Daily Health Tips: August 2009

Cleaning Up With Makeup Removers

>> Monday, August 31, 2009

Cleaning Up With Makeup Removers

Sure, putting on makeup can be a lot of fun. Makeup does wonders to any face, after all, so experimenting with different looks can be fun, if not totally exhilarating. But equally important as putting on makeup is taking them off. Makeup that is left on overnight can have adverse, serious effects on the skin. The rule of thumb is never to sleep with your makeup on else, it will be like sleeping with a dirty face.

But ridding your face of makeup may require more than just soap and water. There are specially formulated makeup removers out there to suit every skin type. And usually, they are not harsh, but are rather gentle to the skin as most of them are specifically made for the eyes.

The first type of makeup remover comes in pads or wipes. Pads or wipes are perfect for normal to oily skin, and perfect, too, for people who are travelling or on the go. Pads or wipes are easy to use as they are already soaked in cleaning solution. All one has to do is simply wipe it over the face. Some makeup removers come in cream form. These are particularly recommended for dry or sensitive skin. Further, they have moisturizing properties that leave the skin soft and supple. Another type of makeup remover is the water-based type. Water-based makeup removers are best for acne-prone or oily skin. However, they can effectively remove only light makeup, not heavy mascara nor liquid eyeliner. There are also makeup removers that come in gel form. These are especially good for oily skin. The only drawback to the like of this is that it can cause skin break-outs, making it rather difficult to reapply makeup. When using a makeup remover in gel form, remember to rinse it very well with water.

Health Tips:Genetic Counseling

Health Tips:Genetic Counseling

Genetic Counseling:
Modern genetics allows us to understand how genetic diseases are inherited based on DNA, genes, and chromosomes. We can now test couples and fetuses for certain inherited disorders, as well as other chromosomal and genetic abnormalities such as neural tube defects, Down syndrome, and cystic fibrosis.
Couples who are thinking about having a child may consider genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis before conception to predict any possible abnormalities in their child. Others may use the tests after they conceive to evaluate the condition of the fetus.
People who are at increased risk of passing genetic abnormalities on to their children include:Jews of Eastern European descent, who may have a high risk of having children with Tay-Sachs or Canavan’s, metabolic disorders that lead to death in early childhood.African-Americans, who may risk passing on sickle-cell anemia to their children.Couples of Southeast Asian or Mediterranean origin, who are at increased risk of having children with thalassemia, a severe form of anemia.People with family histories of inherited disorders, or those who have previously had children with genetic disorders.Women who were exposed to toxins that could cause birth defects.Women with prior medical conditions or diseases that may affect their fetus, such as diabetes.Couples who share a common ancestor.Women with a history of multiple miscarriages.Couples who have family members with birth defects or severe developmental problems.
Prenatal testing for genetic problems may be done before or after conception. Testing for spina bifida or Down syndrome is done after a pregnancy is established. Besides the couples listed above, counseling and diagnosis are also recommended for mothers over the age of 35, and those who have received abnormal alpha-fetoprotein test results. For more information about the alpha-fetoprotein test, and when and why you might have it, see alpha-fetoprotein.
For those who may be at risk, genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis are used to help answer some important questions, such as:Should we have a baby? Are the chances of having a baby with a genetic defect so high that choosing adoption or artificial insemination may be a better way to start a family?How can we treat the fetus' potential defects? Are there surgical techniques available or other medical interventions that may help alleviate problems?How do we prepare, physically and psychologically, for the possible outcome of a pregnancy? Are there special educational classes, training, or information that we need in order to raise a child with defects?Should we continue the pregnancy? Are the fetus' abnormalities so severe that we might choose to have an abortion?
It is important to remember that preconception testing can only give you the odds of having a child with a certain birth defect; a genetic counselor maps out the specific numbers. You may learn, for example, that you have a one in four chance of having a child with a certain disorder. If you decide to conceive, the fetus may be able to undergo prenatal testing to show whether or not the baby has inherited the disorder.
How Can I Prepare?:
You may wish to discuss genetic counseling with your family, as well as your health care provider, who may refer you to a genetic counselor specially trained to understand the complex issues surrounding heredity and pregnancy. Find out if any medical problems run in your family, especially any problems with child development, miscarriages, stillbirths, or severe childhood illnesses. If you decide to get the blood-screening test, make sure your health care provider talks to you beforehand and answers any of your questions.
What Will Happen?:
You will be required to fill out an in-depth family history, and discuss your family's medical past with the counselor. You and your partner may also take simple blood tests, or undergo an analysis of your chromosomes known as karyotyping. All this information will be considered together to help determine what genetic patterns you may pass on to your children. If you choose to be tested after conception, one of the following tests will be used to obtain fetal cells whose genetic and chemical makeup can be analyzed in a laboratory: Amniocentesis , in which fluid is withdrawn from the amniotic sac and analyzed. See amniocentesis for more information.Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) , which takes a sampling of the cells of the placenta. See CVS for more information.Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS) , which draws fetal blood from the umbilical cord. See PUBS for more information.
What Are The Risks?:
The tests used for genetic counseling have virtually no risks. The tests used after conception, however, may cause infection, damage to the fetus, or miscarriage. For further information, see the articles on amniocentesis , CVS , and PUBS .
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: If I am in a risk group, do I have to get tested?
A: No. It is up to you whether or not to undergo genetic counseling and prenatal testing. Your religious or philosophical beliefs, family circumstances, and personal desires all are a part of the decision-making process.
Q: If I discover I am a carrier of a certain disease, will I still be allowed to have a baby?
A: Absolutely. The point of genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis is simply to provide parents with information that they need to make important decisions. A good genetic counselor will help you figure out how to use the information you discover, but will not make any decisions for you. If you are at risk of having a baby with a disorder, you may be able to use assisted reproductive technologies to reduce the chance that your baby will be affected.

Brest Development

Brest Development

Though breast growth is not visible until puberty, breast development begins very early in the embryo and can be discerned within just a few weeks of conception. Interestingly, the earliest stages are identical in male and female fetuses, so many men could develop fully functioning breasts given the right hormonal conditions

After birth the breast has only two phases of development; the first at puberty with the outpouring of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone; the second during pregnancy and lactation, when the milk-producing lobules become larger

If puberty is stunted or if a woman remains childless, her breasts will not fully develop. The first stage of breast development begins in the embryo at about six weeks, with a thickening in the skin called the mammary ridge or milk line

By the time the fetus is six months old, this extends from the armpit to the groin, but it soon dies back, leaving two breast buds on the upper half oft he chest. Occasionally, rudimentary mammary glands develop along the milk line forming additional nipples or breasts that sometimes persist into adult life. More rarely, the two breast buds fade away with the rest of the milk line, so that the nipples are absent from birth

Because the initial development of the milk line is the same in male and female fetuses, this development can appear in the male and the female.

When a female fetus is about six months old, 15 - 20 solid columns of cells grow inward from each breast bud. Each column becomes a separate "sweat" or exocrine gland. With it’s own separate duct leading to the nipple

By the eighth month of fetal development, these columns of cells have become hollow so that, by birth, a nipple and a rudimentary milk-duct system have formed. No further development takes place until puberty

The first external signs of breast development appear at the age of 10 or 11 - though it can be as late as 14 years. The ovaries start to secrete estrogen leading to an accumulation of fat in the connective tissue that causes the breast to enlarge. The duct system also begins to develop, but only to the point of forming cellular knobs at the end of the ducts

As far as we know the mechanism that secretes milk doesn’t develop until pregnancy. Although the breast may appear fully grown within a few years of puberty, strictly speaking, their development is not complete until they have fulfilled their biological function - that is, until the woman carries a pregnancy to term and breast-feeds her baby, when they will undergo further changes

MATURITY OF THE BREASTS

Once a young woman reaches puberty, and ovulation and the menstrual cycle begins, the breasts start to mature, forming real secretory glands at the ends of the milk ducts. Initially these glands are very primitive and may consist of only one or two layers of cells surrounded by a base membrane.

Between this membrane and the glandular cells are cells of another type, called myo-epithelial cells, these cells are the ones that contract and squeeze milk from the gland if pregnancy occurs and milk production takes place .

