Discover the true meaning of yoga?

In taking any modern yoga class, you will find parallels to ballet. Like ballet, the promise of poise, grace and flexibility encourages much interest. Yet if yoga is like any other exercise, it is only at first glance. Underneath the coveted health and fitness benefits of modern yoga practice are the roots of a great spiritual tradition blending cultures and religions.

Unfortunately, through the westernization of yoga, we have lost an essential component of this peaceful practice. Though the ritual remains intact the meaning has gone astray. Where previously the postures of yoga practice were merely a branch of a tree; today they are viewed by western society as the tree itself. How do we bring meaning to our poses?

Modern Yoga?s Roots and Benefits

Though the development of yoga cannot be pinned to an exact year, the discovery of the Indus seals, which show figures in the classic yoga asana (posture) of lotus pose, trace yoga back to at least 3000 BCE. At this time the Vedas were being written, which today?s yoga postures are derived from. These gave birth to Vedic yoga, which accommodated the ancient Indians fixation on ritual and sacrifice. We see evidence of the importance of sacrifice in the yogic corpse posture. Lying as though we were placed in a coffin, this represents the ultimate sacrifice-that of death. Though seemingly morbid, corpse posture is one of hope when we understand that according to the Vedanta sutras, death results in liberation

Sacrifice was meant to join the material and the physical, and create the longed-for ?union? that defines the word Yoga. The Vedanta sutras (vs.4:4,13-14) declare that the liberated soul is not materially motivated.. By asking us to free ourselves from the bondage of material motivation, compassion requires us to be selfless. Surely, this giving is an exercise in compassion. Even still, the modern practice of yoga facilitates this. Through postures and stillness, we alter our consciousness and therefore change our perspective. In our new realization of others as being part of the cosmic whole, we feel that in giving to them we are also giving to ourselves.

The ancient philosophy of yoga saw its postures as part of a greater whole. Thousands of years ago during the time of Astanga yoga, posture practice was one piece of a more important whole. Astanga yoga, which originated during Vedic India, was derived of eight branches; yama (control and discipline), niyama (rules, methods and principle), asana (posture), pranayama (focused breathing), prathyahara(avoidance of undesirable action),dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (contemplation). In contrast, most contemporary yoga focuses on postures and uses breath work as a small component or an afterthought. Though admittedly, the current vision of yoga over-emphasizes asana, it is extremely important and has enormous benefits. The medically studied benefits of yoga include the following: Stress reduction, improved muscle strength and tone, increased energy and flexibility, improved balance and coordination and a reduction in depression. . Moving with Compassion

Through most of asana practice, we are unconsciously engaging in physical metaphor. Many yoga postures are named after and imitate the living world; tree pose, eagle pose, frog pose, cat pose. By developing postures that imitate the stance of animals, the vedic seers may have been seeking not only to embrace the qualities of these animals, but to formulate compassion for them. The way that compassion serves as a partner to yoga?s goal of liberation can be understood through reading the ancient yogic texts. Understand these vedas; whether they be the Rig Veda (knowledge of praise),Yajur-Veda (knowledge of sacrifice), Sama Veda (knowledge of chants), and Atharva-Veda(knowledge of atharvan), is likelier while deep in meditation. Understanding the vedic sutras, we are permitted to experience a bliss unknown through material grasping.

In this state everyday experiences fade away and a greater perspective unfolds. Over time, meditation also allows us to become more intuitive and receptive. This opens us up to others, enhancing our compassionate nature. This experience has been discussed by Eastern sacred-text expert ?H.P. Blavatsky?s in ?The Voice of the Silence.? Blavatsky writes: ?Compassion is no attribute. IT is the LAW of LAWS?eternal Harmony, Alaya?s SELF; a shoreless universal essence, the light of everlasting Right, and fitness of all things, the law of love eternal.?

In order to experience compassion for others we must first extend it to ourselves. Straining too forcefully in a pose is counter to compassion. Why? Yoga teaches us that we are all connected, so when we hurt ourselves this pain eventually reaches others. Instead we must strive for gentle self-acceptance, competing with nobody-not even ourselves. This is essential to a rewarding experience of yoga.

Postures for Peace

By the time of Patanjali?s yoga sutras, which were written near the beginning of the common era, we begin to see a discussion of the more practical aspects of yoga. Posture is discussed (be it mainly for meditative purposes), as is concentration of the mind during this exercise. In the Yoga-Sutra, Patanjali presents relaxation as the very essence of yoga practice. He teaches us that posture should be steady and comfortable .This sentiment is reflected in the postures (asanas) of today?s practice. The physical dimension of yogic exercise requires us to have compassion for our limits. We are never asked to push, instead only to release. Mercifully, our small efforts are graced with us connecting to a life-force that is divine and encompassing.

Asanas urge us to see our body as divine, and to nurture health in this mortal temple. Yogic adepts understand that their body is flawed, however slender and toned it may look externally. This acknowledgement leads to less judgement of other?s bodies. However pleasing to the eye a yogis shape may be, the same vedic texts that encourage the practice of yoga for health, also remind us that true ?liberation? comes from being free of the cycle of rebirth-free of the physical form.

Yogic postures work in contrast to the western notion of exercise. Here we see exercise as an end, such as an end to overweight and fatigue. Yoga is different. While in most forms of exercise the physical results are the sole goal, in yoga the soul is the goal. The ancient tradition of yoga exercise stands apart in its doctrines. The ancient yoga texts insist that the mind and spirit are more important than the physical body. While many other eastern forms of mind-body fitness also encourage this awareness, no other physical practice has the ultimate goal of union with the divine. In yoga, the process of attaining this union is as important as the actual attainment.

Yoga practice is not a means to an end. It is an end in of itself. Even distinguished from vedas and sutras, the modern practice of yoga posture is a beautiful and calming pursuit. Though modern yoga practice makes little mention of the scriptures that it is based on, the experience of union and compassion can be woven into each pose. In doing this we are enhancing more than our practice, we are improving our life.

Galina Pembroke is an internationally published writer. In addition she publishes and edits New View magazine online, http://www.nuvunow.ca. New View is dedicated to providing unique, non-mainstream articles for personal and planetary growth. To aid this we have rapidly expanding sections on Green Living, Animal Rights and Self-Help.

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Yoga through meditation works remarkably to achieve harmony and helps the mind work in synchronization with the body. How often do we find that we are unable to perform our activities properly and in a satisfying manner because of the confusions and conflicts in our mind weigh down heavily upon us?

Stress is the number one suspect affecting all parts of our physical, endocrinal and emotional system. And with the help of yoga this things can be corrected.

At the physical level, yoga and its cleansing practices have proven to be extremely effective for various disorders.

Listed below are just some of the benefits of yoga that you can get.

Benefits of Yoga 1: Yoga is known to increase flexibility; yoga has postures that trigger the different joints of the body. Including those joints that are not acted upon with regular exercises routines.

Benefits of Yoga 2: Yoga also increases the lubrication of joints, ligament and tendons. The well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.

It has also been found that the body which may have started doing yoga being a rigid one may experience a quite remarkable flexibility in the end on those parts of the body which have not been consciously worked upon.

Benefits of Yoga 3: yoga also massages all organs of the body. Yoga is perhaps the only exercise that can work on through your internal organs in a thorough manner, including those that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime.

Benefits of Yoga 4: Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.

One of the far-reaching benefits of yoga is the uncanny sense of awareness that it develops in the practitioner of an impending health disorder or infection.

This in turn enables the person to take pre-emptive corrective action

Benefits of Yoga 5: yoga offers a complete detoxification of the body. It gently stretches the muscles and joints as we;; as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body.

This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny of your body as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.

Benefits of Yoga 6: yoga is also an excellent way to tone your muscles. Muscles which have been flaccid and weak are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess fats and flaccidity.

But these enormous physical benefits are just a ?side effect? of this powerful practice. What yoga does is harmonize the mind with the body and these results in real quantum benefits.

It is now an open secret that the will of the mind has enabled people to achieve extraordinary physical feats, which proves beyond doubt the mind and body connection.

In fact yoga = meditation, because both work together in achieving the common goal of unity of mind, body and spirit which can lead to an experience of eternal bliss that you can only feel through yoga.

The meditative practices through yoga help in achieving an emotional balance through detachment.

This in turn creates a remarkable calmness and a positive outlook, which also has tremendous benefits on the physical health of the body.

yogaweb.info is a website that likes to give information to people that needs information. On the site you can find a lot of advice and about 1000 informative articles, daily updated.

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In our mind's eye, we see our ancient ancestors as they have been depicted in paintings, stories, films, and scientific recreations. Small, wiry, hairy figures surrounding a huge beast, poised for the kill.

Do we know if that picture is really accurate?

We do know, from skeletal fragments that have survived, that they were definitely smaller than present day human beings. We can surmise that they were wiry from the lifestyle they pursued: irregular availability of food and long hours of daily hunting. We can assume that women started to gather plants, grasses, fruits, and seeds to provide an alternate source of sustenance to the men's only intermittently successful hunting efforts.

We have only vague timelines on when tribes started to move out of caves and into shelters they made themselves. We can only guess about the invention of cooking pots, an enormous advance from simply an open fire.

As the race became more domesticated, the variety of food expanded and therefore the availability of something to eat became more assured. Eventually, civilization sparked, agriculture was born, and eating became a process of selection and choice rather than mere consumption to stay alive. It was at this juncture, we can posit, that individual's weights started to differentiate, depending upon personal choice, the wealth or strength to obtain extras, or the physical demands of one's occupation.

What did our cavemen forbears bequeath as their legacy?

