Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer

Chemotherapy is the use of very strong anticancer drugs to kill colon cancer cells. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment and will address cancer that is in the entire body which is why it is often used to prevent spread or to treat cancer that has already spread. This is not the only reason why chemotherapy is used so if you doctor suggests treatment with chemotherapy drugs do not assume that your cancer has spread and metastesized.

Chemotherapy plays a few roles in the treatment of colon cancer. used to kill colon cancer cells that might have not been removed during surgical removal of the colon cancer. reduces the size of the tumor before surgery is performed used to treat colon cancer by controlling the growth of the tumor. used to relieve some of the symptoms of the colon cancer. reduce the likelyhood of recurrence Chemotherapy is often used after surgery is performed to eliminate cancer cells that may have been left behind and not removed by surgery. The chemotherapy can be administered through an IV (intravenously) or in pill form. Once the chemotherapy drugs enter the bloodstream they can reach cancer cells in all parts of the body. Some studies have shown that using a regimen of chemotherapy after surgery for colon cancer can increase the surivival rates for some stages of colon and rectal cancers.

In patients with advanced colorectal cancer chemotherapy is often useful in relieving the symptoms of the cancer.

Who is given Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer? The general opinion in the medical community differs on whether chemotherapy for Stage II colon cancer will be beneficial to the patient after surgery. It is usually only advisable in very high risk patients.

Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery is the standard of care for patients with Stage III colorectal cancer. Also patients with Stage IV cancers of the colon or rectum can benefit from the use of chemotherapy as it often will help to shrink the tumor, increase life expectancy and improve the quality of life.

How is Chemotherapy Administered for Colorectal Cancer?

The use of adjuvant chemotherapy typically involves monthly administration of the chemotherapy drugs for usually 6 to 8 months. Usually on or a combination of the following drugs are administered:

5-FU (5-fluorouracil) leucovorin irinotecan oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) The standard adjuvant chemotherapy combination for colon cancer consists of 5-FU and leucovorin.

Side Effects of Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy can produce some side effects. The type of side effects experiences depends upon the type of chemotherapy drugs used, how much of the drugs are given and the period of time they are administered. The side effects also depend on the individual.

The most common side effects for 5FU :

the feeling of being sick diarrhea sore mouth or mouth ulcers drop in blood cell count overall feeling of tiredness The most common side effects of irinotecan :

increased perspiration increase in the production of saliva watery eyes pain or cramps in the abdomen diarrhea overall feeling of being sick drop in blood cell count overall feeling of tiredness hair thinning or loss The most common side effects of oxaliplatin:

feeling of being sick numbness or tingling of the extremeties numbness in the lips

Bill Ransom provides information on Colon cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment at http://colon-answers.com

The Kill the Bacterial and Cure the Acne Myth

All life forms strategize to survive and procreate. Weeds, worms, birds, fungi and bacteria all work to sustain their own lives on this planet. In fact, we humans survive because of the biological games constantly unfolding in our mist.

Propionibacterium acnes, or p acne bacteria, are no different. They want and need to survive. Skin bacteria perform an important function. Bacteria use the secretions of our sweat and sebaceous glands (sebum is the oil that makes our skin look shiny) as nutrients. P acnes that are in balance with your body prevent colonization by more harmful bacteria.

P acne bacteria only encourage acne formations if the production of oil on the face is excessive. This surplus of oil of prompted by hormonal, nutritional, environmental and/or psychological changes in the body. So to prevent acne, you do not what to kill bacteria per se, but keep the amount of bacteria on your skin at an optimal balance. You optimize your oil secretion by understanding and controlling your response to hormonal, nutritional, environmental and/or psychological changes.

If we upset the balance of bacteria in our bodies by taking antibiotics, our resident flora is upset and this enables harmful bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii) to colonize our skin. What?s more, antibiotics can destroy the balance of intestinal flora and cause constipation.

