Excess Body Iron by Stephen Lau

Iron is essential for life. Without iron, the human body cannot function optimally. It needs iron to transport oxygen in the blood to different organs and tissues. In addition, the human body requires iron to burn food and body fat. Without metabolism, there is no cell regeneration. In short, the human body cannot survive without iron.

However, excess body iron may not be good for human health. Research has indicated that excess body iron may lead to cancer growth and heart attacks.

All these years, drug and nutritional supplement companies have unduly emphasized iron deficiency as one of the major health problems in the United States. As a result, the public are led to believe that iron supplement is not only essential but also deficient in the diet.

Do we really have iron deficiency?

Truly, we lose iron through sweat, urine, and menstruation (for women). But that does not necessarily mean that we have iron deficient. For one reason, the human body requires only a small amount of iron to function optimally. For another reason, the human body has its own mechanism to recycle, transport, and store iron in its red blood cells. In other words, the human body is capable of conserving and reserving iron required for the body.

On the other hand, excess body iron may overburden the body's capability to handle iron overload. Theoretically, the intestines will decrease the absorption of iron when there is excess body iron. However, the body may not be capable of excreting excess body iron. This may be due to aging, which causes the body to accumulate more iron. As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass. But the loss of muscles does not necessarily imply the loss of iron stored in the muscles. Also, aging brings about a decline in the manufacture of red blood cells, leading to accumulation of iron in the body. Furthermore, menopausal women, in particular, increase their absorption of iron into their bodies when they stop their menstruation.

You must dispel certain myths about iron deficiency, such as you do not get enough iron if you are over fifty, you need more iron if you are a woman, and you need more meat in your diet to get enough iron. The truth is that you should worry more about excess body iron, rather than lack of it.

In addition to the potential danger of iron overload in increasing cancer and heart disease risks, the damaging effects of excess body iron are also seen in patients who must receive repeated blood transfusions, such as those with defective hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in the blood). These patients are more susceptible to iron overload in their bodies.

Remember, too much of something good may not be too good: too much iron could rust the body from inside out. Fortunately, you can always unload excess body iron in your body through blood donation. In this way, you are helping others as well as yourself.

Copyright (c) 2010 Stephen Lau

9 Ways to Lose Weight - Which One Works Best for You by Laura Ng

There are hundreds of ways to lose weight. But most can inflict harm on your body while only few benefit your health. Let's go through some of the most popular ways to lose weight and see which one you should go with that not only help you shed that extra pounds but improve your health as well.

1. Probiotic

Recent years of researches on gut bacteria reveal that by manipulating the composition of bacteria in our guts, we can raise the number of good bugs in our guts to help us regulate our weight. However, only few people who take probiotics have seen remarkable results in their automatic weight reduction after taking yogurts or fermented milk, or even the probiotic supplements. That said, not all people will lose weight with the manipulation of gut bacteria through consuming probiotics.

2. Eat Right for Your Blood Type

This diet is created based on hypothesis rather than scientific and logic. It says that those with blood type O and B should eat meat every day in order to survive strong. Ironically, no matter which blood group you belong to, go with more meat and you'll see your health deteriorating - cancers and other degenerative diseases will soon knock on your door. I've seen vegetarians who belong to blood type O and B so radiant and healthy that it instantly impresses me and dispels the myth of the blood type diet.

3. Low-Carb, High-Protein Diet

This kind of diet works by drastically draining your water mass initially due to the burning of glycogen, which in turn scales down your weight, giving you the wrong impression that you're losing weight due to fat loss, which in fact you're not. That's how people got tricked into following such diet. What's more, diets that use this principle can lead to ketogenic effect, which exposes you to side effects like bad breath, headache, constipation, potential kidney failure, heart attack and stroke due to arterial plaque formation etc. You want to lose weight and gain health, this type of diet is definitely not for you.

4. Negative Calorie Diet

This diet is based on eating the type of food that requires your body to burn more calories than the actual calorie content of the food itself. If you're a meat-eater and you want to go with this diet, you may find the meat-based food lists very limited (only about 16 kinds of food you can eat). For vegetarians, you have a lot more choices. However, it's still a diet for weight loss and it can never be implemented as permanent lifestyle for good health.

5. Calorie Shifting Diet

A strategy used to trick your fat-burning engine by rotating the amount of calories in your diet so your body won't detect the routine and continue to keep you metabolically active to burn more fat. But this is stricter than negative calorie diet such that your list of food is even more restricted. Meaning, you may not get enough nutrients for your body needs, thus can easily lead to nutrient deficiency. Once your body gets deprived of nutrients for too long, your metabolism will run amok. Again, it's only meant for short-term weight loss. A crash diet at its best.

6. Alkaline Diet

When you eat meat, fast food, chocolate, ice cream and drink alcohol, beer, coffee, fizzy drinks etc, your body goes into highly acidic condition. Therefore, you must take more alkaline foods like fresh vegetables and fruits (some fruits are more acidic), certain legumes, nuts and seeds to strike a balance of 80 / 20 (alkaline / acid) body. A logical diet to go with. But there's a better one at the end.

7. Hydration Diet

Also known as water weight loss. An extremely dangerous technique to lose weight. It requires you to drink more water than you normally would. The diet states that even when you feel hungry, you should drink water to delay the hunger in order to eat less food. Number of people had suffered from water poisoning (hyponatremia) via this diet. Some got permanent brain damage. Some went right into the grave. You want to die at such age? Go ahead.

8. Detox Diet

A so-called solution to help modern people (especially meat-eaters who don't eat fibrous food) to remove toxins and harmful microorganisms out of their body. Just increase your vegetable intake and I promise you'll detox every day without the need to buy a detox diet.

9. Raw Vegan Diet

The best solution on earth for anyone who wants to stay slim and healthy for life. But the kicker is, many people can't get used to its raw characteristics. Hence, by far only about less than 0.1% in the world is taking raw vegan food. You can go with normal vegetarian meal plans first which is easier for you to begin with. It works just as effective in losing weight, so long as you don't eat processed foods and animal meat that will undo the nutrients you absorb via vegetarian food, you'll slim down on auto-pilot and your ideal weight will maintain for good.

Vegetarian diet is actually a combination of detox diet, alkaline diet and negative calorie diet. Which other diet has such a powerful combo characteristic? Show me.

How to Use Coconut Oil for Acne by Laura Ng

Is coconut oil good for acne? Many say 'yes' while few say 'no'. Why the different response when using coconut oil for acne? In fact, coconut oil provides effective treatment for acne. However, it's too powerful for some people to accept it because some of them suffer acne breakout after using coconut oil. How come? I'll let Becky, one of the veteran coconut oil users, explain this to you:

"FYI. Unrefined, Organic Coconut Oil will not clog your pores. It actually opens them, releases, and cleanses your skin all of the toxins, some of which has built up for years. Don't take the advice of others, do your own research, and never apply any skin product all over your face before testing on the inside of your elbow area first. While you're typing things into Google, type in 'Healing Crisis' to understand why your skin has to get worse before it can get better when using unrefined VCO. It is simply healing. It is detoxifying. It is rejuvenating. But this is the part, as indicated in almost all previous comments, when people get scared and run back to commercial, store-bought products that will conceal, stifle, and continue storing and building up more toxins. I have acne-prone skin, i also suffer from Rosacea, and I, too, got plenty worse before getting to flawless youthful looking skin. But you have to be willing to go to the fire in order to get to the other side.!