Underfed and overactive, they willed us a body that still thinks we dwell in the primordial forest. Suddenly cut back on our intake of food and the alert is sounded through the nervous system and organs of our prehistoric physiology. Famine coming, famine coming our bodies shriek and immediately our metabolism slows to a crawl. The body attempts to hold onto its fat like a Paleolithic hunter grasping his animal skin against the elements.

In the very architecture of our bodies: tail remnants, vestigial organs, and a primitive metabolic system, we carry the seeds of our own weight difficulties.

To work with our bodies, rather than constantly fight them, we need to recreate the world in which our bodies developed. While we cannot participate in a primeval hunt, we can repeatedly, over a long period of time, consume only limited calories so that our bodies don't have to worry about getting enough food, but process the little they do get rapidly and efficiently.

Our little friends, the white rats in the laboratory mazes, have proven over and over again, that consistent undereating is the pathway to good health and longevity.

For all they did for mankind in the dawn of history, the cave dwellers deserve our thanks and our respect as do the bodies they left as their testimony.

What ungrateful abuse we heap on them when we allow ourselves to grow flabby and fat, desecrating their gift and nullifying their efforts.

Virginia Bola is a licensed psychologist and an admitted diet fanatic. She specializes in therapeutic reframing and the effects of attitudes and motivation on individual goals. The author of The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a free ezine, The Worker's Edge, she recently published a psychologically-based weight control e-workbook, Diet with an Attitude which develops mental skills towards the goal of permanent weight control.

She can be reached at

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A lady was once referred for treatment for emotional distress. This distress had resulted from unpleasant memories of having undergone sexual abuse. In her case cognitive therapy had been unhelpful, Her own opinion was that cognitive therapy did not address the anger and fear that she was feeling strongly .

There are many approaches in therapy that are available for anyone who wants this service. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)is the most well known, because it is the most researched form of therapy. CBT is the product of the West, where people are encouraged to think and discouraged to feel emotions. CBT is based on the premise that our thinking can change our feelings.

This is not always true. When people undergo abuse or torture, no amount of thinking is going to sort out the feeling of rage that underlies such experiences. The rage that one feels about such experiences overwhelms the thinking ability of an individual and the person still ends up acting out the emotion. In all such cases CBT fails to get any results. Yet because it has been written about widely, mental health practitioners erroneously believe that it is the only suitable form of therapy in almost all forms of psychological conditions.

A middle aged man, enraged by an ex-employee?s deception wanted to harm the ex-employee physically. Overwhelmed by anger, he felt that the only way the person would realize how they felt was by conferring physical pain. No amount of reason or logic was useful. According to him, ?action had to be taken?. The best solution in this case was to reduce the anger by releasing it. When it was done in a few minutes, he thanked me for helping him out of the situation. The perception had changed. The thoughts were non-aggressive. Needless to say, he did not act out the rage.

When our inner drives are strong, they overwhelm our thinking. At such times reason or logic is governed by the drives. Anger is one such emotion. When it takes the form of rage, the person may lash out physically. The solution does not lie in reasoning with the person, but to help the person reduce the drive. In other situations when the anger is in the form of annoyance, reason can still be used to ?distract? the person away from the issue. But the feeling stays. To distinguish between times when behaviour can be changed by thinking and when it cannot be changed by thinking requires wisdom.

Pradeep K Chadha is a psychiatrist, who has been working in the field of mind-body medicine for last many years. He prefers to work without drugs. He is the author of The Stress Barrier- Nature's Way To Overcoming Stress published by Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. He is based in Dublin, Ireland. His website address is: http://www.drpkchadha.com

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So if diet pills work and I am overweight, why shouldn?t I use them to get myself back to where I want to be? The truth is that we live in an obese society. With that being the case, then it stands to reason that the business of losing weight is big. We are all busy, so we want the easy way out, the quick fix, and to lose those extra pounds without having to disrupt our busy lives. Diet pills seem to be an easy answer, so why not give them a try? Well there are actually two big reasons: harmful side effects and addiction (physical and emotional).

The biggest reason that the dangers on diet pills exist is that they are not really regulated. The law does not require a diet pill to be tested by the FDA before release to the public. The FDA will pull a diet pill product from the shelves if it shows to be dangerous, but by then you may already be taking that particular drug. So what are the side effects that can result from this lack of regulation?

Diet pills generally do one or two of a few things: they may suppress appetite, increase metabolism, block fat absorption, or even make use of laxatives to flush the body of waste and fluid. The chemicals in the diet pills that helps them accomplish these things have been known to cause varying side effects. Some of the best known of these are anxiety, insomnia, heart palpitations or attacks, stroke, fever, dry mouth, blurred vision, hair loss, disturbance in sex drive and menstruation, urinary tract problems, digestive problems, and even congestive heart failure. There are numerous others as well, so the risks can be high when it comes to side effects with diet pills.

The other danger with diet pills is addiction. The chemicals and drugs used in the pills can very often cause physical addiction. On the other hand, if they pills do work, even to a small degree, emotional addiction can follow. You may think that you cannot keep your weight or even live without the pills and can find yourself in the midst of complete dependency.

When there are side effect problems in conjunction with dependency, there are overdose risks as well. In the rush to lose as much weight as possible as quickly as possible, you might be tempted to take more diet pills than is recommended. The result can be convulsions, hallucinations, breathing difficult, or even a heart attack. It is important that if you feel or have any of these symptoms that you get medical attention promptly.

The risk of using diet pills is varied and high. Without regulation and with the high availability, those seeking an easy fix to a large problem may end up jumping from pill to pill, ending up addicted, or suffering terrible side effects. What many don?t realize is that the only proven way of keeping weight off for a sustained amount of time is through a balanced diet and exercise.

If you would like the latest information on the diet pills, or find more of my online articles like the one you just read, visit my health blog.

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For years, scientists, doctors, biologists, dermatologists, and dieticians have searched for and studied all of the various causes of acne. Since the majority of the worlds population suffer from acne at some point in their lives, there is no surprise that such efforts are invested in finding out how to it. While there have been some definitive answers on whether acne is hormonally induced (yes), and what can be done to prevent it (prescription drugs, certain herbal remedies, etc), there are still many unknown factors that cause acne.

However, of all the many acne questions that science is yet to find answers to, the most controversial is whether or not diet has an effect on acne.

Historically, diet was thought to be linked to acne. Doctors and housewives alike believed that a high fat content in ones diet would cause an oilier complexion, and this in turn would create acne breakouts.

However, as time went on, science found no directly link between a diet high in lipids (fat), and acne. Since acne is caused by a bacterial growth in sebum trapped in clogged pores, there is no such thing as ?extra oil secretion?. So, for at least the last 15 years, western medicine has claimed there is no connection between diet and acne.

However, a study conducted in 1997 has rekindled the flame in the ?diet causes acne? argument, and this time, with a bit more heat.

This study, conducted by Dr. Lit Hung Leung, states that Acne breakouts are because the body cannot create enough of Coenzyme A to break down the fatty acids that create sebum. The reason is, Coenzyme A is probably the single most needed enzyme in the body. This Coenzyme-A is what synthesizes sex hormones, and what breaks down fatty acids.

The only part of Coenzyme-A that the body does not produce itself is vitamin B5. So, if there is a shortage of B5, there is a shortage of Coenzyme-A. And if there is a shortage of Coenzyme-A, the body will use it to synthesize sex hormones, not break down fatty acids.

So, you can see where this is going?more fatty acids, more sebum production, more acne.

Now, the interesting thing is that Dr. Lit Hung Leung substantiated this claim by testing it on 100 people. The group took 10 grams or more per day of pantothenic acid ( B5 ), and used a B5 topical cream of 20% by weight. After 2-3, sebum production was reduced, and many people with acne noticed a reduction. For those with more extreme acne, a higher dosage of B5 was used (approx. 15-20 grams per day), and treatment was prolonged to see an effect, sometimes up to 6 months.

So, while one study does not definitively prove whether B5 can prevent or reduce acne, it may well be worth considering, particularly for those who want a natural or herbal cure for acne, and do not want to use chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide, or other prescription acne treatments.

As with any medical treatment, it is best to consult a doctor before trying a B5 regimine.

Greg Podsakoff is a former acne sufferer, and is the editor of acne treatments website, http://www.acne-treatments-guide.com

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Fibromyalgia can affect every aspect of your life, including your relationships. It?s important to develop a strong network of support to help you cope with the physical, emotional, and mental symptoms of this condition. As part of this support group, you should seek out a Fibromyalgia network that can connect you with others who can empathize with your condition.

A Fibromyalgia network found at http://www.fibromyalgia-support.org can help improve your life in a number of ways:

1. Improves Your Quality of Life: Fibromyalgia can change or limit your physical and emotional life. It can be difficult to remember what life was like before you became a Fibromyalgia sufferer. Connecting with others who have been in your position can help you remember that there are many aspects of your life that are not affected by your condition. Your values, your character, your imagination, your generosity, and your creativity are just a few of the factors of your life that are not disabled by Fibromyalgia.

2. Uncover New Skills and Talents: People who suffer from Fibromyalgia tend to focus quite a bit on the skills, talents, and activities that they can no longer do. But a Fibromyalgia network can connect you with other people who have Fibromyalgia and still continue to try new activities and skills. Through you Fibromyalgia network you may discover new talents and skills that you never even knew you had.

3. Increase Self Esteem: Fibromyalgia can be a very debilitating condition, not just physically, but emotionally as well. It can be difficult to constantly rely on others for help with physical tasks. Many people who suffer from Fibromyalgia have low self-esteem as result. A strong Fibromyalgia network can help you put your problems in perspective. And through the network, you meet even meet other Fibromyalgia sufferers that need emotional support from you. There's nothing better for your self-esteem than helping others in need.

