Sun Protection

Sun Protection
 by: Nitin Jain

The skin has a defence mechanism against sun-damage, in the form of melanin. The production of melanin is accelerated on sun-exposure. However, we have seen that this defence is not enough. That is why protection of the skin, with ingredients that block the sun's radiation damage, is so essential. These sun-block agents are incorporated into 'sunscreens'.
Avoidance of the sun, specially at midday and in the afternoon, when ultraviolet radiation is at its height, can help to reduce the harmful effects. It is also essential to know that ultraviolet radiation is greater near water bodies, like the seaside and where there is snow. Snow, water and even sand reflect the ultraviolet reays and thus increase their rffect.
Exposure to the sun also causes moisture depletion and dries out the skin. Therefore, it is essential to step-up moisturisation, when you have been out of doors for a long time. The use of rehydrant cleansers, which contains aloe vera, can also help to control moisture loss. Aloe vera, like sandalwood, also helps to soothe and heal the skin.
When you are swimming in the sea, or in an open-air pool, remember to apply sunscreen before and after your swim.
Protect yourself with a parasol whenever you are out in the sun.
Remember, you are exposed to ultraviolet radiation even on a cloudy day.
More about sun care: http://www.ultimate-cosmetics.com/suncare.htm

About The Author

Nitin Jain
For www.ultimate-cosmetics.com
Get more articles on beauty: http://www.ultimate-cosmetics.com/beauty/articles/index.htm

This article was posted on September 11, 2004

Supplements and Drugs: A Hazardous Combination

Supplements and Drugs: A Hazardous Combination
 by: Marjorie Geiser, RD, NSCA-CPT

As I have become more involved in using functional nutritional therapy in my practice, I have come to realize that many people are still confused about the safety and effectiveness of various dietary supplements. Because these products are "natural", many feel they are always safe to use. Although supplements and herbs can be safer than pharmaceutical drugs, they can still function as drugs in the body and should be used with caution and respect.
It is estimated that over 80% of the world's population and 60 million Americans use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). However, although many believe CAM compliments their current traditional healthcare, most do not inform their physicians that they are taking these products. And, many providers don't ask or discuss CAM use with their patients, although one survey of 181 cardiologists found that half of them took antioxidant vitamins, themselves.
What many people don't realize is that there is no regulatory agency in charge of the supplement industry. Herbal products are not tested for purity, effectiveness and safety as drugs are. In 1994, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was enacted that requires the FDA to prove beyond any doubt that a supplement is unsafe before removing it from the market. Other than regulating what can be included on the label, they are unable to enforce any other regulation.
There is no incentive for supplement companies to conduct research because they are unable to patent 'natural' products. Those marketing herbs and other supplements save millions of dollars not spent on research, or worse, yet, conduct their own "research", which often does not include rigorous controls. Although there are many excellent and reputable supplement companies on the market, the typical consumer is unlikely to know who the credible ones are. Many independent sales representatives only know what the company tells them, and are as unaware as the consumer.
Even if the supplements are pure and not harmful by themselves, problems arise when combined with drugs. Dietary supplements may compete with drugs, leading to toxicity or treatment failure of that drug. An estimated 4 million people are at risk for herbal-prescription drug interactions. Here is a list of the most common interactions between supplements and drugs:
Warfarin (Coumadin) is used to prevent blood clotting for those at risk for deep vein thrombosis, stroke, or heart attack. Supplements that can change bleeding time controlled by this drug include flaxseed oil and fish oil supplements, goldenseal, saw palmetto, feverfew, garlic, ginseng, and willow bark, just to name a few.
Digoxin is another heart medication. Ginseng has been noted to falsely elevate blood digoxin levels. Some herbs that will affect drug effectiveness include senna, licorice, aloe, cascara, hawthorne, foxglove, goldenseal and guar gum.
Phenytoin is a drug used for seizures. Herbal interactions to be aware of include ginkgo biloba, white willow, lemon balm, skull cap, kava kava, and valerian root, to name a few. It is also important to know that Folate supplementation is necessary with Phenytoin, but excess Folate can be harmful.
It's important to take calcium supplements and vitamin D two hours apart from taking either Phenytoin or Digoxin in order to not interfere with these drug's effects.
Of particular concern are interactions with the herb St. John's Wort, which is taken by 7.5 million Americans as a depression remedy. This herb can cause serious consequences when taken with drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, or Paxil, as well as warfarin, cyclosporine, and oral contraceptives. This herb may also interact with Digoxin, chemotherapy drugs, and other drugs, causing treatment failure. Some of these interactions are serious enough that if St. John's Wort were a drug, the government would restrict marketing, make it a prescription-only item, or require label warnings.
So, what can one do??
Anyone taking a dietary supplement should first do their homework. Know exactly what the purpose of a particular supplement is for and learn all known interactions. There are many excellent informational websites on the internet. A good rule of thumb is to look for a site that does not offer products for sale!
It's also important to inform your healthcare professional what supplements you are taking, in order to avoid potential supplement-drug interactions that could put you at medical risk. Although many credible professionals sell products, there are just as many who sell products but don't really understand the physiology of the human body and are just out to make money. Supplement sales is a very popular 'easy' way to make money today!
It's just as important to do one's homework when looking for a complementary care practitioner. Although this is only one set of criteria, the best recommendation is to look for one or any of these: A pharmacist or registered dietitian who is educated in medicinal herbs, a physician who specializes in functional medicine, or an MD, OD, ND, DC, PharmD or RD who also has the CCN credential.
Don't be afraid to take supplements. They serve a very beneficial purpose. But do know why you're taking each supplement, just as you should know why you take any prescription medications. Be an informed consumer and take responsibility for your health and wellbeing.

About The Author

Marjorie Geiser has been teaching health, fitness and nutrition since 1982. She is a nutritionist, registered dietitian, certified personal trainer and life coach. As the owner of MEG Fitness, Marjorie's goal for her clients is to help them incorporate healthy eating and fitness into their busy lives. To learn more about the services Margie offers, go to her website at www.megfit.com or email her at Margie@megfit.com.

This article was posted on September 10, 2004

Kill those Buggies!

Kill those Buggies!
 by: Gene Simmons

Hack, hack, cough, gasp, wheeze, snort… where's the tissue? Wheeze, snork, gasp…
I really hate to be the bearer of sad tidings however, guess what season is just around the corner? Correctamundo! 'Tis almost that time of year to welcome our frequent visitors, Carol Cold and Freddy Flu. How special…
So after the initial sniffing and blowing, what's the next thing we invariably do? Correct again! We reach for the nearest bottle of Handy Dandy Dry Up and Anti-Drip elixir. Hey, we just gotta take "something" to help alleviate the misery these danged buggies are causing. Gotta take a pill. Gotta slug down some of that miracle Anti-Symptom juice. Gotta do it! Snork… Now!
OK, let's pull over to the side of the road and take a short thinking break here. To start with, I need to remind you that my parents gave me the first name of "Gene" and not "Doctor" so please feel free to giggle, scoff at or laugh out loud if you wish at what I'm about to say. It's just old Gene's slightly skewed common sense approach to "killing buggies".
Let's start with the basics. I've found that if we're in decent physical condition as a result of a fairly logical diet perhaps supplemented with a multivitamin – and get a reasonable amount of exercise and sleep, we're fairly well prepared to combat the common garden variety of buggies. I think drinking a lot of coffee may help too, but I'm not real sure about that part.
As a result, our bodies have a sustained innate intelligence and ability to start fighting any foreign invasion almost immediately. And if left to its own devices, that is exactly what our bodies will do. Within just a few hours, we'll produce a pile of little soldiers that will begin marching against the enemy. Our temperature will rise to create an uncomfortable environment for our unwelcome guests. Bodily orifices will flow to provide emergency exits for the invaders. And son-of-a-gun, about a week (or 7 to10 days – your choice) later, we'll be back to our old selves and feeling pretty perky again.
Our bodies are really an amazing collection of organs. So many capabilities, including the ability to successfully fight off – all on its own – a host of invading buggies. Sure, there are exceptions because we all know there are some monster microscopic critters maneuvering their way through the human population and these will certainly require super weapons to wipe 'em out. That's why there are a bunch of folks out there with the first name of "Doctor". They know what weapons to use.
I think however, that for the common, mundane ailments, our attempts to alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms of these diseases may actually tend to interfere sometimes with our body's natural ability to fight these minor infections. One big example of a common abuse is the use of antihistamines to relieve cold symptoms – specifically a runny nose. Guess what? It ain't agonna work well. A cold's runny nose is cause by a virus, not the body's production and release of histamines (little guys that are made to fight allergy-type invaders). As a result, antihistamines unfortunately tend to reduce the flow of the mucus from the nose which is the very thing that is helping to purge the body of the cold virus. We're slammin' the exit door closed! It's much better to keep blowin' – and oh yeah, wash your hands a lot so you're not contaminating everything you touch.
How about that danged cough? What an annoyance! Watch out though. If it's "productive" (getting gunk out of your lungs), it's best to let it work for you. An expectorant and plenty of water can help get the mucus out. Leave the "DM" labeled products to help alleviate the non-productive dry cough.
All stopped up? Well OK, a decongestant can help relieve the symptoms but if you're pregnant, nursing, have high blood pressure or heart problems, you'd better check with your doctor before taking any of these.
A really uncomfortable fever or headache? Any of the usual pain-killers – aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, etc. will help. Just remember one thing; none of these medications will help cure your cold or flu. They're only going to alleviate the symptoms. With or without them, in about a week your body will have done its job and you should be feeling much better.
So here's my bottom line suggestion. Instead of rushing out immediately at the very first hint of a cold or flu, to stock up on an inordinate quantity of over-the-counter medications, you might be better off to just hang loose for awhile. Just back off and let your body do its job. Like I said before, if you're in decent physical condition to begin with you may be pleasantly surprised at just how efficiently your body handles its buggy killing assignment. And sure, if you really start to get uncomfortable, then take an appropriate medication at a logical dosage to help relieve the symptoms. I'll bet you'll be pretty well healed up in about 7 to 10 days!