With further growth, the lobes of the glands become separated from one another by dense connective tissue and fat deposits. This tissue is easily stretched. This is where the natural enlargement formula comes in and allows the enlargement that normally occurs during pregnancy when the glandular elements swell and grow

The duct system grows considerably after conception and many more glands and lobules are formed. This causes the breast to increase in size as it matures to fulfill its role of providing food for the baby

FEMALE CHANGES

Most women notice that just before menstruation their breasts enlarge and their nipples become sensitive and even painful. The texture of the breasts change and they become rather lumpy, with small discrete swellings that resemble orange pips in both texture and size. These lumps are glands in the breast which enlarge in preparation for pregnancy.

If pregnancy doesn’t occur, breasts return to their normal size and the glands become imperceptible to touch within a few days, ready for re-growth the next month. These changes in the breast are only one part of many changes that occur in the female body as the result of the monthly ebb and flow of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone

AGING OF THE BREASTS

As we get older, our breasts tend to sag and flatten; the larger the breasts, the more they sag. With the menopause there is a reduction in stimulation by the hormone oestrogen to all tissues of the body, including breast tissue; this results in a reduction in the glandular tissue of the breasts. So they loose their earlier fullness.

Regular exercise would have however prevented or slowed down the ageing process. Much of the connective tissue in the breast is composed of a fibrous protein called collagen, which needs oestrogen to keep it healthy. Without oestrogen, it becomes dehydrated and inelastic. Once the collagen has lost its shape and stretchability it "was" believed that it could not return to its former state or condition

STAGES - BREAST DEVELOPMENT

Human breast tissue begins to develop in the sixth week of fetal life. Breast tissue initially develops along the lines of the armpits and extends to the groin (this is called the milk ridge). By the ninth week of fetal life, it regresses (goes back) to the chest area, leaving two breast buds on the upper half of the chest. In females, columns of cells grow inward from each breast bud, becoming separate sweat glands with ducts leading to the nipple. Both male and female infants have very small breasts and actually experience some nipple discharge during the first few days after birth.

Female breasts do not begin growing until puberty—the period in life when the body undergoes a variety of changes to prepare for reproduction. Puberty usually begins for women around age 10 or 11. After pubic hair begins to grow, the breasts will begin responding to hormonal changes in the body. Specifically, the production of two hormones, estrogen and progesterone, signal the development of the glandular breast tissue. During this time, fat and fibrous breast tissue becomes more elastic. The breast ducts begin to grow and this growth continues until menstruation begins (typically one to two years after breast development has begun). Menstruation prepares the breasts and ovaries for potential pregnancy. Before puberty Early puberty Late puberty
the breast is flat except for the nipple that sticks out from the chest the areola becomes a prominent bud; breasts begin to fill out glandular tissue and fat increase in the breast, and areola becomes flat

Before puberty :The brest is flat except for the niple that stricks out from the chest

Early puberty:The areola becames a prominent bud; brests begin to full out.

Lately puberty:Glandular tissue and fat increases in the brest and areola becames fat.

Female Breast Developmental Stages

Stage 1

(Preadolescent) only the tip of the nipple is raised

Stage 2

buds appear, breast and nipple raised, and the areola (dark area of skin that surrounds the nipple) enlarges

Stage 3

breasts are slightly larger with glandular breast tissue present

Stage 4

the areola and nipple become raised and form a second mound above the rest of the breast

Stage 5

mature adult breast; the breast becomes rounded and only the nipple is raise

Teen-aged Girls: No Longer Too Young For Makeup

Teen-aged Girls: No Longer Too Young For Makeup

At the prime of their youth, it is quite natural to see teen-aged girls going gaga over the latest in fashion and make-up trends. It is cool to be beautiful, they would often say. And to be cool means to belong to the “in” crowd. This, for them is the ultimate goal, a basic necessity in order to survive. They, thus experiment with various kinds of makeup products and what-nots.

Some people, particularly mothers themselves of such teen-aged girls, argue that kids are too young to wear makeup. For them, having too much makeup on young, virginal skin may ruin the skin eventually as time goes on. But, really, not all makeup products are harsh and unfriendly, even to young skin. In fact, many cosmetic companies all over the world are formulating makeup products, specifically for teen-aged girls.

Generally, however, teen-aged girls are well advised not to wear too much makeup, regardless of whether or not the products are formulated to suit their skin type. A more natural look is always preferred for young skin. The universal rule is to use a colors that match their skin tone. Light shades of pink or brown will look flattering on them. These will enhance their features, nonetheless, and will not make them too grown-up. Teen-aged girls are also advised not to use color on their eyebrows. Instead, they may simply brush their eyebrow using an eyebrow brush to tame any wild hair. Next, they may also lightly line the lashes with eyeliner, and further soften the effect by blurring it. If ever they need to use ascara, a coat of brown mascara will give the lashes a lift. Finally, glide over a hint of color on the lips. Lipsticks in neutral shades or soft pinks may look beautifully on a teen-aged girl’s lips.

Hi-Tech Medicine

Hi-Tech Medicine

Question: How can recent technological advances evolve the fields of neurological and psychiatric treatment and diagnosis?

Background: If you have been watching the technology section in your local newspapers you have no doubt noticed the stream of advertisements flaunting the latest evolution of hi-tech devices. These objects range from camera cell phones to virtual keyboards and beyond. More amazing though, is the increasing translation of so-called “hard science” into what I term “pop science.”

Lie detector technology, for example, is used to screen dating club members and DNA sequencing that was first used to determine the specific disease susceptibility of newborns is now employed by would-be parents to screen for potential mates. Even Near Infrared Spectroscopy which can be used to measure brain activity has been co-opted by the music industry in an effort to anticipate which selection on a newly released CD is most likely to be a hit. So I was wondering — why we can’t use all of this creative energy to help researchers and patients alike? Let me here what you have to say.

KEEP THINKING!

Health Tips: Choosing The Best Makeup Brush Sets

Choosing The Best Makeup Brush Sets

Though many take the role of makeup brush sets for granted, using the right makeup brush sets is as important as choosing the right shades of lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, and the like, in basic makeup application.

The top of the line makeup brush sets out there are very expensive, with some costing as high as $250.00! That is a lot of money, for sure. Good quality makeup brush sets do not have to be expensive at all. There are those made of acrylic ones that do not cost as much but still serve the purpose. A particularly good one is an eyeliner brush from NARS or M.A.C. Sephora’s Sable Eyeshadow Brush is also a good choice, and it is very affordable. Paula Dorf’s eyeshadow brush may be a lot more expensive than Sephora’s Sable Eyeshadow Brush, but you will definitely get your money’s worth on this. It is an especially good choice for outlining or giving the eye more definition.

Some experts recommend the use of a concealer brush t o hide blemishes. A concealer brush allows better coverage of the area to be hidden. When looking for one that is not very pricey, but works very well, nonetheless, try Bare Escentuals. If you can afford it, Smashbox Concealer Brush can work like magic. It is stiffer, providing you with more control. Using this product makes it easier for you to blend the concealer well.

Vincent Longno’s Eyebrow Brush is a hit on the market, but it is quite expensive. A cheaper option is Sephora’s Eyebrow brush that is quite slanted and specially made for the eyebrows. For the perfect lip brush, Sephora’s Lip Brush works perfectly with any kind of lipstick. It is angled in a way that makes it a whole lot easier to fill in the lips with color.

Best Makeup Tips for Dark Skin

Best Makeup Tips for Dark Skin

A lot of people seem to feel and believe that makeup looks good only on fair skin. Prepare to be surprised because the truth is, makeup may look just as flattering on dark skin. The key is to know what particular makeup to use. For dark skin, the best foundation to use must be water-based. Dark skin has a tendency to look oily, and using cream foundation will only worsen the effect. The water-based foundation must be of a shade closest to your skin tone.

Next, follow up the foundation with a dust of loose powder. Be careful not to over dust, especially around the eye area. Once you have done this, the next step is to choose eyeshadow colors for your eyes. Shades of brown and bronze are very flattering on dark skin; so are dark metallic colors. White or very light colors will look great on fair skin, but they will not have the same effect on dark skin. Purple and blue hues may also look great on dark skin.

Now, outline your eyes with dark eye lining pencil. Eyeliners in black or chocolate brown is preferred. Next, thicken your eyelash with at least two coats of dark mascara to draw attention to the eyes.