4. Take Control: The pain and fatigue of Fibromyalgia can make you feel like you have completely lost control. It is so important for you to take control of some aspect of your life. And a Fibromyalgia network can help you accomplish this by putting you in touch with others who have been where you are. Whether you decide to run the church choir, or create a beautiful herb garden, you can share your success with those in your network.

5. Understand Your Symptoms: Fibromyalgia seems to affect so many aspects of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It can be difficult to understand which symptoms are actually caused by your condition, and which ones are actually cause for concern. Symptoms of Fibromyalgia can sometimes mimic or mask the symptoms of other conditions. You should keep in close contact with your health care provider, to inform him or her about the status of your symptoms. But a Fibromyalgia network can also give you a better idea about which symptoms you should pay closer attention to.

6. Manage Your Time: It can be very difficult to manage day to day activities along with the pain and fatigue of Fibromyalgia. A good Fibromyalgia network can help you connect with others who have been in a similar situation and can offer tips, ideas, and suggestions for effectively prioritizing your tasks and accomplishing the necessary tasks.

7. Take Care of Yourself: Caring for your medical needs can seem like a full-time job. You need the support of a Fibromyalgia network to remind you to take care of yourself beyond your medical condition. What are the other interests or needs in your life? What do you want to do more or less of?

8. Evaluate Your Health Care Professional: Fibromyalgia can be subjective in its symptoms and its diagnosis. And it can be very difficult to find a health care provider who thoroughly understands your condition. Talking with others in your Fibromyalgia network can give you a better idea of quality of recommendations your health care provider is offering.

Dr. Edward F. Group III, D.C., Ph.D. is an internationally recognized weight loss and fibromyalgia expert and the President of Houston-based Global Healing Center. For more information on fibromyalgia treatment, visit The Fibromyalgia Treatment Center at http://www.fibromyalgia-support.org

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Diabetes affects around 16 million Americans and about 800,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Diabetes attacks men, women, children and the elderly. It spares no race.

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, blindness in Adults and amputations. It is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and birth defects and it shortens life expectancy by up to 15 years. So you can see what I am up against. It is up to me to make sure that none of these things ever happen to my daughter. My daughter Ashley has Diabetes Type 1. She will be 10 years old March 15th. Ashley has been a diabetic for 5 years.

Five years ago I was totally overwhelmed by all that information. I felt helpless and depressed. I was sure this was a death sentence for my daughter. This was because of my total ignorance of Diabetes. A person can live a full life with Diabetes. It just takes some extra care. A good diet plays an important part in a Diabetics life. They need to put together a meal plan with their doctor & dietitian. My daughter has several meals a day. She has breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, dinner & another snack. She has these meals at the same time every day. This is important. It helps keep her body on a schedule and her blood sugar regulated. Skipping meals and snacks may lead to large swings in blood sugar readings. To keep blood sugar levels near normal a Diabetic must balance the food they eat with the insulin the body gets from injections and with physical activities. Blood sugar monitoring gives you the information you need to help with this balancing. Near normal blood sugar readings will help you feel better. Normal is between 70 and 120. They will also reduce your chances of complications.

Lets talk about how a Diabetic needs to eat. Everyone needs to eat nutritious foods. Our good health depends on eating a variety of foods that contain the right amount of Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat, Vitamins, Minerals, Fiber and Water. Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat are found in the food that you eat. They supply your body with energy. Your body needs insulin to use this energy. Insulin is made in the pancreas. If you have Diabetes, either your pancreas is no longer producing insulin or your body can?t use the insulin it is making. So your blood sugar levels are not normal.

Starch and Sugar in foods are Carbohydrates. You can find starch in breads, pasta, cereal, potatoes, beans, peas and lentils. Natural sugars are in fruits, milk and vegetables. There are added sugars in desserts, candy, jam and syrup. All of these Carbohydrates can affect your blood sugar. When you eat Carbohydrates they turn into glucose and travel in your bloodstream. Insulin helps the glucose enter the beta cells in your pancreas where it can be turned into energy and stored. Eating the same amount of Carbohydrate daily at meals and snacks can help you control your blood sugar levels. Protein is in meats, poultry, fish, milk and other dairy products, eggs, beans, peas and lentils. Starches and vegetables have small amounts of protein. The body uses protein for growth, maintenance and energy. Your body needs insulin to use the protein you eat.

Fat is in margarine, butter, oils, salad dressings, nuts, seeds, milk, cheese, meat, fish, poultry, snack food, ice-cream and desserts. There are three different types of fat. Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated. Everyone should eat less saturated fats found in meats, dairy products, coconut, palm or palm kernel oil, and hardened shortening.

Saturated fats can raise your blood levels of cholesterol. The fats that are best are the monounsaturated fats found in canola oil, olive oil, nuts, and avocado. The polyunsaturated fats found in corn oil, soybean oil, or sunflower oil are good too. After you eat fat it travels through your bloodstream. You need insulin to store fat in the cells of your body. Fats are used for energy.

So you can see what a big role insulin plays in your body. Good diet is very important for a Diabetic. Excersize is also very important. A Diabetic can live a healthy full life if they do three things. Eat healthy, Excersize, and inject the right amount of insulin. It takes dedication and hard work. But in the end it is totally worth it because it is your life.

Devoting her last 8 years to Diabetes Education, Kimberly maintains her website ElviraDarkNight.com and publishes the Living Life as a Diabetic Newsletter as well as dispatches donated Diabetic supplies to needie individuals without Health Insurance. Kim would like to personally invite you to become informed on issues of Health, Nutrition & Diabetes.

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As spring arrives many of us are left with a legacy from the short days and long nights of winter - a whole heap of extra pounds we could do without. And it's not all due to overeating during the festive season. It seems that whether we have lots of parties to attend or not, we are all programmed to eat more in winter.

It's all to do with our brain chemistry and especially the feel-good hormone we produce called serotonin. This hormone helps us feel calm, balanced and in control of our emotions and without it we start to feel down and depressed. But levels of this hormone drop in the population as a whole in winter and as the nights draw in and the amount of daylight we all receive diminishes, we are increasingly attracted to eat sweet and starchy food in an attempt to raise serotonin levels.

Of course, a sudden intake of sweet or starchy food causes blood sugar and then insulin levels to peak and we actually experience a rapid drop in blood sugar as insulin does its work and reduces the glucose level in the blood. As a result, we crave sweet and starchy food even more!

Whereas all of us experience this drop in serotonin levels to some degree, some 5 to 10% of the population - those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (or SAD) - have an acute form of this problem and may gain anything up to 30lbs in weight each winter. It's also thought that some 25% of the population suffer a milder form of the disorder. SAD affects not only your eating patterns but leaves you feeling depressed, lethargic and sleepy - none of which contribute to anyone maintaining their summer shape.

It's all very well, knowing why we gain weight each winter, but what can you do about it?

During winter it's important to maintain a balanced diet, keeping blood sugar on an even keel, even if you find you need to eat a bit more than in the rest of the year. If you choose your carbohydrates in the form of whole grains and vegetables and always eat some lean protein with every meal or snack you will take yourself out of the high-low blood sugar trap and will gain less weight.

You will probably also find that with the arrival of spring, the pounds drop off more easily because you will be less attracted to heavy winter foods and are happier to eat salads, fresh vegetables and lean proteins so the start of spring is a great time to lose weight for summer.

Copyright 2006, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth Small is a health and wellness writer and slimming coach. She became interested in seasonal affective disorder after seeing the effects of winter on herself and her clients.

For more information about Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms, causes and treatment see her site at http://www.allaboutSAD.com

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The Japanese enjoy one of the healthiest diets on earth. Japan?s population has the lowest level of obesity in the developed world and people tend to live longer than any other country.

The Japanese diet is an easy and fun diet to follow.

Healthy Diets should be Effortless

There are major concerns over low or no carb diets, such as the Atkins diet. These diets are not natural, and aside from health concerns, many people find them difficult to follow.

The Japanese diet is natural and a sensible way to eat (similar to the Mediterranean diet) and like most healthy diets it is not difficult to follow.

The Perfect Healthy Diet for Everyone

The traditional Japanese diet is very low in cholesterol, fat, and calories and high in fiber and here are the eight secrets of its success:

1. Eat Rice

How many times in a week do you eat rice? For the Japanese it is normally daily.

Rice is rich in carbohydrates and proteins it is the basis of the Japanese diet.

2. Eat More Fish

The Japanese eat about 70kg of fish per person per year, that?s four times as much as the average for the rest of the world.

Eating fish (particularly oily fish) lowers the risk of disease and increases vitality.

3. Eat Soya

The Japanese eat 10 times more Soya produce than any other nation. Low in calories and fat and high in protein Soya is also packed with plant oestrogen.

4. Variety

A recent study showed that Japanese people eat an average of 100 different foods a week, compared to just 30 in other western countries. This well balanced diet provides all the nutrients the body needs.

A premium is also placed upon freshness and natural flavor; people like to eat ingredients at their shun or now-in-season in Japanese.

Eating the ingredients in season provides variety and a better way to get all the nutrients you need naturally; also a lot of raw foods are eaten that have a higher nutritional value than heavily cooked foods.

5. Portion Control

Portions tend to be smaller and are savored, and it is this portion control that stops binging and over eating.

Each portion is eaten slowly, so the stomach has more time to register when it is full. Eating slowly also aids digestion and absorption of the nutrients in the food.

6. Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, giving a boost of energy and preventing hunger pangs later.

A typical breakfast might include green tea, steamed rice, miso soup with tofu, spring onions and maybe omelette and grilled salmon. Sounds better than Muesli to me!