About The Author

Gene, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog, articles and links along with affordable books and materials written to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life's "secrets for survival" in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It's a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. You can visit Gene at http://www.nupathz.com/
gene@nupathz.com

This article was posted on September 11, 2004

Holding Back the Years

Holding Back the Years
 by: Adrian Richards MBBS, MSc, FRCS (Plast)

Maintaining a youthful appearance is a goal for many of us - both men and women alike - as the years pass by we look at ways of preventing the onset of inevitable signs of aging. Thanks to an established range of treatments offered by LINE BREAKER, specialist in the provision of non-surgical procedures you can prevent the visible signs of aging.
Founded by respected consultant surgeon, Mr Adrian Richards and Melanie Smith a specialist aesthetic nurse, the company is committed to preventing the visible signs of aging. The straightforward procedures, are in the form of Botox®, Restylane® and Juvederm® injections and a range of skin peel products including Obagi Blue Peel and Glycolic Peel. Also included in the range of non-surgical procedures are Isolagen® and IAL System.
Botox® is highly effective at treating forehead lines, crow's feet and frown lines. The virtually pain free process involves injecting a tiny amount of Botox® solution just under the skin, in sites on the area to be treated, using a very fine needle (the same type of needle that is used for premature babies). All in all, the treatment takes only 10 minutes, its effects last on average of four to six months and results can be expected in a little as fourteen days.
Botox® treatment has been used successfully for over 20 years and is backed by extensive clinical trials, with over 1400 medical research papers showing it to be safe and effective. The treatment, which is administered by a highly trained medical practitioner, works by the botulinum toxins attaching themselves to nerve endings and blocking the signals that would normally tell your muscles to contract. This releases the muscles and allows the skin to repair deep wrinkles from the bottom up.
Restylane® is a popular non-animal alternative to collagen replacement therapy and consists of a clear gel, which will smooth wrinkles and folds and give contours, as well as providing lip augmentation.
Juvederm® is a hyaluronic acid in the form of viscoelastic gel, which is transparent and homogenous and has emerged as a compound for filling in wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid is a physiological constituent of dermal tissue which maintains local moisture content and is gradually reabsorbed with time.
Obagi Blue Peel® is a procedure designed to significantly improve the appearance and health of your skin, as well as even out any pigmentary problems involving the face and other areas of the body suitable for men and women of any skin type and colour. It is ideal for anyone who wants to look better and reverse the appearance of the ageing process. Those who have blemish-prone skin, wrinkles, pigmentation problems, sun damage, or general poor skin quality will benefit the most.
Glycolic Peel is comprised of an all natural alpha hydroxy acid derived from sugar cane. Alpha Hydroxy acids occur naturally in certain fruits and foods. Of all the alpha hydroxy acids, Glycolic is the smallest in molecular size. This small molecular size allows it to penetrate the skin.
Treatment with Glycolic acid is gentler than chemical peels and is used to improve and smooth the texture of the skin of the face by removing its damaged outer layers. Rejuvenation treatment unlike any other available today.
IAL System is a long acting bio-revitalisation programme to recreate a youthful appearance by restoring elasticity, firmness and hydration of skin. As we age, the level of naturally occurring hyaluronic acid in our skin decreases considerably, leading to the appearance of ageing skin and the formation of lines and wrinkles. IAL stimulates the production of new collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, all vital components of younger looking skin.
LINE BREAKER has a nationwide network of treatment centres. For further information or to find your nearest treatment centre visit www.linebreaker.co.uk or call the information line on telephone number 0845 2300015 for specialist and sympathetic advice.
Note to editors
• Botulinum toxin A (Botox®) is a chemical produced by the Clostridium bacteria. Botox® is a protein derivative of the toxin.

About The Author

Mr. Adrian Richards is a respected consultant surgeon and founder of Line Breaker, the company is committed to preventing the visible signs of aging.

Author Contact Details
Name: Adrian Richards MBBS, MSc, FRCS (Plast)
Address: PO Box 254, Cambridge, CB3 7XY, United Kingdom
Phone: 08452300015
Email: info@sweatbreaker.co.uk
Web site: http://www.sweatbreaker.co.uk

This article was posted on September 10, 2004

Surviving September: The Dietary New Year

Surviving September: The Dietary New Year
 by: Will Clower, Ph.D.

With summer completed and school back in session, it'll be time to settle back into another fall routine. And, even though the flexible schedules of summer have gone, this is actually a very good thing for your weight and health.
In the summer, schedules can be hectic, haphazard, jumbled. This plays havoc with your weight control efforts because you end up eating on the run, at odd times during the day, or out of sync with any rhythm you have established.
Just as your sleep is affected by its normal cycles, your body also needs predictability when eating. Uneven eating patterns leads to multiple between-meal snacks, and these only provide extra calories.
Dr. Barbara Rolls at the Penn State University has shown that, when you eat between-meal snacks, you are not going to eat less at the next meal. In fact, they have no bearing at all on how much your body is hungry for later on. So all those calories are just piled onto the total.
This really makes September very much like January in many ways. January is the "diet month" because people will have eaten poorly at office parties and family reunion grazing fests for 6 straight weeks – and they're finally ready to turn over a new dietary leaf.
In the same way, we typically slip-n-slide off our normal eating schedules through the summer months, only to return to normalcy and "real life" in September. So September becomes like the dietary New Year.
It's the perfect time make fresh schedules and routines that fit a new, relaxed lifestyle. Put space in your day for relaxation, so you aren't so stressed through the day. This will keep you from cramming too many activities around your life this fall. Make sure you sit down for dinner (not in your car), and enjoy those around you.
To create the schedule that serves you best, do right away, because once life kicks into high gear again, it will be more difficult to shift gears and shuffle priorities again.
What to include on your schedule:
time to eat at the table, to unwind, to do an exercise you really love. You might try getting up a half hour early (if you're a morning person) or staying up a half hour later, to sit in the quiet of your home. Have your mate with you, your pet, or your favorite book. The point is to turn off the noise, and turn on a moment of sanity.
What to exclude from your schedule:
unneeded activities, excess car time, stressful people. You can't be all things to all people and, while you're trimming down your weight, it's really okay to cut back on your harried time commitments as well. You'll be more effective if you focus on just a few things at a time. Walk away from stressful people, who just contribute to the angst of those around them. You need peace in your life.
These tips are great starters for not only surviving September, but for living a thin and healthy life throughout the year.

About The Author

Will Clower is the award-winning author of The Fat Fallacy and founder of The PATH Curriculum, The PATH Online, and Newsletter.

The PATH: America's weight solution.
Dr. Clower can be reached on his website www.fatfallacy.com.
willclower@fatfallacy.com

This article was posted on September 09, 2004

The Gov't Wants You To Be Fat

The Gov't Wants You To Be Fat
 by: Maya Pinion

(Los Angeles, CA) -- The U.S. federal government may actually be encouraging Americans to be overweight, fat or even obese. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends an adult diet of 2,000 - 2,500 calories daily, with 30% derived from fat. That means, according to the FDA website:
if you eat 2,000 calories a day you can have up to 65 grams of fat per day.
if you eat 2,500 calories a day you can have up to 80 grams of fat per day.
And teenagers (3,000 calories a day) can have up to 100 grams of fat daily.
Thus, according to the federal government, the average person can eat between 65 and 80 grams of fat per day or, if you are a teenager, 100.
Now, if you go to the McDonalds.com website you will see that one Big Mac contains a total of 33 grams of fat. And 2 Big Macs would contain 66 grams of fat, an allowable amount of daily fat.
Therefore, in effect, the U.S. government is telling its citizens (depending on their caloric intake) that it's perfectly OK to have the equivalent of 2 Big Macs or more every day. I don't know about you but if I ate like that I'd gain weight. A lot of weight. I'd be looking in the mirror saying "Hello Chubby!" And then I'd have to force myself to run like 50 miles a day just to lose the extra weight and keep it off.
Based on the FDA guidelines the government must want us all to be fat. And, considering the already overweight population and the epidemic of obesity in America, regarding fat content in our diet it looks like the politicians and health officials in Washington are out to lunch. Perhaps at McDonald's.

About The Author

Maya Pinion is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, a contributing editor at News4Net, and a big fan of DestinyFinders.com

This article was posted on September 09, 2004

The Internet could be a beacon of light when all seems hopeless

The Internet could be a beacon of light when all seems hopeless
 by: Jesse S. Somer

Darkness surrounds you on all sides. Sometimes it just feels like you're totally alone in the world. Many belief systems say that to find happiness and peace you need to go within yourself and speak to a higher power, asking for help. Some believe that all things in life are reflections of your self, part of a whole singular universal life force. Well if this is the case, it means that all objects are just parts of the self to be explored. This brings us to the Internet. Here is a tool, an external aspect of you that can help us to find a little light when all seems hopeless.
Do you ever feel like you just can't figure out life, like there's no one who understands how you see things? Praying to the Great Spirit is probably your best bet, but if you believe the higher power lives in all things, that little box in your room with the wire that connects to masses of human society could be an option for regaining lost hope. The Internet could just give you the injection of spirit you've been looking for.
The Web is full of knowledge and information on a multitude of life's subjects, with opinions that cover both sides of the coin and in between. Look up any subject and your questions may be answered. A lot of happy and intelligent souls are sharing their ideas and opinions with the rest of us. I doubt there is a single topic that hasn't been discussed by someone.
You might even want to personally communicate with some of these people. People who think differently than the people in your local area or maybe you don't have anyone to talk to where you are. They could even become new friends. Blogs are on-line journals where you can comment and have direct discussions with the writers. You can join 'communities' that are interested in exactly the same things as you. Let me tell you, you're not alone in the world. There are others just like you out there no matter how different, weird, or individual you think you are.
Email, web cams, chat rooms all exist to help you connect with other people, to add your perspective on the world. The more voices we can hear, the more shared experiences, the stronger humanity will become as a united force. This will result in much less people feeling like they are alone and have no one to share their life with.
Hope lives deep down inside us all. Peace and love are the true driving forces behind our actions. Let other people, and other forces of the higher self help you when you feel like all is lost. Life is a great adventure and we can't forget that. We're all here to help each other out. Someone could be waiting for your connection right now.