In short, using antibiotics on bacteria is a battle amongst intelligent parties involving the bacteria, the body, and the human mind. If we fail to appreciate the bacteria as bodily maintenance workers and continue dousing them with antibiotics, the bacteria just become more resistant to our antibiotics. The bacteria are practiced at playing dead as a tactic for survival. Even people who have used the strongest acne drug on the market, Accutane, have witnessed the cunning behavior of bacteria as zits reappear some months after using this course of acne treatment. These people have discovered that bacteria do not die; they silently and strategically multiply. If you do not want your bacteria out of balance, do not provide them an environment conducive to acne

Naweko San-Joyz writes health and beauty articles from her home in San Diego. She recently published ?Acne Messages: Crack the code of your zits and say goodbye to acne? (ISBN: 0974912204). Naweko is presently working on title called ?Skinny Fat Girls, Why we?re still not getting this diet thing? (ISBN: 0974912212) for release in May of 2005. To challenge and verify her research, San-Joyz trains for figure competitions.

Eczema Treatments What's Available?

Millions of people suffer from eczema, with cases ranging from extreme and debilitation to mild and annoying. Treatments for eczema range from simple lifestyle changes to prescription medications. Some of the most common treatments for eczema are reviewed below.

Perhaps the simplest treatments for eczema involve simple lifestyle changes. The dry, itchy skin of eczema can be greatly alleviated with several small adjustments to your skin care regime. First, take cooler baths and showers. Hot water can be very drying for the skin, so cooling down your showers will help your skin retain more moisture. Avoid harsh, drying soaps and detergents. Gentle, non-scented moisturizing soaps and mild detergents help the skin avoid dryness and eliminate some of the irritants that can aggravate eczema.

Moisturizing the areas affected by eczema is essential. Moisturize often and liberally. Treat irritated areas with 1% hydrocortisone cream to relive itching and irritation.

There are many more natural, home remedy treatments for eczema that have also had some success in relieving the itching and flaking of eczema. Placing an ice pack on the affected area can relive itching, as do oatmeal baths, like Aveeno. Another home remedy is treating an oozing patch of eczema with milk. Soak a cotton ball or piece of gauze in cold milk and apply to the itchy area. Reapply two to three times and then rinse to alleviate itching.

Humidifying your home is another great solution. By adding more moisture to the air, you?re adding more moisture to your skin. Purchasing a humidifier can help prevent the excess drying or ezcema.

Be especially careful with your laundry products. Harsh detergents and chemical fabric softeners can aggravate eczema. Switch to unscented, mild detergent and fabric softeners that work in the rinse cycle to minimize irritation.

Another popular herbal remedy for eczema is Evening Primrose oil. Taken orally, this herbal remedy seems to alleviate some of the symptoms of eczema, possibly because of its high concentration of an omega-6 essential fatty acid.

There are several simple lifestyle changes and remedies to help alleviate the symptoms of eczema. Incorporating several of these tips into your skin care regime may help guide your eczema into a state of remission.

Claire Bowes is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Eczema Causes & Cures. Claire provides more information on her site about Eczema Treatments that you can research at home.

How to Use a Smoothie to Eliminate Acne Improve Skin and Keep Regular

Fruit smoothies provide you a different way to eat fruits. Smoothies mixed with other ingredients and nutrients can serve as a way to clear your acne and provide nutrients to clear constipation. Blended nutrients are digested quicker when in a liquid slurry then when in a solid food. Smoothies can be created that help build, cleanse, and heal your body.

In cases where you are depleted of various vitamins and minerals, smoothies are a way to bring these nutrients quickly into your body.

During the period where you have acne, drink more smoothies to detoxify toxic matter in your colon and else where in your body.

The smoothies I list in other articles provide you with plenty of fiber. Fiber is one of the main foods you want to increase in your eating plan.