7. Cook Light

In the Japanese diet, food is usually steamed, pan-fried, simmered or stir fried over intense heat. This method of cooking helps the food retain more of the nutrients and particularly anti ageing antioxidants.

8. Enjoy Sweets

The Japanese diet has room for these treats.

They love chocolate, pastries, ice cream and cookies.

The difference is they view them as a regular treat and do not overdo the portions.

One of the Best Diets on Earth

When looking at healthy diets it is clear that the Japanese have one of the best diets on earth:

? Low in cholesterol and fat

? Well balanced

A huge variety of foods to enjoy so you will never get bored.

More dieting and general health information and FREE exclusive diet and health magazines, are available on our web site: http://www.net-planet.org

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Was there a time when you relished the idea of giving dinner parties?

What a great opportunity to bond with old friends, try out a few new recipes, and find a reason to clean up the house!

Has diabetes robbed you of the enjoyable events involving your friends and family?

Diabetes has an ugly characteristic of wrecking the lives of it's victims by forcing them into seclusion.

If you have been neglecting the enjoyable events of your life, please take action to control your diabetes. With a proactive mind-set, you can control and beat diabetes!

You, your friends, and especially your family will love you for taking control. Get back to the fun things in life,,,, Take control of your diabetes.

Ask your doctor about diabetes and have your blood sugar checked several times a year.

For more information about diabetes, including a Diabetes Quiz and a Free booklet, visit the Hope4Diabetes website at: http://hope4diabetes.com/info

This 20 page FREE booklet will provide you with in-depth information on comprehensive diabetes care. The 7 principles, or steps, will help you to understand, manage and diagnose your potential diabetes risk.

It could help you live a longer and more active life. The booklet is Yours absolutely FREE - No Risk! Share it NOW with the people you love and want to Keep alive!

David Anderson is a freelance health writer for Hope4Diabetes.com. Awareness is the first step to preventing the onset of diabetes. Visit our website at: http://hope4diabetes.com/info for more information and a free book.

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We get old and sick due to excess acid in our body. So, it follows if we reduce the acid and increase the alkaline levels we would be healthier and live longer. However, some doctors say that the stomach acid kills the alkalinity so; drinking alkaline water will do no good. Well what about that?

What happens in the stomach when we drink high pH alkaline water? The stomach maintains the pH level at right around 4.0. The more alkaline water we drink the higher the stomach pH goes, sometimes it will rise above 4.5. When this happens the stomach will produce more hydrochloric acid to bring the stomach pH back down to below 4.0.

Hydrochloric acid and sodium bicarbonate is made from water, sodium chloride (table salt) and carbon dioxide. The sodium bicarbonate goes into the bloodstream and the hydrochloric acid goes into the stomach.

The alkaline buffer in our blood is sodium bicarbonate, and it is the alkaline and acid buffers that are constantly monitoring the blood pH to maintain a constant blood pH of 7.365. When the blood becomes too alkaline, the acid buffer goes to work to bring the pH down; and when there is too much alkaline, then the alkaline buffer (sodium bicarbonate) goes to work to raise the pH level.

From Sang Whang, inventor of Alkalife:

?Alkaline buffers are bicarbonate (HCO3-) mated with alkaline minerals. Examples of them are sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3), calcium bicarbonate (Ca(HCO3)2) and magnesium bicarbonate (Mg(HCO3)2). Acid buffer is mainly carbonic acid (H2CO3), a water and carbon dioxide combination. Carbohydrate completely burnt becomes carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O); therefore there is no shortage of acid buffer.?

It was Lynda Frassetto, University of California, San Francisco, who discovered in 1966 that we lose the alkaline buffer ? bicarbonates in our blood as we age. The process seems to begin at age 45 and by 90 we have lost 18% of the bicarbonates in our blood.

When the bicarbonates in our blood are reduced it impairs the body?s ability to neutralize and dump the acid our body produces. It is also at the age of around 45 that symptoms of diabetes, or osteoporosis and other diseases related to the aging process occur. When these acidic wastes are not released from the body and begin to build up, theses wastes take the form of fatty acid, sulfate, phosphate, uric acid, cholesterol, kidney stones, etc.

It is only the water?s pH value that helps the blood receive bicarbonates. It is the most important function of alkaline water since we lose these bicarbonates as we age. When we alkalize our body we increase the ability of our blood to neutralize the acid.

Our world has changed from an organic, agricultural base to one that is industrial and toxic. And because of the greed of our industries a lot of these toxins have found their way into our air, water, food, and alas our bodies. The more pollution, the more stress the more acid. High protein diets and soft drinks also add to the acidity and this is why we lose bicarbonates in the blood as we age.

This is taken from Sang Wang, ?The medical society considers the reduction of bicarbonates in the blood as an inevitable fact of aging. I argue that the reduction of bicarbonates in the blood is the cause of aging and diseases, not the result of aging. As long as we can replenish bicarbonates in the blood, we don?t have to age!?

Now Enter Alkaline Water

To Drink or Not to Drink

Only when the stomach produces hydrochloric acid do bicarbonates enter the bloodstream. So it is best to drink the alkaline water on an empty stomach with the water having a pH level of 9.5 -10. The reason for this is the alkaline will raise the stomach pH relatively high and that will cause the stomach to produce more hydrochloric acid, allowing for more bicarbonates to enter the blood. (I carry a bottle of water with me everywhere I go and my bottle of Alkalife and just drink it all day long.) You can get the Alkalife from www.drclarkuniversity.org Click on books and products and then click on the University book store and then the link on the left ?Alkalife?

So, now you know how alkaline water will prevent the onset of adult degenerative diseases and aging in general.

Michele Michaels has been active in raising awareness for alternative and natural methods of curing and treating all manner of illnesses.

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There is a groundswell of opposition forming to fight Bill S.852 - the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005.

Battle lines have been drawn, large corporations have enlisted several top lobbyists in Washington DC to champion this Bill.

Lobbyists tout the bill as the answer to help ease the burden on our judicial system regarding asbestos litigation.

The net result of the bill if passed, will be to add several layers of government involvement to an already overburdened legal system.

Increased federal involvement will increase expenses associated with asbestos litigation.

Adding another layer of bureaucracy to victims stricken with Mesothelioma is not the answer. Individuals exposed to these harmful agents have the right to be heard on an individual basis.

The Bill has set guidelines regarding the individuals past exposure to asbestos.

To place individuals exposed to asbestos in a 3 level template is unjust.

The Three levels of asbestos exposure are defined in a qualitative and subjective manner based on the length of employment in an asbestos exposure-related job. They are:

? Moderate Exposure
In a standard work year, the person worked in areas immediate to where asbestos-containing products were installed, repaired or removed and involved regular airborne emissions of asbestos. This counts as one year of substantial occupational exposure.

? Heavy Exposure
In a standard work year, the person was involved in the direct installation, repair or removal of asbestos-containing products and thus was exposed to asbestos on a regular basis. This counts as two years of substantial occupational exposure.

? Very Heavy Exposure
In a standard work year, the person worked in primary asbestos manufacturing, a World War II shipyard or the asbestos insulation trades and thus was exposed to asbestos fibers on a regular basis. This counts as four years of substantial occupational exposure.

The proposed bill will destroy individual?s rights to just compensation in a timely manner. Mesothelioma is a catastrophic disease caused by asbestos exposure.

Become involved in the fight to keeps victims rights regarding asbestos litigation in the hands of the people.

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Smoking tends to become a real phenomenon among people nowadays. This is due to the fact that everyone lives under stress and smoking is a solution for such living conditions. Not only adults are the ones that decide to start smoking but also young teenagers. These are exposed to such risks because of their environment and of their curiosity to try everything that it is offered without taking into account the consequences.

These days the number of smokers covers a wide range of ages. The more this number increases the more the alternatives for stop smoking help are augmented. Besides the help of the family and of the ones that are close to the one who decides to give up smoking, there are some other choices that are more organized. This way stop smoking help is offered by professionals who know exactly what to say and what to do.

Help Yourself

First and foremost you are the only one who can give you assistance. You must have a strong will and you also have to be very motivated. Seek for such motivation in your own person and it will be of great help. Think that no one knows or wants what is best for yourself but you. Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of giving up this vice and you?ll see that this way you?ll manage to find some powerful reasons to support your decision.

Ask for Help

You must seek help wherever you are likely to find it. Ask your family and your friends to provide you assistance, to be around when you feel the need and this would happen especially when you have to be convinced to give up smoking but also during the first days after quitting.

Moreover there is also the option for asking stop smoking help from professionals. This way you can talk with a psychologist or a counselor. Don?t hesitate to rely on their valuable pieces of advice given the fact that this is their job and they are the most qualified persons in such situations. And this is a chance for you to have a certain effective help by resorting to individual counseling, a therapy that takes place just between doctor and patient.

You can also join a community. This is a solution that will make you realize that you are not the only one who struggles to give up smoking. There you can empathize with one another but also while having group discussions you have the opportunity to find a great variety of solutions from which you can choose in order to solve your problem.

It is not so important which variant for stop smoking help you pick up. If you think you can do it on your own then you should do your best in order to achieve your goal. If you consider that you are not strong enough then you must ask the others to assist you. But if you decide to combine all these forms of stop smoking help then it is sure that this method will not fail.

Leon Williams
Smart tools for Smart marketers
http://www.infoaffiliate.com

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It is much safer to your long term health to reduce weight by natural means rather than taking medication that poses a series of health threatening side effects. In order to attack the problem of reducing weight we must identify the kind of bodies we have. Here they are:

A prominent researcher discovered that there are basically three (3) main types of bodies. They are:

Endomorph- the larger and fleshier body. Attracted to physical comfort and warm relationships with others. Their challenge is to overcome physical inertia and overeating.