About The Author

Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a sensitive soul who knows what it feels like to be alone. He hopes to open the eyes of others like himself to help share the forces of positivity that await us all.

This article was posted on September 09, 2004

How To Improve Your Memory In 5 Easy Steps

How To Improve Your Memory In 5 Easy Steps
 by: Memory Improvement Guide.com

Discover the 5 easy to follow steps how to quickly improve your memory and learn more in less time. Stop forgetting things that you need to remember. Become a fast learner, remember details and be more effective. Simply follow these 5 easy steps and watch your memory improve.
Today everyone is overwhelmed with information and having a good memory is very important. There are thousands of little things that you need to remember each day. You need to remember names, numbers, prices, study material, daily tasks, foreign languages, passwords and so much more. The list could continue forever here.
But can you really improve your memory, is it hard and how much time does it take?
You can improve your memory and it's easier than you think. With the right knowledge you can have a better memory in a matter of days. Read the 5 steps carefully, try to follow the advice and watch your memory improve.
Step #1: Use your imagination
Use your imagination when you face something that you want to memorize. When reading a book, imagine the things you are reading about. Imagine objects, people, situations, sounds, motion and more.
Imagination keeps you interested in a topic, makes it more fun, and gets you involved. This way your mind concentrates on what you are reading or listening and you're much more likely to remember it later
Step #2: Motivate yourself to learn
It's much easier to memorize something that you're learning with interest and motivation. It's also important to have a purpose why you want to learn something.
Understand why are you learning something and what benefits does the new information give you. Be involved in what you are learning as much as possible because then you have a purpose and more motivation to learn it.
Step #3: Have some spacing between learning sessions
You don't have to learn all information at once when you can learn everything much better by taking breaks between learning sessions. You should take breaks as rewards because this gives your mind a chance to review what you have just learned.
When you face lots of information that you have to learn, plan your learning and divide it into parts and learn each part separately. It is better to study in two or three small sessions than to study in a long six hour session.
Step #4: Learn with a clear mind
Try to be relaxed when learning. It is harder to learn something when you are stressed, tired, anxious or angry. You learn more, better and faster when your mind is not occupied by thoughts that distract you.
Also eliminate distractions like clutter, and other things that can distract you. Learn in stimulating, light and positive environment. Distractions can keep you unfocused and waste your time. Before you learn, make sure that the learning environment is free from distractions.
Step #5: Always educate yourself about memory
Your memory is one of the most important assets that you have and learning how to improve your memory is very important. By having a better memory you can make more money, be more effective, save time, always remember important details, look smarter, have more friends and so much more.
Considering all the advantages that good memory gives you and how easily you can improve your memory, it wouldn't be wise to not do anything about it.
An excellent website where you can learn how to improve your memory is
http://www.memory-improvement-guide.com/
From this website you'll learn very effective ways how to improve your memory and how to develop a memory that you can rely on in a short time. What you will learn here can improve your memory to what you want it to be.
The email course that this website offers is absolutely fantastic. From this course you will learn real memory 'secrets' like how to easily, quickly and perfectly memorize long digit numbers, long speeches, names of people, foreign languages, long lists of items and more things that was previously hard to memorize.
You'll learn the 'secrets' that memory experts use to perform impressive memory stunts on stage and how you can easily apply their memory 'secrets' in everyday life to improve your memory to what it really can be.

About The Author

Your memory resources are unlimited. Start taking advantage of them now! Go to: http://www.memory-improvement-guide.com/

This article was posted on September 08, 2004

The Secret Key To Permanent Weight Loss!

The Secret Key To Permanent Weight Loss!
 by: Dr. Jeff Banas

With this key, I GUARANTEE YOU WILL LOSE ALL THE WEIGHT YOUR EVER WANTED TOO!
Imagine yourself at your ideal weight. After all those years of trying to lose weight, you finally did it! You lost the weight! How would losing the weight change your life? Imagine it?
How would you feel? Would you have more energy? Would you be healthier? Would you live longer? Would you act differently? How would it affect your job? Would you make more money? What would your family think? How would you look? What would your social life be like? Would you feel better about yourself? Would you be happier?
Bottom line, how would losing weight change your life?
Believe me you can do it if you use this secret key. The secret key for anyone wanting to lose weight is…Never Give Up, Never, Never Give Up, Never Ever Give Up, Never Give UP! That's right, the secret key to losing weight is not a new fad diet, it's not a new medication, it's not a gimmick supplements, it is A STATE OF MIND!
Lets face it. You tried to lost weight in the past, and you failed. So what! The key is what do you do now. Do you give up, or do you start again. Anyone and everyone who has successfully lost weight and kept it off, had failed in the past. However, the reason they were finally able to lose the weight, was because they never gave up.
I know how hard and frustrating it can be, but never give up. If you have a bad day and eat a bunch fatting junk, so what, forget about it.
Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it. Just start a new day and never give up. If you tried to lose weight, and did not work, try something different.
"Have you ever considered the cost of quitting? For real eye opener…ask Thomas Edison...Steve Jobs…Michael Jordan…or Jim Carrey. Ask them how much it would have cost them if they had quit. What about you?"
JUST NEVER GIVE UP!

About The Author

Dr. Jeffrey Banas is a Chiropractic Sports Physician, practicing in Mesa; AZ. Dr. Banas personally lost 60 pounds in 2003 and now uses his experience to help others struggling with their weight problems. Dr. Banas can be reached at his office at 480-633-6837, or by visiting his web site at www.personal-weight-loss-help.com.

This article was posted on September 08, 2004

Scales Are For Fish, Not Weight Loss

Scales Are For Fish, Not Weight Loss
 by: Dr Jeff Banas

Contrary to common belief, your weight is not really the indicator of a weight problem – the actual percentage of body fat is the true indicator. You need to know what percent of you is actually FAT. How are you going to monitor your weight loss if you do not know what percent of your body is fat, before you begin your program?
Let me give you an example on measuring body fat, this is important in understanding weight loss, or should I say FAT LOSS. This is actually what we are trying to lose, right? FAT!
Lets say someone weighs 200 pounds and when we measure their body fat we find out there body fat is 40%
This means that 40% of the members body is made of fat (80 lbs). The other 120 lbs is muscle, bones, organs, water, etc. (everything but fat).
Now any true weight loss program should include some form of strength training customized to their personal abilities (Another reason you need someone who truly understands the whole body and how it works). Because if you can gain some of that muscle mass that we lose with age, our bodies will burn more calories and therefore burn more FAT!
Now it's a few weeks into the program and this person steps on the scale and they now weigh 198 lbs. They are a little disappointed because they thought they were doing better. Their clothes fit better, they have more energy, and they are feeling better.
But they are still depressed because they only lost a lousy 2 pounds! Right? Are we sure???
We now check their body fat and it is now 36% not 40%. Let's do a little math.
200 lbs at 40% body fat means that 40% of them is fat, which equals 80 lbs of FAT, and 120 lbs are muscles and everything else (called the lean body mass).
198 lbs at 36% body fat means that 36% of them is fat which equals 71 lbs of FAT, and 125 lbs of lean body mass.
This person actually lost 9 pounds of FAT (the stuff we are trying to lose) and gained 5 pounds of lean body mass (mostly muscle mass, which is a good thing because this will allow their body to burn more calories!)
You need to measure and focus on PERCENT OF BODY FAT, AND NOT WEIGHT!
But don't worry, when your body fat goes down, as your body fat decreases so will the numbers on the scale!

About The Author

Dr. Jeffrey Banas is a Chiropractic Sports Physician, practicing in Mesa; AZ. Dr. Banas personally lost 60 pounds in 2003 and now uses his experience to help others struggling with their weight problems. Dr. Banas can be reached at his office at 480-633-6837, or by visiting his web site at www.personal-weight-loss-help.com.