You may also use a highlighter on the bridge of your nose, around your eye or above the cheek bones and upper lip.
When choosing the right shade of lipstick, go for more intense colors, like dark reds or corals. Lipsticks in burgundy will also look pleasing on dark skin. For your blush, warm colors in rose or deep orange are highly recommended for dark skin. If you are going to a night of fun and entertainment with friends, you may add a bit of drama to your cheeks by dusting your cheeks with a hint of gold color.

Eyeshadow Tips For Eyes That Dazzle

Dazzling eyes can surely make a striking impact. But while everybody has beautiful eyes, enhancing them with eyeshadows will make them more impressive even further. It is rather amazing to know what colors can actually do to alter the shape and size of one’s eyes. Light colors, for instance, will highlight the eyes, while dark colors will tend to make the eyes appear shrunken.

Usually, you will be needing at least three shades of the same color. Eye shadows come in all kinds of colors and shades. They may also come in powder or cream form. There are powder eye shadows that may be used either wet or dry. Cream eye shadows may be used to blend with powder eyeshadows. And they are best applied using your own fingertips. Whatever you desire to choose, you will still be needing at least three shades, with the lightest shade serving as your base, and the darkest shade as the shade that will give your eye its eventual shape.

Starting from the lashline to just below the brow, cover the area with the lightest shade. This becomes your base shade, and it works a bit like a foundation in that it holds the rest of the colors together, preventing them from creasing. Then, use a medium shade for your lower lid. This should blend well into your base shade. Next, accentuate your eyes, particularly the part along the lash line and somewhere at the outer corner of your eye, with the darkest shade. Blend well.
If you want your eyeshadow to look fresh for hours, a concealer may do just the trick. Apply some neutral concealer on your eyelid before applying the base shade.

Going to a night out with friends? Glam up instantly by employing the same procedure but highlighting your eyes with iridescent powder!

Eyeshadow tips to enhance your eyelid shape

Eyeshadow tips to enhance your eyelid shape

It always helps to have beautiful eyes. People are almost always drawn instantly to the eyes, even if the rest of the features are not perfect. You, too, can easily make your eyes work to your advantage with the help of colors. Colors can drastically improve or influence how your eyes look. If used effectively, color can bring out the best in your eyes. But while there are basic eyeshadow tips to keep in mind, they may not work as effectively on every pair of eyes, considering the uniqueness of the shape of every person’s eyelid.

There are about three shapes of eyelids to consider: prominent eyelids, hooded eyelids and deep-set eyelids. Look at yourself in the mirror and analyze the shape of your eyelid. Is it prominent, hooded or deep-set?

If you have prominent eyelids, your goal is to have smaller and thinner-looking eyelids. You can achieve this look by using eyeshadow on the eyelid and along the crease above the eye. Never use a light shade on the eyelid as this will tend to highlight the eyelid even further. Instead, highlight only the area just below the eyebrow.

If your eyelid shape is somewhat hooded, you must create an impression that there actually exists an eyelid. For this particular shape, a highlighter on the eyelid itself will give the illusion of a larger eyelid. Only the crease of the eye should be shaded, blending the eyeshadow outwards until it joins with the corner of the eye.

If you have deep-set eyes, consider yourself lucky. You can practically do either way of the techniques already mentioned with a pair of deep-set eyes. You may either use a light shade on the eyelid or use a dark shade on it. Whatever you decide on, your eyes will still be a sure winner.

The Virginia Tech Massacre

The Virginia Tech Massacre

I’ve been pondering exactly how to post about what happened this week at the campus of Virginia Tech. I’ve got so many emotions about the killings of so many innocent people. I’m deeply saddened by all of it. At times, I’m a little numb because death is really something that is a daily part of a physician’s life. I’ve also just felt angry at society for allowing this to happen. At other times, I’m just angry with the killer.

The news has been going nonstop about this event. Who is to blame? Mr. Cho? His parents? His friends? The Virginia Tech community? No one?

I personally grew up in a family where it was taught that someone or something was always to blame for any mistake or tragedy. In our household, things just couldn’t happen for no reason. Someone always had to have done something wrong or forgotten something or have been neglectful. Yet the older I become and the more mortality and morbidity I see in my career, the more I know that things just happen without any rhyme or reason. The person who gets hit by a driver who did not see him did nothing to deserve it. The person who becomes paralyzed when a tree branch falls on his neck did nothing wrong.

Mental health is really at the heart of the Virginia Tech Massacre. Could this have been prevented if friends and family reached out to this disturbed individual sooner? Could this have been prevented if the people around him were more inquisitive and caring? Could this have been prevented if there was less violence in the popular media?

I’m not going to come down in favor of one side or another. But what I will say is that we are all part of a community. When one of us goes down, it inevitably affects us and we cannot deny that we are all interconnected. We go through life so focused on ourselves and providing for our own needs. We don’t intend to push others down, but if given the choice we would rather see ourselves rise than fall. In this environment, people slip through the cracks.

How many people have you known that slipped through the cracks? How many people do you know could be the next crazy killer?

If I look back in my own past to individuals that I thought were disturbed, troubling, or mentally unstable, I wonder where they are now. At every stage from childhood to college, I do recall people that I didn’t know well that were “outsiders”. Most of them slipped through the cracks socially and in school and athletics. Each one of them could have turned out successful and healthy. Or perhaps they could have turned out to be very dangerous people. It’s too bad that I was so self-consumed with my life that I didn’t take time to notice them or reach out a hand.

Health Tips: Bed Angry

Go to Bed Angry!

I have an announcement so earth-shaking that I will, just for today, suspend all scientific citations. I am here to liberate you from a great deal of suffering.

I hereby give you permission to go to bed angry.

Here are ten perfectly good reasons:

1. You don’t know anyone who ever resolved an argument by staying up into the wee hours to do so.

2. You do know people who have tried, but none of them can remember what happened unless there was a police report or reality video.

3. Sleep deprivation makes people less rational, less emotionally tolerant, and less coherent.

4. People who go to bed angry do not typically wake up angry, unless they tend to wake up angry anyway.

5. Oh what a difference a day makes.

6. Sleep on it. You’ll have better ideas tomorrow. Sleep is the special place where you turn experience into wisdom (via REM sleep).

7. If you and your sweetheart have an agreement that it is okay to go to bed angry, no one needs to feel rejected, neglected, or insulted when you do just that.

8. People with borderline personality disorder are so disturbed by anything that smacks of rejection, that it was one of their lovers that came up with the rule (don’t go to bed angry) because he or she was afraid of being murdered in their sleep. If you are that person, promise you’ll return if you like, but go to an undisclosed hotel alone tonight and sleep, sleep, sleep.

9. You think you have a conflict now? Wait ’till you lose your job because of staying up arguing. Financial issues are the number one source of relationship-threatening conflict.

10. Sleep is a wonderful gift, and charity starts at home.

The Sad Implications of Sunday Sleep Problems: The Sad Implications of Sunday The Sad Implications of Sunday Sleep Problems

The Sad Implications of Sunday Sleep Problems

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t get good sleep. I don’t get enough sleep. In fact, I believe that, if given the chance, I could sleep for the next 48 hours. If given the choice between a new car and a few months of guaranteed good sleep, I’d probably go with the sleep. But I attribute most of this to having an infant in the house. I think that makes sense.

I know that many, no most, people have some sort of sleep issue. In fact almost everyone I know complains about one thing or another: waking up in the middle of the night, having trouble falling asleep, running thoughts, etc. What I didnâ€™t know was that Sunday deserves the official title as the “worst sleep” day according to a BBC report. In that article, almost 60% of 3,500 people surveyed said that they got the lousiest sleep on this day.

It’s not hard to see the causal relationship between starting the work week and fitful rest. Most people have some type of unpleasant work issues they have to face when Monday rolls aroundâ€¦ and those stressors impact them, even many hours before they actually have to deal with the situation. Even if we don’t deal with yucky work situations, can’t we all relate to living in the future instead of the present?

There’s more. Over 20 million British workers say that they dread going to work the next day. Dread! In fact, they dread work so much that they say they lose an hour of sleep every night because of the anticipation. 20 million people who dislike their jobs so much that they hate the thought of going in to work. And thatâ€™s only in Britain! I have two words to say to anyone in this situation: NEW JOB.