Mesomorph- the more muscular type. These are the athletic types, They prefer physical activity. They tend to be doers in the world and rarely sits still.

Ectomorph- the slender or lean body type. Usually high strung and sensitive. Handles a lot of intellectual stimulation. Generally intellectuals. NOTE: These three types rarely show up as pure forms but rather as combinations.

Now that you know your body type, you must recognize why your body may be overweight. Here are some additional reasons:

[a Heredity:

Research has found out that we inherit genes from our parentage that makes us pre-disposed to certain diseases and health conditions. Since you cannot drastically change your body, you can make an effort, however, to manage it skillfully to keep it healthy and trim.

[b Overeating

Given the caution in number one above, even if you do not have an adverse health condition, it would make sense to be careful with the food you eat if you have the body type that tends to get heavier when you eat excess food.

[c Diabetes and other diseases

Any health condition that affects your mobility can quickly make you get heavier while you consume food that turns into fat over time. Your immobility does not allow the fat to be burnt up so you keep the weight on.

So, how do we propose to keep your weight in line with your body type and pre-disposition in order to stay healthy? Here are the 4 strategies:

[1 Burning Desire

First, you must have a burning desire to eat healthy foods and be conscious and careful about what you put in your mouth. You must establish the right dietary intake that is good for your body type. Second, you must also have a burning desire to keep trim by losing weight, if you already are heavy. Third, you must have discipline to identify the kinds of foods that are good for you and discipline and constrain yourself to these type of foods. Fourth, condition your mind to love these foods and imagine the good health they will bring to your life in terms of energy, vigor, zest, vitality and the wonderful feeling you would have when you do this.

[2 Consciously Decide-Discipline Yourself

You must decide to get your body mobile and limber, and exercise it, to burn off the excess fat, despite your health condition. You must select the right type of exercise that is good for you based on your body type to avoid injury and pain. You must actively perform a soul searching routine to condition our mind to achieve these attributes.

[3 Identification of Programs

Third, you must do some research and identify the kinds of fitness and exercise programs, based on your body type, that you must embrace and follow to attain the health results you aspire to achieve.

[4 Get More Knowledge

Learn all you can about how wonderful a machine your body is and treat it as a shrine. The better you take care of it, the longer you'll probably live and enjoy this world. Read literature about how you body works and you will appreciate the wondrous machine that no man can ever build. Fall in love with your body once you start conditioning it, to achieve a slimmer trimmer and healthier body so you can enjoy it for many many years to come.

In the next article, PART 2, we will discuss how to choose the type of exercise equipment for the three body types and how to get you on the fast track to a slim and trim body that would make your friends a family notice.

Live well and stay healthy!

Trevor Adheen Your Good Health Advocate

The author is an advocate for healthier living through good diet, body fitness and conditioning. He is an avid researcher/teacher into the deep understanding of the human body, both in physical and psychological terms, and to pass this knowledge on to others who can benefit from the knowledge gained. Meanwhile, you can visit this site: http://1stdiabeticsupplysuperstore.com to get on the Fast Track to a Healthier Happier Body. Send your comments to me via an e-mail to: tansane@bellsouth.net

For every e-mail response I receive, I will send you a FREE E-COOKBOOK Recipe Sampler. That is: 38 Tasty Recipes. Keep you trim and fit for every occasion. Perks up your life. Soothes and comforts your whole body.

Distribution This article is approved for distribution by the author, providing that it is hyperlinked back to: http://1stdiabeticsupplysuperstore.com from the distributor/ webmaster's page. Trevor Adheen (c) All Rights reserved

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Depression is a common worldwide problem affecting people of all ages, races and every social and economic level. Each year over 100 million people worldwide suffer from severe depression. In fact, it is so widespread that it has been labeled 'The Common Cold of Mental Illness.'

Despite being so widespread, depression is also one of the most treatable illnesses out there.

If you want to deal with your depression and fight it, you have to first:

* Analyze the reasons for your condition.

Truly examine your inner feelings and motives. Quit mentally beating yourself up for feeling the way you do and try to concentrate on getting well.

Ask yourself if things are really 'all that bad' and if the circumstances warrant your depressed feelings. If your depressed mood lingers, it's a good idea to:

* Visit your Doctor

Many times depression can have a physical cause, so your doctor can check to see if you have some sort of metabolic disturbance. He can also check for anemia, low blood sugar, diabetes, mononucleosis, or some other illness that could be contributing to weakness and discouragement.

If your situation is extreme and persists, you may want to have the disorder treated by a professional who specializes in depression so he can see how much of your depression lies in your own mental attitude and see what influence in you life brings about that 'down' feeling.

Depression is not in itself proof of mental weakness so don't keep silent because of embarrassment. The most important thing you can do to fight your disorder is:

* Talk to someone about it.

No one can know how you feel unless you open up and talk about it. Just getting it off your chest can bring relief. By confiding in someone who is empathetic and can help, many times you find that you are not alone and that others have gone through the same thing. They can even help you by telling you how they dealt with it. So talking to an understanding person many times can help you to deal with your depression, so try not to bottle up all those troubling emotions which will only make your depression worse.

Another way to deal with your depression is to:

* Build your self esteem and recognize how valuable you really are.

There's a saying that goes: 'To the world, you may be one person; But to one person, you may be the world.'

That saying is so true!

Many times those who suffer from depression experience feelings of worthlessness. Many of them had an unhappy childhood filled with abuse, whether it was physical, emotional or even sexual. Because of their troubled past, many are left with severe emotional scars. The important thing to remember is that none of the emotional scars change a person's worth. So when we're feeling worthless, just keeping in mind the saying above. More importantly, always remember that all of us are valuable in God's eyes.

Remember, God is our loving creator. He cares for us and will give us the strength needed to endure our emotional pain. Even if we've been fighting depression and putting forth an honest effort to overcome it, we should never give up and think we'd be better off dead. Suicide is NEVER the answer. No situation is hopeless.

* Never stop praying

God's Word the Bible tells us to 'throw our burdens on the Lord and he himself will sustain us.' (Psalms 55:22.) So never stop praying and asking God for help. His word tells us that he will give us 'the power beyond what is normal' (2 Cor. 4:7b.) so that we can endure our emotional pain.

It should also bring us comfort knowing that God has promised that our depression will not last forever. He promises that 'death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore' (Rev. 21:3, 4). What a comforting thought!

In conclusion, no matter how long you've been suffering and no matter what your problem is, I hope, with this article, I've been able to provide you with helpful and comforting information so that You Can Deal With Your Depression.

To Your Health,

Anna

For more information on depression visit Anna's Depression Website at: http://www.depressionadviceonline.com/index.html or visit her Depression Blog which contains helpful articles that are updated daily: http://depressionadviceonline.blogspot.com/.

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Bad breath is an unpleasant condition. It is an embarrassment for those who know about it and an inconvenience to others when people with bad breath are not aware of their problem. If you are concerned about bad breath then meet your dentist to identify and treat the problem.

Factors that contribute to bad breath

?Foods like garlic, onion contribute to objectionable odors. These odors continue till it is eliminated from the body. Incase this is a part of your regular diet; then it is a problem you need to rectify in your dietary pattern. Brushing, flossing and mouthwash only serve to mask the odor temporarily.

?Improper brushing of teeth is responsible for food articles to be retained in the mouth. Bacteria collect on these particles and that causes bad breath. In addition to this the food that collect between teeth give rise to plaque and demineralization of the teeth and also cause gingivitis/ trench mouth disease or rotting of the gums and leave an unpleasant odor.

?Dry mouth occurs when saliva decreases. Saliva is necessary in the digestion process. Saliva also helps in cleansing the mouth and removing the food particles that cause odor. Dry mouth may be the result of you breathing through the mouth or medications. Remedies include increasing your fluid intake, sugarless candy, or even artificial saliva.

?Diseases of the respiratory tract or diseases related to the gastrointestinal tract, kidney or liver are another major cause of halitosis. Local infections, chronic sinusitis or bronchitis also contribute to bad breath.

?Chewing tobacco or betel nut or other oral habits that are bad for health is also detrimental to the oral hygiene and cause bad breath. These also cause discoloration of the teeth. Tooth whitening kits are a general remedy but cannot be used when you have bad gums. Bad breath cure is the first procedure you have to follow.

?Persistent Bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth is a warning sign of periodontal disease. Caused by plaque this disease caused gum tissues to pull away from the teeth and form pockets. These pockets are sometimes too deep and needed to be cleant by professional periodontal cleaning.

Bettering your Oral health

This is the major factor to stop halitosis and other diseases of the gum and teeth.

?Schedule regular dental visits for cleaning and check up.

?Keep a check on the various food intakes to prevent bad breath.

?Make a list of medications you take so that your doctor would advise you in case you have a dry mouth. Also let your dentist know of surgeries or illness you have had before you have gone to visit him/her.

?Regularly brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste to remove food particles and plaque. Brushing twice a day is effective while brushing after every meal is more effective.

?Use Dental floss or interdental cleaner to clean between the teeth.

?Mouth wash is not ?the solution? as it does not have a long lasting effect. A special antimicrobial mouth wash or a fluoride mouthwash along with brushing and flossing can go a long way in preventing tooth decay.

?Fill your dentures so that these are not a place where food particles and bacteria harbor to cause bad breath. There are many tooth filling procedures; you could have a cap as well.

?Eliminating periodontal disease is essential to reducing bad breath and effective teeth care.

http://www.dentaldean.com is your guide to daily teeth care products, regular extra cleaning and checkups by our dentist. Bad breath cure, trench mouth disease etc. is detailed to help you better your oral health.

http://www.dentaldean.com is your guide to daily teeth care products, regular extra cleaning and checkups by our dentist. Bad breath cure, trench mouth disease etc. is detailed to help you better your oral health.

