Lack of Iodine and Silica Can Create Hair Loss

Iodine is vital to your hair growth. Sheep farmers long ago found that vegetation-lacking iodine due to iodine-depleted soil would adversely affect the growth of wool in their sheep. Likewise, to avoid hair loss, you need iodine. Iodine is synthetically added to table salt, however in this form it is not assimilated well into your body and can therefore cause iodine overload.

An excess of iodine in the body can adversely affect the thyroid. The lack of iodine can cause hypothyroidism. In hypothyroidism, your cell metabolism slows down and body cells and hair cells don’t receive the energy they need to function properly. When you lack iodine, you will lose more hair than normal and may even lose eyebrow hair.

You can check your thyroid with a basal thermometer, not a digital thermometer, by placing it in your underarm first thing when you wake up. Then, don’t move for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, look at the temperature. The normal body temperature for good thyroid function is 97.8 to 98.2 degrees C. Take this measurement for 5-10 day. If your temperature is below 97.6 and lower, for the 5-10 days, you will want to consult your doctor or for more direction and information. You definitely have low thyroid function.

Menstruating women should start this 5-10 day check on the 3rd day of their cycle.

It is best to use non-iodized salt and get your iodine from natural foods. These include seaweed, salmon, seafood, lima beans, molasses, eggs, potatoes with the skin on, watercress and garlic.

Silica

One of the most difficult nutrients vital to your hair growth to get in your diet is trace mineral silica. Silica is a form of silicon and is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust, second only to oxygen. The Earth provides everything we need for health, and with silicon being so abundant, it would seem that there would never be a problem with silica deficiency.

Unfortunately, trace minerals are rare in our diets because our food is processed and our soil depleted by chemical treatments. Silica provides strength to your hair, and although it will not necessarily stop your hair from falling out from the follicle, it will stop hair breakage.

Silica works by stimulating your cell metabolism and formation, which slows the aging process. Foods that are rich in silica are rice, oats, lettuce, parsnips, asparagus, onion, strawberry, cabbage, cucumber, leek, sunflower seeds, celery, rhubarb, cauliflower, and swiss chard. Try to buy these vegetables from organic sources. Note that many of these foods, particularly rice, are a large part of Asian diets and Asians tend to have the strongest and healthiest hair.

For best results eat all your fruits and vegetables raw. For certain vegetables that need to be cooked, steam them for only a few minutes.

Be sure to test your thyroid even though doctor’s tests show you do not have a thyroid problem. The basal temperature test is sometimes more sensitive than blood tests taken by doctors. If you have hyperthyroidism, you will definitely have hair loss.

Atherosclerosis – Symptoms, Causes, prevention and Treatment

By atherosclerosis the inside of the arteries are thickened, hardened and stiffened, causing the space for blood flow to be narrowed or closed. This will decrease the oxygen supply to local or distant tissues.

The primary symptom of this is pain, poor organ function and bad general condition. The further consequences are tissue damage, sometimes acute damage by stop of blood flow caused by a sudden blood clot formed in the narrowed areas.

THE MECHANISMS AND CAUSES OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

The inner walls of the arteries consist of an innermost layer of endothelial cells (surface cells) and under these a layer of smooth muscle cells. The changes by atherosclerosis take place under the endothelial cells and in this muscle layer. The changes consist of: A certain degree of cell proliferation or tumour, gathering of cholesterol and fat. Deposition of calcium salts. Deposition of blood elements like fibrin.

The deposits are called atherosclerotic plaque or atheroma. Atherosclerosis is one of several types of artery thickening and hardening. A common name for thickening and hardening of arteries is "arteriosclerosis". Often atherosclerosis is also just called arteriosclerosis.

The development of atherosclerosis probably begins by a damage in the endothelium. This damage causes cholesterol and fat to penetrate into the vessel walls and deposit there. This also induces cells to proliferate. Later also calcium salts are deposited.

Factors that cause endothelial damage and thus atherosclerosis are:

- High content of cholesterol in the blood.
- High content of blood fat and especially saturated fat.
- Inflammation in the blood vessels. A sign of such inflammation is the presence of a substance called c-reactive protein.
- High amount of oxidation agents in the blood.
- High blood pressure.
- High content of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood serum, and low content of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. Lipoprotein is a combination of a protein molecule and fat or cholesterol. Lipoproteins carry cholesterol or fat from place to place.
- Diabetes.
- High age.
- Smoking.
- Men have a somewhat higher chance of getting this condition than women.
- High content of the amino acid homocystein in the blood serum.

Many of these factors are ultimately caused by a bad diet and lack of daily exercise.

THE SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Since atherosclerosis can affect all body parts, the symptoms will vary. However, general symptoms from the affected body parts are:

- Decreased performance, easy to tire out.
- Pain by physical activity, so called anoxic pain.
- By severe impairment of blood flow, tissue damage or sores can occur.

When the heart is affected, the symptoms will be:

- General bad condition.
- Anoxic pain from the heart and surroundings by physical activity, called angina pectoris.
- Feeling of not getting enough air, or breathing problems.

Atherosclerosis can cause blood clots that close the blood flow. There are several ways this can occur:

- The atherosclerotic plaque can rupture, making a sore in the inner wall of the vessel. At such a sore blood can coagulate, making a blood clot.
- The atherosclerotic plaque itself can grow to close a blood vessel.
- Blood coagulated at an affected area can tear loose, float with the blood stream to another place and prop a blood vessel at the new place.
- A portion of the plaque itself can tear itself loose and clog another blood vessel.

When the heart is stricken by a blood clot, heart tissue is suddenly destroyed, a condition called heart infarction, causing sudden heart failure or death.

When a blood clot strikes the brain, brain tissue is destroyed or impaired, causing paralysis, decreased consciousness, coma or other sudden functional impairments.

THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Atherosclerosis can be prevented and to some extend be cured by these measures, of which most are lifestyle adjustments:

- Eating just a little or moderate amount of fat.
- Eating just a moderate amount of sugar.
- The fat eaten should be a blending of different types of unsaturated fat from sources like: Olive oil, rape oil, sunflower oil, soy oil, walnut oil and fish. Then you will get enough of mono-unsaturated fat, omega-3-unsaturated fat, and omega-6-poly-unsaturated fat, but not too much of any of them.
- Eating much fish and just a little red meat.
- Eating a good amount of fruit and vegetables each day.
- Supply of enough vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.
- Only consuming moderate amount of salt.
- Stop smoking.
- Getting high blood pressure treated if lifestyle measures do not bring blood pressure down.
- Daily exercise fitted for one's own condition.
- Eliminate stress in the daily life and at the job.
- Stressing down and getting enough rest.

By high cholesterol levels that do not react properly to lifestyle measures, cholesterol lowering medication can be used, such as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.

By serious local narrowing of an artery, surgery to clean out or widen the artery is sometimes performed. Sometimes the artery is replaced by a graft taken from another body part or by an artificial vessel. When this is done in the heart, it is denoted as bypass surgery.

Alternative treatment to clean out the arteries is an option. There is for example a treatment consisting of using the substance EDTA to carry constituents of plaque away from the arteries. The molecules of this substance have the ability to grip around other molecules, for example cholesterol molecules, and carry them away. There is however a controversy about the effectiveness of this treatment, called chelating therapy.

Alopecia Areata – Causes and Treatment

Alopecia Areata is the erratic hair loss disorder that affects around 2 % population of this world. Researchers are constantly working on the possible alopecia areata causes, diagnosis and treatment. Alopecia areata treatment has undergone a huge transition in the span of last 10 years. Several studies have been made on the disease resulting into the outcome of various facts. And the process is on in full swing.

What is Alopecia areata?

Alopecia areata causes hair loss from areas of the body, usually the scalp. It causes bald spots on the head especially in the first stage. And thus it has the nickname "spot baldness." In 1-2 % of cases the condition is found to be spreading to the entire scalp or epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin).

Alopecia areata affects only the growing hairs. Resting follicles escape the destruction. Therefore truncating the growth phase of hairs avoids the complete destruction of hair follicles. Often the alopecia areata causes the hair follicles to enter into a telogen resting state to avoid the worst effects of the disease. And this triggers significant shedding. The hair follicles usually stay in this resting state for prologner periods of time. If the hair follicles try to return to an anagen growth state the immune system retargets the hair follicles and forces them back into a resting state. The treatment of alopecia areata is partly based on this knowledge. The objective is to reduce the action of the immune cells on the hair follicles and also to promote the resting hair follicles back into new growth activity.

The various types of alopecia areata

Alopecia areata can be divided into the following types –

• Alopecia areata monolocularis – It causes baldness in only one spot in any part of the head.

• Alopecia areata multilocularis – It reults into multiple area of hair loss.

• Alopecia areata totalis – In this case the alopecia areata causes the loss of all the hair on the scalp.

• Alopecia areata universalis – Its symptom is the loss of all body hair including public hair. The condition is called Alopecia areata barbae if it is limited only to the beard.

• Diffuse alopecia areata – It happens when a psychological trauma causes a person to lose all his dark hairs. And leave him only with mixed grey and dark hairs.

Alopecia areata causes

Alopecia areata treatment and diagnosis indicates that the disease contains autoimmunity, ie. failure to recognize its own constituent parts. It erroneously treats its hair follicles as foreign tissue. And results into suppression and stopping of hair growth.

Alopecia areata is not contagious. But it might be hereditary. It is because there have been few cases of babies being born with congenital (in born) alopecia areata.

The stress factor is still under study.