Although work related reasons receive most of the blame for bad sleep, Dr. Neil Stanley, the sleep expert cited in the article, is quick to point out other reasons Sunday receives the bad grade. Among those reasons, according to Dr. Stanley (along with many other sources), the best thing for our bodies is to go to bed and wake up at the same time every single day. This sounds good but have you ever tried it? Very few people have lives that stop and start at the same time, like clockwork, each and everyday of the week. Isnâ€™t it a shame that our body and our life just can’t work together?

Knowing that millions of people share my sleep issue plight does not make me feel any better. After all, I won’t always have a baby in the house. It just seems like such a shame that Sunday is blamed for bad sleep when really, we have some control over the situation.

Reference

Sunday ‘worst sleep’ of the week. BBC News, 2008.

Swine Flu – A Lose-Lose Situation for Public Health Authorities

Swine Flu – A Lose-Lose Situation for Public Health Authorities

After the great SARS terror of 2002 which was predicted to cause more devastation than AIDS, and the bird flu panic of 2006 when we were warned that a quarter of Britons might die, we now have the great swine flu crisis of 2009. But just as SARS and bird flu failed to deliver on their predicted devastation (together, they were responsible for an estimated 1031 deaths globally), so will the great swine flu disaster also fade away into the annals of health scares that never were?

The truth is, it is simply too early to tell. While the number of swine flu cases greatly exceeded initial predictions and early attempts at containing the virus were soon abandoned, the summer outbreak has already peaked in the US and Mexico and is predicted to peak very soon in the UK. Furthermore, although there have been a number of tragic deaths, the severity of swine flu in most cases has been relatively mild, even milder than ‘normal’ seasonal flu for many people. On the face of it, it looks as though our worst fears have not been realized. The great flu epidemic of 2009 failed to materialize. Once again, a health scare has failed to live up to its hype.

However, this is not over this yet. Flu viruses are notoriously unstable. The H1N1 virus could still mutate at any time and without warning. The antiviral treatments that seem to be having some effect at the moment could be rendered useless against an evolved version of the virus. And, although the summer outbreak in the Northern hemisphere looks to have peaked, the cooler weather of the autumn and winter may bring the virus back with a vengeance; perhaps just as we let down our guard. Furthermore, the shadow of bird flu still threatens; just because we have had swine flu, does not mean we will not have bird flu. This is not an ‘either, or’ situation.

So, real threat or phantom menace? Who knows? Only one thing is certain; nobody responsible for public health is likely to come out of this well. If governments and health authorities underplay the threat, they stand accused of negligent complacency, and if they talk-up the threat, they are accused of scaremongering. They simply cannot win.

Ultimately, if we emerge through this scare relatively unscathed, there will be the predictable backlash against the authorities for causing unnecessary panic and squandering public resources. What we will never know, however, is how much all the preemptive action was responsible for mitigating the effects of the disease. As with the millennium bug scare (and, who knows, with SARS?), those in authority may be condemned by the very success of their actions.

In practice, global health authorities have no option but to plan for the worst case scenario, and advise the public accordingly. However, as they consider ongoing and future precautions, policy-makers must know they are in that familiar territory — damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

References

Editorial (2009). Between a virus and a hard place Nature, 459 (7243), 9-9 DOI: 10.1038/459009a
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Health Tips: How Young is Too Young to Diagnose Depression?

How Young is Too Young to Diagnose Depression?

Any parent can attest that the “Terrible 2’s” are a moody, temperamental time in the life of a toddler. Many kids are irritable and seem to throw temper tantrums for no reason, and some engage in more destructive behaviors like biting, hitting, and kicking themselves or others. Unfortunately, for some children, this phase lasts well beyond their third birthday. Are these kids just demonstrating the outward signs of emotional immaturity, or are they suffering from clinical depression? A new study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and published in Archives of General Psychiatry suggests it may be the latter.

The provocative new research presents evidence that depression in preschool-aged children can be a chronic condition, not just a passing grumpy phase. The study evaluated more than 200 preschoolers, aged 3 to 6 years, for 2 years and included 4 mental health exams during the study period. At baseline, 75 children were diagnosed with major depression. This subset of children had the highest risk of subsequent depression at 12- and 24-month follow-up exams. Of the initially depressed children, 64% were either still depressed or experienced a recurrence of depression at the 6-month point, and 40% experienced continuing or recurring depression at 24 months. Nearly 20% of the children had symptoms of depression at all 4 exams.

Depression was most likely in children of mothers with depression or other mood disorders, as well as children who had experienced a traumatic event, such as the death of a parent or abuse. While most preschoolers are happy-go-lucky most of the time, depressed children are often sad and tend to play games with somber themes. A persistent lack of appetite, frequent temper tantrums, and sleep problems are also symptoms seen in depressed children. Further, excessive guilt and shame is an indicator of preschool-onset depression. Despite investigation, no evidence has shown that depressed preschoolers show developmental delays.

Treating depression in young children is controversial, though a growing number of young children are being prescribed powerful psychiatric medications. Many antidepressant medications contain warnings for adolescents, and most drugs have not been carefully examined in preschoolers. Most experts support psychotherapy as first-line treatment in children. The current study did not examine treatment in the study population.

Experts are wary of labeling preschool-aged children with depression, since the diagnostic tools for this age group are not well established. However, early identification of depression may save a child from a lifetime of social and emotional consequences. Many adolescents and adults present to health care providers for mental health treatment, indicating that their symptoms started at an early age, and most adults with depression did, in fact, meet diagnostic criteria for depression in childhood. However, if children are labeled as “depressed” so early in life, are they set up for a lifetime of medications and treatments and stigmatization?

Despite the controversy, and accuracy, of diagnosing depression in children as young as 3, new research highlights the need for communication among parents, teachers, and caregivers about a child’s emotional development. Early intervention may be the key to preventing depression later in life.

References

Copeland, W., Shanahan, L., Costello, E., & Angold, A. (2009). Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders as Predictors of Young Adult Disorders Archives of General Psychiatry, 66 (7), 764-772 DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.85

Luby, J., Belden, A., Sullivan, J., Hayen, R., McCadney, A., & Spitznagel, E. (2009). Shame and guilt in preschool depression: evidence for elevations in self-conscious emotions in depression as early as age 3 Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02077.x

LUBY, J., BELDEN, A., PAUTSCH, J., SI, X., & SPITZNAGEL, E. (2009). The clinical significance of preschool depression: Impairment in functioning and clinical markers of the disorder Journal of Affective Disorders, 112 (1-3), 111-119 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2008.03.026

Luby, J., Si, X., Belden, A., Tandon, M., & Spitznagel, E. (2009). Preschool Depression: Homotypic Continuity and Course Over 24 Months Archives of General Psychiatry, 66 (8), 897-905 DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.97

Health Tips: Do Warning Labels Work?

Do Warning Labels Work?
August 29, 2009 | By Jennifer Gibson, PharmD | Share, Save, and Bookmark | 0 Comments

While illicit drug use in the United States is certainly a public health concern, the increasing use of legal, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs for non-medical use is alarming. The most recent data available from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 3.1 million people aged 12 to 25 years had used an OTC drug to get high. Dextromethorphan (DXM) — a cough suppressant available in nearly 150 OTC products — is the biggest target of misuse. Now, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) is voluntarily placing warning labels on DXM-containing products to caution buyers about teen medicine abuse.

DXM is readily available, easily accessible, and inexpensive; it is safe and effective at clinical doses. However, when ingested in large quantities — usually greater than 2 mg/kg of body weight — the drug can display physical and psychological effects similar to ketamine and phencyclidine (PCP). Massive doses of DXM can cause increased heart rate, extreme high blood pressure, and respiratory depression. DXM can also cause the dissociative effects seen with hallucinogens. Treatment of DXM overdoses is primarily supportive, and antidotes to DXM have limited success in reversing the effects of an overdose.

The CHPA is responding to increased public awareness and concern for the issue of teen medicine abuse, but the effectiveness of the campaign remains to be determined. In addition to labeling all brand name and generic products containing DXM with the warning logo, which will begin appearing on pharmacy shelves later this year, the CHPA has also established a website (stopmedicineabuse.org) to educate consumers and parents about the risks of DXM abuse. The website offers handbooks and drug abuse resources, links to other organizations, access to newsletters, and connections to social networking sites. But, will allowing parents to download widgets and icons onto their Facebook or Twitter accounts really stop teens from misusing drugs?