In her book, New Facts About Fiber, 1997, Betty Kamen, Ph. D., talks about how fiber helps skin diseases,

?Treatment of any skin condition is always more effective when the intestinal tract is free of disease-producing fungi. Vegetable fiber is recommended to reduce yeast colonies between your intestinal villi ? the threadlike projections covering the surface of the mucous membranes lining your small intestine, which serve as the absorption sites of nutrients. Fiber also helps to avoid yeast cells from invading your lymph tract and circulating blood. This is effective in clearing seborrheic eczema (the kind that causes excessive discharge from the sebaceous glands, forming greasy scales and cheesy plugs) and other skin conditions.?

Drink your smoothie slowly. Do not drink it like water. The best way to drink it is to move the mixture around in your mouth so saliva is mixed with the smoothie ingredients. Drinking a smoothie too fast can lead to gas (air in the smoothie) to form in the stomach and intestine, which can cause some discomfort.

Once your smoothie is made, drink it within a few minutes. The smoothie ingredients will start to decay quickly as it has air mixed in from the blending process. If you fill a thermos to the top, you can use the smoothie for later.

In her book, The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies, 2003, Natalie Savona, gives some hints on storing your smoothie.

?There really is no such thing as storing a juice or smoothie ? you can?t beat drinking them the moment you?ve made them. However, you may like to take them out to work or on a picnic. In that case, the best way to store them is to put a teaspoon of vitamin C powder or a squeeze pf lemon juice in the bottom of the jug attached to the juicer. The vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, preventing the juice from turning brown. The same goes for smoothies. Also keep the drinks covered and cool ? in a sealed container in the refrigerator, or in a thermos flask?

Look for my articles on making a smoothie for acne and good health.

Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He is the author of Constipation, Acne, Hemorrhoid, and Fatty Acid ebooks. He writes a newsletter call ?natural-remedies-thatwork.com.? More acne hints and information on his acne e-book can be found at: http://www.acne-remedies.for--you.info

Reiki on the Road

Have you always wanted to travel but your budget is a little short and you're worried you'll 'feel so lonely I could die, boom boom'?

Well there's something that you could take with you that might help; it doesn't weigh a ton (it'll even leave room for that extra book) and will always leave love and compassion strewn across the path behind you . You'll have guessed by now what I'm about to suggest - Reiki! This article also applies to those who practise any healing art whether it be massage, shiatsu or acupressure.

Here's how to set yourself up.

Cost: We suggest that you charge the local price for a massage. Remember, you don't have to charge a lot to cover the costs of your next meal and you'll meet really interesting, like minded people who you'll probably end up having lunch with anyway and perhaps even travelling with. Instead of charging money you could also swap services; a massage, a painting, information, food etc.etc.

Where: Reiki can be practised anywhere though preferably in a quiet(ish) space on a comfortable something. Hmmm sounds a little vague doesn't it? But then that's the point - it really doesn't matter! When you're travelling you can do Reiki in the room of a backpackers, by the beach or in a park. Make the space more attractive by using aromatherapy (incense), candles or locally handcrafted materials.

Other ideas are to ring Health Resorts (your dream destination) and work for a month as a practitioner on a commission basis or for free board and rent.

Reiki Masters might want to rent a space if they are staying in an area for a while and offer courses for travellers. This can be a huge success as travellers are often interested in self development.

How: Carry an A4 sheet with you that announces 'Reiki treatments by your name'. Don't fill in where as yet but do leave a space. When you have found a place to practise, photcopy the sheet and fill in where. This might be your address 'Room 8, The Backpackers Inn' or it might say 'For more information meet me at Grandma's for breakfast between 8 and 10 every morning' - you eat there anyway! All you do is place a leaflet on the table so that everyone knows that it is you who they are looking for.

You can then copy this sheet a number of times and place in backpackers, hostels, restaurant windows, bus/train stations. Make sure you ask beforehand - you'll find most locals are curious and more than willing to help your venture. If necessary offer them a free treatment!