The available alopecia areata treatment options

The alopecia areata cure options can be divided into four different categories of widely accepted therapeutic modalities: –

• Immune inhibitors such as steroids or Psoralen and UV-A light (PUVA)

• Topical sensitizers such as squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE) and diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP)

• Non-specific irritants (Anthralin)

• Vasodilators such as Minoxidil hair treatment

An important thing is to be noted about the treatment goals of all these modules. They are directed at hair re-growth cosmetically acceptable to the patients. These treatments do not prevent hair loss.

The most widely available treatment options

The most widely available alopecia areata treatment options include the following –

• Topical corticosteroids

• Locally injected corticosteroids or a combination therapy using minoxidil

• Anthralin

Factors like the duration and extent of the disease are considered while deciding the most appropriate treatment approach to take.

Corticosteroid creams or local injections are usually enough to treat small alopecia areata spots.

More extensive alopecia areata may require treatment with anthralin or other contact sensitizing agents. As of now, most dermatologists use a combination of corticosteroids or anthralin along with minoxidil.

More Babies - More Fun and More Work

With multiple births becoming more common these days, you can just keep counting your blessings. It is advisable for the would-be mother to start planning for the little wonders about to arrive in this world.

The reason why multiple births have become quite common today is mainly due to fertility treatments that encourage more than one sperm to inseminate an egg. Usually, this forms only one zygote that becomes a fetus, and eventually a baby, but sometimes this method results in the formation of several zygotes. As soon as these zygotes develop into fetuses, doctors get to know that the pregnancy will be abnormal.

At times mothers carrying the multiples face very difficult situations of having to take a decision of aborting one or more zygotes in order to ensure the survival of the others. It happens in very rare cases that the multiples are carried to term, with the chances decreasing with a higher number of babies. In such cases the mother is often asked to abort a specific number of zygotes to make sure that the rest of the babies are healthy. Though the decision of abortion is a difficult one, it should be looked in the perspective that it is meant for the best interest of the children.

When faced with this decision, speak with a number of doctors, as well as clergy and other individuals that have experienced your situation. Once you have made a decision, stand behind it fully and either opt to have the procedure or to take the risk. The choice is yours and your alone to make. You should not feel guilty or compelled to have or not to have the procedure by your doctor.

If you are carrying multiples, you will be advised to go on bed rest at some time during the pregnancy. Generally, multiples are not carried to term, and doctors try to stop labor as long as possible. It's best to take care of any necessary business before your doctor restricts your activity level and confines you to bed.

There are certain things that should be taken care of in advance like having a nursery. Apart from doing some shopping yourself, you can also ask any of your friends or family members for any pieces of furniture.

After the babies arrive, you may wish to have help from friends or family members. Recovery from pregnancy and birth often takes a great deal out of a mother, who is often unable to handle running a household and caring for all the children by herself. In possible, allow both parents to take time off work for a while in order to begin caring for the children. At some point, one or both parents will have to go back to work, so arrangements should be made for the proper child care.

Having more than one baby is a great blessing, but also a great deal of work. Ensuring a good bit of planning is done before the babies arrive will lessen the shock of these new individuals into your home. As they grow, you are certain to find special delight in each and every one of your children.

The Effects of Marijuana in Teens

An analysis of research studies with long-term, recreational users of marijuana has failed to reveal a substantial, systematic effect on the neuron cognitive functioning of users. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug.

Basically Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant. Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette or in a pipe or a bong. Marijuana is strongly absorbed by fatty tissues in various organs.

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug used by teens. The use of marijuana by teens can affect school, sports, and other activities; marijuana also affects memory, judgment, and perception. They may suffer sudden feelings of anxiety and have paranoid thoughts.

The use of marijuana can produce adverse physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral changes, and contrary to popular belief, it can be addictive. Marijuana smoke, like cigarette smoke, can harm the lungs. The use of marijuana can impair short-term memory verbal skills and judgment and distort perception. It also may weaken the immune system.

Teens who smoke marijuana on a regular basis start to lose interest in their appearance and how they are doing in school, at work, and at home. There are many reasons why some children and young teens start using marijuana. Most young people use marijuana because they have friends or brothers and sisters who use marijuana and pressure them to try it. Some young people use it because they see older people in the family using it.

Other users may think it's cool to use marijuana because they hear about it in music and see it used in TV and movies.

Short-term effects of marijuana:

- Problems with memory and learning

- Distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch)

- Trouble with thinking and problem-solving

- Loss of coordination

- Increased heart rate, anxiety, panics attacks.

If you use marijuana a lot, you could start to lose energy and lose interest in how you look. In addition, there is a strong link between drug use and unsafe sex and the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Regular use of marijuana may play a role in some kinds of cancer and in problems with the respiratory, immune, and reproductive systems.

Long Term Effects:

Cancer - It's hard to know for sure whether regular marijuana use causes cancer. Marijuana smoke contains some of the same, and sometimes even more, of the cancer causing chemicals as tobacco smoke.

Lungs and airways - People who smoke marijuana often tend to develop the same kinds of breathing problems that cigarette smokers have. They suffer frequent coughing, phlegm production, and wheezing, and they tend to have more chest colds than non-users.

Immune system - Animal studies have found that Marijuana can damage the cells and tissues that help protect people from disease.

Reproductive system - Heavy use of marijuana can affect both male and female hormones. Young men could have delayed puberty because of Marijuana effects.

Marijuana has serious harmful effects on the skills needed for driving a car. Timing, coordination, alertness, and performance are all affected. For instance, the marijuana user may have trouble judging distances and may have delayed reactions to sights and sounds that drivers need to notice. There are data showing that marijuana has played a role in crashes.

There are currently no medications for treating marijuana dependence. Treatment programs focus on counseling and group support systems. There are also a number of programs designed especially to help teenagers who are abusers. Family doctors are also a good source for information and help in dealing with adolescent marijuana problems. Basically you need a expert.

The sites help you to understand effective communication, and then show you how to overcome your specific problems and in the best possible way. It specifically designed to support the parents of Troubled Teens. The purpose of communication is to get your message across to others clearly. Their services are devoted to the parent who is overwhelmed and in need of immediate assistance (coaching) in order to locate the perfect troubled teen school or program for their child.

Generic Medicines

Generic Drugs: Generic Online Pharmacies started making a big impact on the net since the mid to late 90's. This has allowed the prescription drug buyer to save hundreds with the click of a mouse. Generics really slash the prices on prescription drugs and medications because they do not carry brand names but they are essentially the same drug. As the cost of prescription drugs and medications continue to soar, more and more Americans are choosing Generic Pharmacies to maintain their quality of life. Buying prescription drugs and medications through Generic Pharmacies is a true alternative to paying the high medication prices that a bricks and mortar pharmacy would charge.

What are Generic Drugs? A generic pharmaceutical drug is identical to a brand name drug in safety, strength and quality. Even though generics are identical to brand name drugs, they are typically sold at substantial discounts from the branded price.Typically, savings of at 50 to 70 per cent can be saved for the average consumer It has been estimated that generic drugs save consumers an estimated $8 to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies. Even more when hospitals use generics.

Are Generic Drugs Safe? One of the most common concerns about purchasing Generic Drugs from online pharmacies is the safety of the drugs, and the safety of the patients ordering them.In most cases, generic drugs are considered safe due to the testing process used by the Food and Drug Administration and must meet or exceed all strict quality control standards, in compliance with WHO international guidelines.

If brand-name drugs and generic drugs have the same active ingredients, why do they look different? Trademark laws do not allow a generic drug to look like the brand-name drug. However, a generic drug must duplicate the active ingredient. Colors, flavors, and certain other inactive ingredients may be different.

Does every brand-name drug have a generic counterpart? No. Brand-name drugs are generally given patent protection for 20 years from the date of submission of the patent.

Are generic drugs as strong as brand-name drugs? Yes. FDA requires generic drugs to have the same quality as brand-name drugs.

Do generic drugs take longer to work in the body? No. Generic drugs are basically the same in quality, strength, purity as brand-name drugs.

More and more people every day are taking advantage of the savings that Generic Pharmacies offer. Purchasing your prescription drugs and medications from Generic Pharmacies or internet pharmacies has never been easier.

Blood Pressure Basics

There are no hard and fast figures which represent a normal blood pressure. And very often doctors and other experts cannot even decide between them what an ideal blood pressure range is for an adult.

However it is usually agreed that somewhere between 110/70 and 125/80 is considered to be an average blood pressure for a grown person, though someone with naturally low blood pressure may be closer to a range of 100/60

A blood pressure of 140/90 is considered to be high, though as a person gets older, this falls into the more normal range for people.

Blood doesn't circulate in an even stream around the body, but travels in a constant series of spurts. Therefore the pressure peaks in the blood vessels just after a heart beat and then ebbs until the next one. This is a continuous process.

The two blood pressure figures represent the pressures when the forces are at their peak and at their lowest ebb. The stronger the arteries are, the more they resist the force of the blood and the lower the blood pressure.

As a person gets older, and the elasticity of their arteries weakens, the figures tend to rise. However the lower figure should still be under 90 until that person at least reaches their sixties.

Many studies looking at blood pressure in both black and white people have found there is a higher prevalence of hypertension (High blood pressure) in black people than there is in white. This has led to further research in determining whether this is racially determined or just based on socioeconomic and dietary factors.

Some people suffering high blood pressure may find they just can't pinpoint a cause for their problem. They may be fit, have a very healthy lifestyle yet their blood pressure remains consistently high for no apparent reason. This is called Primary or essential high blood pressure. However if the raised blood pressure is due to an underlying medical problem, it is known as Secondary High Blood Pressure.