" ~ Becky

This is her comment on one of the forums talking about using coconut oil for acne. To sum up what she said; as a beginner to using coconut oil for acne, rub a little bit of coconut oil on the inside of your elbow to see if you're allergic to coconut oil or not (it's almost unheard of that people will get allergy with coconut oil).

Normally an allergic response should occur within 24 hours. If you do not get any negative reaction, then start to apply it to your acne-affected area. But apply in small quantity at first for at least 7 days. And make sure you cleanse your face before applying the oil before bedtime. This will help the oil penetrate your skin better.

After a week and if you do get acne breakout using coconut oil instead of improving your skin condition, fret not, this could most likely be the detoxifying action of coconut oil taking place, which is a healing process (aka healing crisis).

Some people experience a breakout for about 5 days before the skin starts to heal and pores closed up, while some experience up to several weeks, and another group experiences almost no breakout at all and the skin just got better and better. It all depends on how much toxins you've amassed underneath your skin over the years through consuming junk food and your unhealthy lifestyle.

To mitigate the breakout and help you heal faster, you should consume coconut oil by tablespoonfuls either on its own or including it in your meals. You should start with 1 tbsp for 3 days and slowly increase to 3 - 4 times daily. Then cut back on your meat intake. Increase your fruits and vegetable intake which will provide skin-beneficial nutrients to speed up the recovery of your skin. Oh, don't forget to drink sufficient water and exercise regularly to enhance the detoxification process.

Doing all these will complement your use of coconut oil on your acne-prone skin more effectively and give you back a baby-like skin that you've long lost.

Coconut Oil Types - Which Type Best Benefits Your Health? by Laura Ng

As more and more people begin to recognize coconut oil for its remarkable health benefits, it's good for you to learn about the different types of coconut oil so you know which one you should eat to reap the most health benefits.

Hydrogenated Coconut Oil

Coconut oil contains about 92% saturated, 6% monounsaturated and 2% polyunsaturated fatty acids (different brands carry slightly different fat composition). Due to its high amount of saturated fatty acids, this healthful oil rates chemically more stable (less likely to react with free radicals to become a health-damaging oil) than many other types of oils.

But to make it even more stable and favorable for baking and making ice-cream, some companies hydrogenate the oil. This also extends the oil's shelf life. However, hydrogenation may likely produce trans-fatty acids which form solid fat at body temperature, thereby difficult to break down by the body, which can cause damage to your health. Hence, I wouldn't suggest you to risk your health by consuming this type of cheap oil just to save your wallet.

Fractionated Coconut Oil

Manufacturers separate coconut oil's beneficial acids to form different products for use in different industries. Fractionated coconut oil is one in which they remove all long-chain fatty acids (and even the medium-chain lauric acid) to retain only its fraction of caprylic and capric acid. They do this to lower its melting point so people can use the oil in liquid form even at some countries with relatively lower temperature. (Unrefined coconut oil begins to solidify at about 76 degrees F or 24 degrees C).

This type of coconut oil is commonly used:

- As a cosmetic ingredient in products like soap, lotions.

- In carrier oil in aromatherapy.

- In massage.

- In medicines due its antiseptic and disinfectant properties.

Some people also use fractionated coconut oil in their diets. But I personally prefer unrefined virgin oil for its better health-boosting properties due to the inclusion of lauric acid - the key nutrient found in human breast milk that protects you against several types of cancer and degenerative diseases.

RBD Coconut Oil

RBD (refined, bleached and deodorized), also known as highly refined coconut oil, is almost as nutritious as its virgin type except for its colorless, tasteless and odorless characteristics. Manufacturers extract the oil from dried coconuts (copra) and then apply heat and chemical to process the oil to remove any impurities, taste and smell. This type suits you best if you're not used to the natural coconut flavor yet. But remember to get one which is pure and non-hydrogenated.

Virgin Coconut Oil (Unrefined)

Virgin coconut oil is by far the "holy grail" among the different types of coconut oil due to its almost all-round health benefits for mankind. Manufacturers extract the oil through mechanical means free from high heat and chemical to preserve its full nutritional values. It's best commonly used in cooking, stir-frying, or even as dressing in salad. You can also eat it on its own or apply to your skin to keep it soft and moisturized.

Depending on your needs, you may like to go with fractionated, RBD or virgin, but definitely not hydrogenated type which does nothing good to your health. I personally recommend virgin type if you want to reap the most health benefits of coconut oil, which is preferred by many health-conscious people.

Vegetarian Weight Loss by Laura Ng

Are you an overweight vegetarian desperately seeking weight loss solution? Obviously. But how much do you know about vegetarian weight loss? It's not just simply getting on a vegetarian weight loss diet and then you'll lose weight. No. It doesn't work this way.

A vegetarian weight loss diet is indeed important, but how you eat the diet is as crucial. On top of that, you need to engage in some form of exercises to make sure you're always burning more calories than you ingest. After all, the fundamental principle of weight loss "calories in, calories out" applies to all, regardless of whether you're a vegetarian or not.

Let me show you a sample vegetarian weight loss diet plan which includes a vegetarian weight loss diet and a fat-burning workout regimen to help illustrate the idea.

What's Inside a Proven Vegetarian Weight Loss Diet?

Now, in your vegetarian weight loss diet meal plan, it should contain 5 meals a day. You can go with 6 or 7 meals if that works best for you. The more meals you plan, the smaller the portion it will be. The whole idea of this "more meals less portion size" is to prevent you from going hungry, at the same time, fuel your activities to keep them going.

Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner - this is what your vegetarian weight loss meal plan should look like. Next, in your breakfast, lunch and dinner, I advise that you include 40 - 60% of fiber-rich food like vegetables. Fibrous food is especially helpful in losing weight because of these 3 key reasons:

1. It provides the bulk to make you feel full easily so you won't crave for more foods.

2. It helps to digest the food slowly, thereby releasing energy gradually to make sure you get sustaining power to operate your daily activities.

3. It helps to cleanse your bowel by flushing toxic waste out of your body. This little daily act enables your body to extract energy from your fat stores without delay and hindrance whenever you need extra energy as fuel.

In addition, keep the ingredients in your vegetarian weight loss diet as natural as possible, preferably 90 - 100%. The less processed your vegetarian foods are, the better you'll lose weight. If you have to buy processed food for some reasons, scrutinize its label carefully to make sure you're not getting an unhealthy vegetarian food.