If money's no object and you are simply interested in practising your Reiki for the benefit of others, now's your chance. When travelling you can become involved in the immediate community by volunteering your services. You can do this formally through the Red Cross or local hospital or just ask around and there will surely be someone who needs Reiki. This is an excellent way to meet people, understand the culture (a little bit) and spread love and compassion. Perfect!

Reiki Masters Frans and Bronwen Stiene (pronounced stee-nuh) are authors of the internationally acclaimed The Reiki Sourcebook, The Japanese Art of Reiki, Reiki Techniques Card Deck and the A-Z of Reiki and are the founders of the International House of Reiki.

Their website is the http://www.reiki.net.au which is full of lots of articles and research into Reiki.

With over 16 years of combined experience as practitioners, teachers and speakers in healing and spirituality they have worked with, taught and researched healing in the USA, Europe, Asia, Australia and Japan. They are teachers whose passion is truth, education, support and spiritual development for all.

Acne Meaning And Introduction

Acne is a type of skin disease that is mainly caused due to the excessive secretion of oil called sebum. Basically, the function of this oil is to regulate the skin texture and body hair by reasonably moistening it. It is produced by the sebaceous glands present in the skin. But, due to excessive lubrication, you easily become prone to the development of congested pores on the skin surface. These pores give rise to various skin bumps such as cysts, blackheads and whiteheads, pimples etc.

There are various types of bumps, which vary in nature. Cyst is a condition where your skin is covered with a tiny sac that is filled with fluid. In the case of whiteheads, the pores get blocked with sebum and protrude slightly outward. When the pores stay open and are filled with sebum, they get darkened from the outside surface, and these are known as blackheads. When the pores get exposed to a different kind of organic matter such as bacteria and other germs, usually a reddish colored swelling will be noticed, and this is known as a pimple.

Acne is commonly found between the age group of 10 to 40 years. You can find a quicker treatment, if you have thorough knowledge regarding the causes and how they should be treated. You can go to a drug store or cosmetic center and find medicines for yourself. In case it is not easy to understand your actual skin condition, you can consult a physician and follow his prescription.

Paul has been providing answers to lots of queries through his website on a wide variety of subjects ranging from satellite phones to acne. To learn more visit http://www.askaquery.com/Answers/qn1519.html

Ten Alternate Energy Sources To Live Well With Global Warming

Feeling hot under the collar?

Glaciers and polar ice are melting, ocean levels are rising, hot, dry weather, huge forest fires, water restrictions, crop failures?

You name it, if these don?t feature in your life yet, they soon will. Global warming and climate change are facts of life now, according to the International Panel on Climate Change, and many scientists.

Huge problems beyond our control!

But are you hot under the collar?

If you?re not, you probably live in a city where half of the Earth?s citizens live now and take much for granted. Because in city living we are far removed from natural processes that deliver our food, clothing and energy.

Does your child even know that milk comes from a cow - or a soya bean if you?re that way inclined - and not from a milk carton?

Even in the city you cannot stick your head in the sand (or under the asphalt?) and you are not immune from climate change. Witnesses are the 15,000 mostly elderly people that died in Paris alone in the sizzling hot European summer of 2003. Or the many killed in New Orleans at the ?hands? of cyclone Katrina.

And if you are hot under the collar, do you think perhaps that there will be some miraculous scientific break-through so they ever-responsible ?They? will fix the Earth? The ultimate stem cell technology maybe that can clone a new home for us!

Seriously, for many of us it is all too hard.

All we want is to live a life where we may raise our children to have a future.

A future of some predictability: of schooling, a job, a family, community, of achievements and an enjoyable life - on a healthy planet Earth.

Is this a fading dream, once a reasonable expectation?

Maybe, maybe not.

Our world is changing. There are great challenges ahead and it is too late to stop global warming. The Earth has changed and the processes it uses to regulate itself are adjusting themselves. And these changes will not suit human life as it is.