Nearly one in four people in the Western world have high blood pressure. Many people don't appreciate it is a dangerous condition that can lead to a heart attack kidney failure or stroke if it is left untreated. Yet there are thousands of people unaware they have high blood pressure who are walking around with a lethal time bomb ticking away inside them.

High Blood Pressure - Treatment is at Hand

Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood through the arteries. Your blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats, forcing blood into the arteries. This is called systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is always given as two numbers, the systolic and diastolic pressures. Both are important.

The systolic pressure is the first or top number, and the diastolic pressure is the second or bottom number (for example, 120/80). If your blood pressure is 120/80, you say that it is "120 over 80".

It is important to take steps to keep your blood pressure under control. The treatment goal is to keep blood pressure below 140/90, or even lower for people with other conditions, such as diabetes and kidney disease.

Adopting healthy lifestyle habits is an essential and effective first step in both preventing and controlling high blood pressure. However, if lifestyle changes alone are not effective in keeping your pressure controlled, it may be necessary to take blood pressure medications.

The following types of medications are available to treat high blood pressure:

1. Diuretics: Diuretics are sometimes called water pills because they work in the kidney and flush excess water and sodium from the body, lowering blood pressure.

2. Beta-blockers: Beta-blockers reduce nerve impulses to the heart and blood vessels. This makes the heart beat slower and with less force. As a result of these drugs, the blood pressure drops and the heart works less hard.

3. ACE inhibitors: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors prevent the formation of a hormone called angiotensin II, which normally causes blood vessels to narrow. The ACE inhibitors cause the vessels to relax and blood pressure goes down.

4. Angiotensin antagonists: Angiotensin antagonists shield blood vessels from angiotensin II. As a result, the vessels become wider and blood pressure goes down.

5. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs): CCBs keep calcium from entering the muscle cells of the heart and blood vessels. This causes the blood vessels to relax and pressure goes down.

6. Alpha-blockers: Alpha-blockers reduce nerve impulses to blood vessels, which allows blood to pass more easily, causing the blood pressure to go down.

7. Alpha-beta-blockers: Alpha-beta-blockers work the same way as alpha-blockers but also slow the heartbeat, as beta-blockers do. As a result of using these drugs, less blood is pumped through the vessels and the blood pressure goes down.

8. Nervous system inhibitors: Nervous system inhibitors relax blood vessels by controlling nerve impulses, and this causes the blood vessels to become wider and the blood pressure to go down.

9. Vasodilators: Vasodilators directly open blood vessels by relaxing the muscles in the vessel walls, causing the blood pressure to go down.

To find out if you have high blood pressure consult your doctor and have a blood pressure test. The test is quick and painless.

To determine which life style changes and medications are appropriate, consult your doctor.

Coping Up With Depression During Menopause

If there were one disease caused by biological factors that is very hard to deal with, it would be depression. Depression or the condition of feeling sad or despondent—characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, and feelings of extreme sadness, dejection, melancholy, and hopelessness—is one of the visible symptoms of menopause especially for women.

Caused by the dropping of serotonin—a hormone in the brain that regulates a person’s mood—levels, depression has been linked to menopause because it has been observed that women who are on the verge of this phase experience intense mood fluctuations and severe episodes of sadness and confusion.

Experts say that depression is normal for menopausal women but it should be addressed properly so it wouldn’t lead to more serious health, emotional, and behavioral problems.

UNDERSTANDING DEPRESSION DURING MENOPAUSE

Studies show that 8 to 15 percent of menopausal women experience depression. Experts say that the end of menstruation or menopause triggers episodes of depression and sadness in most women because of drastic hormonal changes that are left unsettled or not addressed.

Various researches prove that women who have a history of mood disorders, those who have been depressed before—especially during 20s, those who have underwent surgical or operational procedures, those who are smoking, dealing with so many children, or those who have work that causes a lot of stress are more likely to develop depression during menopause.

Symptoms of depression during menopause include sleeping disorders, hot flushes, loss of energy or fatigue, irritability, anxiety, excessive feeling of guilt or worthlessness, difficulty in concentrating or confusion, decreased interest or pleasure in activities, drastic change in appetite, and two or more weeks of depressed mood that may lead to extreme restlessness and suicidal tendencies.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Although depression is a natural occurrence during menopausal years, experts say that this should not be neglected because it can lead to more episodes of fluctuating moods and physical implications.

Although it is hard to deal with because it involves emotional and hormonal factors, medical authorities agree that depression is treatable when addressed properly. Here are some suggestions and treatment options that can help you cope up with depression during menopause:

1. Consider depression treatments and medications. Seeking help if you are suffering from depression during menopausal years is the first step in curing the “disease.” Today, there are actually many effective and well-tolerated medications available depending on your need. Being an essential part of treating depression, antidepressant medications such as Selected Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) help to increase the amount of serotonin in the brain.

Aside from antidepressants, therapies such as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and Estrogen Therapy can help in especially in early menopausal stages. Before taking in any of these, make sure that you have consulted your physician first so you can discuss the risks and benefits of such treatments and medications. Psychotherapy is also one effective way to combat menopausal depression.

With the help of trained social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, you can learn how to cope up with the negative feelings over menopausal years. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT that teaches better ways of thinking and behaving and Interpersonal Therapy or IPT that helps the person communicate more effectively are available for you.

2. Schedule for a physical examination. As women grown older, physical changes emerge that lead to physical health problems. Getting a thorough physical examination is one way to know if you are about to experience any physical ailments caused by depressive symptoms.

3. Try out alternative medicines, herbal therapies or remedies, and dietary supplements. Organic and herbal medications have grown popular the years for its healing properties. Today, the most popular herb used to cure depression is St John’s Wort because it can help reduce effects of estrogen fluctuations.

Although many people attest to its effects, there have been no scientific studies that support the effectivity and safety of this alternative medicine. Before trying any of these herbal or organic products, make sure you inform your physician so further damage can be avoided especially if you are under any monitored medication.

4. Engage in physical activities or regular exercise. Experts agree that exercise helps treat depression by releasing your body’s mood-elevating hormones that leads to a feeling of accomplishment and enhanced self-esteem.

5. Start changing your diet. Dietary changes like eating a well balanced diet and regularly scheduled meals are known to help a lot in managing depression.

The Basic Yoga Positions For Beginners

Practitioners have talked about the unification of the mind, body and spirit. They claimed that this will be acquired through the practice of yoga exercises and techniques.

If it is your first time to hear of yoga, you will of course wonder how these exercises are done and how it looks like. Since you are a beginner, you will also definitely ask what kind of positions will be best for you.

Yogis have believed that the mind and the body are bonded into a unified structure. This belief has never failed and changed through time. Yoga has extensively performed an amazing procedure of healing oneself through harmony. This can be successfully done if you are in a proper environment.

With the great effects of yoga, the doctors have been convinced that yoga has some therapeutic results and can be recommended for people who have illnesses that is hard to cure.

If you have some illness that has been with you for a long time, you can practice the yoga positions for beginners and apply it to yourself.

If you want to practice the yoga positions for beginners, you must believe that yoga is effective and will help you to be cured or be refreshed.

Yoga is not just a recent application. It has been practiced and applied a long time ago and up to the present, the people are benefiting a lot from it.

Investigations and researches have been implemented to prove that yoga can be helpful in the healing process.

Therefore, it has been proved that the yoga positions for beginners are extremely effective and useful when it comes to maintaining a high level of joint flexibility. Although the yoga positions for beginners are just simple and basic, it can slowly bring up a healthy lifestyle and bring more when it is practiced over and over again.

The yoga positions for beginners are very interesting and exciting to perform. Beginners will never find it hard to keep up with the exercises because it is just simple. The technique of yoga gives a very big contributing factor to our internal glands and organs. It also includes the parts of the human body, which is barely stimulated.

If you want to learn the yoga positions for beginners, you can learn it easily at home or at school where yoga is taught.

Some basic yoga positions for beginners include standing poses, seated poses, forward and backward bends, balance and twisting. These yoga positions for beginners are not that far from those who are used to practicing yoga.

The time duration in executing the positions are also lessened because a beginner cannot fully cope up with a longer time exposure in practice. Rest is required of the beginner so that he will not be drained easily to prepare the body for further positions.

Since you are a beginner, the most important thing you should understand is self-discipline. Yoga is not just doing yoga and executing the poses. If you haven't mastered the basics yet, do not jump into the complex stages and positions because you will not feel the essence of executing the yoga positions for beginners.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a common condition of pregnancy where a woman has high blood sugars during the pregnancy but didn’t have high blood sugars before becoming pregnant. It can often mean, however, that a woman is prone to diabetes in her future but this is not universal.

Most women find out they have gestational diabetes because they have a special test done in diabetes called a one hour glucose tolerance test or “1 hr GTT”. This involves drinking around 50 grams of glucose in the doctor’s office. The blood sugar is tested one hour after drinking the liquid. If this test is elevated further tests are performed to confirm the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

Women with gestational diabetes normally just need to watch their weight gain and their sugar intake while the doctor does closer monitoring of the pregnancy. Very rarely, the woman will need to take insulin during the pregnancy to keep the blood sugar down.

The biggest complication of gestational diabetes is that of having infants which are larger for their gestational age. Large babies have a higher incidence of having to be born by Cesarean section and there is a higher risk of birth trauma or complications. Just because the infant is big doesn’t mean the infant is mature. The baby can weigh ten pounds but still be born with immature lungs.

There are more problems with the pregnancy in gestational diabetes. Frequent tests called fetal non-stress tests must be done to make sure the baby is still healthy. Anytime the non-stress test is not showing normal fetal activity, the infant may have to be delivered early, even if he or she is not particularly full term yet.