Now you know roughly what a proven vegetarian weight loss diet is. Next - exercise.

What's Inside a Sure-Fire Fat-Burning Workout Regimen?

Time and the types of exercises can yield different fat loss effect. Good news is, when you get on a natural vegetarian weight loss diet, your body will amass very much less toxins than before. Hence, doing exercises will speed up your fat loss.

Exercising in the morning has proven to burn more fat than any other times in the day.

Cardio doesn't help you burn much fat, but the scientifically proven high-intensity interval training (HIIT) does. When you do HIIT, you only need 3 times a week, 10 - 15 minutes a day in the morning. If you can block out more time as you're working at home or a housewife, a max of 45 minutes will get you more fat loss. But do NOT overdo as HIIT can easily inflict injuries on you.

Always begin with the less intense exercises and do it for 10 minutes before you advance to higher intensity level and longer duration. By the way, multi-joint (full bodyweight) exercises produce the most overall fat loss than single-joint exercises (like crunches and sit-ups).

These are some fat-burning workouts you can do in the comfort of your own home - bicycle crunch, forward lunge, lying hip extension, jumping jacks, Spiderman climbs, mountain climber, step-up, pushups, elevated pushups, plank, side plank, prisoner squat etc.

Have you seen this piece of information before? That's what an effective vegetarian weight loss should be. It does require some self-discipline to make it work. But if you can get someone to watch over your vegetarian weight loss regimen, it'd be even more effective.

How to Achieve Weight Loss on Vegetarian Diet by Laura Ng

These are some effective techniques you can apply to achieve weight loss on vegetarian diet:

1. Include lots of fiber-rich whole natural foods in your vegetarian diet for weight loss. When you eat fibrous vegetarian foods, you'll feel full easily. This will stop your cravings for more food which may contain excessive calories which your body doesn't need.

Of all fibrous foods, I recommend vegetables. Vegetables are good on losing stomach fat and they provide multiple essential nutrients your body needs. Keep a ratio of 3:2 (vegetable to other natural foods) in your breakfast, lunch and dinner, always.

2. As I just said, vegetables contain high fiber substance. So, eat some vegetables first whenever you tuck in so that it'll help you prevent more unnecessary intake of calories. This is one effective technique to help you attain weight loss on vegetarian diet.

3. Chew your food thoroughly to help improve digestion. When your digestion runs slow, your brain may not receive quick signal from your stomach about its satiety level. As a result, your brain may ask for more foods until it gets the 'full' signal from your stomach. By then, you could have ingested more foods than you need, and you'll feel stuffed.

Do not belittle this little chewing action. Studies have shown that those who take about 20 - 25 chews on each bite get to eat lesser. This may sound ridiculous but it's a fact. And you should perform this chewing action seriously if you want to achieve effective weight loss with your vegetarian diet.

4. Eat more vegetarian meals to lose weight. Large amount of food you eat in each meal may not necessarily provide lasting effect. In fact, excess calories in that meal may go right into your fat storage immediately when not in use. Therefore, spread out your calorie intake by having more meals such as 5 or 6 meals a day. You'll lose weight more easily this way.

Here's how to achieve weight loss on vegetarian diet with 5 meals a day:

Breakfast at 7 - 8 A.M.

Morning snack at 10 - 10:30 A.M.

Lunch at 12 - 1 P.M.

Afternoon snack at 3 - 4 P.M.

Dinner at 6 - 7 P.M.

Your breakfast, lunch and dinner should fill up 70% of your stomach only while each of your snacks should give you 30 - 40% fullness only.

Don't forget to drink appropriate amount of water to complement your weight loss on vegetarian diet. Proper hydration can help flush out toxic wastes and improve your overall body constitution for optimal fat loss.

Reducing Cellulite Appearance as a Vegetarian by Laura Ng

Honestly, you can't cure cellulite because cellulite forms part of your body fat structure beneath the skin. However, you can reduce your cellulite appearance dramatically and make it almost invisible to human eyes even in broad daylight.

Unfortunately, women tend to get the most headaches from this ugly dimpling appearance on their skins, even after they've become a vegetarian. Why women and not men? Have you seen men seeking cellulite treatment thus far?

Let me give you a quick rundown on the difference between men and women in terms of their cellulite structure so that you know how to treat your cellulite problem more effectively when we get down to the natural ways to reducing cellulite appearance.

For women, the connective tissue structure is arranged into large upright cubicles to hold the fat. When poor lymphatic circulation takes place, toxic wastes and fluid will accumulate within the fat tissues, which cause these cubicles to become swollen and start to push up against the skin, forming cellulite appearance.

In men, these fat cubicles are arranged in cross-linked structure that actually limits the quantity of fat stored, hold the fat in better and store them deeper under the skin. Also, men have thicker skin as better cover-ups and generally, their hormones behave less erratically than women.

That's why cellulite bothers women more than men. Now you roughly know how your cellulite comes about. Now, let's see what we can do to reduce the cellulite appearance and make it less noticeable.

How to Reduce Your Cellulite Appearance as a Vegetarian

As I just mentioned, your cellulite appears due to poor lymphatic circulation. So, first thing you must do as a vegetarian is improve your lymphatic circulation by ingesting quality vegetarian diet and cutting back on your processed vegetarian food intake.

Though processed vegetarian food may not be as toxic as meat, it does contain high amount of sugar, salt and bad saturated fat that can impede your blood flow and trigger a metabolic disorder. On the contrary, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes etc provide key nutrients for optimal lymphatic circulation, thus reducing your cellulite appearance dramatically.

Oh, factoring in exercises help to reduce cellulite appearance too by reducing the fat content within the fat structure. Remember, when you fat cells shrink, the push-up effect will be less intense, and the dimpling appearance will subside.

Strictly speaking, you can't remove cellulite completely because it is not an entity in your body that you can simply take it away. Hence, whether you like it or not, you just had to learn to live with cellulite. But good news is, you can reduce your cellulite appearance by applying the aforementioned natural ways.

Vegetarian Weight Loss - How to Lose 5 Pounds in a Week by Laura Ng

Have you been trying to lose weight as a vegetarian but you're not getting encouraging results? Now, if you're aiming to lose 10 pounds in 7 days, that's not pragmatic and not safe for your health. Here I offer effective solutions to help you lose 1 - 5 pounds a week the vegetarian style. In fact, I always suggest to those overweight vegetarians to keep to a max of 4 pounds a week so you won't suffer loose skin post weight loss. But if you're only overweight by about 20 pounds, then I think losing 5 pounds in a week is pretty safe for you.

Before we start, I want you to know the fact that your scale is not the best way to tell you the real shape and size of your body even after you manage to lose 5 pounds in a week, as you could have gained some muscle mass after applying the following techniques, which isn't a bad thing actually since muscle helps burn more fat. So, the best way is observe your body in the mirror every seven days for any significant changes in conjunction with the scale.