The goal of the CHPA — to increase awareness and education about a growing public health concern — is admirable, but may be misdirected. Research concerning the effectiveness of warning labels is mixed, and some data suggests that people who read warning labels are already health conscious and attentive to health warnings. Factors influencing the effectiveness of warning labels include characteristics of the icon itself (font, color, size, etc.), consumer familiarity with the product, and the age of the consumer. And, even if warning labels reach teenagers, they may not influence the behavior, because younger audiences may not fully appreciate the risks associated with DXM abuse or be influenced to change their attitude or behavior. Other research has shown that the effects of health warnings on packaging labels cannot be differentiated from concurrent community education programs.

Warning labels are everywhere — cigarettes, alcohol, music, television; they have been put in place due to changing regulations, public safety concerns, and mounting lawsuits. Now, will another warning label be eye-catching and effective, or just another image to glance over in a society in which we are constantly overloaded with stimuli?

References

Argo, J., & Main, K. (2004). Meta-Analyses of the Effectiveness of Warning Labels Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 23 (2), 193-208 DOI: 10.1509/jppm.23.2.193.51400

Engs RC. Do warning labels on alcoholic beverages deter alcohol abuse? J Sch Health. Mar 1989;59(3):116-118.

Ford, J. (2009). Misuse of Over-the-Counter Cough or Cold Medications Among Adolescents: Prevalence and Correlates in a National Sample Journal of Adolescent Health, 44 (5), 505-507 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.10.140

Hassan, L., Shiu, E., Thrasher, J., Fong, G., & Hastings, G. (2008). Exploring the effectiveness of cigarette warning labels: findings from the United States and United Kingdom arms of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 13 (3), 263-274 DOI: 10.1002/nvsm.328

Kaskutas LA, Greenfield TK. The role of health consciousness in predicting attention to health warning messages. Am J Health Promot. Jan-Feb 1997;11(3):186-193.

Lessenger, J., & Feinberg, S. (2008). Abuse of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 21 (1), 45-54 DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2008.01.070071

Levine, D. (2007). “Pharming”: the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs in teens Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 19 (3) DOI: 10.1097/MOP.0b013e32814b09cf

Romanelli, F., & Smith, K. (2009). Dextromethorphan abuse: Clinical effects and management Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 49 (2) DOI: 10.1331/JAPhA.2009.08091

Schwartz, R. (2005). Adolescent Abuse of Dextromethorphan Clinical Pediatrics, 44 (7), 565-568 DOI: 10.1177/000992280504400702

Wilkinson C, Room R. Warnings on alcohol containers and advertisements: international experience and evidence on effects. Drug Alcohol Rev. Jul 2009;28(4):426-435.

Pregnancy Health Center - Before you get pregnant : Ovulation Calculator

Ovulation Calculator:

Some women have no idea when they've conceived, while others can tell the exact moment it happened. Either way, conception is a magical moment for a couple, especially a woman, whose body is beginning to grow and change in incredible ways.

If you're curious about conception, here's what you need to know in a nutshell. When you ovulate, one of your eggs is carried into the nearest fallopian tube. If a man's sperm makes its way to the same spot within the next 12 to 24 hours, it may fertilize that egg. You're not actually pregnant until the fertilized egg, called a zygote, travels the rest of the way down the fallopian tube and attaches itself to the wall of your uterus.

The catch: The average egg lives only 24 hours and the average sperm lives for 24 to 48 hours, so they have to get acquainted during the first few hours after sex if you're going to conceive. The moral of the story: If your goal is to get pregnant, you should aim to make love at least every other day during the middle of your cycle. Studies have shown that sex must occur before ovulation in order to become pregnant.

Use the following tool as a quick way to get an idea of when you ovulate. Please note that ovulation is tricky to pinpoint; see our timing and fertility article for more information.

Number of Days in Cycle Ovulation Day
(Counting from First Day of Cycle)

Health Tips: Health Conditions That Complicate Pregnancy

Health Conditions That Complicate Pregnancy:
There are many conditions that can place a woman and her pregnancy at great risk. High blood pressure and diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys can be severely worsened by pregnancy. Women with eating disorders, from anorexia to obesity, may also be at great risk during pregnancy.
Diabetes is a common problem for pregnant women, and can lead to an assortment of problems for the mother and her baby during and after pregnancy. To prevent these problems, women with diabetes should have their glucose under strict control before conception. Women with poorly controlled blood sugars are at higher risk of miscarriage, birth defects, and stillbirth.
In addition, since children born to women with poorly controlled diabetes may be at risk for open spine defects (such as spina bifida), it's important to take a daily vitamin and mineral supplement containing at least 0.4 milligrams (400 micrograms) folic acid prior to pregnancy. This daily supplement, combined with strict glucose control, will considerably decrease the risk for fetal problems.
Some medications for common medical conditions can cause birth defects or other problems during pregnancy. If you take medication regularly for conditions like blood pressure, seizures, kidney disease, or blood clotting problems, talk to your health care provider before you get pregnant. You may be able to switch to another medication that is safer in pregnancy.
If you have any pre-existing health conditions, it's best to discuss them with your health care provider prior to becoming pregnant.

Health Tips: Maternity Leave And Work Issues

Maternity Leave And Work Issues:
If you are planning to become pregnant, you need information about the policies in your workplace. For instance, it is your employer's responsibility to inform you of any workplace reproductive hazards. Potential hazards include lead, ethylene oxide, ionizing radiation, and dibromochloropropane. Your policy manual should state your employer's policies regarding maternity leave and vacation time.
Your health care provider or midwife can inform you if you have special considerations for your pregnancy that will require extra visits, extra rest, or any work restrictions. Many women fear workplace discrimination regarding pregnancy, such as taking time for childcare and breastfeeding, but it is illegal for most employers to discriminate on these bases. If you develop problems during your pregnancy, your employer is required to treat your pregnancy like any other medical disability. This is part of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
Under the Family Medical Leave Act, employees are eligible for unpaid leave for illness or pregnancy and birth if they:Have worked for their employer at least 12 monthsHave worked at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 monthsWork at a location where the company employs 50 or more people within 75 miles of that location
Eligibility is determined under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Make sure you get the appropriate paperwork from your employer, and bring it to your health care provider.

Health Tips:Secrets To Make You Look Younger

>> Saturday, August 29, 2009

Secrets To Make You Look Younger

Do you want to look young and stay beautiful even when you are in your mid 30 or 40 and up? Even if you are jump up with all the workloads and other task or perhaps you stressed, don't fret.
Maintaining beauty and health is easy with these simple secrets:

Secret 1
For your hair styles, keep your hair short or mid-length avoid having too long hair since you would make you look like an old witch. Try little bangs or even a side swept bangs, keeping your face visible and uncovered. You could also highlight your hair, or simply color them with black or dark brown, to cover up revealing white hairs.

Secret 2
For your face, use anti-aging products daily to reduce aging lines. Do not overdo your make up, keep it light, as more of pastel and light tone. Use brown shade lipsticks to make you look like 15 years ago. Never over pluck your eyebrows if you don�t want to look like Cinderella�s wicked stepmother.

Secret 3
Taking care of your teeth is the most important thing, to avoid permanent tooth loose. Keep it white and shinny by using teeth whitening products sold in the market. Regular dental check up is also essential, to take off tartar and cavities from coffee, tea, wine and other foods.

Secret 4
Exercise daily, concentrating on your cardio and eating in healthy ways. Maintain your proper body figure by keeping your ideal weight. Be in proper body posture, standing and sitting straight as well will keep you sexy and young looking.

Secret 5
Even if you�re in a strenuous activity daily, always remember to get a real good sleep, atleast 8 hours at night. Your eyes will be the first evidence whether you�re getting enough rest or not, so take good care and look young getting rid of those bugging eye bugs.

Health Tips: Stop Smoking(How to stop smoking)

Although the tobacco companies would like you to believe otherwise, there is nothing glamorous or chic about smoking. Smoking will accelerate the appearance of wrinkles and ages your skin.
Smoking creates many health problems for women:

Women who smoke die of lung cancer and other smoking related diseases at twice the rate of women who don't smoke.

Women who smoke are sick more often than women who do not.

Women who smoke heavily have almost three times as much bronchitis or emphysema, about 75% more chronic sinusitis, 50% more peptic ulcers compared to women who don't smoke.

Smoking affects pregnancy and the health of the baby.