After the pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes, the infant can have problems with very low blood sugar. This is because its pancreas has been putting out insulin in high amounts during the pregnancy—amounts of insulin that are not needed after the baby is born. The blood sugar can become so dangerously low that the baby will need to have intravenous sugar for a period of time until the pancreas settles down. In milder cases, the blood sugar is monitored carefully while the infant is fed formula as early as possible to bring the blood sugar up.

Babies born from mothers with gestational diabetes will have a higher risk for breathing problems after birth. After a few days of oxygen and monitoring, the baby generally resolves without incident. As the baby is born fat, it is at risk for developing obesity of childhood and all of the complications that go with that. As adults, these children are at risk for developing gestational diabetes or type II diabetes themselves.

Once a woman has gestational diabetes, she is at risk for developing the condition again. She is also at risk for developing type II diabetes. If she gets pregnant without controlling her type II diabetes, there is a higher risk of birth defects in the developing infant who was exposed to higher than normal blood sugars during key stages of embryonic development.

Female Pattern Hair Loss: What Causes Hair Loss In Women?

There exists a widespread connotation that hair loss is greatly prevalent among males. But this connotation could be defied with the fact that even a good number of women suffer from hair loss. Although it's not that easy to ascertain exact causes of hair loss among women there are two or three popular reasons attributed to hair loss among them.

Despite widespread hair loss among women, very rarely they happen to be bald. Even women don't show complete disappearance of hairs from one particular part of scalp that usually happens with males. A woman normally experiences evenly distributed hair loss from scalp that means hairs fall from all parts of scalps, most likely in equal proportion.

Some of the common causes of female hair loss are:

Androgenetic Alopacea
It is a phenomenon inside the female body in which testosterone (male hormone), which is present in women in dormant state, undergoes chemical reactions to form DHT. This DHT affects hair follicles, their normal functioning, hair regeneration and growth, resulting in hair loss and female baldness in the later stages. However female hormones resist its effect to prevent complete baldness.

Alopacea Areata
It is an uneven type of hair loss that may be due to various deficiencies in the body. These deficiencies could be due to lesser intake of required nutrients and vitamins. As less than required intake of essential body minerals and vitamins weakens immune system. With a weakened immune system hair follicles are less likely to fight with disrupting factors giving a way to temporary follicle dysfunction. It in turn results in hair loss.

Telogen Effluvium
This is a condition in which women suffer hair loss due to unexpected shock or stress and extreme emotional imbalances. Usually an unanticipated stress situation gives way to short term depression that adversely affects hair. In that period sharp hair loss is witnessed. Most often women conceiving baby for the first time experiences this type of hair fall. A woman fired from work place or divorce could be other reasons of Telogen Effluvium.

These three are primary reasons of hair loss in women. Apart from that a woman may experience hair loss due to genetic causes as well as some medications may also result in hair loss as a side effect.

Aromatherapy For Female Hair Loss

At 32 years of age, my hair suddenly started falling out by the handfuls. The hair loss began in August. By October, just two months later I was almost completely bald.

Other than having hair loss, my physical health was excellent. Since my medical tests all came back normal, my doctor advised me to get a good wig and get on with my life. My friends and family encouraged me to count my blessings rather than my shortcomings. They tried to convince me that I was still the same person on the inside, with or without hair. I didn't buy it. But I did get the wig and I did get on with my life.

A new friend I met happened to be a hairdresser who specialized in thin, fine hair. After confiding in her, she told me about the great results some of her clients had using aromatherapy. She armed me with books and information. I absorbed it all and kept learning more until I was ready to make my own scalp formula.

There were many essential oils to choose from. I especially liked
using peppermint oil. The tingling sensation it produced seemed to energize my scalp and my entire being. The scent of the oil perked me up so it was a great choice to use it the morning to get my day started.

At night I would experiment with more relaxing oils such as lemon, lavender, chamomile, cypress and carrot seed. I would often sleep with the oils on my scalp and wash them out in the morning. The drifting aroma seemed to lure me into a deep sleep, helping me to wake up refreshed and revitalized.

The essential oil formulas felt so healing and energizing on my scalp. It was as if I could "feel" them working! Within three months I began seeing and feeling soft new growth. Three months after that my entire scalp was filled in with new hair.

It's been fifteen years since my hair loss incidence. Every so often I find the beginnings of new bald patches or I notice more hair falling out than usual.

As soon as I notice the hair loss I begin treating it with essential oil formulas. My hair responds quickly to the aromatherapy treatments. I've been able to stop the hair loss and start the re-growth before it becomes noticeable.

At first I really didn't care how the essential oils worked. Just the fact that they did work was all I needed to know. But, because I became so fascinated with the effects and so fond of the aromas, I went on to formally study aromatherapy.

I think of essential oils as a "fertilizer for hair". They increase circulation to the scalp. The increased blood supply nourishes the hair follicles. They increase oxygen supply, encourage cellular regeneration and remove toxins. They thoroughly cleanse the scalp, removing excess sebum, dead skin cells and environmental pollutants.

Essential oils need to be diluted with fixed oils. Jojoba and castor oil turned out to be my favorites, as even on their own they are healthy for hair and used to promote growth.

Choosing the essential oils to use in your formula requires some research and knowledge. Certain essential oils cannot be used under certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure, pregnancy etc.

Your formula will be more effective if you choose oils specifically for own condition rather than a generic hair loss formula. You can customize your formula to address your specific scalp condition, such as dry, oily, itchy, sensitive, etc. You can further customize your formula by choosing oils that blend into a scent that you enjoy.

Although you apply the formula to your scalp, the healing doesn't stop there. Aromatherapy is known to produce an over-all feeling of physical, emotional and spiritual well-being that goes far beyond a better head of hair!

Atherosclerosis, Chelation and Chelating Agents

In our everyday life, our body is exposed to various toxins almost all the time. We are facing toxin attacks in the food, in the water we drink even in the air we breath. Heavy metal toxins like Mercury, Lead and Cadmium gets deposited and builds up plaque in arteries and blood vessels and narrows the passage for blood flow (medically termed as Atherosclerosis). This in turn leads to all sorts of problems and even heart attacks and might ultimately require surgery to bypass the blocked arteries.

Chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun) Therapy is the process in which chemicals bond with minerals and toxic metals and remove them from the body. The word Chelation has been derived from the Greek word "chele", meaning to "claw".

The doctors have used chelation therapy for a long time now and the most important chelating agents used by them is EDTA (Ethylene Diamine tetra acetic acid). This is a synthetic amino acid that is highly effective in binding with the harmful metals and releasing them out of the body through the urine.

Chelation Therapy is definitely the most effective alternative to surgery for Atherosclerotic vascular disease. This therapy when applied properly has considerable effect on patients and thousands of patients have been cured without any need for bypass surgery or angioplasty.

There are two types of Chelation, classified mainly based on the way they are applied; Intravenous Chelation, where the chelating agent is injected through the veins and Oral Chelation, where the patient takes the chelating agent through his mouth just as any other medicine. Intravenous chelation is comparatively costly and would necessarily require a doctor to assist the patient, however, oral chelation is one of the easiest processes and is comparatively cheap.

Any oral chelating agent would contain a synthetic amino acid called EDTA along with the other components like Royal Jelly, honeybee pollen, unprocessed honey, natural vitamin C and B12. EDTA is particularly effective in removing heavy metals like Mercury from our circulatory system.

An Oral Chelating agent becomes more effective due to the presence of components like Royal Jelly and honey. Our body perceives it as food and it gets absorbed in the system very fast where as the EDTA in the chelating agent binds with the toxic metals and removes them out of the body.

Oral Chelating agents like PCA-Rx (sold at www.awakennutrition.com) are highly effective and helps you to prevent plaques and narrowing of blood vessels by bonding with the toxic metals and removing them out of the body.

This would help you to remove toxic metals from your blood flow while gaining and maintaining you heart's health. When thousand s of patients today are adopting this chelation therapy to fight against atherosclerosis and maintain a healthy heart, why should you be left out?

Using Yoga To Improve Your Health And Well Being

There are so many new television commercials on gadgets and videos on improving ones health and well being. There is one strong hold on low impact exercise that not only improves your body but also improves your mind. This exercise program is yoga. When one is practicing yoga regularly they begin to sense an improved feeling of well being and postive energy.

The practice of yoga consists of stretches, movements and poses which provides stimulation to many of the joints, ligaments and tendons, some of which are rarely used for any extended period of time. Once the body gets used to this stretching one will begin to see and feel the benefits of increased flexibility to your entire body.

Yoga is also a great way to firm one's body. Through the stretching of the muscles, moving in a slow precise manner and holding the body in certain positions one will experience the benefits of a more toned and firmer body.

Yoga provides massage to all parts of the body including the prostate which rarely gets external stimulation. It has been proven to massage the prostate gland for better prostate health.

The gentle stretching of your muscles and joints when doing yoga maximizes blood flow in your body enabling your body to eliminate toxins, provide oxygen to your body and in turn slows aging.

Because yoga incorporates precise breathing, focus and movements one will also experience many mental health benefits. One can experience better concentration, reduced stress, better sleep and a better more confident well being.

An exercise like yoga through the bending and stretching of the spine builds strength, endurance and lowers the stress hormone that cause aging. The reduction of stress will reduce the acidic conditions within the body and enabling your body to intake more oxygen. Yoga can stimulate the nervous system, providing balance which will help to reduce anxiety and depression.

Yoga when practiced two to three times per week will put your body in a positive healthy state. This in turn puts your mind in a positive healthy state which assists to keep your body looking and feeling good. Yoga provides a continuous loop of positive well being and continual rejuvenation.. You will notice improved posture through a straigher back, elongated hamstrings and an overall feeling of focused energy and a confident state of mind.