How to Eat for Healthy Vegetarian Weight Loss

1. Break your 3 normal main meals into 5 smaller portion sizes - morning, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. This will keep your body metabolically active throughout the day. Remember, never skip any meals, especially breakfast as it's the most important meal to kick-start your metabolism.

2. No fried or processed vegetarian food. If you're eating out and only have processed food choices, then try to buy processed food that contains low sodium, low sugar and low saturated fat. Read the label carefully.

3. Go with whole natural food instead which carry lots of fiber, complex-carb and various other super phytonutrients (nutrients from plants) that your body needs for maximum fat loss. A natural vegetarian weight loss diet will definitely work much more effective in losing 5 pounds a week and maintaining good health than a heavily processed vegetarian diet for weight loss.

4. Keep your body hydrated at all times as maintaining sufficient water in body can stimulate your metabolism. Check your urine color - yellow means you need to drink more water, clear or pale yellow means you got enough water. Once enough, stop drinking to avoid getting water poisoning. Not necessary to stick to 8 glasses or 2 liters per day. Listen to your body.

Other Keys to Help You Lose Weight 5 Pounds in a Week the Vegetarian Way

1. Do interval training instead of cardio because interval training can burn more fat and lose more weight.

2. Work out in the morning as studies have shown that morning exercises give a better result in fat loss.

3. Use total bodyweight workouts for effective fat loss on belly, thighs and buttocks. Don't use crunches or sit-ups. Waste of time.

4. Get quality sleep. Turn in before 11 P.M. and sleep the number of hours you feel work best for you. Need not stick to 8 hours as you might not need that long to feel great.

Even though your goal is just to lose 5 pounds in a week, you should be strict with what you do so as not to inadvertently undo all your hard work for vegetarian weight loss.

Consider Short Term Insurance & What It Has to Offer by Rickey Pearce

There are two priorities that everyone has when shopping for insurance: great price and great coverage. The challenge of finding great insurance at at the right price is a hard task to fulfill for individuals as long term insurance may not be what is needed. Can anyone find short term insurance that doesn't cost a fortune?

Absolutely. It's called, quite obviously, short term insurance. As you may expect from the name, short-term health insurance provide health insurance coverage for unique situations in which people need coverage for a flexible time period or a brief time period. People between jobs, people transitioning from school to a job, or those who are planning to get married in the near future, find this type of health insurance arrangement very beneficial. Short-term insurance may also be referred to as temporary insurance, and usually provides coverage for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. A few insurance plans even provide coverage up to thirty-six months, due to the fact that unemployment concerns have become more acute.

Advantages

- The cost-per-month for short-term insurance is usually less than typical insurance coverage. This is great news for those who are in between jobs and need to save as much money as possible.

- Applying for short-term insurance is much easier and takes less time and hassle than standard insurance.

- A short term plan can work well for those unsure of how long they will need the coverage. The plan can be easily extended if needed.

Disadvantages

- Short term insurance will not cover routine well care visits, physical exams, immunizations, dental cleaning or procedures, or vision coverage. In this respect, short-term insurance is more of a form of protection against serious injury than it is a full-fledged insurance policy.

- One of the most significant disadvantages under temporary medical insurance is that it does not cover any preexisting medical conditions. A pre-existing condition refers to an illness or condition that existed anywhere from 3-5 years before the actual insurance coverage started.

Alternatives to Short-Term Insurance

- COBRA. While short-term insurance has some great advantages, it does not address all the concerns of an individual who may need short-term coverage, especially if he or she has a preexisting condition. There are options. If you are ending a job at which you had insurance coverage, you may be able to extend this coverage under a program called COBRA, which stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. COBRA coverage will extend your existing coverage, but at a very high price.

- HDHP. Higher Deductible Health Plans is an option that has a high deductible (as mentioned in the name) and zero coverage for out of pocket expenses. Because of this, the cost of an HDHP is usually much lower than a typical health insurance plan. HDHPs do not allow coverage by any other health insurance plan.

Obtaining a Job in the Healthcare Industry by Silas Reed

There are different kinds of careers which people choose these days. One of the most popular industries is the health care industry. Lots of people want to take up a job in the health care industry. If you are interested in this kind of a job then you must make sure that you prepare yourself for this career.

Previously when the world was hit by recession only this industry was left behind. This industry never has limited jobs. If you are well trained then you can surely bag a job in the healthcare industry.

This industry is now known as the recession resistant one. This is the reason why lots of people looked for jobs in the healthcare industry during the recession. There are various positions available in this industry.

You can either become a doctor, nurses, surgeon and much more. These are high level jobs for which you require a lot of education as well as training. But there are jobs where you do not need to study so hard but still you can be a part of the pharmaceutical industry.

You can either work in the medical libraries or you can even work as a medical assistant. Other than this, you can even take up jobs in the wards of the hospitals or even in the outpatient department.

There are so many options available to you that you will never feel that you have no job at hand. You can also take up the job of a healthcare support or medical transcriptions and even help desk jobs. One of the biggest challenges is to become a doctor or a surgeon.

You need to go through a lot of training as well as education. It is very important to begin your career with a proper healthcare job. Some of the professionals begin their career as health aides. They usually visit the homes.

These people might not be certified but they must have training in taking proper care of the health. There are certain tips which will help you have a proper career in this industry. First of all you will have to perform a good amount of research.

You must always look forward to the news related to the industry. You must also try to find out the companies which are hiring the healthcare professionals. If you are interested in taking a transfer from one industry to the healthcare then you must first of all find out the qualities which will be fruitful for the health industry.

It is also very important to choose your position properly. It is always better and is suggested that you choose one of the entry level positions when you are new in the industry.

Help for Your Panic Attack by Michael Logan

If you're suffering from extreme anxiety, you'll want to know what sort of help for panic attacks is available so that you can choose the option that works best for you. Some people wait until the situation is dire to seek help.

At first, panic attacks are disguised as just being excessively worried. Then you start to realize it's affecting your everyday life. You start avoiding going to public places. You anticipate a panic attack, which is like a vicious cycle because it sets it all into motion over and over again.

When it comes to finding help for panic attacks, you can start with whatever you feel most comfortable with. Would you prefer to sit down with a licensed therapist and talk over your problems? This is one option and therapy is very helpful to many people.

If you've tried that route, or the mere thought of it sends you into an anxiety attack, then you might want to try a solo option. You can utilize self-hypnosis or neuro linguistic programming (NLP) to offset your mind's current state and regain control over a situation when it arises.

These two forms of panic attack solutions also assist you in eliminating the episodes completely - so that you never have to experience that awful feeling again. They work in helping you achieve a state of calm using your mental acuity.

If those don't seem to be your kind of treatment for panic attacks, then you might want to consider a more medicinal approach. You have two options for medicinal therapy - natural and prescribed medications.

Some people prefer to go with long-term medicinal options like anti depressants that ward of anxiety-ridden occurrences over a long period of time. You likely have to stay on these continually, and many people find the panic attacks coming back as soon as they stop taking the medicine.