The risk of serious effects on the heart and blood vessels may be several times greater for women who use birth-control pills and also smoke cigarettes, compared to those who are on the pill but do not smoke.

More women die from lung cancer than from breast cancer. So teenage girls and women need to stop smoking.

Stop Smoking Tips - The Important 4 D's:

Drink water. - It helps flush the nicotine and other chemicals out of your body faster. This also satisfies the oral craving for a period of time. Try using a straw which is the same diameter as the cigarette.

Deep breathing. - This is very healthy, but most people do not utilize their full lung capacity. Take 10 deep breaths, and hold the last one while lighting a match. Exhale slowly, and blow out the match. Take a Deep Breath Break instead of a cigarette break.

Delay. - Every day, delay lighting your first cigarette by one hour. After the first cigarette, when you have your next craving to smoke, delay for another half an hour. As a smoker you were not in control of your habit; you smoked when your body craved nicotine. Now by delaying, you are calling the shots, you are in control of when you say NO.

Do something different. - Don't smoke when you first experience a craving. Wait several minutes (also see Delay above) and during this time change your activity or talk to someone. You have to get out of the situation that makes you want to smoke.
For instance, if you smoke after dinner, do the dishes or go for a walk. Change your habits!

Stop Smoking Aids

Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), such as chewing gum, skin patch, tablet, nasal spray or inhaler, are designed to help you break the habit while providing a reduced dose of nicotine to overcome withdrawal symptoms. Studies have shown that NRT doubles the chances of a smoker to successfully quit smoking compared to someone using no therapy.

Bupropion, (Zyban) works by de-sensitising the brain�s nicotine receptors and has similar success rates to NRT. The course of treatment lasts around 8 weeks. It is only available on prescription under medical supervision.

Laser Stop Smoking Therapy - This has been gaining a lot of attention and popularity lately. It is a safe, drug-free method of smoking cessation method. The laser's light is helpful in controlling the smoking addiction and enhancing relaxation.

Beneficial health changes when you stop smoking:

Stop smoking and your body will start to repair the damage done almost immediately, starting a series of beneficial health changes that continue for years.
Time since quitting Beneficial health changes
20 minutes Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.
8 hours Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood drop by half, oxygen levels return to normal.
24 hours Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.
48 hours No nicotine left in the body. Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved.
72 hours Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.
2 - 12 weeks Circulation improves.
9 months Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function is increased by up to 10%.
1 year Risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
10 years Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.
15 years Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.

Health Tips:Girls Slumber Party

Girls Slumber Party

Grown-Up Girls Stress-Busting Slumber Party
By Kathryn D'Imperio

Remember when your biggest problem was choosing a prom gown or letting the boy you liked know how you felt? Ahh, those were the days. Problems seemed so great, yet in the grand scheme of things, you really only needed a chocolate milkshake or a pint of Ben & Jerry�s to assuage your every concern.

Now, with faster-paced lives, more personal and familial responsibilities and even greater problems, sometimes it takes more than a chocolate milkshake or even a gallon of Chunky Monkey� could tackle.

For an easier take on life, women truly need to make time for their families, their friends, and essentially, themselves. The key to a successful balance is making time for these entities separately, resulting in a happier life with reduced stressors and a more relaxed outlook.

Family time and personal time can be arranged on a day-to-day basis, with special family meals and movie time, game time or special trips and outings together on the weekends. Bubble baths, naps, scrap-booking, baking and shopping provide nice options for alone time, while activities like yoga, Pilates and general exercise routines can be as good for the soul as they are for the body.

To complete the balance, women should keep in touch with friends and plan get-togethers at least once a year, but preferably more often. As people grow up and move on with their lives, it is common that many friends may find themselves miles and miles, and even states apart. This may call for an old-school approach to the common problems of womanhood.

So who says you�re too old for sleepovers once you�re married, anyway? Toss your cares to the wind and call up all your old friends and all your new ones in an effort to get the gang together for a night of relaxation, reminiscence and rejuvenation. Send the kids to your parents� or your husband�s parents� house (or failing that, to their friend�s house for a sleepover!). Dash out to the supermarket to pick up a few key snacks and ask each friend to bring a goodie to eat and a goodie for the soul.

Acceptable edible goodies for slumber party:

Baked goods � especially cookies, cupcakes, candy, pastries, etc.
Cheese and crackers
Veggie tray
Shrimp cocktail or other hors d�oeuvres
Wine or other beverage of choice
Pizza
Tea and hot cocoa
Other delicious foods

While it is nice to eat healthy and practice a diet all the time, sometimes a little snack here or there might not hurt. Be sure to offer both junk food and healthy food options in case your guests have just begun a new diet. Faithful standbys like ice cream and frozen treats may best be provided by the hostess.

Goodies for the soul may include:

Photos and scrapbooks from your earlier days
Home videos and especially videos showing each other
Favorite movies, especially chick flicks
Craft projects like knitting and crocheting
Pedicure kits
Manicure kits and plenty of nail polish
Facials
Aromatherapy
Music
Girly magazines
Board games and other fun activities

During your girls slumber party, relax and revisit your past. Spend time with your girlfriends � the women who got you through all those tough times and influenced you enough to have even a slight impact on who you are today.

Take the time to go through photographs from years gone by. Enjoy every moment and take new photographs so you have more memories to hold dear. Watch an old favorite movie and reminisce about the days in college when the flick was your soul�s medicine during every bad day or every break-up. Indulge in sweet temptations, even if this is �the last time� before you start your diet.

More Party Ideas

Health Tips: Maintain Brest Health

Learning & Resource Center Articles

11 Tips on How to Maintain Breast Health with TCM
By: Honora Lee Wolfe
According to a Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center survey, more than 70 percent of cancer patients including women diagnosed with breast cancer decide to enhance their conventional medical treatment with some form of complementary care and almost all report substantial improvements in well-being as a result of using alternative medicine.

Here are 11 tips on how to maintain breast health with Nutrition, Lifestyle, Exercise and Massage based on Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

1. Find a release valve for your stress. According to Chinese medicine, stress, frustration, an unresolved anger can play an important part in the development of all types of breast disease, both benign and malignant. Chinese medical theories suggest that one of the best things a woman can do for her breast (and overall) health is to find a way to relax and release stress on a daily basis. Such methods may include yoga, meditation, biofeedback, simple relaxation therapy, or whatever method you use to release the stress and pressures of modern life.

2. Try self-massage for the breasts. According to Chinese medicine, any type of massage will help relieve stress and keep the body part receiving the massage more healthy due to improved flow of blood, body fluids, and nerve impulses. Breast self massage can be as simple as 50-100 light circles in each direction over the breast tissue and gentle rubbing over the entire flank and axilla area (underarm) to circulate the lymph glands and restore the flow of energy in the breast area. These techniques are simple, painless, and require very little time.

Food & Nutrition is one form of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

3. Eat your veggies! Studies show that women whose diets are high in vegetable based fiber, have lower rates of breast cancer. Especially the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage) seem to have a stronger cancer-preventing affect. So make sure you get 3 or more servings of vegetables every day.

4. Include olive oil in your diet. Studies of Italian, Greek, and Spanish women who include olive oil in their diet on a daily basis had at 25% lower rate of breast cancer than women who ate less or no olive oil. While it is not certain whether it is the mono-unsaturated fat or some other property of the oil which is responsible, it tastes great and can be used for salads, sautés, soups, casseroles, frying, basting, or on bread as a tasty butter substitute.

5. Control overall dietary fats. Cancer studies with a variety of types of cancer indicate that dietary fat is a major player in this disease. It is suggested that dietary fat should be kept under 25%. Some doctors suggest that, for women who have had cancer, overall dietary fat should be limited to no more than 15% of overall calorie intake.

6. Avoid pesticides and "xeno-estrogens". Many studies show that cell abnormalities in animals at the top of the food chain are due to the ingestion of concentrated chemicals such as pesticides which tend to act like concentrated estrogen hormones or "xeno-extrogens". We know that many cancers are estrogen dependent. This is another good reason to eat organic foods whenever possible.

7. Keep alcohol consumption moderate. Many studies have shown that alcohol consumption does increase breast cancer rates by a certain percentage. However, a small amount of red wine and dark beer and ale on a regular basis is also known to lower the risk of heart disease which still kills many more women than breast cancer does. Also, small amounts of alcohol are very relaxing and promote stress reduction. In the final analysis, moderate alcohol consumption may be better than complete abstention, but moderate is best.