But you are not powerless.

Each person alone can change the world, one by one. Let me explain.

Do I say that these problems are under our control then?

Well, yes and no.

We are talking about a severely disabled world really.

And from the experience of disability we can learn how to survive and thrive!

?Come on, get real?, you say? Do I hear: ?Just show me the right alternate energy sources and we?ll get out of this mess.?

Yes, we desperately do need to switch to renewable energy sources that do not make a greenhouse out of our home, the Earth. But all the technology in the world will never be enough to survive and flourish>.

Renewable energy sources alone will not teach us to accept limits, unpredictability and what it is to lead a rewarding life.

How we have lived collectively, in our billions, for the last few hundred years, has got us to this point. And by changing what we do we can live through climate change as best as we might.

Even now.

It?s simple and it?s hard work. No way out of that.

Many people with severe disabilities know this. And they report the same or better life satisfaction as anyone else?under highly challenging, vulnerable circumstances.

So, we can learn to live well in a disabled world.

Regardless of what is to come you and I will be well served by the beliefs and strategies that people with disabilities use to - not just to survive - but to live well.

These are true alternate energy sources.

Those that guide us how to use what we have sustainably.

These 'disabled people' believe this:

* Accept that all of us are fragile and vulnerable
* The world is full of limits. We need some of these to live well.
* Vulnerability and dependence are an inevitable part of a whole life
* No-one is independent, but interdependent
* Connection with others is our lifeline and our wellbeing

And they do this:

* Engage with others to build positive relationship, where you live, work and play
* Pay attention to other?s needs and that of the environment
* Take responsibility for the situation you?re in
* Care for others and the environment competently
* Be assertive and use your humour and creativity

Not all people with disabilities act in this way of course. And I?d be the last to portray people with disabilities as heroes. We?re just people - trying to get on.

You try that!

Talk to that elderly woman in your street. Offer a hand when someone needs it.

Doing such small things will connect you with others and your environment.

And do also use the ?regular? renewable alternate energy sources, and recycle too.

You can change your local world by acting in these ways.

And if all fails - regardless?

Well, it?s the only way to go!

Perhaps your world might be just as hot but it?ll be cooler under your collar!

Dr Erik Leipoldt has long been concerned about the effects of global warming. In particular he uses his own experience of severe disability in practical approaches towards alternate energy sources to survive and thrive in our environmentally disabled world. See http://www.alternate-energy-sources.com/

Essential Oils How To Use Aromatherapy Methods

Pure essential oils have a wide range of therapeutic uses and benefits. The method applied can effect the results.

First, please remember that essential oils should never be applied neat (undiluted) to your skin. There are absolutely NO exceptions to this! This includes the soles of your feet or palms of your hands. When using oils neat for inhalation purposes please exercise care and dispense your oils on a tissue or cotton ball for direct inhalation.

The choice of delivery method often depends on your intended goal. Please view diagrams (clickable links) below, illustrating the pathways of distribution within the human body and the organs and systems being affected by essential oils.

There are 3 Primary Methods for enjoying the benefits of aromitic oils:

1) DIRECT INHALATION is the method used most in Germany and the one I primarily use for best therapeutic results.

PLEASE NOTE: Stimulating circulation of your blood, lymph and nerve flow through deep breathing or movement and exercise, a bodywork/massage session, or a warm shower or hot soak in conjunction with inhalation of aromatic oils enhances their delivery into your system!

DIRECTIONS: Put 1-3 drops of essential oil onto a tissue, cotton ball or organic Celtic smelling salts. Slowly introduce the oils into your system by breathing them in for 30-60 seconds.

Aromatic oils stimulate your olfactory nerves which send a signal to your brain's neuro-receptors, triggering numerous electro-chemical responses.

VIEW Chart on Electro-chemical effects of Aromatherapy (clickable link appears below).