So if you are looking to not only live a longer life but also to improve the quality of your life, you should be considering incorporating the exercise of yoga into your exercise routine. An exercise like yoga provides all the benefits of a low impact program, providing the firming and flexibility of the body along with the benefits of the mind, and spiritual connection through the focused concentration and deep breathing, enabling the body and mind to resonate at an optimal level of health.

Once yoga grows in popularity citizens of this planet will enjoy the benefits of this low impact exercise and increase the well being of their mind and bodies allowing them to live longer and more productive lives.

How A High Fibre Diet Can Save Your Life

For many years now we have been hearing about how a high fiber diet has many health benefits. Some people do follow high fiber diets and some do not. So what is it about fiber that is so beneficial to your health and what does it do within your body to promote good health.

The main reason for a high fiber diet is that it is essential for the digestive system and the elimination process.The coarseness of fiber, and the fact that it is not digestible, gives it the capacity to cleanse the internal digestive track.

Some people do not get enough fiber and this could be the reason for many diseases and the problem of obesity in the world. So what is enough fiber? Well through extensive research scientist have determine on an average a person should consume approximately 30 gram of fiber per day. Do you know how much fiber is in your diet? Well if you are a typical person you probably consume approximately 15 grams of fiber per day. Now it does vary from diet to diet and culture to culture, but if your diet is not one that consist of 5 to 6 serving of fruits and vegetables per day and if you are not consuming whole wheats and whole grain cereals and breads chances are you are not getting the recommended daily amount of fiber in your diet

Some may think that it's not a big concern. What one should be asking themselves is if I consumed more fiber would it have a beneficial effect on my life? If one is to look at their diet, they should be thinking, will this way of eating continue to keep me healthy, or if I started consuming more fiber could I be assisting my body in maintaining an better level of health.

Most people have no idea what fiber is.Well fiber is the roughage parts of the food that cannot be fully digested. There are two type of fiber, soluble and insoluble fiber. Each type of fiber plays a certain roll in your digestive track and aids your body in different ways.

Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that dissolves in water. As it dissolves it forms a jelly like substance creating bulk. When this bulk or jelly is in the small intestine it has the qualities that will absorb the cholesterol from your digestive track and eliminate it from your body through your waste. Since this cholesterol is pulled out of the digestive track the body then pulls cholesterol from the blood system regulating the digestive system and lowering your cholesterol level in your blood stream. Soluble fiber can reduce your serum cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) by as much as 15%. You can consume your soluble fibers through oat bran, apples, citrus, pears , beans and psyllum

On the other hand insoluble fiber cannot be dissolved in water and is actually more of the bulk that moves through and cleanses your digestive track. Insoluble fiber has the qualities to slow down the speed in which sugar is absorbed into your blood stream and is also great in treating constipation. People who are diabetics can benefit from consuming insoluble fiber since it regulates the blood sugar levels and curbs sugar spike overloads.

Cabbage, root vegetables and wheat bran are excellent sources for insoluble fiber.

Another benefit of a high fiber diet is weight management. Typically you will consume less calories when eating a high fiber diet because the fiber will make you feel fuller quicker and for a longer period of time. It also helps in faster elimination of waste which can reduce weight. Fiber also helps to modify blood glucose levels, reduces or cures constipation, alleviates hemorrhoids and may reduced the risk of cancer.

So the benefits of a high fiber diet can not only help you feel better and avoid diseases but fiber can also help you look better by reducing weight and eliminating waste faster. So eat your green leafy vegetable, consume your fresh and dried fruits and read labels to observe the amounts of insoluble and soluble fiber to aid your body in staying healthy.

Buying an Elliptical Trainer?

Buying an elliptical trainer? Elliptical cross trainers provide some unique aerobic benefits and are quickly becoming 'the' fitness machine to own. Here's a brief elliptical review of what to know before you buy:

What is an elliptical trainer?

An elliptical trainer is a fitness machine that combines the natural stride of a treadmill or ski machine, with the simplicity of a stair climber. You stand upright on the foot pedals & stride in a forward or backwards direction.

Your feet move in a natural elliptical motion which is the closest simulation to walking and running available without the impact. There are handrails for balance. Some ellipticals even have handles for working your upper body as well - thus providing a complete upper & lower body workout.

What Makes It Unique?

Elliptical machines offer 3 main benefits for the home exerciser:

#1 Elliptical workouts provides less impact on the joints than traditional running exercise (say, on a treadmill). In other words, it's a safe, low impact workout for anyone, regardless of fitness level.

#2 Unlike cycling, stair-stepping or even walking, an elliptical trainer uses both arms and legs thereby providing a total body workout in less time.

Plus, elliptical workouts have been proven to give you a lower rate of perceived exertion (Basically this means you did more aerobic exercise than you felt you did). This can actually add up to more calories burned and more weight lost over the long term.

#3 Crosstrainers are simple to use yet still provide weight resistant workouts that help build bone density, fight osteoporisis, and increase your metabolism.

Important Considerations Before Buying:

It's important to do an elliptical review of what you need before buying. Some of the most popular features with buyers are:

1) Upper Body Arm Bars

These are bars that move while you work your legs. They help you work your arms while working your legs at the same time. While you really don't need these for an effective workout, many people prefer them as they do help to provide resistance training for your upper body.

However make sure you don't have to lean over while using the arm bars which can diminish the effectiveness of your workout (this can happen on many of the cheaper models).

2) Forward and Reverse Motions

The ability to move in a forward or reverse motion adds variety and challenge to your workout. This also reduces your risk of repetitive use injuries common with some treadmill and stair climber users. Most crosstrainers have this option but it's always a good idea to make sure.

3) Adjustable Resistance

Quality elliptical trainers will have a range of resistance levels. Look for a machine that makes resistance changes simple (i.e. one-touch resistance adjustment) so that interval training sessions can be easily incorporated into your workout

4) Stability

Stability is one of the most important features to have. You don't want the machine to wobble or move when you pick up the pace.

In general you get what you pay for - the economy machines under $800 aren't very stable. Higher priced crosstrainers are usually much more stable and can take more of a beating. Other factors that predict stability are the user weight capacity (the higher the better) and the actual unit weight. The heavier a machine is (all other things being equal), the more stable it will feel.

5) Stride Length

Elliptical stride lengths range from 14 inches to 20 inches. A longer stride length 18 - 20 inches can work you leg muscles more fully and give you an overall better workout with more calories burned.

Those are just a few of the features to consider when choosing your elliptical trainer. Other factors to review include the number of user programs, console options, warranty and size/structure of the footplate.

Once you know what you want, you're ready to go shopping for your elliptical trainer. Take your time and choose a crosstrainer that makes you enthusiastic about getting fit and healthy - isn't that what it's all about?

Allergy Control Products

For allergy sufferers life can become miserable if they come into contact with whatever it is they are allergic to. Allergy control products in conjunction with allergy treatments or by themselves are effective in bringing relief to the allergy sufferer. allergy control products come in many forms and are more user friendly than ever before. If you are an allergy sufferer and have never before used allergy control products or have used them in the past and found them too expensive or unreliable then now is the time to see what progress has been made in the field of allergy control products.

Research and surveys have shown that the number of allergy sufferers world wide is on the increase. In a recent U.S. survey it was found that fifty-four percent of Americans are allergic to at least one pathogen. That's over half of all Americans surveyed! Consumer demand has demanded better products and the industry has responded. Air purifiers were once expensive to buy, cumbersome and difficult to operate and maintain. Now though, a wide variety of less expensive and easy to maintain air purifiers are available and most importantly, they actually perform quite well.

Dust mites, human hair and shedding skin can all contribute to allergies. Many people have suffered for years not even knowing that the bed they slept in was the source of their misery. Now though allergy resistant sheets covers and pillow cases can bring relief and peaceful sleep to those who suffer from those allergies. allergy resistant fabrics also bring relief inside the home. Drapes and bed covers and carpeting are all available made entirely of allergy resistant fabrics. For allergy sufferers the fabrics that are so necessary to every day living can also bring misery. allergy resistant fabrics end the suffering.

Allergy sufferers who are chemically sensitive life can be pure hell. We live in a world of chemicals. For them the adage (better living through chemistry) is truly a farce. For many chemically sensitive people their home has become a torture chamber. Allergy resistant paint and chemicals of all sorts are now available that can free them from their misery. These products actually work very well and the money spent on these products is money invested well. The price has come down as quality has gone up on allergy resistant products. Now chemically sensitive people have the option of living a free and normal life.

If you are an allergy sufferer. No matter what you are allergic to there now is help. There is a wide range of products available and chances are there is something there you can use. Some allergy resistant products operate by helping your body cope with whatever it is you are allergic to while others effectively limit or eliminate all together whatever it is you are alergic to from your immediate environment. Many people have found it difficult to completely eliminate allergens from their whole home but have been very successful in creating an allergy safe room in their house. An allergy free zone to retreat to find relief if it is needed.

On the medical front great strides have been made in allergy relief products. A broader understanding of allergies and how pathogens effect the allergy sufferers has paved the way for new and better products. There are natural products available that for many people who have tried them appear to work. The medical establishment for years collectively scoffed at herbal remedies and now the facts speak for themselves. Herbal remedies for some people do work. It is up to each individual allergy sufferer to seek out what is best for them as there is no cure all. What works for one may not work for another but their is help out there.

Your Greatest Enemy When Losing Weight

When you have a lot of weight to lose, it's easy to believe that your only battle is with fat. But there's more to weight loss than extra pounds. Especially when you're obese.