This article was posted on September 08, 2004

Treatments that offer hope to hair loss sufferers

Treatments that offer hope to hair loss sufferers
 by: Richard Mitchell

Many people experiencing premature hair loss simply resign themselves to a process that is as inevitable as growing old. This is a positive and healthy reaction to what is a natural process for many. But for others the onset of premature balding or excessive hair loss represents a traumatic development that causes untold worry and suffering. This too is a legitimate reaction regardless of whether the hair loss is caused by hereditary factors or some other more complex cause.
Should these sufferers just grin and bear it? No, they should not because there are a number of potentially effective treatments they could utilize, depending on the nature of their hair loss. In this article I will outline some of the most popular hair loss treatments currently available in order to reinforce the fact that hair loss can be treated. The next article in the series will look closely at the treatment regimes best suited to specific ailments such as alopecia areata and telogen effluvium.
At present only two medications have been approved as hair loss treatments by the FDA. These are minoxidil, better known as Rogaine, and finasteride, better known as Propecia. Several other drugs have proven to be effective in combating hair loss, dutasteride for example, but have not yet been approved for this particular use.
Finasteride was originally developed to treat enlarged prostate conditions but a low dose version was subsequently approved for the treatment of hair loss in men. It tackles the causes of male pattern baldness by preventing the conversion of 5-alpha-reductase into DHT. Given that DHT is the main male hormone linked to hair loss, reducing its production by two thirds has a major impact on controlling this type of baldness.
Research has shown that 83% of men studied were able to maintain their hair count and 64% experienced regrowth by the end of a two year period. It should be noted that finasteride is approved for use by men only as the drug can have serious effects on unborn male fetuses. Women should therefore only consider using this drug under the strict supervision of a physician.
Dutasteride (Avodart) is a new medication for use in treating prostate conditions and, although not yet approved for the treatment of hair loss, it does offer exciting possibilities. It works in a similar way to finasteride but reputedly reduces overall DHT production by over 93%. As is the case with finasteride, women should consult their physician before using dutasteride.
Minoxidil (Rogaine) is the other hair loss treatment approved by the FDA and it is the only anti-baldness drug approved for women. Applied topically, its main benefit is its ability to stimulate regrowth thus reversing the effects of pattern baldness. Many users combine the application of minoxidil with other hair loss treatments like Propecia to achieve maximal results, but others experience satisfactory outcomes using minoxidil on its own.
Several studies have shown that certain non-drug products promote hair regrowth but none have yet been approved by the FDA. This is partly due to the prohibitive costs involved in conducting trials to prove that the products are effective for the purpose of marketing them as hair loss treatments. Many individuals and dermatologists nonetheless recommend use of certain non-drug treatments as an alternative or complement to drug therapy.
In many instances the treatments are based on natural ingredients that stimulate similar responses to those of the prescribed drugs but without the side effects. The information provided here presents a sample of products that have been subjected to testing or at least have had their effectiveness supported by independent feedback.
One such product is Arcon Tisane which has become Europe's top selling natural supplement for hair loss. It comes as a capsule and sub-lingual spray containing saw palmetto and fenugreek stimulating a response similar to that of finasteride by inhibiting the production of DHT. Arcon Tisane has been clinically tested and has received widespread media coverage of its success in combating hair loss.
Calosol is a relatively new product aimed at helping alopecia areata sufferers. It consists of a shampoo and an accelerator applied daily in order to stimulate hair roots, reduce hair loss and promote healthy hair. Early indications suggest that Calosol can contribute significantly to easing this distressing and difficult to treat condition.
Fabao 101 is a treatment that comes in varying formats, each designed to tackle a particular form of hair loss. The common factor to each product is their derivation from natural plant sources. It was developed by a dermatologist and has received many international awards.
Folligen copper peptide products are designed to help create an environment that improves scalp health, reduces hair loss and stimulates hair regrowth. It can be used by both men and women. Studies at over 30 leading universities and medical research institutes have established the effectiveness of the technology utilized in Folligen products.
Tricomin is another treatment that targets the delivery of copper to the base of the hair follicle and it too has been clinically proven as an effective treatment for stopping hair loss and stimulating regrowth. It can be used safely with other hair loss treatments and can be especially useful in complementing the effects of finasteride and minoxidil.
Revivogen is an all-natural hair loss treatment that reduces DHT production, blocks the androgen receptors and stimulates hair growth. It is used topically and has no known side effects.
Shen Min is another natural hair loss treatment designed to restore and regrow all types and stages of hair loss. It is safe for both men and women. Shen Min contains a blend of Chinese herbs and comes in various forms to suit most people.
ThymuSkin was developed by German scientists to fight hair loss in patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Due to the high success rates the product was developed for use by the general public to combat all types of hair loss. Clinical studies conducted in Europe show that ThymuSkin hair loss treatments could help to stop baldness and regrow hair for 67% of men and 95% of women.
Hopefully this article has demonstrated that many treatment options are available to hair loss sufferers. The next article in this series will develop the theme further by examining the treatment regimes that have proven effective in tackling specific forms of hair loss such as androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata and telogen effluvium.
In the meantime you can find out more about any of the treatments discussed in this article by visiting http://www.myhairlossadvisor.com/hair-loss-treatments.html"

About The Author

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the http://www.myhairlossadvisor.com website that provides information and guidance to those suffering from premature hair loss.
richard@myhairlossadvisor.com

This article was posted on September 07, 2004

What Are The Common Hair Loss Causes?

What Are The Common Hair Loss Causes?
 by: Richard Mitchell

One of the most worrying aspects of hair loss treatment is the tendency of so many people to seek solutions without first determining what has caused their loss in the first place.
At best, sufferers may waste money on inappropriate 'wonder cures' or even legitimate treatments that unfortunately are not suitable for their particular needs. At worst, some people may be risking their health by self-prescribing powerful pharmaceutical drugs. I don't have a problem with hair loss sufferers saving money by purchasing cheap generic drugs on the internet, but I feel strongly that they should at least seek confirmation from their physician that a given drug matches their individual needs.
Before examining the most common causes of premature hair loss we need to understand that some shedding of hair is perfectly normal. Hairs grow from follicles that are tiny organs in the skin designed to grow a single hair that follows this repetitive cycle:
1. Lengthy growth period (Anagen Stage) - this phase usually lasts between two and seven years with an average growth rate of six inches (15cm) each year.
2. Short transition period (Catagen Stage) - this period of transition lasts for roughly two to four weeks. During this phase the hair shaft becomes detached and moves upwards within the follicle.
3. Resting period (Telogen Stage) - this phase lasts about three months allowing the hair to detach itself prior to falling out.
At this point a new hair begins to grow thus repeating the normal cycle of hair growth. Unfortunately a number of factors can interfere with the natural hair growth process leading to forms of hair thinning or premature baldness.
Androgenetic alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss, probably accounting for as much as 95% of pattern hair loss for both men and women. It is usually associated with aging and develops in predictable stages over varying periods of time. Each follicle follows a genetically programmed growth cycle with some follicles coded to remain active for a shorter time than others. This results in the development of the hereditary baldness patterns that are so familiar to us all.
For this type of baldness to occur, the following factors must be present:
1. A genetic predisposition for hair loss to occur (as explained above).
2. The presence of male hormones.
3. Aging - in other words, enough time for the first two factors to exert an influence.
All men and women produce male hormones such as testosterone and DHT. These have a useful role to play in both sexes but obviously occur in widely differing concentrations. It is the higher levels of androgens found in males that explains why this form of hair loss affects men more than women.
In brief, these hormones affect the hair growth cycle as follows:
1. High levels of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme occur in some cells of the hair follicle and sebaceous glands.
2. 5-alpha-reductase converts testosterone into DHT.
3. DHT causes the terminal hairs to miniaturize.
4. This leaves short, soft, fluffy vellus hairs that provide inadequate scalp coverage.
5. The growth phases gradually become shorter until these hairs are lost for good.
Alopecia areata is thought to be an immune system disorder that causes follicles to stop producing hairs in patches on the head. In severe cases it can advance to the stage where all hair on the head is lost (alopecia totalis) or even a complete absence of body hair results (alopecia universalis).
In most cases the hair will reappear on its own but until then, the condition can be very distressing to sufferers particularly as its cause can be difficult to determine. If you feel you may be suffering from this form of hair loss, seek the advice of your physician who will carry out a physical examination and conduct blood tests to help determine the cause.
Telogen effluvium is characterized by a general thinning or shedding of hair over a period of months and is most commonly found in people who have recently experienced trauma. Common causes include childbirth, major surgery, severe illness, psychological stress and chemotherapy. The good news is that the abnormal growth behavior associated with telogen effluvium is temporary and reversible.
There are numerous other less common hair loss causes that need to be discounted before a course of treatment is chosen. Traction alopecia is the loss of hair from constant pulling, usually as the result of hair styling. Broken hairs can result in thinning, often caused by excessive styling or exposure to chemicals and sun. Finally, severe illnesses or nutritional deficiencies can cause side effects that may include degrees of hair loss.
I hope this brief article has gotten across the message that diagnosing the real causes of hair loss is not always a straightforward process. Once you and your physician have identified a cause, then you can work towards restoring your hair to its former glory. And the good news is, most forms of hair loss can be treated successfully. The next article in this series will look at some of the best hair loss treatments currently available.
In the meantime, please visit http://www.myhairlossadvisor.com/hair-loss-causes.html to learn more about the issues addressed in this article.

About The Author

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the http://www.myhairlossadvisor.com website that provides information and guidance to those suffering from premature hair loss.
richard@myhairlossadvisor.com

This article was posted on September 07, 2004

Are Hair Loss Treatments Just One Big Scam?

Are Hair Loss Treatments Just One Big Scam?
 by: Richard Mitchell

The hair loss industry is not one that inspires great confidence in most people. I have to admit this is perfectly understandable given the damage caused by the many rogues and charlatans who have abused the trust of far too many vulnerable people - people who have received worthless and even dangerous products or advice in exchange for their hard earned cash. The end result is the prevalance of a stigma that the industry is hard pressed to shake off.
But is this perception really justified nowadays? Are there no genuine treatments that sufferers can turn to in a bid to treat the ravages of premature hair loss? The simple answer is YES, there are several safe, affordable, accessible and effective hair loss treatments currently available. Some have even been approved by FDA for the treatment of hair loss conditions while others draw on natural remedies as the basis for commercially available products. Whether or not any of them are suitable for a given individual depends on a number of important factors.
First and foremost, every individual must determine the exact cause or causes of his or her hair loss. This may appear to be an over-simplistic statement but the truth is, most people undergoing a course of treatment for hair loss have proceeded on the basis of self-diagnosis. Given the fact that premature or excessive hair loss is often associated with underlying medical conditions, this is perhaps not the most sensible course of action.
My advice in all cases is to seek the guidance of a qualified medical practitioner because the consequences of not doing so may be serious in a small number of cases. Even where all the evidence points to the onset of hereditary male pattern baldness it would probably be best to seek advice, if only to rule out other factors.
Once the cause of hair loss has been properly diagnosed you will be in a position to choose a suitable form of treatment. This may range from the prescription of drugs aimed at balancing disrupted hormone levels to the topical application of minoxidil to reduce the symptoms of male pattern baldness.
Hair loss may be caused by many factors including changing hormone levels, illness, stress, overuse of strong chemicals, excessive traction, poor grooming practices, side effects of medical treatment, poor nutrition, weak immune system and the effects of aging. The good news is, all of these can be tackled with reasonable hope of success but only if you choose the right treatment.
The next article in this series will look closely at the various causes of excessive hair loss and outline suggested treatments that are both affordable and accessible. If you take only two things from this article, please take these suggestions on board:
1. Always seek the advice of your physician before undergoing a hair loss treatment regime.
2. Don't despair, there's often a simple explanation for excessive hair loss and even hereditary loss or male pattern-type baldness can be treated successfully for most people nowadays.