There are other medications that work right during the onset of a panic attack. They too calm your nerves, and you pop the pill right when you start to experience an episode. But these medications aren't meant to be taken all of the time - or for a long period of time.

Beta blockers are another medicinal option. These stop your body from experiencing the physical symptoms, and that can sometimes be enough relief to allow you to go out in public - but it doesn't address the mental anguish you go through.

Natural herbal medications might be more suitable for you, but always make sure that you get the right dosage and type of organic/herbal solution to treat your anxiety. Help for panic attacks is abundant - you just have to choose what's right for you.

Another Option

Heart rate variability biofeedback is a wonderful feel good tool which teaches us to manage the time between heart beats.

Usually heart rate variability biofeedback is not available to conscious manipulation, but with the miracle of biofeedback and computers, it is a simple process to learn how to create a cue thought, and a breathing pattern, which tells the very sophisticated brain in your heart that it is to change from an incoherent heart rate variability to a coherent heart rate variabiltity.

Because the heart impacts every cell in the body both pneumatically and electromagnetically every time it beats, soon all the cells in the body are beating to the heart's tune, and will continue to do so as long as we bring some attention to the matter. And by soon, this process can literally happen in a heart beat.

Another great aspect of heart rate variability biofeedback is that it can be practiced anytime, especially when you are already calm, in preparation for a moment's incoherent heart beat.

Most folks I have taught this too are delighted to master the simple process, and use it in their lives.

Soon they are talking about using the tool to work on the heart beat of their marriage, or their parenting, or their employment.

Can you imagine getting the entire family on the same heart beat?

That shared heart beat would help everyone in the family to move into an affiliative and cooperative physiology, rather than the high stress physiology of opposition.

Help for your panic attack is just a heart beat away.

Diet Programs And Meals - The Apfeldorfer Diet by Levi Reiss

The Apfeldorfer Diet was created by Gerard Apfeldorfer, a psychiatrist specializing in eating disorders. This diet is directed at overeaters, especially people suffering from bulimia. Unlike many other diets, this one is life long. The first step in this diet is asking yourself fundamental questions such as: why am I dieting? You must keep a log of what you eat. Among the information to be noted are what and how much you eat, and also with whom you consumed the meal or snack. Perhaps most importantly, you have to note the emotions associated with each meal.

Instead of totally avoiding those special foods that you're just dying to eat enjoy them, perhaps in very small quantities, especially if they are calorie rich. The trick is to take those proscribed foods, cut them into unequal portions, throw out the larger portion and eat the rest. Another major principle of the Apfeldorfer Diet is listening to your body's hunger signals. Only eat when you are hungry. Spend twenty to thirty minutes a day pampering yourself, maybe a massage. Other principles include not letting others get you down and practicing a sport that pleases you.

A major advantage of this diet is your ability to eat what you want. A disadvantage is the need to change your behavior and Apfeldorfer is not just talking about food. No wonder that this diet takes a while to be effective.

Here are two sample menus: Menu 1 Breakfast: Corn flakes, milk, a slice of bread with honey and a cup of coffee. Lunch: Tomato and garlic salad, cod, a slice of camembert cheese and a slice of bread. The mid-afternoon snack is cafe au lait. Supper: Spaghetti in meat sauce and a bowl of strawberries.

Menu 2 Breakfast: Two slices of bread with jam and a cup of tea. Lunch: Vegetarian lasagna and one fruit yogurt. The mid-afternoon snack is an apple and a tangerine. Supper: Sliced raw vegetables, roast chicken, broccoli and for dessert a scoop of lemon sherbert.

Some of the information in this article comes from a fascinating new book, La Bible des Regimes, written by Jenny de Jonquieres and published by Amerik Media. Her book describes over 80 diets and weight reduction programs. Each diet is presented with 5 menu plans, a detailed discussion of its advantages and disadvantages, and lots more. La Bible des Regimes is presently available only in French. For more information consult the publisher's website.

Top Reasons You Should Seek Help From Professionals For Your Hairloss Problem by Jeff Schuman

Do you have a hairloss problem and want to find good help for it? Then you need to know the top reasons why you should seek the help of a professional for this particular problem. There are many reasons you need to know about so you can make an informed choice about whether a professional is your best solution or not.

The following are the top reasons that you need to know about.

One: Knowledge - Professionals have knowledge about hair loss that you would have to take time to learn before you could figure out how to prevent it. You can use this knowledge and safe yourself a lot of time by going to a professional that knows what they are doing.

Before you go to any professional you want to contact them to find out just how much knowledge and experience they have with hair loss. This will help you find a good one to visit for the best help with your problem.

Two: Experience - The professionals that have knowledge with hair loss also have experience. There are many that have helped other people with their own problem with losing their hair and they can help you to if you just give them the chance to try.

Three: Treatment options - The professionals know a lot of information about different treatment options that are effective. They can help you find the best treatment option for your particular problem with hair loss so you can prevent more hair from leaving your head and so you can even start to re-grow the hair you have lost.

Four: Time - Preventing a loss of hair can't be done all at once. When you use a treatment to help you with your problem it will need to be done more than once. The professional will have the time needed to be sure the treatment is done effectively for you because this is what they do for a living.

Trying to find the time on your own to do the treatments especially if you are not experienced using them can seem almost impossible for some people. Being able to go to a professional and know that the treatment will be done in the shortest time possible is a big plus for many people dealing with this problem.

Now that you know these top reasons why you should seek help from a professional for your hairloss problem you can see how they can help you more than any other method can. Having someone that knows what they are doing will go a long way towards helping you prevent any more hair loss from occurring.

Heavy Metals Found In Protein Shakes: Should You Stop Drinking Them? by Tom Venuto

A recent investigation on protein drinks has been causing waves of concern or even alarm to ripple through the fitness and bodybuilding world. Supplement companies are up in arms and people are wondering whether they should stop drinking protein shakes after the magazine said they tested 15 protein drinks for heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) and 3 of them came up above the proposed safe limits...

"We purchased 15 protein powders and drinks mainly in the New York metro area or online and tested multiple samples of each for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury" said Consumer Reports.

"Concentrations in most products were relatively low," continued the article, "but when taking into account the large serving size suggested, the number of micrograms per day for a few of the products was high compared with most others tested."

Out of the 15 products tested, the following exceeded the U.S. Pharmocopeia (USP) suggested limits for safety:

EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark Chocolate (ready to drink liquid): 16.9 arsenic, 5.1 cadmium Muscle Milk chocolate powder: 12.2 arsenic, 5.6 cadmium, 13.5 lead, 0.7 mercury Muscle Milk Vanilla Cream: 12.2 lead

* Amounts in micrograms

So, if you use protein drinks should you be worried? Should you stop drinking them? Well, it appears disconcerting that certain brands are high in these metals, but keep in mind that: (1) Some people and organizations are questioning the choice of 3rd party lab used by Consumer reports, as well as the definitions for acceptable safe levels.