8. Consider drinking green tea instead of cola and coffee. There have been many studies on the anti-carcinogenic qualities of green tea. Studies of people in Asia who drink copious amounts of green tea daily show a correlation between green tea consumption and lower rates of a variety of cancers. This type of tea can be purchased in many grocery stores and most all health food stores. It is refreshing and can be drunk iced or hot. Green tea has a small amount of caffeine and can help anyone who is attempting to quit or cut back on coffee, caffeinated colas, or black tea.

9. Exercise regularly and forever! Exercise releases stress as well as improving sleep, appetite, and mood. In a variety of research studies, both aerobic exercise and weight training have been shown to be beneficial in reducing symptoms in women of all ages including sleep disturbances, depression, fibrocystic breast disease, and breast cancer. With all the options we have for exercise today, every woman should be able to find some type of sport, class, activity, or equipment to help her keep this commitment to herself.

10. Don’t forget monthly breast self-examination. Most women never do breast self-examination! Perhaps it is because we don’t want to search for what we don’t want to find. However, women who find a malignant lump when it is still very tiny have a better chance of full recovery than those who wait until it is large. If you have never been taught to do a proper breast self-exam, your gynecologist or health clinic can teach you how to do it. If you do not go to a clinic or health care practitioner, you can get the most up-to-date information on breast self-exam from the Mammacare Personal Training System. Call 1-800-MAM-CARE for more information.

11. Get professional treatment for benign breast diseases. According to some Western studies and Chinese medicine as well, benign breast diseases can signal a predisposition for breast cancer. The good news is that Chinese medicine has many effective treatments for benign breast conditions such as fibrocystic breast disease, mastitis, and premenstrual breast pain. Lumpiness or pain indicate a treatable internal imbalance, so don’t hesitate to get help if you have such a condition. It could be important for your long term breast health.

Breast health in particular and overall health in general is a lifelong commitment. Different women will have different health care needs and issues. Decisions about your specific needs should be discussed by you and your primary health care practitioner. However, there is a lot that you can do for yourself to maintain breast health for life!

About the Author:

Honora Lee Wolfe is a local practitioner and teacher of acupuncture. She is the author of Better Breast Health Naturally with Chinese Medicine, Managing Menopause Naturally with Chinese Medicine, The Successful Chinese Herbalist, and Points for Profit: The Essential Guide to Practice Success for Acupuncturists.

Better Breast Health Naturally with Chinese Medicine, available at Boulder Bookstore, Alfalfa’s Market, and Barnes & Noble Bookstore.

>> Friday, August 28, 2009

very popular day by day. The antioxidants present in acai berry are ten times powerful than that are present in red grapes. Acai diet helps in fighting cancer, diabetes and bactorial infections. Beside this qualities acai berry diet is very popular amongst those who are victims of obesity or those who are having problems with their digestion. The acids present in acai berry boosts your immune system and thus gives you more resistance against any infections or diseases.

Along with this there are many other benefits of acai berry which i had mentioned in my earlier post. Acai berry is available in many forms such as fresh juice, pills, smoothies and energy drinks. Acai berry is highly popular that the celebrities like Operah Winfrey and others endorses this product.

Dr. Nicholas Perricone - a popular dermatologist who is also M.D and professor at Michigan State University’ college of Human Medicine has written many books on acai berry and other nutritious diets. He lists acai berry amogst top ten powerful foods of the world.

Benefits of acid berry

Acai Berry is considered to be one of the healthiest fruits available in the world today. This purple colored acai berry is found in the Amazon rain forests and is also harvested in Brazil rain forests. Acai berry is largely popular and is highly effective for weight loss.

Acai berry is consumed in many ways like energy drink, smoothies, concentrated pulp or capsules. Acai berry is purely natural and thus have no side effects. Acai berry has lots of qualities and lots of benefits which are mentioned as below.

Plus, the acai berry is 100% natural and comes straight from mother nature. This makes it very healthy and full of nutrition that can conquer many diseases and health issues. It’s packed full of crucial nutrients and antioxidants that can help your health in various ways.

Increases energy levels of your body.
Helps in process of digestion.
Stimulates your mind power and focus power.
Keeps you young by slowing down aging process.
Improves skin and skin color.
Helps in maintaining cholesterol levels.
Improves body’s resistance power.
Helps in sound functioning of heart.
Improves diabetes and sugar levels of your body.
Enhances visibility.
Has top level fibers and minerals, also has almost all vital vitamins.
Increases body’s power against cancer cells.
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Health Tips: Acai Force Max Review

Acai Force Max is a new acai berry supplement that uses all natural ingredients to powerfully eliminate toxins that will harm your health and body. It’s a product that is meant just for men, so it’s important to only take it if you want to lose weight and get a ripped, sexy, and healthy body that nobody can keep their eyes off of! With Acai Force Max, you can have the body that you have always wanted and turn your body into a lean, mean, women-attracting machine! Think of it, with a nice body - you could get all the girls that you want!

Inside of it are ingredients that have been proven to make men lose weight, get healthy, burn body fat, and gain muscle mass unlike any other supplement that has ever been around. And best of all, it’s proven to be 100% effective and incredibly safe! Did you also know that you can try it out for free? All that you need to do is pay a very small shipping and handling price! Well anyways, don’t wait too long to order since supplies are very limited!

You cannot buy Acai Force Max in stores since there are only limited free bottles available. With it, you will feel healthy, sexy, and completely ready to conquer the world of women by looking sharp and greater than ever. Your metabolism will be boosted and you will experience a wide range of benefits that will continue to meet your expectations! Try it today before it’s much too late!

Try Out a FREE Bottle of Acai Force Max Now, CLICK HERE!

Health Tips: Uninvited Guest: Excess Weight

Pounds keep returning and it looks they are about to stay, despite the fact that they are uninvited guests? Seems like they won’t leave, no matter how hard you try? It’s time to turn the tables! It takes a bit of collaboration between you and your body, it might as well be hard at first, but, as they say, every path has its puddle.

Being overweight is just as bad as being ill. It needs careful treatment, but preventing a problem is always easier. You can avoid getting fat by simply paying attention to your eating habits, make some changes if needed, come up with plans that work for you. A few tips might help: food selection, timing of meals, food quality and nutrient density. Mind your groceries; choose ingredients that are low on sugar, fat, rich in proteins, fibers, vitamins and minerals. Set a strict frequency of meals and make sure of no stress when it’s time to eat. All of them together result healthy eating, which helps sustain a lower body weight. This system of course, will function a lot better if you get moving. ‘After dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile.’- does that ring a bell?

As we all know, easier said than done. Usually, it’s too late, and if it is, additional measures have to be taken. Nutritionists will come up with a suitable diet included in a weight loss program that fits you. Sometimes diet pills are added to the regime. These can increase your metabolism, provide you more energy by burning calories or help you control your appetite, which is a number one issue when it comes to sticking to the diet. Diet pills should be taken under medical supervision due to their possible side effects. They are usually recommended for short-term use for they can contribute to the developing of certain diseases during the treatment. There are many kinds of pills on the market; some of them are elaborated in liquid form in order to provide faster absorption.

Anyway, you should look through some aspects such as your excess weight- how many pounds you have to lose in order to achieve an optimal weight, your lifestyle- what weight loss program would fit you best by working out for your time as well, possible diseases you are suffering from and other issues that might occur. Consider all your options and make sure your health is your number-one priority!

A Guide To Choosing Makeup Tools

A Guide To Choosing Makeup Tools

Any beauty expert will tell you that the success of makeup application may be attributed to having used the right makeup tools. Basic in every makeup toolbox are the following: makeup sponge, powder brush, blusher brush, eyeshadow brush, eyeshadow sponge, all-in-one eyelash brush or comb, lipbrush, eyebrow tweezers, eyelash curlers, and last but not least, lighted mirror.
When choosing the perfect makeup sponge, consider one that has both a finer edge and a flatter edge. The finer edge of the sponge will be used to blend the foundation on the area around the nose and jawline, while its flatter edge will be used for the areas around the cheeks, forehead and chin. When looking for a powder brush, go for a large, soft brush. A powder brush is important so your face powder will not appear caked or clogged. Next, choose a blusher brush that is full and rounded, and a bit smaller than a powder brush.