About The Author

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the href="http://www.myhairlossadvisor.com/index.html">www.myhairlossadvisor.com website that provides information and guidance to those suffering from premature hair loss.
richard@myhairlossadvisor.com

This article was posted on September 07, 2004

The Maharishi Ayurveda Approach to Weight Loss with Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.

The Maharishi Ayurveda Approach to Weight Loss with Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.
 by: Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.

Maharishi Ayurveda Approach to Weight Loss:
5 Easy Steps to A Healthier Weight
Although different people have weight problems for different reason, these 5 tips address fundamental lifestyle habits that affect virtually everyone. The really good news is that these 5 powerful tips are easy to implement and can bring about great changes in your life and health once in place.
Point 1. Eat a light evening meal with easy-to-digest foods.
Everyone dealing with weight loss issues needs to know that it is virtually impossible to make serious progress if you continue to eat large evening meals with heavy foods!
I cannot emphasize this point too much. Ayurveda describes that digestion is less strong in the evening, plus lying down to sleep a few hours later further slows down digestion, metabolism and circulation. The body simply cannot assimilate large evening meals properly. The result is that much of the food is digested poorly and eventually creates toxins, fat and excess weight. For most people using the approaches of eating less during the day, herbs, pills, special powders and drinks, and even exercise cannot overcome this most serious of all weight loss mistakes.
Especially avoid in the evening: cheese, yogurt, rich desserts, red meat, leftovers of any kind, cold foods, processed foods
Avoid or reduce in evening meals: fowl, fish, desserts
Evening meals should be vegetarian, hot, light and liquidy. If you are significantly overweight the foundation of the evening meal should be 1) non-cream soups, 2) grains cooked in water (for example rice, quinoa, cous cous, barley), and 3) vegetables either steamed, roasted or sauteed with small amounts of extra virgin olive oil. If you must have dessert, I recommend cooked fruit desserts made with only small amounts of organic sugar.
2. Eat the largest meal of the day at lunch with a wide variety of warm, cooked food.
Lunch is the time our bodies can best digest and properly assimilate larger quantities of food due to the fact that digestion is strongest at noon and we have many active hours to metabolize the food before we sleep. Lunch is the most important meal of the day and the meal we most need to plan and prepare for.
Lunch should be warm, cooked foods with a wide variety of tastes and dishes. Warm food is essential as it can be more easily digested and assimilated. Cold foods suppress digestion (remember your chemistry- cold temperature suppresses chemical reaction, and digestion is chemistry!) The result of regular meals of cold foods is indigestion, the accumulation of ama (undigested molecules that clog the channels,) and weight gain.
Having a wide variety of foods is essential for nutrition and to prevent the body from developing food cravings-the downfall of many a well-meaning diet plan. Food cravings often occur because of imbalanced diets that included only a few food types. Diets restricted to mostly carbohydrates or protein or fat eventually lead to undernourished tissues that rightfully send hunger messages to our brain. Even though we have just finished eating a large quantity of food, parts of our body are still truly malnourished and hungry. Unfortunately if we don't realize this when the hunger signals come we may reach for even more carbohydrate rich and dense foods like desserts when actually we need green vegetables and legume soups.
A good, balanced lunch also helps us feel less hungry in the evening, making it easier to stick to that all-important light evening meal.
3. Drink hot water frequently throughout the day
By sipping hot water throughout the day you help cleanse the digestive tract and entire body of blockages and impurities. Hot water drinking improves digestion and assimilation of food and helps prevent the body from becoming toxic and clogged. It also is a great aid in reducing food cravings between meals. I have known people who lost over 50 pounds by following only this single recommendation.
Most people can accomplish the hot water recommendation by getting a good thermos and having a cup sitting on a small cup-sized hot plate. You can pour your hot water in the cup, put it on the warmer and sip it throughout the day as you work.
The most purifying and cleansing water is water that has been boiled for about ten minutes. Boiling water for ten minutes reduces its heaviness (you will usually see a fine powder at the bottom of the pan that consists of precipitated materials from the water) and energizes the water. Drinking water from your hot water dispenser at work is better than not drinking any at all, but is not as effective as boiled water.
4. Avoid leftovers
Maharishi Ayurveda holds that putting food back in the refrigerator after it has been cooked seriously deteriorates the quality of the foods and their digestibility. Even if you heat it up after you take it out of the refrigerator, it has lost its life giving freshness.
We get more than molecules from food. We also get freshness, life force (prana) and nature's intelligence from our foods. Physics tells us there is a classical world of molecules but also a quantum mechanical world of vibration. The vibration of the deeper fields which comprise nature's life-force and intelligence get destroyed by cooling cooked food. As a result leftovers easily lead to improperly digested waste products called "ama" that accumulate in the body causing toxins, blockages, excessive weight gain and lead to many diseases.
The converse principle sums up the essence of Ayurvedic food guidelines.
"Eat fresh food, freshly prepared"
Because of the activity of our lives, and logistics of shopping and cooking, this simple statement can be difficult to achieve but every step in this direction will help us with weight management and overall good health.
A convenient way to get a home-cooked, nearly fresh meal of pure, wholesome ingredients for lunch each day, is to cook barley and lentils (a good fat-busting combination) overnight in a crock pot. In the morning, add chopped vegetables and some spices sautйed in olive oil (try cumin, black pepper, fresh ginger root, coriander and turmeric.) Put in a wide-mouth thermos and bring for lunch. Add some rye crackers (another fat busting grain according to Ayurveda,) and fresh fruit for a well-balanced, pure and nutritious lunch.
5. Get Moving!
I saw a headline in a health paper some time ago that made a good point "Stop Dieting and Start Moving"
Exercise is an antidote for almost everything that ails us. It improves digestion, metabolism, elimination, complexion, body tone and strength, bone density, and helps us normalize weight. It is also emotionally positive as it can be enjoyable, increase self-worth and bring us greater energy, freshness and success throughout the day.
At least take time every day to get out and walk. Evaluate your schedule and take walks whenever you can squeeze them in. Be vigilant to take opportunities to walk. It is especially good to walk after meals and especially healthy to take a walk after the evening meal.
Additional tips: Go to bed by 10:00 PM. Metabolism of waste products takes place after 10 PM and is reduced by being awake and active, or eating the proverbial "midnight snack," at this time Add digestive enhancing, fat-busting spices to your meals like fresh ginger, cumin, black pepper, turmeric and fenugreek. Keep GOOD snacks around to prevent you eating bad snacks. Examples of good snacks are fresh fruits, dried fruits, nuts, fresh squeezed vegetable juices and whole grain crackers. Practice meditation and yoga daily to keep mind and body balanced reduce the mental cravings for food. (Based on hundreds of scientific studies documenting its health benefits, I recommend the TM technique for my patients) Take a walk in the morning. Exercise of some type outdoors in the morning sun has a powerful positive influence on mind, emotions and energy throughout the day. Take Panchakarma treatments twice a year. Maharishi Ayurveda recommends panchakarma (the massage, heat treatments and internal cleansing therapies of Ayurveda) be done twice a year to prevent impurities from accumulating and eliminating their buildup in bodily tissues. (A recent study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine documented the reduction by 50% of the cancer causing chemical PCB in the blood after five days of Maharishi Rejuvenation Treatment, a specific program of panchakarma.) Ingest mainly organic extra virgin olive oil. Organic ghee is also acceptable in small quantities (1-2 tsp. per day)or not at all if you are overweight and/or have high cholesterol. Avoid any non-organic vegetable oils especially corn and soy oil. Oils are perhaps the most important food group to get right, as impure oils can contribute to so many diseases if not used properly
Summary
Health is won or lost in how we live day-to-day life. I encourage everyone with weight management issues to take initiative and get on an upward spiral of healthy activity. Your quick reward will be greater freshness, happiness and a lighter, healthier body.

About The Author

Nancy Lonsdorf M.D. received her M.D. from Johns Hopkins and did her postgraduate training at Stanford. She has studied Ayurveda with some of the world's most renowned Ayurvedic physicians in India, Europe and the U.S. Dr. Lonsdorf has 18 years of clinical experience with Ayurveda and is currently the Medical Director of The Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Vedic City Iowa.

Dr. Lonsdorf has authored two books on Ayurveda and women's health:
1. A Woman's Best Medicine (Penguin/Putnam 1995 ; ISBN 0-87477-785-2) describing the Ayurvedic approach to the major issues in women's health
2. The Ageless Woman: Health and Beauty after Forty with Maharishi Ayurveda (MCD Century Publications 2004 ISBN#: 0-9721233-5-0) on anti-aging recommendations and longevity for women.