The truth is, it's a life-changing event. Obviously, there are physical, social and economic effects.

But often, your greatest enemy when losing weight is fear. You have to battle self-doubt. You have to deal with the pain of how cruelly people have treated you.

You have to confront all the hurts, fears, and agonies you've endured - and kept inside - possibly for years.

When you're severely overweight, many people treat you like you're stupid, lazy, even worthless. Some of the worst offenders have "MD" after their names.

Sound familiar?

I think many of you who are obese know exactly what I mean. Experiences like that change you - even if other people don't realize it.

Many times, before you can succeed with weight loss, you have to conquer your fears and self-doubt. You have to learn to believe in yourself.

As you begin to lose weight, your body may change faster than your emotions can handle. So even though you want to lose weight, it's natural to fear it.

You may become anxious, filled with self-doubt, even develop irrational fears.

Suddenly, every headache is a brain tumor, every car ride is an accident waiting to happen, every ring of the telephone is bad news.

But these irrational fears may just be a way of releasing all the emotions you've kept inside for so long.

Maybe these are some of your real fears instead:

1. You've tried to lose weight so many times before, you can't believe it'll work now.

2. You'll have to give up all your favorite foods, possibly forever.

3. You'll gain the weight back.

4. You'll let other people or yourself down if you regain the weight.

5. You're not good at exercise or you don't want people to see your body when you exercise.

6. You won't be able to cope with problems if you can't have food.

7. You're overwhelmed by how much weight you have to lose.

8. Other people will react with jealousy, anger, or resentment.

9. You'll lose your overweight friends.

10. Other people will expect more of you after you lose weight.

11. You'll always have to be perfect - your hair, your clothes, everything.

12. You won't be able to cope with all the attention you'll get when you're thin.

13. You'll become attractive and sexy to the opposite sex.

14. You'll become one of the skinny people you hate.

15. People will still reject you when you're thin and you can no longer blame your weight for the rejection.

Of course, not everyone who has to lose weight develops irrational fears. Especially if your friends and family are supportive of your weight loss efforts.

But even then it's natural to feel self-doubt when you have a lot of weight to lose. And it's easy to let those fears or self-doubt sabotage your weight loss.

There's an old saying that sums up why so many of us are afraid of change, even when it's good for us: "It's easier to stay in a known hell than to risk an unknown heaven."

I think it's worth the risk. Do you?

Cosmetic Dentistry - An Introduction

White, evenly shaped teeth enhance the beauty of your face. Cosmetic dentistry offers many treatment options for people who want to improve their teeth. The methods can be as simple as teeth whitening or as complex as bracing and bridging.

How do teeth whitening work?
Teeth whitening products uses materials consisting of peroxide to give the teeth a white and clean appearance. You can either visit the cosmetic dentist or use a home-based whitening system. Home-based systems use 20% peroxide but is a longer process, lasting for two weeks. Cosmetic dentists will start the process by removing all the cavities from the teeth and ensuring the gums are healthy. Then a dental system for protection of the gum is applied. Gels are then added on the teeth. At times, high intensity lights along with 35% peroxide can be used to start the whitening process. The light will oxidize the stains on the teeth, resulting in activation of peroxide. You will notice the stains fade after an hour, thus making your teeth appear lighter.

What is tooth-shaping?
Tooth-shaping is the most basic procedure and is an half an hour process. It reshapes the unwanted shape of the teeth. The cosmetic dentist can completely alter the shape of your teeth or the shape of the upper ones to match the lower ones. Even the removal of small amount of tooth enamel will not cause any damage in the long and short run.

What are Porcelain Veneers?
Porcelain veneers, also called veneers, are porcelain slices that improve the appearance of the front of the teeth. They also cover any damage caused to the teeth. They have the same effects as dentures or artificial teeth. A cosmetic dentist would be able to provide the pros and cons of this treatment.

What is Resin?
Resins are kept on the teeth for a short time to improve their appearance. It is used to treat chips and cavities. The chips and cavities are filled with white fillings. The disadvantage is that these resins may lose their color after some time, thus losing their natural look.

What is Bonded-Bridge?
Bonded-bridge is a porcelain or resin tooth with metal or resin wings on both the sides. It fills the gap left by the missing tooth. The cosmetic dentist removes a small amount of enamel from teeth on both the sides of the hole and then the bonded-bridge is clipped on the teeth to fill the hole.

What is Gum-lift?
Gum-lifting, or gingivectomy, involves removing some part of the gums to even them out and make the teeth appear longer. It cures gummy smiles. A cosmetic dentist would be able complete the process in one or two sittings.

What are Braces?
Braces or orthodontics rectifies the gaps between the teeth, giving them an even appearance. It is a two-year process to help children and young adults. A cosmetic dentist would add the braces in one session.

4 Steps To Preventing Childhood Obesity

In the past few years, information on childhood obesity seems to be everywhere. The reason for this is because of the frightening rate at which the number of obese children is growing. Society is consequently trying hard to react to a worsening problem that is spreading to almost epidemic proportions.

There are four main steps all parents must take in order to prevent childhood obesity in their children.

Abolish soft drinks from the diet

One of the biggest problems in children’s diets today is that of carbonated soft drinks. Because of the fact that there is absolutely no nutritional value in these drinks, it is crucial that they are eliminated from the diet. This is particularly recommended by physicians and nutritionists as an important factor in combating the epidemic of childhood obesity that has become a reality of the modern era.

Elimination of these drinks from your child’s diet may be a difficult process, depending upon age and the amount of consumption. If the child is at an age where he or she does not yet make a choice in what is consumed, then the process is easy. This is where you simply stop giving these drinks to the child, replacing them with more healthy alternatives. Where children are old enough to help themselves, it is important to ensure that no soft drinks are available. Stock your refrigerator with low-fat milk, water, or fruit juices made from real fruit.

Remember that you are a role model for your child and therefore, it is important that you lead by example in your choice of nutritious drinks both at home and when dining out.

By creating a soft drink free environment at home and teaching your child about healthier alternatives, you can help to change the thought processes. This is only one step but that step can go a long way toward helping your child to achieve or to maintain a healthy weight.

Restrict fast food

For children who are already showing signs of obesity, it is best to completely eliminate things such as hamburgers, fried chicken, chips, milkshakes and other fattening products from fast food restaurants. However, if this has been part of the child’s routine, it may be difficult. Although scientific literature gives no specific recommendations, it is believed among nutritional experts that fast food is acceptable on a once per week basis.

It is not necessary to totally eliminate takeaway food from the diet but rather to help the child to make healthier choices. Many fast food restaurants are now listening to public opinion and providing a healthier range of food rather than just the traditional range that they are renowned for.

To totally eliminate fast food would be unrealistic as there is also a social connection, particularly in the older children. Often this is a meeting place for friends and it would be hard for the child to resist temptation. It is crucial therefore, that parents ensure their child understands how the traditional fast foods contribute to obesity.

Limit television viewing

It would be unrealistic to think of eliminating television from your child’s life not to mention deprivation. There are many programs on television these days that are beneficial to your child’s development. However, it is important to limit television viewing as well as other technology such as DVDs and internet.

Child rearing professionals advocate no television at all for children under two and no more that two hours per day for children over two. This also applies to other media technology though internet surfing for homework purposes could be exempt. Remember also that if your child is spending a lot of time on the internet, it is important to have internet security software for their protection.

Another way of restricting television viewing is to only have a television in the family room rather than allowing your child to have one in the bedroom.

Dinner time is for enjoying the meal and also for enjoying the company and closeness of family. Turn the television off to promote conversation.

Promote physical activity

One of the great regrets of our modern age is the lack of activity of our children. Imaginative play has been replaced by media technology which induces sedentary lifestyles. Our children should all be physically active every day. This can take the form of play, sport, physical education, walking to school or shops, community activities, or any other activity that requires a level of physical exertion.

Pre-school children should be engaging in a minimum of three sessions each week of physical activities that last more than twenty minutes at a time and that require moderate to vigorous levels of exertion. This should increase as the child gets older. As the child reaches school age, this activity should be reaching around 30 minutes to an hour of physical activity on all or most days of the week.

These recommendations will be difficult at first for the child who has been inactive so don’t expect results too quickly. Aim for fun activities with siblings or parents at first. Things such as playing a game of tag or going for a family walk in the park are better than doing nothing and will be beneficial to everyone. Gradually increase the activity during these outings. If done in a fun atmosphere, the child will look forward to these activities and it will become a natural way of life.

Looking to the Future

Unfortunately, obese children often grow up to be obese adults. They are then likely to suffer diseases attributable to this obesity and the economic costs to the community are substantial.

It is therefore in everybody’s interests for measures such as the abolition of soft drinks and fatty fried foods, sweets and chips and any other obesity producing foods to be banned from school tuck shops and in other areas where children frequently purchase foods. Advocating for our children’s health and for the future of this generation is of the utmost importance.

Discover How To Stop Hair Loss - Grow More Hair!

In one of my other articles, I revealed that plugged hair follicles are one of the main conditions that start hair thinning and baldness. The other condition is insufficient blood circulation in the scalp.

When you don’t have enough blood circulating in your scalp, then your hair roots don’t get enough nutrients to support the life and strength of your hair in the follicle.

The hardest place to get good circulation is at the top of your scalp. It is the furthest point away from your heart. It is the area that is less stimulated. The sides of your head are stimulated as you sleep and move your head around the pillow. That is one reason why most people still have hair on the sides of their head while the top is completely bald.

So what the ways you can increase blood circulation to the top of your head to stop hair loss?