Through cellular respiration, or breathing, aromatic vapors enter your lungs for immediate release into your blood stream for distribution to every cell in your body. Research shows that essential oils will remain in your bloodstream for up to 4-6 hours. The method of Direct Inhalation is helpful for inducing sleep!

VIEW Chart on Aromatherapy Delivery Pathways (clickable link appears below).

2) MICRO DIFFUSION uses a nebulizing diffuser that will break oil into millions of micro particles. It disperses oils without the heating that can render them therapeutically less beneficial.

3) AIR DIFFUSION has a basket in which a pad with drops of oils are applied. A small fan blows cool air through the oils lifting them into the air for dispersal. This is a cost effective way for diffusing the oils and has the benefits of micro-diffusion and is especially good for scenting a room.

Properly administered essential oils are a natural, safe and effective way to enhance your health and well-being and can produce satisfying results where other methods have failed. Please consult with your physician regarding your health concerns.

KG has utilized essential oils in her aromatic energy medicine practice for more than 30 years. During that time she has facilitated healing for thousands of people suffering from personal trauma, illness and injury. Through her unique AromaTest? system KG formulates essential oil blends that heal.

PLEASE NOTE: There are many cheap chemical copies of essential oils available, but these are not recommended for therapeutic use. For best results always use ethically wild crafted or pure, organic essential oils that are pesticide free!

KG Stiles is a certified Aromatherapist practicing in Ashland, OR USA PurePlant Essentials is her line of pure organic and ethically wild crafted essential oils. KG formulates aromatic oils for: colds and flu, insomnia, stress, anxiety, depression, menopause, anti-aging, skin care and more. KG's book, Aromatic Medicine - Pathway to Health, and her DVD about her AromaTest System of Healing, Your Aromatic Signature ~ How to Formulate Blends that Heal, are scheduled for release in 2006. Click to learn about Organic Celtic Smelling and KG's other PurePlant Essentials Aromatherapy Products : PurePlant Essentials Aromatherapyp Products Menu View KG's Chart Electro Chemical Effects Of Aromatherapy and her Chart Aromatherapy Delivery Pathways Contact KG Stiles Springhill Wellness Center, 2520 Springhill Drive Ashland, OR USA (541) 941-7315

Health Benefits of Soy Candles

Soy is everywhere these days, including in your milk, chips, nuts, and even burgers adding health benefits through and through, now it seems soy is also in your candles. Soy candles are a new and emerging type of candle the offers great benefits to those candle heads in the world that can?t live without fresh aroma burning each and every day in their homes.

?If it lasts longer it?s okay with me? said a friend of mine once during a casual dinner. Take that comment for what you will, my friend could?ve meant a variety of things by it, but in general consumers prefer long lasting items to those that are short in life span. Soy candles last 30 to 50 percent longer then traditional candles. Your average 14 oz candle, similar to a Yankee candle large size, will last about 75 hours. If you were to have that candle be a soy candle, it would last over 100 hours and smell just as sweet as the traditional candles do.

Traditional candles are known to cause soot in and around the general area they are burning. For those that aren?t familiar with our friend soot, think grayish black smoky smelling fog that clouds the top of your candle jar, on your walls, and even on ones ceiling. Soot is caused by the toxic elements in the traditional candles that are released when ignited. Soy candles are all natural and do not contain any toxins, thus no soot will come of them.

Carcinogens are released into the air when a traditional candle is burning. Carcinogens can cause cancer, and other health related problems. New research is showing links between candles, charcoal, and other burning devices we use in our home lives as cancer causing. Research is just beginning on this issue; however it is a fact that soy candles do not produce carcinogens. When thinking about buying soy candles think of the old clich?, better safe than sorry.

Clark Covington provides tips and information on soy candles and gel candles for Candles 4U - your guide to candles and candlemaking.