• 3 comments »

Our innate desire is to be happy, and when we move away from it, we experience fear.

This fear is actually millions of years old, for it arises from the biological programming of our species.

While we may not have to contend with a sabre-toothed tiger on any given day, we still use those very reactions to deal with events looming ahead.

We think, ?Will I be fired for making that mistake at work?? or ?Will I be able to meet the mortgage after I fix the car?? or ?Will my health continue to decline?? or ?Will my relationship fall apart after that argument we just fell into??

Running questions with this type of urgency and helplessness trains our brains to prepare now for future danger by loading our bodies up with the stress hormone cortisol.

Anxiety is our anticipation of a dangerous future. We imagine having even less of the little that we have today.

This anxiety does not help us in any way to meet the future any better. In fact, it weakens and exhausts us. We usually worry most about things that we can't even control. Worrying about your dental visit, for example, will not make the visit better.

Anxiety, in fact, is a silent killer. It is enervating, and it drains you of purpose and hope, faith and initiative. It fogs up your thinking. And it makes the body susceptible to illness.

When anxiety--a fear of an event in the future--is high enough then you feel a deep sense of helplessness. This, in turn, translates into depression. You even begin to view the past as disappointing.

Caught between a miserable past and a frightening future you create a pattern of emotions that can lead to a variety of mood disorders, including manic-depression.

How do we escape from this vicious cycle?

Here is what I did 20 years ago and I have never since suffered from any serious mood disorder.

I started to cultivate my awareness of my mood swings--from elation to black despair.

I did this by basically watching myself when I was manic, and watching myself when I was depressed, and watching what I did to turn on these states. For example to get depressed, I used my love of literature to focus on dark, morbid, and unhappy stories about life. And to get elated, I would talk a lot, move very quickly, and do things in a dramatic way.

An interesting thing happened when I made my unconscious behavior conscious. I could not take my mood shifts seriously.

This is what I learned from that experience: when you are able to observe yourself over the course of a few weeks, you develop a curious detachment.

A paradoxical situation developed for me: I found it difficult to stay anxious and depressed when I was observing myself feeling anxious and depressed.

Ultimately, anxiety and depression are culturally-induced patterns of thinking that can be overcome through a deliberate cultivation of awareness. When you become your own observer, you weed out the unconscious habits that afflict you.

Despite the billions of dollars spent to heal anxiety and depression, and all the mood disorders and behavioral anomalies that arise from them, the cure is simple, quick, and free.

Resource Box

Saleem Rana got his masters in psychotherapy from California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, Ca., 15 years ago and now resides in Denver, Colorado. His articles on the internet have inspired over ten thousand people from around the world. Discover how to create a remarkable life

Copyright 2005 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or newsletter. It's a shareware article.

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Self hypnosis, in one form or another has been practiced for a very long time. While it is a serious therapeutic technique, self hypnosis is also a very soothing and calming experience and if practiced regularly, can help you transform yourself.

Originally, self hypnosis was thought of as sleep, then as an altered state of consciousness. Only after using instruments to monitor brain activity did researchers learn that there was negligible difference between someone in a trance or hypnosis, and someone not. Peoples experiences with self hypnosis vary widely depending on their own expectations, but there are some commonalities. For instance, most people experience a reduced awareness of events going on around them including noises and conversations. Although people are not unconscious when under self hypnosis, many experience extreme relaxation and seem to have reduced awareness of their own body including their arms and legs.

Nearly everyone can learn effective techniques for self hypnosis. Whether your goal is weight loss or to stop smoking, self hypnosis can be a very useful treatment option for many different health and emotional problems.

Let's look at the reasons why self hypnosis can be such an appealing option:

1. It is not a drug, so therefore there are no side effects.

2. It is non-invasive which means there is no surgery and nothing gets inserted into the body.

3. Self hypnosis is also relatively inexpensive when compared to other forms of treatment, and can usually show results within one or two treatments.

Self hypnosis is the original mind/body medicine. It helps you regulate your behavior, alter your thoughts, and use your mind to control your body. To be effective, you must get into a meditative state to change your thought process in order to change your behavior. However, this does not mean you have to be in a relaxed state so to speak. Although this is helpful, self hypnosis can be effective even when you're tense, upset, or unhappy.

As you begin to learn about self hypnosis, you will discover a method that works best for you. Doing this without any guidance from anyone can be difficult. The first step in achieving your goals with self hypnosis is to research and learn as much as you can on the subject so you know what to expect.

Self hypnosis is a very powerful tool you can use to change just about any aspect of yourself, but it is not a magic cure and is usually only effective if you truly want to make a change.

Robert Lear is the author and webmaster of the Self Hypnosis blog. This website focuses exclusively on the subjects of hypnosis including self hypnosis, weight loss hypnosis, stop smoking hypnosis, erotic hypnosis, and hipnosis. http://hypnosis-self.blogspot.com

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If you suffer from heartburn, at least occasionally, then you are not alone. The facts about heartburn include survey numbers which indicate that 25% of people living in the United States suffer from heartburn every month and about 12% have symptoms every week. Many people want to know the difference between heartburn and acid reflux, probably because of all the advertising done by pharmaceutical companies. If you look up reflux in the dictionary, you will see that ?reflux? literally means ?to flow back?. The term acid reflux refers to the ?flowing back? of stomach acid. Digestive acids are normally confined to the stomach by muscles in the esophagus. When the acid flows back from the stomach up into the esophagus, then we get heartburn and acid reflux is really a medical term for heartburn. The facts about heartburn are simple, stomach acid which does not belong in the throat burns. The facts about heartburn causes and treatments may not be as simple.

The major difference between heartburn and acid reflux ?disease? has to do with the frequency of symptoms. Heartburn experienced several times per week may be acid reflux disease. However, there is one type of acid reflux disease in which only ?some? people experience heartburn. Acid that refluxes back into the lowest part of the esophagus may not cause the burning sensation. It is more often accompanied by difficulty swallowing or other symptoms. When you look at the facts about heartburn, you may see that difficulty swallowing or the feeling that there is something stuck in your throat, sometimes accompanies heartburn. Difficulty swallowing can be a symptom of even more serious conditions. Frequent heartburn and/or difficulty swallowing should be reported to your physician. Chronic heartburn or acid reflux can lead to more serious conditions. Only your doctor can give you all of the facts about heartburn and the difference between heartburn and acid reflux disease.

For more information about heartburn and other common digestive problems, visit www.digestive-disorders-guide.com.

Patsy Hamilton writes informational articles for the Digestive Disorders Guide. Visit us at http://www.digestive-disorders-guide.com

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Over 20 million Americans are currently diagnosed with some form of thyroid disease, a health problem that impacts every cell in the body and can cause severe weight gain or weight loss, mood disturbances and even infertility in both men and women. While thyroid problems are most common in women, affecting approximately 1 in 8 women between the ages of 35 and 65, men are not immune to thyroid disorders. Common symptoms in men, such as reduced libido, difficulty achieving erection and breast tenderness or enlargement, may be too embarrassing for men to seek medical help and could contribute to the lower instances of thyroid disease recorded in men.

The thyroid gland is located at the base of the neck directly below the Adam?s apple. This tiny little gland shaped like a butterfly is responsible for regulating the body?s metabolism which is the rate at which the body uses energy by releasing the thyroid hormone T4 (tetraiodide) into the bloodstream. T4 makes its way to every cell in the body where it is converted to T3 (triiodothyronine), a hormone that controls the rate of cellular metabolism activity. The pituitary gland works in concert with the thyroid by regulating the levels of T3 in the body. When more T3 is needed the pituitary gland sends Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) to the thyroid gland to stimulate the release of T4 into the bloodstream. When too much thyroid hormone is present the pituitary gland stops sending out TSH and the thyroid stops the production of T4. The process is a delicate balance and if either the pituitary or the thyroid gland is failing to function properly the result will be a body that is not functioning properly.

When the thyroid gland becomes overactive, releasing more hormones than are necessary, the result is hyperthyroidism or Graves Disease which is an autoimmune disease that causes over-activity of the thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism is most common between the ages of 20 and 40 and affects roughly 1 million Americans today. With hyperthyroid, everything in the body speeds up. When the rate of cellular activity increases, more calories must be consumed to maintain normal energy levels. If the incoming calories fail to be enough then weight loss will occur. Generally, the more severe the hyperthyroid, the more weight loss will result. It is not uncommon, however, for a person with hyperthyroid to gain weight if more calories than necessary are being consumed.

Patients with hyperthyroidism may also experience fatigue, trouble sleeping, increased appetite, trembling hands, irregular heartbeat, irritability and reduced libido. In severe cases, muscle weakness, shortness of breath and chest pain may result. Often however, the symptoms of hyperthyroidism are mild and may occur gradually over a long period of time. Foods that naturally suppress thyroid hormone production are cruciferous vegetables, soybeans, peaches and pears. Have two servings of these foods daily. Carrots, celery, onion and almonds are also beneficial.

Hypothyroidism is a far more common problem, affecting approximately 11 million Americans. The disease can affect both men and women but it is mostly diagnosed in middle-aged women. Hypothyroid is the complete opposite of hyperthyroid. In a patient with hypothyroid the entire metabolism moves at a slower speed and requires less calories than usual to maintain normal energy levels. As a result, the excess calories consumed become stored as fat and weight gain ensues.

Weight gain, while the most common problem associated with hypothyroid, is not the only symptom of an underactive thyroid gland. Other symptoms include low energy levels, depression, irritability, intolerance to heat or cold, decreased heart rate, dry skin and frequent infections, along with decreased sex drive, infertility, hair loss, dry hair and shortness of breath. As with hyperthyroid, it is not uncommon to experience few to no symptoms of this disease.