Doctor Lonsdorf's contact information is:

Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.
1734 Jasmine Avenue
Vedic City, IA 52556
641-472-8246
web site url: http://www.ayurveda-ayurvedic.com/
e-mail address: info@ayurveda-ayurvedic.com
Dr. Lonsdorf photo for web at: http://www.ayurveda-ayurvedic.com/images/ayurveda%20physician.jpg

This article was posted on September 07, 2004

What The Most Dangerous Job In The World Taught Me About Coping With Stress

What The Most Dangerous Job In The World Taught Me About Coping With Stress
 by: Kevin Thompson

I just got through reading some troubling news in the New York Times this morning.
62% of employees now say that work-related stress leaves them overwhelmed and overtired.
And for many of us, who bring work home from the office, the problem is even worse.
So what's going on?
Why are most of us so stressed?
I'll tell you what a major part of the problem is… lack of job security.
I remember as I was growing up, my father only had two jobs. He was a high school teacher for the earlier part of his life, and later on he went into the real estate profession.
Two jobs, and they spanned his entire lifetime!
And the one career change he made was something he wanted to do. He didn't make the change because he was losing his job as a teacher. In fact, the school district wanted him to stay.
But that's a far cry from the way things are today. In fact, the days of job stability, and working for a single employer for your entire working career are long gone.
You'll probably change jobs at least 11 times before you retire.
Downsizing, rapid business expansion and outsourcing are terms that we're all too familiar with.
Before I got involved in the health industry and started my own indoor air quality business back in 1996, I'd already held 5 jobs in 5 completely different industries.
I worked as a telecommunications technician (in the Army), as a framer, on the green chain at 2 separate lumber mills, as a farm hand and finally as an Alaska fisherman for seven years (which was the hardest and most stressful job I ever had).
Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "You must've been a problem employee".
But the fact is, nothing could be further from the truth.
I was in fact a model employee for every company I worked for, and never left a single employer on bad terms.
For example…
I began working as an Alaska fisherman in 1988. My main motivation for doing this was the money. Quite honestly, that's the only reason I took the job.
And if you've ever seen that movie "The Perfect Storm" or watched those shows on the discovery channel, you have an idea of what it's like to fish in Alaska.
My own story isn't much different and it taught me why being an Alaska Fisherman is know as "The Most Dangerous Job In The World".
The winter of 1995 had been an especially bad winter in Alaska. Fishing boats and fishermen's lives were being claimed by the Bering Sea almost weekly.
I was working on the outside deck after dark and we were in an unbelievable storm. It was the worst I'd seen in my 7 years of fishing. The kind of thing you only see in the movies.
I was scared to death!
But I had my own way of dealing with my fears. I'd never look out at the horizon when we were in a storm like this because I didn't want to see the big picture. I didn't want to know how high the waves really were. So I'd just concentrate on my job, which was to get all the fish onto the boat. As long as I did my job, and didn't look up, I could almost convince myself that the storm wasn't that bad.
While this certainly wasn't the best way to deal with stress, at the time, it was the only way I knew how.
As always, the captain was in the wheelhouse driving the boat. His job was to keep an eye on me and watch for the dangerous rogue waves that would come out of nowhere and slam into us broadside. He'd tell me if I was in any real danger.
And then it happened!
I heard the captain's thundering voice over the intercom system.
Kevin! Hit the deck!
Before I could react, I was buried under a wall of water that hurled me all the way across the deck of the boat, face first into the railing on the other side.
When the water settled, and I realized what had happened, my immediate thought was, "Thank God I'm still on the boat" The impact had knocked out my front teeth and caused serious facial damage, but at least I was still alive, and on the boat.
If that wave would have lifted me just a few inches higher, I would have been thrown right over the top of the railing into the freezing waters of the Bering Sea. And there's one thing I knew for sure. In a storm like that, there's no way in hell the captain would have got that boat turned around in time to save me. I would have died right then and there.
It was at that moment I decided my life as an Alaska Fisherman was over.
While it was a great experience, I've never regretted my decision to leave the fishing industry. I just didn't want to deal with that much stress in my life.
Decades of research has linked stress to everything from heart attacks and stroke to diabetes and a weakened immune systems, and none of us want to deal with that.
I've since found much better ways to deal with stress, and you can too by going to www.healtharticles.org

About The Author

Kevin Thompson is a national authority on indoor air quality and health issues. His free Health Articles & News Update service gives you instant access to the world's most respected and sought after health experts in 70 categories, including Men's Health, Women's Health and Children's Health just to name a few. Find out how this free service is changing people's lives and how you too can live a longer, healthier and more prosperous lifestyle... beginning today. Go to www.healtharticles.org.
kevin@healtharticles.org

This article was posted on September 07, 2004

Getting Rid Of Gallstones Naturally

Getting Rid Of Gallstones Naturally
 by: Dr. Rita Louise

The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ that sits on the right side of our bodies just beneath the liver. Its primary function is to store and secrete bile. Bile is a yellow-brown fluid produced by the liver, which helps us digest fats. Our liver produces up to three cups of bile a day. Our gallbladder can store up to a cup of bile as it awaits a fatty meal.
When we eat, our gallbladder contracts and pushes bile into the small intestines where it helps with the digestion of fats. Bile is made up of water, cholesterol, fats, bile salts, proteins and bilirubin. Under certain conditions, substances in the bile, especially the cholesterol or bile pigment (bilirubin) can harden into stones – gallstones.
Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. We can develop one large stone or a multitude of smaller ones. Many people with gallstones have no symptoms at all. Others go through life relatively symptom free, experiencing minor symptoms such as abdominal bloating, intolerance to fatty foods, belching, intestinal gas and indigestion. For others, however they may suffer what is called a gallstone "attack". Gallstone attacks often follow a fatty meal. Symptoms of an attack include steady, sever pain in the upper abdomen that can last from 30 minutes to several hours. Sufferers may also experience pain in the back between the shoulder blades or under the right shoulder. A gallstone attack is often accompanied by nausea or vomiting. If symptoms such as sweating, chills, a fever or a yellowish color to the skin or whites of the eyes occur, it is important to seek medical assistance.
There are a number of factors that increase your risk of having gallstones. Those at a higher risk include women, especially women who are pregnant, on hormone therapy or taking birth control pills, people over 60 years of age, Native and Mexican Americans, overweight individuals and individuals who fast or go on crash diets and lose a lot of weight quickly.
It is important to recognize that if the gallbladder is loaded with stones, there is very little room to store bile and fat digestion may become impaired. In turn, the unused bile can back up into the liver causing liver congestion. If this is the case, it is important to evaluate your liver's health prior to cleansing on your gallbladder.
Recommendations For Wellness
The traditional treatment for gallstones is to have your gallbladder removed. There are, however, a number of things you can do to reduce your risk of producing gallstones or experiencing a gallstone attack.
Reduce your consumption of saturated fats typically found in red meat and pork, while increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables you consume.
Start a diet and exercise program, but avoid crash dieting which can increase your risk of gallstones. Both diet and exercise can help you reduce your risk of producing gallstones.
If you are taking birth control pills or are on hormone replacement therapy, speak with your doctor regarding your risk of forming stones or have them check your gallbladder for the presence of gallstones regularly.
Studies indicate that coffee increase the flow of bile and may help to decrease the risk of gallstones. If you decide to add a little coffee to your health plan for this reason, make sure you only consume organically grown coffee beans.
Supplement with vitamin C. Vitamin C is needed by the body to convert cholesterol to bile acids in the body.
Lecithin has been shown to help break down and transport fat molecules and may help dissolve gallstones. Studies indicate that it is helpful in protecting us from gallstone formation.
Safflowers can be used to thin body fluids as well as aid in the digestion of oils.
Nature's Sunshine Gall Bladder Formula can be used to help stimulate circulation, improve liver function & aid in the production of digestive fluids.
Do a gallbladder flush. During a gallbladder flush, 1-2 cups of olive oil are consumed to simulate the gallbladder into releasing bile. This increased demand on the gallbladder to release bile works to push the stones out.
If you think your liver is congested, or if you have been having minor symptoms of gallstones for a long period of time, it is important to support and cleanse your liver for a period of time before doing a gallbladder flush. Try taking herbs such as milk thistle, dandelion or a liver cleanse formula.

About The Author

Dr. Rita Louise, Ph.D. is a Naturopathic Physician and a 20-year veteran in the Human Potential Field, but it is her unique gift as a medical intuitive and clairvoyant that illuminates and enlivens her work. Author of the newly released book "Avoiding the Cosmic 2x4", her unique insights bridge the worlds of science, spirit and culture and are changing the way the world views physical, mental and emotional health. To schedule a session and experience Dr. Louise in action, visit http://www.soulhealer.com or call 972-475-3393.
rita@soulhealer.com

This article was posted on September 07, 2004

What Is Cancer?