The Fear Of Stuttering

I am someone, who from what my parents have told me, started to stutter when I was four years of age. I have to say that I hated having a stuttering problem and was determined that I eventually would be able to have the confidence to say whichever words that I wanted to, in any situation. There were you see a number of words which I believed I just could not say and I also found it difficult to talk when I felt under pressure. After living with the stutter for eighteen years, I finally managed to achieve fluency and life has never been so good. It is like having a weight lifted from my shoulders.

Many people who stutter find that it can, in a way, rule their whole lives. Every decision they take seems to be affected by the speech impediment. For example, I decided to leave school because of my own stutter. My life at school was made so much harder by being unable to converse fluently. In fact I used to fear going to school, this was mainly because I was scared that I would be asked to read out aloud from a book or would be asked a question in front of the whole class. I will never forget when I attempted to take part in a role play in an English lesson, I was a complete nervous wreck and had a terrible time.

When I was at home, a place where I should be relaxed, I used to be afraid of the telephone of all things. Fluent people may well think that I am crazy from some of the things that I am admitting to in this article. On the other hand, I am sure other people who have a stutter may identify with some of the issues that I was trying to deal with on a daily basis. Going back to the telephone, there were many times when the phone would start to ring and I would just ignore it and not answer it. My parents would return home a little while later and would see that someone has perhaps left a message. They would enquire as to why I had not answered the call, I would reply with some excuse such as that I had popped out to the shops.

As you can see I basically had a fear of stuttering and during this period I would do anything to avoid stuttering. To overcome the speech impediment I was willing to do anything to beat it.

Stephen Hill offers various forms of stuttering therapy. He has a number of websites including:

stuttering treatment

stuttering cause

stuttering cure

Home Detox 101 4 Quick Tips for Easy & Affordable Detoxing at Home

Heading to a spa for an all-out cleanse may not always be possible, fortunately there?s plenty we can do ourselves to evict unwelcome elements! Here are 4 quick tips for easy and affordable detoxing at home.

1. Skin brushing

Dry skin brushing greatly benefits the lymphatic system. It helps in the elimination of toxins and removes dead skin cells. Regular brushing gets the skin looking clean and fresh, and feeling super smooth.

All you need is a natural bristle brush and 3 or 4 minutes extra time before your morning shower. When dry skin brushing, always work up the body in long strokes, towards the heart. Include the soles of the feet and palms of the hands, but avoid brushing the face or any sensitive or broken skin.

2. Solvent Solutions

Thirst is the body?s way of telling you it?s already dehydrated. Dehydrated bodies are more sluggish, toxic and prone to aches and pains than their well-irrigated counterparts.

For an easy solution to dehydration and its challenges to our healthy functioning try sipping hot water throughout the day. Water is nature?s greatest solvent. When hot it is even more potent in reaching the finer tissues of the body and moistening, lubricating and flushing the areas that cold water doesn?t reach so easily.

Hot water from the kettle usually tastes nasty though, so here?s an easy home tip for a convenient, refreshing and portable detox.

Grab a stainless steel saucepan and fill it with 3 pints of water, add 2 slices of fresh ginger and a couple of black peppercorns. Set it to boil for 10 minutes. During that time, any chlorine will evaporate, and the water will absorb the benefits of the ginger and black pepper. Once it?s boiled for a few minutes, strain it into a flask and keep it by you for the day.

Many who?ve tried this have waved goodbye to headaches and mental fatigue.

If a flask of hot herbal water isn?t practical - you could start your day with a cup of hot water and lemon juice in the morning and increase your plain water intake for the rest of the day. Lemon juice is cleansing to the liver and generally helps the body de-gunk.

3. Tongue Scraping

Tongue scraping cleans the mouth of bacteria accumulated while sleeping, and stimulates the bowels to empty first thing in the morning. Many health food stores and Internet sites now sell custom-made tongue scrapers, otherwise, an upside down teaspoon will do the trick. Simply scrape your tongue from back to front a few times before brushing your teeth in the morning. Be gentle, and don?t scrape too far back.