(2) These test results showed that that 12 out of 15 products were within safe limits even at high doses (or had zero heavy metals present), and (3) Products which tested high were tested based on very large doses. Therefore, this might be a red flag only for very heavy users (three shakes a day or up to 8 scoops) of specific products (not protein powder in general)

Heavy metal contamination is a particular health concern for certain populations including infants, young growing children, women of childbearing age who plan to have kids soon, pregnant women, and nursing women.

However, I don't believe this report is a reason for panic or giving up moderate use of protein supplements.

Due to all the publicity, I imagine that the few companies named will write rebuttals or responses, and if necessary, simply tighten up their quality control. Probably, the industry in general will start posting more information on their testing, safety and quality standards. Some companies have reassuringly already done so on their websites (which has probably boosted their sales, not hurt them).

I think this is mostly a non-issue.

Consumer Reports is a favorite publication for many people researching purchases of cars, electronics and appliances. They were probably well-intentioned in their protein article (although who knows what underlying biases might be there).

In the future, however, I'd like to see these types of tests performed under scientific scrutiny and get the results published in a peer reviewed journal. This way, we can review the test results, read about the experimental methods and get the evidence-based facts about protein requirements and contaminant safety standards, rather than depend on journalists whose usual job is comparing brands of toasters.

On a related note, the NSF has questioned the lab/testing methods used in this story:

NSF International cannot comment on the test results reported in the July 2010, Consumer Reports article on protein drinks. It omits critical information about the laboratory that performed the test and its accreditation qualifications. ISO 17025 accreditation is critical for any laboratory testing for heavy metals in dietary supplements and nutritional products. The article also omits the test methods used, analytical preparation, sample size, the basis of their risk assessment, detection limits, quality control data and instrumentation used for this report.

While it's fine and good that this info was published, what really bothers me about the write up is that it seems their journalists are using these test results as ammo to attack the entire idea of taking protein supplements and eating a high protein diet.

"You don't need extra protein" and "high protein diets damage your kidneys," claim Consumer Reports. They also quote a dietitian who said the body can only utilize 5 to 9 grams of protein per hour. I'd like to see a research citation on that one!

They are clearly perpetuating some of the same stupid myths about protein that bodybuilders and strength athletes have had to debunk for years.

When mentioning how cadmium is toxic to the kidney, they added, "the way that high protein is bad for your kidneys." That is false. A high protein diet (on par with what a strength athlete would reasonably consume), is not damaging to a healthy kidney.

High protein diets are contraindicated for patients who already have kidney disease and caution is warranted in certain populations where risk of sub-clinical kidney conditions may be present or where there is kidney disease predisposition. That's not the same as saying eating a high protein diet causes kidney disease.

It's quite true that there's a "more is better" mentality among many muscle-seekers and protein supplement marketing often feeds right into that. The consumer may be told - via advertisement or editorial - to take protein drinks multiple times every day (better for sales than recommending occasional or light use only when needed, right?)

Protein marketing can sometimes border on the outrageous today - with all kinds of claims made for muscle gain, fat loss, enhanced performance and even anti-aging. The truth is, protein supplements are just food - powdered or liquid food - they're NOT magic! A lot of muscle and fitness fanatics today depend way too much on supplements and not enough on whole, natural foods.

How many people actually drink 3 protein shakes a day, every day (21 a week)? I don't know. No one in my circle does, and it's not something I recommend. In my Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program, I recommend eating mostly whole food, eating a variety of foods and using protein shakes or powders as an occasional supplement for convenience or if you need a supplement to help you meet your optimum level of intake.

Personally, I use protein powder once a day in my oatmeal and I enjoy an occasional protein shake - you can make some pretty tasty smoothies if you add things like fruit, peanut butter, ice, etc. I don't plan on stopping.

Some people are freaking out over this. I know the personality type: certain people will say, 'No way, if there's ANY heavy metal in any protein drinks I'm not taking them at all! Why take a chance?" Seems prudent, except that most of the protein drinks tested were well within safety limits and all were within limits with more moderate usage.

Besides, small exposure is inevitable anyway. What's in the whole food you're eating? If you pressed the issue, you could find some substance to gripe about - including heavy metals - in many of the foods you eat daily right now - yes, the so called "clean foods" - dairy products, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, shellfish, etc.

Advice: (1) Too much of anything can be bad for you, so don't go crazy with protein drinks or protein foods (or too much of any one type of food). (2) Avoid diets that make you dependent on protein shakes or meal replacement supplements. (3) Don't believe everything you read in the mainstream media until you check out the real science for yourself. (4) Use Consumer Reports when you want to know what car or camcorder to buy. Take their bodybuilding and sports nutrition info with a grain of salt.

Health Insurance Options That Don't Break the Bank by Rickey Pearce

In the current economy, many families are in a state of crisis when it comes to their health insurance. From lay-offs to business closing completely, many people now find themselves without a job or any kind of insurance for their family. With the high price of COBRA, those who have experienced downsizing don't even have that as an option.

Most recently, the unemployed or uninsured need to find cheap health insurance for themselves or family and wondering what are the options. Sometimes, reading a health insurance policy can leave you more confused than before. Readers are often left wondering exactly what their coverage is and under what circumstances. With every penny counting, it is important to make an informed decision.

Getting Informed

Finding cheap health insurance is not just about finding one that is affordable. It is also about one that covers the things most important to your life and the circumstances surrounding your needs. One of the most valuable things you can do before choosing an insurance is get informed. Understanding some of the terms will go a long way in getting proper coverage:

- Family and Individual Coverage

Individual or family coverage is obtained by the individual and separate from any company or group. One of the most important things to understand about individual health insurance plans is that they are typically more difficult to obtain. Since it is for an individual or family, the medical history of each person will be looked at much more carefully than under a group plan, where the risk is spread over all paying members.

- Short Term Health Insurance

For those who are in-between jobs, short term insurance plans may be a good option. Coverage ranges from one to six months and can help if there is a medical crisis in an already difficult time. They are limited however. They will not cover a pre-existing condition or preventative care.

- Student Health Insurance

Another group usually in need of cheap health insurance are students. Increasingly, schools are making having health insurance one of the requirements of enrollment. To make sure that medical insurance continues uninterrupted, families should be shopping for cheap health insurance plans long before school enrollment.

- Defined Benefit

For those who have been turned down by major insurance companies for preexisting conditions, a defined benefit may be a cheap health insurance option. These plans provide defined coverage and do not cover catastrophic coverage. They are easy to understand and provide first dollar coverage. Although they may not seem to be cheap, or exceptionally affordable, they are a much better alternative then managing the cost of a serious illness alone.

Good Questions to Ask About Health Insurance Obtaining cheap health insurance can be a difficult and confusing process, but asking good questions can help you get the coverage you need:

- Are there ways for individuals to gain group insurance? A health insurance agent can help an individual discover possible group plans through credit unions or trade associations.