What Is Cancer?
 by: Simon Mitchell

Cancer is a process that has always effected animals, it is just as common in domestic and farm animals, birds and fishes as it is in humans. Western scientific medicine has been effective in minimising infectious diseases. Many of us are living longer and cancer has almost been accepted as a normal feature of the ageing process. But statistics do not bear this out. The incidence of cancer is increasing in all age groups.
Because cancer cells take some time to grow to a stage where they are a large enough mass to be identifiable, it might be 18 months to 3 years, even 30 years before the disease is diagnosed by a doctor. By then we can be more than half-way down the path to a terminal illness. Due to our psychological make-up we are often immobilised by the news.
We tend to minimise it or deny that it has happened to us. We get depressed. ‘Why me?’ A cycle of immobilisation - minimisation - depression often occurs. Those who do break out of it and manage to accept the reality start testing for options, often ‘against the clock’ find out that cancer is an awesome and complex subject providing a great example of opening a ‘whole can of worms’. Information overload, specialist language, ignorance of alternatives, vested interest, lack of co-operation, paradigm gaps, lack of access to specific information or treatment and a host of barriers such as language translation exist that prevent understanding the problem let alone the latest research.
Since an allopathic doctor (Western surgical doctor) is generally the first point of contact for this dis-ease, cancer is mostly treated only with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and more recent biological breakthroughs in hormone treatment. Despite billions spent on research these are basically the same options we had fifty years ago. Essentially the basic treatment of cancer has not changed for many years.
Orthodox treatments for cancer can be brutal and expensive but in the face of scientific medical evidence are the best we have. Solid information on alternatives is confusing, contradictory, unproved and unsupported by current medical models. Many medical doctors view alternatives or complementary approaches with doubt. Those that do endorse them do so mainly because they might enhance the patients quality of life or contribute to palliative care (palliative: ‘relieving pain or alleviating a problem without dealing with the cause’).
Many complementary and alternative practitioners point out that allopathic cancer treatments are only palliative because they treat effects without looking at causes. An example is using pain killers to take away a headache. Although it is highly useful and very convenient it is no guarantee that the headache won’t re-occur. Similarly the orthodox treatment of cancer is more concerned with treating the dis-ease than the patient.
How does it start?
In cancer, a cell, or group of cells, loses touch with where it is in the scheme of things, its ‘synergy’, and starts replicating for itself. The word synergy comes from the Greek ‘sunergos’, meaning ‘working together’. Synergy is the interaction of two or more agents, that produces an combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects, in this case - us. All the cells in a healthy body work together to give us life. They exist as unique individual cells in their own right but also have a higher function, contributing to the life-form of which they are part. Every one of the two thousand billion cells in our bodies has as many working parts as a passenger airliner so it is quite usual for some of these cells to suffer damage.
We all have the potential for cancer. Even a healthy body carries about 10,000 malignant cells and a fully functioning immune system will remove them. But what do cells ‘get’ that change them, click them out of the whole system of our body to become selfish and self-replicating?
Some doctors refer to this simply as ‘insult’. What happens when you insult a cell so often it gets upset? Just like you or I might do - it gives up on the host and sets out for itself. Our consumer culture is presently rich in ways for us to insult our cells and stress them without us even realising.
The growth begins when oncogenes (controlling cell growth and multiplication) in a cell or group of cells are ‘transformed’ by carcinogens. Cell insult often starts with ‘free radicals’, which are unstable atoms or molecules produced by the body as part of its natural defence against disease. Sometimes the body over-reacts in its production of these and produces more than it needs. Recognised stressors that can spark overproduction include cigarette smoke, smog or pollution, too much ultraviolet light, illness or even too much exercise!
Free radicals contain a negative charge that makes them highly reactive. As soon as they are produced they start looking for other molecules with positively charged particles. The reaction they have on meeting is called oxidisation, and this reaction can have a harmful effect, damaging the D.N.A. inside cells or cell membranes and opening the door for cancer.
When a cell is changed into a tumour-forming type, the change in its oncogenes is passed onto all offspring cells. Hence a small group can become established and then start dividing rapidly. Usually these cells ‘give up’ on their normal specialised task in the body and escape from normal controls such as bodily hormones and nerves.
Cancer has no regard for the condition of its host only the success of its own growth, it is ‘anti-synergistic’ and a parasite to the body, consuming nutrients and contributing nothing. It converts the energies around it to its own use and blocks any attacks by suppressing the body’s own immunity. This immunity self-attack is an emerging pattern in modern diseases.
Cancer cells interact with each other and cells around them. They affect the growth of cells nearby and elsewhere in the body, they change the immune system to benefit themselves, they can avoid or destroy normal body defences such as lymphocytes. They can even persuade the body to grow new blood vessels to feed a tumour.
Cancer cells move seemingly ‘at will’ around the body, dissolving the glue of healthy cell walls to pass through and set-up camp elsewhere, creating metastases (secondary growths) seemingly anywhere. It is a highly complex disease with over a hundred definable types and many variables within each.
Cancer is a form of chaos that grows inside us. It is no wonder this most frightening and mysterious of diseases is immortalised in the ‘dreaming mechanisms’ of our media. Movies such as the Alien series capitalise on our fears of something unknown and unwanted growing inside us.
Cell insult happens in a number of ways and if the right conditions for cancer exist it will start to grow through cell multiplication. Once the cancer growth gets going, and the conditions that engendered it are still present, the growth continues at various rates, depending on the host and what they provide. Cancer grows best in an P.H. acid body with lots of glucose, oxygen and easily accessible nutrients.
Even with immortal cell replication it can take many years before a cancer becomes noticeable. A million cells together create only a small growth. Diagnosis is still difficult at this stage as there may not be any visible evidence of cancer.

About The Author

Simon Mitchell
This is an extract from 'Don't Get Cancer'a new ebook available only at: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/don'tget1.html

This article was posted on September 04, 2004

W.H.O. gets cancer

W.H.O. gets cancer
 by: Simon Mitchell

Below The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) summarise what we know about cancer from scientific research:
Cancer is largely preventable: by stopping smoking, providing healthy food and avoiding the exposure to carcinogens.
Some of the most frequent cancer types are curable by surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The chance of cure increases substantially if cancer is detected early.
Quality of life of cancer patients and their families can be greatly improved by the provision of palliative care.
Cancer control is a public health approach aimed at reducing causes and consequences of cancer by translating our knowledge into practice.
Recommendations from the World Health Organisation concerning cancer include action in the following areas: minimising or eliminating exposure to cancer causes reducing individual susceptibility to the effects of these causes serving the greatest public health potential identifying the most cost-effective long-term cancer control tobacco control obesity control control of composition of the diet control of consumption of alcoholic beverages
The World Health Organisation sees cancer prevention programmes as part of integrated, national strategies. The risks they identify for cancer above are common to all noncommunicable diseases including heart, diabetes and respiratory problems. Prevention programmes for all chronic diseases are able to use the same surveillance and health promotion techniques. According to WHO recognised causes of cancer include: occupational and environmental exposure to a number of chemicals links between a number of infections and certain types of cancer parasitic infection schistosomiasis exposure to some forms of ionising radiation excessive ultraviolet radiation
W.H.O. treatment priorities
Early detection improves chances of survival, but WHO stress ‘only when linked to effective treatment’. The WHO want to increase our awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and help set up regular screening of apparently healthy individuals.
Accurate diagnosis of cancer is the first step to effective management. Care of cancer patients starts with recognition of some kind of abnormality in the body, followed by a visit to a health care facility for diagnosis. Once a diagnosis is confirmed then the disease is ‘staged’. The patient might be referred to a specialist cancer treatment centre.
Orthodox treatment for the cancer is likely to involve a mixture of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and surgery. The primary objectives of cancer treatment are: cure, the prolongation of life and improvement of the quality of life.
Survival rates
Survival rates in standard treatments vary according to the variety of cancer. For example the advanced treatment of cancer of the uterine corpus, breast, testis, and melanoma may produce a 5-year survival rate of 75% or more. Survival rates in cancer of the pancreas, liver, stomach, and lung are generally less than 15%. Because of the nature of cancer, many patients present themselves with advanced disease. The only realistic treatment for these patients is pain relief and palliative care. For insurance purposes, cancer is often regarded as incurable.

About The Author

Simon Mitchell
This is an extract from 'Don't Get Cancer'a new ebook available only at: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/don'tget1.html

This article was posted on September 04, 2004

We Shouldn't Have Burnt The Witches: Philosophy And Cancer Treatment

We Shouldn't Have Burnt The Witches: Philosophy And Cancer Treatment
 by: Simon Mitchell

1000 years ago in Europe pre-Christian tribes originally had a Goddess culture - a matriarchy where the earth and nature and their cycles and secrets were revered. In pre-industrial societies illness was not seen as a 'random assault from outside' but as a deeply significant life event integral to the sufferer's whole being - spiritual, moral, physical and life course - past, present and future. Dis-ease was interpreted as packed with moral, spiritual and religious messages as one of the many ways through which 'God revealed his will to mankind'. Other philosophies of medicine such as Ayurvedic or Tibetan think similarly, in these, dis-ease has a karmic aspect.
Around the tenth century in Europe - after the so called 'Dark Ages' - women, the original stewards of the land (men did ‘animal husbandry’), were dispossessed of it by the new patriarchies of the Church and State. This male hierarchy hid the things they were most afraid of, namely the fact that it is women who hold the key to the processes and powers of life. They took them as their own, decreeing laws about how we should behave to impose control and inventing 'original sin'. Allied to this there came a prolonged persecution of women, especially any of those involved in healing. Some sources estimate about 5 - 9 million women were destroyed across Europe during this persecution. Essentially the role of women as healers and midwives was discouraged and ‘home-making’ and its many associated skills is still regarded as a ‘worthless’ career according to our primarily fiscal values based on GDP.
When a patriarchy takes over a matriarchy as a fundamental paradigm shift, one of the main things that happens is that 'healing' and 'spirituality' are separated out as an instrument of control. The world of spirit and physic were separated and became even more so during the great male 'Age of Reason' that began with Descartes and continued with Newton, the tail-end of which many are presently clinging to in desperation and a degree of applied self-interest.
Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650) was a central influence on the 17th century revolution that began modern science and philosophy. His ‘Method of Doubt’ was published in 1637:
"I resolved to reject as false everything in which I could imagine the least doubt, in order to see if there afterwards remained anything that was entirely indubitable".
The philosophy of ‘Cartesian dualism’ became part of our science, where the mind and the body are seen as essentially separate. The ‘self’, the conscious being that is ‘me’ was seen as essentially non-physical. Misguidedly (it was not Descartes intention) this philosophy contributed to the mechanistic and rational philosophy of the universe adopted by our culture. Descartes was one of the first people to suggest that phenomena could be understood by breaking them down into constituent parts and examining each minutely. His view of the human body as a machine functioning within a mechanistic universe took prevalence within the ‘Age of Reason’.
"Consider the human body as a machine. My thought compares a sick man and an ill-made clock with my idea of a healthy man and a well made clock".
This attention to analytical detail is still at the heart of our scientific research methodologies. As a result Western medicine has produced ‘World saving’ vaccines and antibiotics. It has created drugs and surgical techniques that do utterly amazing things. It has virtually eliminated all the serious communicable diseases (in the First World) such as leprosy, plague, tuberculosis, tetanus, syphilis, rheumatic fever, pneumonia, meningitis, polio, septicaemia. There are very few women dying in childbirth compared to the past. Western medicine has been, and is, a triumph in the face of these problems which worried us back then the way cancer and heart disease worry us today. Even the big medical problems of the of 1930’s and 40’s have literally vanished.
The age of infectious disease has given way to the age of chronic disorders. The major killers today are heart and vascular disease, chronic degenerative diseases and cancer, largely incurable and increasing in incidence. The strategies that worked so well for all but eliminating acute infectious diseases just don’t seem to work for chronic and degenerative conditions.
"The prevalence of asthma, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, immune deficiency syndrome, HIV and a host of other debilitating conditions is increasing. Conventional biomedicine - so strikingly successful in the treatment of overwhelming infections, surgical and medical emergencies and congenital defects, has been unable to stem the tide of these conditions".
James Gordon M.D., Washington, D.C.
Even during the time of Sir Isaac Newton the human body was viewed as an intricate biological machine. The Universe was an orderly, predictable but divine mechanism, a ‘grand clockwork’. Although hundreds of years have passed, Western scientific medicine still holds the same basic philosophy, but are more sophisticated in studying biological mechanisms at a molecular level.
The first Newtonian approaches were essentially surgical. The body was seen as if it were a complex plumbing system. If it went wrong the offending piece was removed or bypassed. These days instead of using knives, drugs are often used to do more or less the same things.
Humans though are far more than walking sacks of chemicals. The animating life-force central to other medical systems is an energy that is not addressed by modern scientific methodology and there are no Western medical models that explain what it is and what it does. It is misguided by the concept that all illnesses are cured by physically repairing or eliminating abnormal cells. This is partly due to a conflict between ‘Western’ and ‘Eastern’ philosophies and has its roots in the division of science and religion along with the destruction of folk medicine in both U.S. and Europe.
Cancer cannot be treated effectively under a philosophy of reductionism. Scientific cancer research has failed to find a cure because it is looking in the wrong places with the wrong tools. Cancer needs to be understood as a ‘whole’ disease in relation to each individual’s experience and the culture of which they are part. It has multiple causes that vary with each patient. The strategies that worked so well for tackling acute infectious diseases are inappropriate for dealing with chronic and degenerative conditions. Cancer patients can be at best increasingly ‘patched up’ by orthodox treatments but at spiralling health care costs.