Here are two ways to stop hair thinning

* Use herbal remedies to increase body and scalp blood circulation * Use hot and cold hydrotherapy

Use herbal remedies to increase body and scalp blood circulation

There are several herbs that provide increase circulation to all parts of the body. Two good standby remedies are ginkgo biloba and cayenne pepper. Use ginkgo biloba as indicated on the label. Ginkgo increases the blood circulation in the brain and all parts of the head.

Use Cayenne pepper in the formulation made of Heart Foods Company. This Cayenne strengthens the heart giving it the ability to pump blood to the furthest reaches of the body.

There are two other herbal formulations that have recently come out to provide increase circulation to all parts of the body – vital cell and Arjuna.

Vital cell is a Chinese herbal combination that is available in the US. It is a powerful remedy that helps to re-establish small veins that have closed off. This creates more pathways for blood to go where it is needed and where it once went.

Arjuna is another herb that comes from another country – India. It is now readily available in the US. Arjuna is the latest herb to be exposed as good for preventing and reducing arthrosclerosis. By reducing narrowing of the arteries in the head, strokes can be avoided and a side benefit is the scalp get more blood.

Use Hot and Cold Hydrotherapy to prevent hair loss

I have talked about this natural way of bringing more blood into the scalp. It’s a technique I use every time I shower. At the end of your shower, run hot water over your head for 20 seconds, turn the hot water off and allow the cold water to run over your head for 20 seconds.

Do this hot-cold water technique three – four times and end with the cold water. This technique allow blood to move in and out of the lower layers of your scalp giving you a blood massage and providing more nutrients to your hair roots. As a side benefit, you are bringing in more blood to your brain giving you more brain power as long as use this technique.

Use herbs to improve you blood circulation to your scalp and use hot-cold water to blood massage your scalp. By doing this, you will find less hair loss and you may even start to see some hair growth.

Tips For Body Acne Treatment

Body acne treatment options are available to help you. If you are like one of the millions of people that suffer from one form of body acne or the other, you can benefit from some of the treatments that are available. While no method of treatment is 100% guaranteed, some of them can definitely help most individuals.

Here are some body acne treatment tips that you can do on your own from home:

* Body acne is often the result of irritation from clothing mixed with perspiration. When your body perspires, the sweat gets into your pores. When you do not take a shower to remove it, it can worsen to a very bad level. If there is constant irritation from your clothing, this can make it even worse. To remedy this situation, make sure that after a workout or other intense workload that you properly bathe and wash areas that are likely to be effected (the back and the chest).

* Body acne treatment options that work for the face often work for other areas of the body as well. For example, if you have purchased pads that contain a certain acid or alcohol on them to use on your acne that happens on your face, you can benefit from this for other areas as well. Acne in all areas of the body is basically the same. So, it can all be treated somewhat the same way.

* One of the most effective treatments for acne at home is exfoliating. You can purchase the right type of brush, manual or mechanical, and use it on virtually every area of the body. By removing the dead skin cells of the body, you can help to prevent acne from occurring or help it to go away.

At other times, body acne treatment may not work. You may need to seek out the help of a professional. Hormonal imbalances and even stress can cause acne and may keep you from treating it. When these body acne treatment options do not work, seek out more advanced solutions through your doctor.

Diabetes - Symptoms you must Observe

Diabetes is a condition of Hyperglycemia ( Increase level of Glucose in Blood). Most of the times Diabetes is asymptomatic, however It is very important to diagnose diabetes as early as possible to prevent early and late complications of Diabetes. This is only possible, if you have some knowledge about common symptoms (often misspelled as "symtoms") of Diabetes Mellitus.

Glucose is an important source of energy for cells of our body. Glucose enters the cells and metabolized to provide energy. How does glucose enter in cells? It enters the cells with help of Insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by Pancreas. Suppose there is no insulin, or insulin production is decreased. Obviously, Glucose level in blood will increase and we will have a condition what we call as Diabetes Mellitus.

There are many symptoms of diabetes but we will focus here on most common symptoms of Diabetes.Here is list of these symptoms.

Increase Thurst
Frequent urination
Fatigue and weakness
Blurred vision
Abdominal pains
Nausea and vomiting
Weight loss or gain
Skin infections like abscess, pimples
Impotence
Fluid retention (especially in legs and feet)
Chronic itching
Poor healing of skin wounds
Decreased tolerance to cold
Increase heart rate
Dry scaly skin
Numbness of fingers and toes
Extreme hunger pangs
Hot and sweaty with clammy perspiration
Heart tremors and palpitations
Apprehensive with no obvious reason
Nervousness
Disoriented, confused, inability to concentrate
Frequent headaches, dizziness
Mood changes

How will we relate these symptoms with Diabetes. Remember, most of symptoms are directly related to higher levels of Glucose in Blood.

Increase Thurst and Urination:
Two symptoms that occur in many people with the disease are increased thirst and frequent urination.Increase level of glucose in blood leads to increase excretion of glucose by Kidneys. Glucose will take more and more water with it, so diabetic patient will have frequent urination which will lead to increase thurst. To quench your thirst, you drink a lot of water and other beverages, and that leads to more frequent urination. There is another condition Diabetes Insipidus, disease of pituitary gland in brain, where we also see increase thurst and urination.

Extreme hunger, fatigue and weight loss Extreme hunger:
Fatigue and weight loss are also related with hyperglycemia. Without insulin like Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, or Decrease Insulin like Type 2 diabetes, Glucose can not enter in cells which is main sourse of energy for cells, so cells will lake this energy and patient will have weight loss and fatigue.

Headaches, dizziness, irritability:
Brain needs a constant supply of energy, if brain cells don't receive enough energy, we become tired; most tired people tend to be less tolerant and more irritable!

Dry itchy skin:
Normal skin cells require gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) which our body makes via a complex metabolic process. In older people and diabetics, this process is impaired and not enough GLA is produced; this results is chronic, severely dry and itchy skin and condition is aggravated by soaps, hot baths, detergents, environmental conditions; it is usually worse during the winter months and most commonly affects legs, feet, and hands but can affect other areas of the body aswell.

Blurred vision Blurred vision:
Well, Diabetes can also affect your eyes aswell. Again cause is High Glucose Level. High glucose in blood vessels increase process of atherosclerosis resulting in thickening of blood vessels. chronically high levels of glucose damage blood vessels in different organs of the body, usually starting with the retina of the eye and the kidneys and heart; eventually some blood vessels are lost and remaining ones become leaky which allow blood and fat to seep out of damaged blood vessels. This makes the retina bleed and swell which causes blurred vision. Over a period of years, however, diabetes can also cause new blood vessels to form in your retina of eye, as well as damage old vessels. For most people this causes only mild vision problems. But for others, the effects may be much more serious. In some cases, diabetes can also lead to blindness.

Tingling/burning pain in the feet:
Another important symptom of Diabetes. It may be the first symptom of diabetes. Our hands and feet are supplied by Neurons, as we said earlier that due to diabetes blood vessels become thick, similary is the case with neurons, blood supply to these neurons decreases due to thickening of blood vessels which leads to degeneration of peripheral nerve fibers (Neurons) throughout the body which commonly leads to a lack of feeling in the feet, advances up the legs and then the hands and is the most common reason for lower limb amputations. It can also be very painful. If there is Loss of motor nerve fibers it leads to muscular weakness. If there is loss of sensory nerve fibers leads to loss of feeling and numbness in hands and feet. Loss of autonomic fibers cause the loss of functions not normally under conscious control like digestion, heartbeat, blood pressure, and sweating. Neuropathy symptoms tingling, burning, aching, prickling, sharp jabs of needlelike pain can also be caused by nerves that are damaged or are healing.

Slow-healing sores or frequent infections:
Bacteria love high glucose, Diabetes affects your body's ability to heal and fight infection. Urinary track infections and vaginal infections can be a particular problem for women.

Diagnose your diabetes as early as possible to keep yourself away from complex complications of diabetes Mellitus.

Depression And How To Recognize It

Everyone feels "blue" at times. Life is full of highs and lows. But people with depression feel sad all of the time. Depression is a real medical illness. Left untreated, it can lead to other mental illnesses or even suicide. Real clinical depression is not something you can just shake off. You can't talk yourself into feeling better. It can interfere with your daily activities and can hurt the ones close to you. The first step in getting better is to recognize the symptoms and admit that you might have depression. Some people may have only a few of the following symptoms while some may have many.

Persistent sad mood or feeling empty.
Feelings of hopelessness.
Feelings of guilt or worthlessness.
Loss of interest in favorite hobbies or things you once enjoyed
Loss of interest in sex.
Decreased energy.
Sleep disturbances, either sleeping too much or too little.
Inability to concentrate.
Overeating or not being able to eat.
Restlessness or irritability.
Thoughts of suicide.

Depression may also cause a wide variety of physical symptoms. People with depression often experience digestive disorders such as constipation, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Depressed people may also get frequent headaches and experience back pain. Anxiety attacks may also coincide with depression.

Women experience depression twice as often as men. Hormones can play a huge role in depression. Menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, post-partum period, miscarriage and menopause all can be contributing factors to depression. Women have additional responsibilities at work and at home and are usually the care giver for the children and sometimes aging parents. These stressors can lead to depression.

Men that are depressed often try to mask it with alcohol or drugs. They rarely admit to being depressed. Often times they will work excessively long hours to hide it. The rate of suicide in depressed men is four times that of women. Men often become angry, irritable and discouraged. They are less likely to seek help and are often harder to diagnose.

There are three major types of depression:

Major Depression.
This is a disabling depression that has a combination of the symptoms listed above. It interferes with one's ability to eat, sleep, work or enjoy pleasurable activities.