- What is Risk? Knowing what insurance looks at to calculate their risk, and your cost, can lower your risk and cost.

- How do I know what is covered and what is not? Knowing exactly what the plan covers as well as it's limits will help you to choose the one that best fits you expectations. You can trust an agent to help you understand the coverage terms as well as the limits.

Finding cheap health insurance can be a difficult, but important task. A financial downturn can cause many to consider going without coverage for a time, but that decision can end up a very costly one both financially and for one's health. A local agent can help you find a plan that not only meets your needs, but is affordable as well.

Yoga For Beginners – Are You Taking The Wrong Approach? by Yogacharya Michael

With so many images everywhere of extraordinarily pliable people in striking impossible yoga poses, advertising "yoga for beginners" does help to take the fear down a notch or two for the newcomer. Unfortunately, that hurts the image of yoga more than it helps it.

Carving up yoga into levels of physical difficulty, does not give the right impression of it. It sends the message that yoga is about how well conditioned and flexible your body is. In case you didn't know ... that has little to do with yoga.

Rarely do I meet anyone who is not a yoga beginner, actually ... and that goes for some extraordinarily flexible yoga teachers too.

The modern yoga class culture would seem to suggest that physical mastery of some yoga exercises is the gauge we use to assess a person's "level" of yoga.

If that were true, though, then we'd have to consider many athletes, world-class dancers and even circus performers as advanced yoga practitioners too.

They're not though. In the overall science of yoga, those physical abilities don't really count for much ... at least not on their own.

An advanced yoga practitioner is someone who can demonstrate impressive things with much more than their body. They can demonstrate an uncommon level of calm amidst chaos, and an unshakable poise while navigating through the challenging storms of life.

The advanced yoga practitioner is one who demonstrates, by example, what it means to live a dignified, compassionate and selfless life; things not so easily emulated by the average person, I agree ... but someone who hass reached the advanced level of yoga is no longer an average person.

With that in mind, I'm afraid to say that most modern "yogis" I meet don't quite fill those shoes. OK, rarely have I actually met anyone who even comes close. Most yoga teachers today don't seem to be immune to any more trauma and drama of modern life then their students or their neighbors are.

But they should be ... if they are in advanced to any degree in yoga. Yoga is a science with limitless potential to transform our lives.

But that has to start with a greater awareness of yoga as something more than just a system of physical exercises ... and teacher can play an important role in creating that awareness in their beginner yoga classes with a more comprehensive approach.

I'm hopefull that the current fixation on yoga exercises will eventually yield to a much deeper exploration of this profound science of life. When that day comes, and I know it will, then we'll surely start to see a lot more genuine "advanced yoga practitioners" emerging into this world ... and that will surely be a good thing.

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Mommy Makeovers in Providence by Lynn Fugaro

Ah, the joy of motherhood. Almost every new mother will tell you that motherhood is the role they were meant for. But even though they may be relishing their new job taking care of their child or children, these women may not like what they see in the mirror. While it’s true that babies can help make you a better person, having them really does a number on your body. The physical act of having a child, along with the stress and lack of sleep, can have enormous repercussions on your appearance.

Many of these changes are temporary. Once you return to the gym, and if you eat right and are getting sleep, you will return to your pre-pregnancy figure much sooner than if you don’t get exercise, sleep, or eat well. However, there are some physical changes that may be permanent, leaving you unhappy and self-conscious about your appearance. A negative self-image and low self-esteem is not how mothers with children should be.

To help these women, there is a custom-designed plastic surgical procedure known as the mommy makeover. A mommy makeover can help turn back the clock through a series of unique plastic surgical procedures aimed at your individual figure and aesthetic goals.

What a Mommy Makeover Can Target

• Changes in breast size and shape

• Stretch marks

• Varicose veins and spider veins

• Stretched abdominal muscles and skin

• Stubborn pockets of fat

• Changes in the health of your skin

Each woman who has become a new mother may have specific areas other than these that they wish to target. An experienced plastic surgeon will be happy to discuss an individual plan tailored to your specific goals.

Mommy Makeover Procedure Options

There are both surgical procedures and non-invasive cosmetic surgical procedures that may benefit you, and both will be discussed when you speak to a plastic surgeon. Some of the procedures that are common in a mommy makeover are:

• Facelift

• Liposuction

• Breast augmentation

• Breast lift

• Breast reduction

• Tummy tuck

• BOTOX™ Cosmetic

• Spider vein treatment

These procedures and others will improve you appearance and the way you see yourself. Feeling good about the way you look can make you feel good about all other aspects of your life, including the way you parent your children. If a mommy makeover can restore your self-esteem, then perhaps it is something you should discuss with an experienced plastic surgeon.

If you are in the Providence, Rhode Island or New Haven, Connecticut area, and are interested in finding out more about mommy makeovers, please visit the website of experienced plastic surgeon Dr. Goldstein at Coastal Plastic Surgery Center for an initial consultation.

Train Lose Weight And Really Feel Nice by Myra Leigh

A morbid obese particular person is someone who is suffering health results because of his or her weight. Or it may be someone who isn't but suffering the effects of it but will in the future if they do not cut back their weight. A morbid obese particular person has further weight that could very effectively contribute to his or her death.

You possibly can decide whether you're morbidly obese by looking at a number of different factors. First, simply take a second to note how your body feels. Look within the mirror. Think about the way folks treat you and react to you. You already know it for those who're overweight by more than only a few pounds. That does not imply you're morbid obese, though.

Chances are you are not morbidly obese unless you're more than 100 kilos overweight. You might be obese, being 60-99 kilos overweight, as an illustration, without being thought-about morbidly obese. And for those who're 10 to 50 kilos overweight, you may simply be thought-about overweight and never obese at all.

One other option to measure your weight problems is thru the body mass index. In case your BMI quantity is over forty, you're morbidly obese. For those who're 100 kilos or extra overweight, your BMI should mechanically be forty of above.

In case your BMI quantity if 35-39 but you're having health results straight related to your measurement, then you may also be thought-about very obese. Among the health results you is likely to be experiencing are things like excessive blood pressure.

Sometimes you might be overweight even just a bit bit and it could make your blood strain rise. But for those who're obese, your blood strain can rise dangerously excessive, causing injury while you do not even know it.

Being that overweight may also cause diabetes. At first you may simply have excessive blood sugar and be thought-about "borderline." A doctor could offer you a diet to follow and prescribe pills. You'll most likely get a special system and test strips so you may test your blood regularly.

If in case you have these problems even with a BMI of 35, then you definately would be classified by the medical doctors as morbidly obese.

For those who're heavy, most likely close to 100 kilos overweight, and you've got tried in the past to lose weight unsuccessfully you may be classified as morbid obese. The lack to achieve a wholesome weight and maintain it's a hallmark of morbid obesity.

The reasons medical doctors use this classification is that morbid weight problems is an effective cause to have weight loss surgery. While it's always preferable to lose the weight naturally by means of good diet and exercise, sometimes that doesn't happen.