To combat hypothyroidism, consume foods that contain iodine such as kelp, radish, parsley, potatoes, fish, oatmeal and bananas or look for a supplement that has 150 mg of Iodine. Iodine is needed by the body to form thyroid hormone. Also, copper, iron, selenium and zinc are essential in the production of T3 and T4. Exercise 15-20 minutes per day?enough to raise the heartbeat.

Diseases of the thyroid can be diagnosed with a simple blood test which evaluates levels of free T3 and free AT4 (TSH) in the bloodstream. Another way to measure is by taking and recording the basal body temperature under the arm as soon as you wake up for ten minutes, five mornings in a row. The normal axillary temperature is 97.8 ? 98.2 degrees F. If the temperature averages 97.4 or less see your physician.

Once a diagnosis of either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism has been ascertained, treatment is aimed at restoring proper levels of the thyroid hormones. With hyperthyroidism this might require surgery or the use of medication. Hypothyroid is usually treated with hormone replacement therapy. In my practice I have found that natural thyroid hormone can be a safe and very successful means of restoring the appropriate levels. For both diseases, restoring proper levels of the thyroid hormone can result in a reversal of symptoms, including a return to pre-thyroid disease weight.

If you suspect that you might be suffering from a thyroid disorder, see your doctor immediately for an evaluation. Thyroid disease is a serious health problem and one that can be easily treated if properly diagnosed. Call your health care provider today and regain control over your metabolism once and for all!

Dr. Connealy, M.D., M.P.H. began private practice in 1986. In 1992 she founded her medical practice in California. Her practice is firmly based in the belief that strictly treating health problems with medications does not find the root cause of the illness. Dr. Connealy writes monthly columns for Coast and Health magazines, and is a weekly cohost on Frank Jordan?s ?Healthy, Wealthy and Wise? radio show. She routinely lectures and educates the public on health issues. Please visit http://www.perfectlyhealthy.net for product and more information

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I turned into my parents? driveway in Maryland and parked the car. Before I could even step out and close the door, Mom flew out of the backyard, gesturing frantically.

?Your father had a breakdown,? she blurted. ?Your brother took him to the hospital. He?s on the sixth floor. Go. Go. You need to go to him right now.?

?Wait a second, Mom,? I gently asserted. ?What happened? What hospital??

?He didn?t eat anything, like he?s supposed to. He started flailing himself around, threatening to kill himself. Your brother had to hold him down. Go.?

?Okay, Mom.? I squeezed her tight. ?We?ll take care of him.?

I remembered earlier that morning how Dad disappeared from the kitchen. I sought him out to say goodbye and found him curled up in a fetal position on his bed.

?Hey, man,? I razzed. ?Taking a little nappy??

?Yeah,? he mumbled. ?I?ll be alright.?

?Strange answer,? I thought to myself as I gave him a kiss and left.

I found Dad on the sixth floor of the Medical Center, sitting in the corner with my brother, Laird. His seeing eye dog lay curled at his feet.

?Hey guys,? I smiled. ?What?s the word??

?I guess I got kinda? depressed,? Dad confessed. ?I forgot to put food in my system. I?m alright now.?

I looked over at Laird, who shook his head?a telling communication. I?d hear the details later.

?My blood sugar must have really dropped,? Dad added.

?Gotta? eat,? I empathized.

Diabetes, selling a house, leaving the state of his ancestors after 69 years to move to Florida, learning to cope with blindness?any one of these might trigger a meltdown.

I knew my Dad would resist more than a trifling of professional help.

Too much shame.

Wait a second. Where did the judgment start? Who decreed our superhuman nature? What happened to compassion, for others and ourselves, the soulful cry that recognizes our humanity, faults and shortcomings included, weaknesses acknowledged, differences celebrated?

Does another person?s struggle bring us down so much that we teach and preach denial as an alternative?

?Buck up. Tighten your chinstrap. Get a grip.?

A grip on what?

We stuff emotions, squelch our feelings and put up false fronts of courage for the sake of appearances. We deny our right to sit with our own suffering and reflect, grieve or cut ourselves any slack.

Like a dormant volcano, our insides churn with prejudice and bias, slanted views painted by others, seldom questioned or examined.

Rampant dis-ease.

When the volcano blows the lava takes the form of cancer, heart attacks, depression and other illness.

What if we poked a few holes in that mountain of pride before it swelled to explosion?

What if we forgave and accepted, praised and lauded our crazy diversity?

Could we release the steam before it gushes and burns?

Try today, at least once to pick a moment and notice someone else?s struggle?without mental commentary or your idea of a fix. Reach out without expectation.

Then do the same exercise on yourself.

You, too, deserve untainted appreciation.

Give yourself a break.

Thanks, Dad, for showing us your human side. It helps us love you even more.

That?s A View From The Ridge?

About The Author

Author Ridgely Goldsborough invites you to subscribe to The Daily Column, a heart-felt collection of stories that inspire hope and courage. Please do so at www.aviewfromtheridge.com.

ridge@aviewfromtheridge.com

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For most cases of uncomplicated halitosis, the root cause can be summed up in two words: tongue bacteria. Though it might be hard to believe, most of that bad smell comes from the back of your tongue where many organisms are thriving in the warm moist airless conditions.

Mouths are full of bacteria. This is normal: from the time of our birth, bacteria are getting into our mouths in food, on other objects, on hands, in water, even in the air that we take in when we breath through the mouth. Some of the bacteria that get in don't survive, but many do, and before very long, the oral cavity becomes a complex ecosystem of mixed organisms: organisms that live on the teeth, on the gums, in the throat, and even tongue bacteria. Many of these organisms are actually beneficial: they help break down food particles and mop up shed body cells. They compete with other organisms that are potentially harmful, thus protecting us from infection.

Overall, it's good thing to have a healthy population of organisms living in your mouth, and tongue bacteria are no exception. The problem comes when certain types of organisms gain a foothold and start to proliferate, producing larger populations. Chief among these are anaerobic bacteria - bacteria that live in places where there is very little or no oxygen. Anaerobes are common in the bowel, in some abscesses, in very wet places in the environment where organic material is rotting, and in the mouth.

If you think about it, bowel contents, abscesses, wet rotting organic material, and mouths all have something in common: they can smell very very bad. This is because anaerobic bacteria produce a bad smell when they break down proteins for nutrients. The process produces volatile sulfur compounds - molecules that contain sulfur that are readily dispersed into the air. Sulfur smells bad, and these compounds smell worse. The odor associated with bad breath, and with tongue bacteria, is essentially the same odor that we detest in feces and rotten eggs.

Bad breath comes from tongue bacteria simply because the tongue happens to be a great place for anaerobes to live. They flourish in all the tiny grooves between papillae and taste buds on the surface of the tongue, covered by a blanket of mucus and other non-cellular material. There, they can safely carry on the business of breaking down proteins that they find floating around in the mouth, and producing volatile sulfur compounds to make us all hold our noses.

R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. She is a contributing editor to Tongue Bacteria, a blog dedicated to the treatment of bad breath.

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If right now, you?re having trouble walking, and it?s only temporary then mobility scooter rental might be right for you. A mobility scooter is an electrical scooter that you sit on, with either a three-wheel or four-wheel platform. Most of them are battery powered and can go up to 10 miles per hour, lasting all day till they need to be recharged during the night. What?s more, many of them can be broken down into multiple lightweight parts and put in the trunk of your car so you can use them at the mall, grocery shopping, visiting the Post Office, etc.

Now buying a brand new mobility scooter or even a used one really doesn?t make sense if you?ll only temporarily need one. That?s where rentals come in. Mobility scooter rental can range from:

1 day rental (including delivery and pick up): $80
2 days rental (including delivery and pick up): $110
3 days rental (including delivery and pick up): $140
each additional day: $25

Depending upon the dealer that you?re renting from, you may be able to choose from many different styles, colors and features. Ideally, you?ll want mobility scooter rental to tailored for your particular situation. One of the best ways to do that is talk with your doctor before renting a mobility scooter. Find out what he or she recommends. That way you won?t likely get talked into renting a more expensive mobility scooter that you really don?t need.

Another benefit of mobility scooter rental is that you may be able to get the scooter delivered to where you?re staying. And often times, if you traveling, you can contact your destination to find out if they offer mobility scooter rental! That way, going site seeing will be a snap. If using a travel agent, have him or her set up the rental for you.

Written by the Mobility Scooter Review Team. Go to http://www.electric-mobility-scooter-reviews.com to see more free articles, tips and info. Updated weekly! This is the ultimate resource on mobility scooters.

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There are a variety of reasons people begin practicing yoga. Many wonder what all the fuss is about, some have heard that it can help with flexibility and strength, and others wonder about the stress relief benefits. More than fifteen million Americans have stepped on the mat and have explored how yoga can enrich their lives, but many only see the physical benefits. Despite the growing popularity of yoga, many instructors are left wondering if many people are really missing the true purpose of the practice.

What are yoga students missing when they are only taking class to lose weight, become fit, or relieve stress? They are missing the heart of the practice and the chance to make significant positive changes in their lives. When going to a yoga class becomes something greater than just something you do for yourself every now and again, you begin to realize that it is not just about you anymore. Dedicating the practice to something greater than yourself is what draws the distinction between just doing exercise and practicing yoga.