About The Author

Simon Mitchell
This is an extract from 'Don't Get Cancer'a new ebook available only at: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/don'tget1.html

This article was posted on September 04, 2004

Orthodox Cancer Treatment

Orthodox Cancer Treatment
 by: Simon Mitchell

1. Diagnosis
Diagnosis is a strength of Western scientific medicine because of its dependence on analytical procedures and processes of elimination. Modern technology has given us many ways to see into the body for effective diagnosis of dis-ease. Nowhere is scientific Western medicine so advanced than in the fields of diagnosis. Although the philosophy of Western medicine often comes in for criticism, modern science has produced many ways in which we can examine and image organisms internally and take samples of tissue in hard to reach places.
A qualified doctor should always be the first point of contact for serious disease as they have a good chance of getting you a correct diagnosis. Self-diagnosis is not a good idea except for very minor ailments. If you can, always get a second opinion on any diagnosis. In the UK you are urged to start orthodox cancer treatments within a month of diagnosis.
Diagnosis for cancer uses careful clinical assessment and advanced investigative techniques such as:
endoscopy: an endoscope is a tube-like viewing instrument with lenses and lights or video cameras that is inserted into a body orifice for investigating and treating disorders. If gives doctors the ability to see inside the body and even remove small pieces of tissue for examination (biopsy).
imaging: This process allows doctors to produce images of structures within the body that are otherwise difficult to see. For example short-wave, electromagnetic waves such as X-rays are passed through the body. Some are absorbed and others pass through the tissues to produce a shadow image that is projected onto a film or screen. In x-ray images the bones show up clearly, making it an excellent tool for seeing problems associated with bones or hard objects within the body.
In the 1920’s radiologists discovered that certain substances are opaque to radiation and they began to use them as ‘contrast media’. When these media are introduced into the body they create an outline shape of the cavities they fill, which helps to identify problem areas.
Ultrasound scanning projects high-frequency sound waves through the body, using a transducer against the skin. The waves are reflected back and the pattern of echoes produces an image. Computers are used to create better images. C.T. scanning (Computed Tomography) takes x-rays from different angles and uses the computer to create cross sections or three-dimensional images.
M.R.I. (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) places the patient in a strong magnetic field that passes waves through the body. The computer creates an image by analysing changes in the magnetic alignment of the hydrogen protons in our cells. P.E.T. scanning (Positron Emission Tomography) introduces short-lived radio isotopes into body tissues that are then flooded with gamma rays, recorded and then analysed by computer to produce images.
cytology and histology: Cytology is concerned with the examination of individual cells. The main application in cancer is in the detection of abnormal cells. Histology or hystopathology looks at groups of cells.
laboratory studies: Scientific methodology gives us many ways to analyse and examine bodily extracts.
2. Prognosis
What follows initial diagnosis means identifying appropriate treatments, forecasting the probable course and outcome of the disease (prognostication) and standardising the design of research and treatment protocols. You may be given the option to take part in a clinical study to help assess the effectiveness of a new treatment. Some health centres and surgeries are offered payoffs for enrolling patients in clinical trials which are often ongoing ‘action research’.
3. Treatment
There are four main types of treatment in conventional cancer treatment:
surgery: this offers the best chance when the cancer is contained to a single area and has a low tendency to spread
radiotherapy: invented over 100 years ago, this treatment bombards specific areas of the body with gamma rays.
chemotherapy: uses chemical cocktails that suppress the growth cycles of all cells in the body.
biological therapy: This treatment uses B.R.M.’s (Biological Response Modifiers) such as Interferon or Interleukin-2 to modify biological systems.
Taking these treatments is no guarantee that the cancer will not return. They do not involve looking for or eliminating any causes. To this extent orthodox Western medical approaches to cancer are only palliative.

About The Author

Simon Mitchell
This is an extract from 'Don't Get Cancer'a new ebook available only at: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/don'tget1.html

This article was posted on September 04, 2004

Cancer Is An Energy

Cancer Is An Energy
 by: Simon Mitchell

Einstein, a genius scientist of the 20th century, and central to the new energy physics, stated that ‘a problem cannot be solved by the same mind set that created it’. Cancer is a case in point. Cancer is a dis-ease that stems partly from the products of the mechanistic, anthropomorphic and exploitative philosophy at the heart of our culture, which we tend to ignore. Its effective treatment demands that we see ourselves in a different light and act accordingly.
Medicine is extremely slow to move from a mechanistic and physical philosophy to a more energetic model, like the Gaian paradigm that values all life forms as connected. A philosophy of medicine that is over-reliant on logic and limited mainly to drugs and surgery is fundamental flawed. Acts of logic always rely on analysis, that is breaking down a ‘whole’ into its constituent parts, and examining each minutely. Reductionist approaches fail to see the connectivity and relatedness of all things. As a result this philosophy is offering us ‘cures’ to cancer that are often as dangerous and destructive as the disease itself.
Nobel prize-winner Carlo Rubbia maintains that only a billionth of the world is actually made of matter and the rest is made of energy. The new sciences are challenging the way we perceive the world and as a result the way we relate to our bodies. Dr. K. Scott-Mumby is author of Virtual Medicine and an allergy specialist in the UK writes:
Science is proving that we exist as regulated and informed energy. Disease can now be redefined as a disruption, cessation or distortion in the information and energy fields. Its time for medical practitioners to join the party.
Classical science has reached the end of what it can explain in reductionist terms. Issues such as whether light is a particle or a wave, or whether or not water has a memory (an issue central to the ‘proof’ of homeopathy), are moving modern science to a quantum level that deals with fields of energy. Medical science is still stuck in a very physical universe, where the objective is to ‘excise the lump’ almost regardless of where it came from and individual conditions of the patient and their experiences.
New sciences such as the chaos theories point a way forward into handling the complexities of whole systems that work together, in synergy. Unfortunately our medical systems and practises are still too often based on philosophy formulated in medieval times.
Because all interventions in a medical process have to been ‘proven’ as workable (using scientific double-blind testing methods) before doctors will recognise their validity (if they then do the research), medical science mostly marginalises or ignores healing alternatives that can provide only ‘anecdotal evidence’. Multiple simultaneous treatments of different types and ‘levels’ tuned for one patient are un-testable by a reductionist philosophy and therefore ignored by mainstream medicine. In addition to this regulatory pressures force researchers and companies to test their drugs on patients with advanced cancer - when the dis-ease is much more difficult to treat and when the chances of success are modest - this means that potentially useful treatments are discarded as worthless.
Traditional research methodology, or ‘quantitative research’ is central to science and other methodologies are not usually acceptable. ‘Qualitative research’ is equally, if not more important at the present time in reference to cancer. Other medical systems, such as Chinese or Ayurvedic medicine, Homeopathy or Naturopathy use far subtler tools in both diagnosis and treatment. They are based on seeing the patient as a whole being and often use multiple interventions on several levels, simultaneously in the treatment of dis-ease. Because they work at the level of an individual patient, and from a different philosophy of medicine, it is almost impossible to analyse them with the tools of reductionist science.
Our present rash of immune attacking diseases calls for a different kind of response than just drugs and surgery. A new medicine that combines established scientific excellence with traditional, alternative and natural treatments is needed. One that recognises humans as feeling, vibrant, energetic, spiritual beings as well as physical and mental. There are dramatic developments in the treatment of cancer using energy systems, but information on this is actually suppressed. There is a movement towards an integrated medicine as more orthodox practitioners are starting to join in, led mostly by their patients.
>From an energy point of view, when the human body is weak or unbalanced it oscillates at different frequencies than when it is healthy. This less harmonious frequency shows a state of cellular, energetic imbalance in the body. The physical body that is weakened in this way often needs help to shift to the needed frequency, which strengthens the immune system.
Some experienced medical doctors can make an intuitive diagnosis based on experience and can sometimes tell in a second or so what ails their patient. Posture, skin condition, nail, teeth and tongue all give clues, but experienced doctors may also intuitively pick up clues about their patients from energy and vibrational levels in a similar way to a gardener tending plants or a wild animal hunting its prey.
But modern doctors simply do not have the time for the level of attention given in many complementary and alternative therapies. This is one of the reasons alternatives are more popular than ever. Professional detachment is an essential part of the doctors’ repertoire and it protects them in part from the huge amount of need they encounter in day to day work.
Given the track record of orthodox medical science into whole person medicine, it may well be another 200 years or so before it is able to assimilate the new quantum sciences in relation to the human body. For those people with cancer now, there are a deliberately limited range of options available from orthodox medicine.

About The Author

Simon Mitchell
This is an extract from 'Don't Get Cancer'a new ebook available only at: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/don'tget1.html

This article was posted on September 04, 2004