When a person could be very heavy and hasn't been able to lose the weight on his personal, surgery is an option. If health problems are already exhibiting up, and the particular person hasn't been able to lose weight, there's little doubt that the sample will proceed and things will solely get worse.

5 Most Prominent Symptoms of Vaginal Discharge Symptoms by Shawn Chris Michaels

Vaginal discharge is an absolutely normal phenomenon for women aged between puberty and menopause. This is defined as a small amount of fluid flowing out of one’s vagina taking old cells out with it. The vaginal discharge helps women to clean the vagina, keep it lubricated and free from various infections. This, if irregular, can however indicate a problem.

Normally vaginal discharge is clear or milky white fluid and this does not posses any disturbing odour. This fluid can also appear thicker at specific times such as menstrual cycle, during breastfeeding or while the woman is sexually aroused. This discharge varies in thickness from person to person.

However, this is not the case many times. Often a woman sees that her vaginal discharge has changed. This change can occur in terms of colour, consistency or amount, presence of itching, discomfort, any rash or a burning sensation during urination, presence of blood when it’s not menstruation time and of course odour.

A foul, more accurately fishy, odour associated with a yellowish, grayish or greenish colour in vaginal discharge should be a mandatory reason for paying a visit to a doctor immediately so that diagnosis and treatment can be started as soon as possible.

Vaginal discharge symptom is the collective name given to all the diseases that can present their symptoms in form of abnormal vaginal discharge. Different changes mean different problems. The most prominent 5 vaginal discharge symptoms can be listed as an odourous vaginal discharge, light and yellow-coloured vaginal discharge, vaginal dryness and watery feeling, white, yellow or green vaginal discharge and frequent infections of different kinds in the vagina.

Perhaps the most prominent vaginal discharge symptom is an odourous vaginal discharge. It can sometimes be an indication of bacterial vaginosis. Mostly the odour will be fishy and sometimes can be smelt after vaginal intercourse. This may be rarely associated with vaginal itching and reddening.

The second most notable vaginal discharge symptom is yellow coloured and light vaginal discharge which can refer to Chlamydia infection, which is a serious sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Next comes the feeling of vaginal dryness and watery vagina. An unusual dryness in vagina may refer to diabetes when watery and blood-tinged discharge may point to a lot more serious diseases such as vaginal, cervical or uterus cancer.

The fourth most notable vaginal symptom would be a vaginal discharge that is white yellow or even green in colour. This may point to leucorrhea.

The last but not the least vaginal discharge symptom would be frequent vaginal yeast infection (sometimes oral, too) and bacterial vaginosis. This may refer to HIV/AIDS, one of the challenges still faced by the medical community.

Key Thoughts To Losing Weight by Katie Humphrey

Most women think, say and do things that counteract their desire to lose weight; some are even aware of it. Yet no one ever does anything to fix it. Just because you have always "poor mouthed" your body doesn't mean you can't change. If you really want to lose weight, it's time to take a cold, hard look in the mirror.

This exercise isn't so you can look at your reflection and think, "Wow, you big, fat pig, you really need to lose some weight!" In fact, I find that this "honesty" does nothing to serve us. Look in mirror and realize the real cause of your weight gain...YOU. Besides, saying "I'm fat" isn't being honest; I've heard thin women make this comment. Saying these things is just putting yourself down. It's time to stop feeling sorry for yourself and complaining about how fat you've gotten or how you've let yourself go.

I just told you that your thoughts become your words and your words become your actions. So if you think you're fat, ugly, overweight, pudgy, whatever, you will begin speaking these thoughts (making your mind believe it as a "truth" and cause others to believe this of you), and you will eventually do things that cause you to become or stay this way.

Here's an exercise to get you out of this mentality (believe me, I used to be there and it's no picnic) and into a thinner, healthier body; one you can be proud of and confident in.

Step 1: Get out a sheet of paper and make a list of ALL the things you think about your body - and BE HONEST! Write these things on the left side of the paper. (Example: 1. My thighs are too big, 2. I'm a huge, fat pig...we've all said this one)

Step 2: Twist around your comment and make it something positive. Write this positive statement on the right side of the paper, on the same line as the comment. I know this may be a big step for some of you, but do it, and do it for every comment you write. (Example: 1. My thighs are perfect AND beautiful, 2. I'm healthy, fit and am in control of my body)

Step 3: Fold your sheet of paper in half, so that only the positive column is showing. Read off each positive statement ONLY, in a row, every morning before work or every night before you go to sleep. Do this for at least 21 days.

This may sound ridiculous. I don't care. It works, and if you're not willing to try it, don't bother trying anything else to lose weight. If you are negative about your body and you try other weight loss methods, you will eventually self-sabotage, and your whole life will be spent losing weight and gaining it back. I promise, I was there once.

Also, saying positive (twisted-around) statements will sound like you're lying to yourself, but the truth is that the negative statements you say are actually a lie you've taught your mind to believe. Don't feel foolish saying the positive stuff, when you start making it a habit, you will see subtle but serious changes in your behavior (and on the scale!).

Do this exercise today, and I look forward to hearing about your progress!

Copyright (c) 2010 Katie Humphrey

The Menopausal Vagina - Sex With Vaginal Thinning by Keira Benson

To prevent the sides of the vagina from rubbing together when a woman goes about her day to day life, the cervix (neck of the womb) produces a natural moisture which doubles up as a cleansing mechanism, removing the remains of the menstrual period and any other dead cells in its path as it makes its way to the outside. It also contains friendly bacteria which keep the environment slightly acidic to deter any infections.

At the opening of the vagina are the Bartholin's glands, which lubricate the area to permit intercourse.

In the menopause vagina, the lowered oestrogen levels interfere with the manufacture of the cleaning and lubricating fluids and affect the flexibility and thickness of the tissues.

These twin problems result in dryness and vaginal thinning or vaginal atrophy as it is sometimes known.

In some cases, the mucous lining of the vagina can become badly inflamed and the tissue can be easily torn.

Less fluid in the menopausal vagina equates to fewer friendly bacteria and a decreased level of acidity which can allow infections to take hold.

As a result of this, sexual intercourse can become rather difficult and, sometimes, painful - otherwise known as dyspareunia. It is crucial to take time over foreplay to be certain that sufficient lubrication has been achieved for penetration. Some women find that using lubricating gels can be extremely helpful and the water-based ones are best as they help to reduce the chance of infection and won't damage any condoms.

There are also various natural remedies to combat menopause vagina dryness. These use coconut oil, almond oil, natural yoghurt or honey to make things more slippery. Ointments which have a comfrey base are especially useful in the battle against vaginal thinning as they help with healing and regeneration.

But, most important of all, is keeping the menopause vagina in tip-top condition. Kegel and pelvic floor exercises are vital in maintaining muscle tone and preventing damage.

Give your menopausal vagina a regular sexual work-out to maintain its fitness - even if it's a solo affair.