Dysthymia.
This is a less severe type of depression. It is not disabling, but generally keeps one from functioning well or feeling good. People with dysthymia will probably have a least one major depressive episode in their lives.

Bi-Polar Disorder.
It is sometimes referred to as manic-depressive disorder. It is characterized by severe high and severe lows. The cycles may happen rapidly or come on gradually. Left untreated it can worsen to a psychotic state.

If you experience any of the above symptoms and they last for longer than a couple of weeks you should seek medical treatment. There is no shame in admitting that you may have depression. It doesn't mean you are crazy or weak. People of all ages, race and gender can suffer from depression. With the right interventions, you can enjoy your life once again.

Fat Loss in 10 Steps

1) Calculate how many calories you body needs to consume to maintain your existing weight. This is called you maintenance calories.(Search google with "calorie needs" and you will find a few different calculators to help you with this)

2) Initially deduct 10%(to a maximum of 500Kcal)off the total maintenance calories. Drastically reducing your calories will result in muscle and water loss - not fat loss.

3) Divide you calories over 5 or 6 meals rather then 2 or 3. You should aim to eat every 3-4 hours.

4) Cut out all simple carbohydrates (except straight after exercise, eat whole grain, high fibre foods.)

5) Exercise at least 3 times a week, doing 30 minutes of cardio to a reasonable level of intensity. This will help to create the calorie defecit and encourage your body to lose fat.

6) Make simple replacements in your diet, Sweetner in place of sugar, diet drinks in place of full sugar drinks, use leaner cuts of meat etc. At first these changes may be difficult but you will get used to them and make vital calorie savings every day.

7) Drink plenty of water - at least 2 litres of water every day - if you are dehydrated you body will be less efficient and will make fat loss more difficult.

8) Try to eat low carb(complex only!), low fat and moderate protein. From my experience the South Beach Diet is excellent.

9) Keep a food diary to monitor how many calories you are consuming - it is very easy to over eat.

10) Supplementing you diet can make fat loss easier. A diet high in protein can help preserve muscle (more muscle means an increase in metabolism). There are also some fat loss supplements available which help boost your metabolism, this is useful as your metabolism may slow during extended periods of dieting.

This article is written from my own experiences. I have lost 20lbs of fat and gained 20lbs of muscle. My body fat is 11%. Please consult a doctor for proper medical advice

Renova - A New Skin Care Treatment

Skin is an essential part of the body. It covers our organs to protect them from harm, reflects our personality, and makes us feel self-confident. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and keeping healthy skin is not always easy.

If we get the right amount of physical exercise and good nutrition we are rewarded with healthy glowing skin. Over time however, we begin to lose that youthful glow, lines and wrinkles begin to form, and the skin loses its resilience.

The Federal Drug Administration has approved a new skin care product for restoring the smoothness of your skin. Renova, containing retinoic acid, is used to correct sun damage, smooth out lines and wrinkles, and remove the signs of aging. Renova is also being used to treat severe acne problems. It can be bought without a prescription on the Internet. This product is voted one of the top ten wrinkle removers and users report great results from using cream with Renova. I found many places on the Internet where I could order this remarkable new product. Most creams come with a money-back guarantee if you don’t see results.

To use Renova you should first wash your face with a mild cleanser and pat it dry. Use a soft, gentle towel and keep it dry for 15 minutes. Renova can then be applied to your face but avoid applying cream around your mouth, eyes, or nose. It is recommended that you use Renova every night making it a part of your nighttime skin care routine.

If you have allergies or any other skin problem, the makers of the product recommend you consult your doctor before using the product. Use it only as directed, once a day in the evening. Overdosing will not give you faster results but could increase the risk of side effects. If you are planning on waxing your upper lip you should not use Renova on the area you are planning to wax. Pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding should not use Renova without talking to their doctor first. This revolutionary new skin care development will make your skin more sensitive to the sun so you should avoid exposure to the sun’s rays.

There are some side effects you may experience while using the Renova cream which usually go away once your skin grows accustomed to the cream. These side effects include burning, itching, and redness, and some swelling. Other side effects reported include stinging and peeling, or dryness and scaling of the skin. If the side effects continue after a reasonable skin adjustment time, you should consult your doctor.

Renova makers claim you will see results from using this new product in a short amount of time. It is important to use it regularly and in the proper dose. If you happen to forget a dose, don’t try to make it up, just continue with the next one. This product should be kept out of the reach of all children and out of direct sunlight. Store it in a cool place but not where the product could freeze.

Does Hoodia, the African weight loss secret actually work?

Astounding as some dieters say the new Hoodia weight loss supplement is, other dieters say it’s a fake and doesn’t work at all. If you’re not familiar with Hoodia Gordonii, it’s the new fad in dieting products. It comes from a cactus type plant in South Africa and has been eaten there for thousands of years by the aboriginal natives. The San Bushmen in the Kalahari Desert eat the Hoodia succulent plant by picking off a piece before a hunting trip or period of time they know they won’t have much food to eat. By ingesting the piece of Hoodia they know that they will not be hungry for the entire day. This of course is very helpful when you are living in the desert and the availability of food is very scarce.

So what about if your living in middle America and are looking for something to help you curb your cravings and keep of the pounds, will Hoodia do the trick? It depends on who you ask, some dieters say it is the magic pill and will help you lose the weight with no side effects. Other people will say, “I tried it and it did absolutely nothing for me”. How can this be the case you might ask, one person swears to it and one swears at it. It’s actually no mystery at all if you know what is happening in the industry. Hoodia has gained huge popularity due to increased media exposure; so far since last November Hoodia has been on CBS 60 minutes, the BBC, CBS News, Oprah Winfrey’s “O” Magazine, ABC News and most recently it was featured on the NBC Today Show with Katie Couric. Because of this news coverage the demand for Hoodia has greatly increased and along with this, the amount of companies providing fake or impure Hoodia has also greatly increased.

If I can stress only one thing in this Hoodia article, it would be to know what is in the Hoodia you are buying. When it comes to buying Hoodia, you have to be an informed buyer; you can’t just buy the first Hoodia Pills you see. And unlike other supplements you buy at your nutritional store, in the case of Hoodia, you can’t trust brick and mortar stores anymore than you can an online company. There is no regulation when it comes to Hoodia pills; there is no testing process or certification that a Hoodia brand has to go through. Because of this anybody can start a new Hoodia brand, put whatever they want in a pill and call it Hoodia and sell it. Many companies are doing just this, making lots of profit and leaving you the dieter with a bogus product, the dieter then tells others, “hey, this Hoodia stuff is no good”.

Natural Health Report has published a study done by Truth Publishing and Alkemist Pharmaceuticals located at: naturalhealthreport.com/A-Hoodia-Gordonii-exposed.html, the study findings state that eleven out of seventeen brand-name Hoodia supplements tested failed a laboratory analysis of authenticity. Unfortunately in the study they don't say which brands failed but they do say which brands passed.

The following brands passed the independent testing:

* Desert Burn
* Hoodoba Pure
* Dr. Wheeler's Afrigetics
* King Hoodia
* Hoodia Max
* Ethno Africa

Eleven out of seventeen brand names failed to be authentic, to me that is an amazing statistic and says a lot about the industry. Looking at those statistics we can now see why some dieters are saying Hoodia is wonderful and helps you lose weight and others are calling it a scam. The truth is there is both authentic pure Hoodia and bogus fake Hoodia available and what you get will determine how you feel about it.

This information should not necessarily stop you from buying Hoodia, as there are many reports of Hoodia decreasing you appetite by up to 1,000 calories a day and many people trying to lose weight swear by its results. Like we have stated before you just need to be very cautious and be able to identify pure Hoodia from ineffective and impure Hoodia. So how can you identify which Hoodia brand is best? Here are some things the consumer should look for:

* Certification - the company should provide a visual documentation on their website that the Hoodia they are selling is authentic Hoodia Gordonii from South Africa.

* Independent Testing – some of the top companies selling Hoodia are now submitting their product for independent testing to assure the customer their Hoodia is authentic and set them apart from the competition. If the brand has been tested you will again most likely be able to see visual documentation on their website.

* You should be know if the product is a pure powder or in extract form. There is a lot of information on the internet as to which is better and you should be informed on which kind you want to buy.

* Know what all the ingredients in the pill are - many companies will increase the total milligrams of a Hoodia pill by adding other ingredients to it, so in a 750 mg. pill you might only get 50 mg. of Hoodia. Also know if those other ingredients are something you want to be taking.

* Brand Reputation – the longer Hoodia is around the more people are talking about which brand is working for them. Do some internet searches on the brand you are thinking of trying and see if you find that lots of people are having problems with that brand. You have to take general public comments with a grain of salt though because many company owners have people spreading bad publicity about their competition.

* Common Sense – overall use your common sense about your purchase. Does the company not disclose much information? Do they have easy way to contact them? Do they have any type of guarantee? Also, especially when it comes to eBay, does the label of the product look like it was printed on a home inkjet printer? Also be wary of deep discounted Hoodia, there may be a reason it’s so cheap.

In closing, when it comes to Hoodia the consumer will need to stay cautious for awhile, the situation may get worse before it gets better. Demand for Hoodia is growing, supply is decreasing and the wholesale cost is increasing. What does this formula equal? It equals bad news for the dieter who wants to get some authentic Hoodia; there will be a lot of fake Hoodia out there. Give Hoodia a try, just do your homework first, be an informed, educated buyer and you may find that you truly have found a product to help you shed those extra pounds with no side effects. For more information on Hoodia visit Totalink's Hoodia Directory at http://hoodiagordonii.totalink.com