These days, it seems that the mention of dedication, or devotion, can be a tricky subject in yoga class. People tend to be unresponsive when the idea of the divine is mentioned. It is important for yoga practitioners to know that the philosophy of yoga is inextricably linked with divinity, no matter what name is given to it or how it is incorporated. Yoga was built on the idea that there is a force greater than ourselves, and yet we are still connected to it. This is the idea of Oneness, and the idea is more than fairly comforting. Others who are religious fear a conflicting of faiths by believing in the spirituality of yoga; however, Swami Satchidananda said, ?The Truth is one, the paths are many.? Therefore, people of any faith or belief can practice yoga. Even if a practioner of yoga does not believe in any form of divinity, this does not present a problem. They must simply recognize that the nature of all beings is joy and try to connect with that.

Now that we?ve gotten that sticky subject out of the way, I want to explain this idea of dedicating your practice in greater detail. It?s not even so much about dedication as it is relinquishing or letting go of everything whether they be worries, fears, misunderstandings, or hang-ups. My teacher, Sharon Gannon, always promotes the idea that ?You?ve got to get down to get up.? What she means is that you need to be rooted in the here and now and be able to let go of all the fruits of your actions. Why, you ask? Why shouldn?t you just keep on doing yoga to perfect your chatturangas, balance longer in tree pose, and get that yoga butt? The answer is a simple one. What are all those things going to get you in the long run?

Sure, nailing that Chatturanga feels great, and deepening your Hanumanasana (splits pose) can give you a bit of a rush. I?m not denying that one bit, but what is the true purpose behind the motions? Yoga practice can help you to break a cycle, stop bad habits, and transform your life. Yes, it can do all of those things, but you have to let it. You see, you can?t acquire yoga like you can dance steps or aerobic maneuvers; you have to let go of what is obscuring it. You have to let go of your preferences and simply be in the moment as a divine being.

So why do asana at all if you?re not supposed to be attached to the outcome? Because the asanas help to show you the interior of your own mind, they clearly point out what you?re holding on to and what you still need to work through. They transform you into the tree or the warrior and make you see what it is like to step outside of yourself, even for the briefest of moments. Asana also gives you the chance to see that both the world and you yourself are constantly changing. This, in turn, gives you the opportunity to find what is real and unchanging.

When you realize that the purpose of your yoga practice is not to keep you rooted in this world, but to let you move through it, you begin to have faith in your ability to reach the divine with your actions. It can ignite the soul and give you a sense of renewed dignity and worth. Because you know that you?re not just performing the motions for your own benefit, the sense of satisfaction from your practice can grow beyond the mat. For example, have you ever had the opportunity to offer selfless service to another? Maybe you?ve adopted a pet and taken on the full responsibility of loving and caring for it, and, in exchange, all you have received is unconditional love from them for giving happiness and freedom. This is what the act of devotion is all about?realizing that it?s not all about the wishes and wants you only think you need.

When you start letting go of the selfish motives for practice and try to connect with something greater, you inspire your own ability to love. This is the nature of the spirit, and connecting with that is the ultimate goal of yoga practice. Samadhi is union with the divine, a connection with the source, which is true love. Everything else is negligible. As my teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life, would say, ?The sheer desire for Oneness is the way to it.?

Realizing that all the beings in this world are connected in this way is a remarkable step for the yogi. Once the lines between ?you? and ?them? begin to fade, you realize how important it is to share love and a sense of gratitude with everyone around you.

Copyright 2006 Alanna Kaivalya

Alanna Kaivalya is an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga instructor who teaches nationally and internationally. Her favorite element of yoga is the practice of deep listening ? Nada Yoga ? which helps to connect her to the divine vibrations everywhere. To download her podcasts, contact her or to invite her to teach, please visit her website, http://www.jivadiva.com

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Who doesn?t get excited when they get something for free? Salons and manufactures give out free samples of their tanning bed lotions all the time, and we usually just can?t wait to try them out. But wait! Using the wrong tanning lotion can be very dangerous!

Here is what you need to know to protect yourself while still enjoying free samples of great products.

First, if you are new to tanning, you?re probably confused about which lotion you should use. While some salons offer wonderful advise, others take your money and let you figure it out on your own. But don?t worry ? differences in tanning bed lotions are easy to understand once you get the hang of it.

While building your base tan, use the lotion labeled, ?accelerator.? This is the first step in the process, and will speed up your tanning at first, but eventually you will stop getting darker. When that happens it is time to go to a ?Step 2? lotion. The steps are usually labeled 3, 4, 5, and so on after that, and you will always know it?s time to move up a step whenever you stop getting darker.

BUT, it is important that you never skip steps. Skipping steps causes burning that can lead to permanent skin damage, and it does not speed up your tan. This is where you must be careful when it comes to using free samples. Check the labels as carefully as you would if you were purchasing the product. If the right ?step? is not available, don?t go up a step OR down a step ? reversing will reverse your tan.

Remember, just because it is free doesn?t mean it?s the right product for you.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Tanning-Bed-Solutions.com. He provides more tanning bed information on tanning bed bulbs, tanning bed lotions and home tanning bed information that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

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Crohn's disease is characterized by chronic inflammation of the colon. Most patients also experience abdominal pain and weight loss. The treatment for Crohn?s disease is similar to that of ulcerative colitis in the sense that it can be treated with sulfasalazine, mesalamine preparations, glucocorticoids and 6 mercaptopurine.

Antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin and Metronidazole can also be effective for the complications that come along with Crohn?s disease. Metronidazole is very useful in treating fitulous disease in some patients.

The origin of Crohn?s disease is still a mystery in the medical world, however some researchers believe that overeating, chemical poisoning, bacterial and a lack of response by your own immune system may all be connected to Crohn?s disease.

Crohn?s disease can often be confused with regional ileitis, which is also a severe, progressive, inflammatory disease of the bowel. Its symptoms include diarrhea with pain. Bowel movements usually contain blood, mucus and pus, brought on by the infection. What makes Crohn?s different is that it can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract and does not necessarily involve constant unhealthy bowel movements, sometimes bowel movements are regular, other time they are not.

No symptoms are noticeable when your Crohn?s is in remission. In fact, most patients in remission may think that they are healed. But the truth of the matter is that there is still chance for the disease to reoccur, unless you take all necessary precautions and pay close attention to your health. If surgery becomes necessary for Crohn?s your disease, you can rest assured it is a well tolerated, reasonably safe procedure, with an operative mortality rate of only 6%.

Since diarrhea is one of the main symptoms of Crohn?s disease, it?s not unusual for patients to have some fissures, fistulas or thickening of the anal skin. The skin may also become swollen and discolored around the anus.

Crohn?s can also bring about biochemical disturbances in the liver. Many patients hat exhibit this symptom have a family history of allergies that includes hives and asthma. Additional symptoms can include enlargement of the ends of the fingers (called clubbing), thrush in the mouth, lesions in the eyes and arthritis that effects the large joints.

Even today there is no effective cure for Crohn?s disease. Although the disease may exhibit relatively mild symptoms, it still can interfere with work and your personal life. Medications that treat the disease can sometimes end up causing other problems.

Many Crohn?s patients were found to be eating a similar diet ? lots of refined sugars, less dietary fiber, less raw fruits and vegetables. The trouble is that sugary foods tend to contain chemical additives that influence intestinal bacteria, causing them to produce toxic substances that end up, over time, destroying the intestinal lining. This is the reason sugary foods should be avoided (or limited) by Crohn?s patients.

Seasonings as well as cold liquid are also not well tolerated. It?s also common for a milk sugar mal-absorption to cause milk intolerance in most Crohn?s patients. Crohn?s disease is also believed to be responsible for providing favorable conditions where substances that produce allergic reaction can develop, especially if the Crohn?s has penetrated the lining of the bowel.

If you suspect you have Crohn?s disease, you should first consult your primary care physician before taking other steps. Careful diagnosis and monitoring are the key to living comfortably with Crohn?s.

By Sharon Dobson. You can sign up for a Free Crohn?s Disease Newsletter at Natural Crohn?s Disease Relief or for Crohn?s Disease articles click here Crohn?s Articles.

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As many of you know, Yoga is something you can practice any time. You can be mindful of others, show loving kindness, forgive, give to charity, keep good posture, eat right, and practice Yogic breathing techniques during your day, without much problem.

Those who practice physical forms of Yoga will have to set aside time during the day for Asanas. Meditation is practiced without any distractions, therefore, you will have to budget your time. It may be more convenient to practice meditation after your Asanas are finished. So far, everything seems easy enough for the average Yoga practitioner to fit into his or her lifestyle.

Alternately, self analysis is a part of Yoga that many practitioners do not have time for. You cannot practice self analysis when you are ?in the heat of battle.? This preoccupation will cause self doubt if you are in a pressurized situation. You must react to life as it is right now, and be in the moment to find solutions.

This seems to be a paradox: We think of self analysis and Yoga as empowering practices. We do not associate self analysis with temporary mental paralysis.

However, in order for you to make significant discoveries about yourself, and consider how to apply your skills to life, there is a certain amount of time needed to envision the fruits of your labor. You will then have to put your visions, plans, and goals into action.

So, how, and when, do you make the time for a self analysis session? Much like Yogic meditation, you need a quiet time and place. Try to allow one hour per week; and if you come up with a blank, at a certain point, finish your session with meditation. You can meditate on a related point, or practice, any familiar Yogic form of meditation.

Self analysis sessions require a pen and paper. Although some of you may opt for a PDA, or a laptop, some will still prefer the experience of putting an idea down on paper. This will also give you something to reflect on during the week and in the following sessions.

Just like Yoga practice, self analysis can be practiced with others, with a coach, or with a teacher. The big difference is the direction your session will go in.

Anyone you choose to share thoughts with must be trustworthy or there will be no benefit. Therefore, much like your meditation sessions this is very much a rewarding form of self discovery. If you have any difficulty, this skill can be improved by practicing with a competent Yoga teacher.

? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: Yoga in Practice, and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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