detrimental for the patient. Because of the short-term memory loss, the patient should be watched over when doing anything potentially dangerous, like cooking.

While they may forget many things short-term, dementia patients will usually retain their long-term memory. Patients may become frustrated with changing situations.

Frustration and anger can happen quickly, so the caregiver should always be prepared. Memory games should never be employed with dementia patients. These games could lead to severe frustration or fear.

Dementia patients should be protected from dangerous situations. There should be no dangerous obstacles in the person’s house, garage, or yard. In addition, all areas should be well lit. Mirrors should be avoided since they can mislead a patient. If the dementia is severe enough, they may think the mirror is someone else and they will become frightened.

Family members should take the care of dementia patients very seriously even in the most stressful times.