Also, your basic makeup toolbox must contain several eyeshadow brushes. Eyeshadow brushes that are flat-shaped are recommended for easier blending of the eyeshadow. When looking for a good pair of eyebrow tweezers, go for something that has a sharp and slanted tip as this can hold the hair much better. When looking for the perfect mirror, consider the following: magnification, lighting capabilities, convenience, personal preferences and personal needs. Remember, too, that mirrors play a huge role in how your makeup will look like. If, for example, your mirror does not provide you with sufficient lighting, you could end up with makeup that is slightly off-center.

When it comes to eyeshadow sponge, eyelash brush, lip brush, or eyelash curler, there are no particular recommended kinds. The important thing is you are comfortable using them and that they do not cause any allergic reactions to your skin.

Basic Makeup Tools for Girls

Basic Makeup Tools for Girls

Everybody wants to look great. And sometimes, the secrets to looking great are hidden inside your own makeup toolbox. What lie inside your makeup kit are keys to staying beautiful.

One very important beauty tool you must have is the makeup sponge. Ideally, it should have the shape of a wedge with finer and flatter edges. The finer edge will be used to blend the foundation around the nose and jaw line, while the flatter edge will be used for the cheeks, forehead and chin.

Another beauty tool you must have is the powder brush. A powder brush works better than a sponge when dusting powder on. A powder brush gives you more control when dusting powder on. Leave a space, too, for several eyeshadow brushes and at least one eyeshadow sponge. An eyeshadow sponge is recommended when putting on eyeshadow that does not require much blending, or when highlighting the area of your brow bones.

Your basic makeup toolbox must also contain an all-in-one eyelash brush or comb. You will be using this to brush through your mascara-coated eyelashes so they become clump-free. Also, always keep a lip brush handy. This is a necessary tool to ensure that your lip area is fully covered by lip color. A lip brush may also soften the effect of your lip color, giving it a smooth finish.

Do not forget, too, to have a pair of eyebrow tweezers. Your tweezers must have pointed or slanted tips because such can hold the hair much better. You will be needing this when plucking out unwanted hair and reshaping your eyebrows to emphasize your eyes, making them stand-out and naturally beautiful.

Finally, always have an eyelash curler around. This is especially useful if you want eyelashes that look great even without putting mascara on!

How to apply Eye Make up tips to look stunning

You really do not need a trip to the salon to achieve a look that is movie-star quality. You can practically look stunning and gorgeous in just a few easy steps.

First, face yourself in the mirror. Do you eyebrows need some shaping up? If so, pluck away those unwanted hair and shape your eyebrows according to your desire. The shape of your eyebrow is an important consideration when choosing the right colors and eye makeup technique for your eyes later on, so it is always best to do this before you begin the actual makeup process. Next, hide those blemishes with a neutral-colored concealer. Give particular attention, too, to the dark circles under your eyes. Then apply some foundation on your face, blending it well with the concealer. The color of the foundation must mimic your exact skin tone. Too dark or too white will make you look fake or unreal. Top this off with a loose powder.

Now, you are ready to work on your eyes. Choose at least three shades of eyeshadow. They may not be necessarily of the same color. The important thing is to have a lighter shade, a medium shade, and a darker shade. Use the lighter shade as base shade. This should cover the are under the eyebrow. Use the medium shade for the crease, and the darker shade to line the upper eyelid. Next, use an eyeliner to accentuate and define your eyes further. Draw a thin line across the upper lid and the lower lid, and soften the effect by smudging it with a brush.

Then, smile. The work is hardly done yet. But smile anyway to locate your cheekbones. This is where you should apply the blush to give your face a healthy and pinkish glow. Finally, define your lips with a lip liner and fill it in with your favourite lipstick, using a lip brush to spread the color evenly.

Make Up Tips:How to shape and define your eyebrows

How to shape and define your eyebrows

It is quite understandable to know how many women are seemingly obsessed with their eyebrows. They fuzz over their eyebrows in the same way they fuzz over their hair. Women from all over the world take great pains in removing unwanted hair and shaping their eyebrows to achieve the perfect look. Some would even go to the extent of surgical procedures and having a professional create an artificial pair of eyebrows. For indeed, eyebrows play an important role in drawing attention to the eyes. Eyebrows can actually make or break a face.

If you want to enhance your eye, you may choose to shape your brow in a way that it forms a perfect arch. But if you are doing this for the first time, seek the help of a professional before you pluck your eyebrows.

Next, invest in a good pair of tweezers, specifically one with a tip that is either pointed or slanted. Look at yourself in the mirror, making sure that your eyebrow lies proportionate to the other features of your face. With the use of a mascara wand, brush the eyebrows upwards and then back, then downwards to separate the hair you want to keep from the hair you want to pluck. Then using a very dark pencil, draw an outline over the eyebrow of the shape you want to achieve. Then begin plucking the hair that lie outside the line you have drawn. Pluck slowly and carefully, and only one at a time. When you are done with this, use an eyebrow brush to shape the eyebrows, and work your way upward and outward for more definition. As a final touch, apply some eyebrow powder to fill in the gaps. An eyebrow powder is much better than an eyebrow pencil because it gives the eyebrow a more natural and professional look.

Helpful Health Tips

Prevention of Implants and Surgical Methods

With the help of modern science and never ending research being carried out in field of the medical, there are more and more medical solutions being invented. A common practice which has been carried out since a considerable amount of time is implantation. Implantation has been a significant factor of medical studies since a long [...]

LDL or Bad Cholesterol Level

Low-density lipoproteins are considered as bad cholesterol which circulates throughout the blood streams and they slowly build up within the inner walls of the arteries that connect to the heart and brain. When these low density lipoproteins are combined with other substances, they often form plaque, which can be a thick and hard deposit that [...]

HDL or Good Cholesterol Levels

HDLs are the smallest lipoprotein particles, however highest proportion of protein makes it dense for the blood. There is a group of lipoproteins which is responsible for the transportation of cholesterol in the blood. Therefore for a healthy, HDL carries about thirty percent of the blood. Their job is to collect the fat on the [...]

Cold Sores

>> Wednesday, August 26, 2009

What exactly is a cold sore, what causes them and how are they treated?

Cold sores are a very common illness caused by type 1 of the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). Nearly one in five UK women are regularly affected by the condition.

The cold sore virus infects the nerve of a particular area of skin and from time to time produces a small, painful, fluid-filled blister.

Cold sores most often appear on the lips, nose, and the surrounding areas.

The virus is usually transmitted by such forms of contact as kissing an infected person or sharing eating utensils, towels or razors.

Children often become infected with the cold sore virus through contact with a virus carrying parent. Indeed it is believed most people with the cold sore virus became infected before the age of ten.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for cold sores. Once the virus infects an area of skin it is there to stay. All you can do is hope for long internals between attacks and use anti-viral creams such as Zovirax to treat a blister when it appears. But remember for best results, you need to start using the cream as soon as you feel that dreaded cold sore tingle.

Breast Pain

What can I do to help relieve constant breast pain? Can it be avoided?

Breast pain, or mastalgia as its medically known, is suffered by over two thirds of women at some point in their lives.

The severity of the pain experienced can vary greatly, but 15% of all cases do require some form of treatment.

Breast pain can be separated into two distinct categories - cyclical and non-cyclical. Cyclical breast pain (accounting for 75% of all mastalgia), is related to how the breasts respond to the changes in your estrogen and progesterone hormone levels which occur in your body each month. Non-cyclical, as you may have guessed, is when the breast pain is not connected to menstruation.

Within these two categories (cyclical and non-cyclical), there are many possible reasons for painful breasts, the most common of which are as follows:

Hormonal Imbalance
This cyclical cause of painful breasts is by far the most common cause of all breast pain. A hormonal imbalance is created when the ratio of estrogen to progesterone sways too much in one direction, usually an excess of estrogen over progesterone.

Gallstones
Gallstones are hard crystals made up of cholesterol and other substances that form in the gallbladder. The condition causes pain in the upper abdomen and in some cases the breasts.

Tieke's Syndrome
Tietze's’s syndrome is caused by inflammation of the cartilage that joins the ribs to the breastbone. The inflammation can cause pain, swelling, and tenderness anywhere in the breast area.

Breast Cancer
Although breast cancer does not normally cause significant breast pain, any noticeable abnormalities in your breasts should be taken seriously, and a visit to your local doctor is probably advisable

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