4. Walking

A brisk 20-minute walk is as useful for detoxing as it is for exercise. Walking briskly encourages the skin to break out in a light cleansing sweat, massages the colon by using the lower stomach muscles and gives the lungs a blast of fresh air. Walking also helps cleanse the lymphatic system, which although it possesses circulation-like channels throughout the body, is an inert system with no pulse that only really benefits when we get moving.

And finally, some kitchen cupboard detox quickies. Cleansing ingredients in your kitchen cupboards include:

Detox drinks such as, apple, cranberry, or red grape juice, and herb teas or hot water with fresh lemon juice in place of tea or coffee. Green tea is a great detoxer due to it?s high concentration of anti-oxidants.

Citrus fruits (with the exception of grapefruit), which contain limonene a natural detoxer

Vitamin E rich nuts, sees and good oils

Brassicas - antioxidant rich greens including broccoli, cabbage, and spring greens

Ananga Sivyer is a health writer for LifeScape magazine and author of the self-help workbook: The Art & Science of Emotional Freedom Sign up for her ezine today, and get a FREE COPY of her Energy Balance e-book.

Breast Cancer

The Journey Begins

This is the story of my breast cancer journey, and how gluing magazine pictures onto mat board led me back to my spirit.

In December of 2001, breast cancer was the furthest thing from my mind. I was busy. I had a loving husband, a nice home, three beautiful stepchildren, a good job. Then my perfect little world was suddenly turned inside out and upside down.

A routine, suspicious mammogram. A phone call. Mammogram #2. A stereotactic core biopsy.

My diagnosis: breast cancer, stage 2, infiltrating, ductal, HER2.

All of the above happened within the fearful, anxious, unbelievable time span of 7 days. And my life has never been the same.

The next nine months held a most strange quality of disbelief and exhaustion. It also held two surgeries, four chemotherapy treatments spaced three weeks apart, and 47 radiation treatments (spaced daily, over the course of 9 weeks).

Fears of the Cancer Returning

It's been three years since my life was turned upside down and inside out?. Three years. My prognosis is very good. I hear this every three months depending on which doctor my appointment is with: breast surgeon, medical oncologist, or radiation oncologist.

Three years have passed. I look good. I feel good. And yet nothing has been able to quiet the storms of fear that threaten to overwhelm me from time to time. The insidious fear that the breast cancer might return. The intimidating fear of another potentially deadly diagnosis.

I have meditated and prayed about this. I have talked about it with my wonderful therapist and with other breast cancer survivors. I have tried guided imagery, journaling, and art journaling. These have all tempered the fear to some extent, but only for a very short while.

How SoulCollage? Soothed My Fears

Then I began practicing SoulCollage? and my inner dynamics began to change.

SoulCollage? is a unique blend of spiritual practice and the fun of collage. It was created in 1989 by Seena Frost (www.soulcollage.com) as she worked with friends and clients in her psychotherapy practice.

Using our intuition and imagination, we create a deck of collaged cards where each card reflects a different aspect of who we are. The cards are then used to assist us to access our own deep wisdom and help us answer life's questions. There are four suits in a SoulCollage? deck: The Committee (the inner voices in our minds), The Community (the family and friends who love us), The Companions (animal totems who lend us their energies) and The Council (archetypes who symbolize major life themes for us).

SoulCollage? cards are made using magazine images, scissors, a glue stick, and 5 x 8 pieces of mat board.

It turned out to be the best way for me to deal with the lingering fears that I was left with after my cancer treatments were over. I listened carefully inside of me to the voices that had something to say about my breasts, and my breast cancer, and I made three cards over the course of a few months.

Naming my Inner Voices

The voices I named and then worked with in the coming months were: I am the one who fears breast cancer returning, I am the one who hates her disfigured left breast, I am the one who survived breast cancer and walked away from it (both of these voices were Committee members), and I am the one who gave you the courage to survive breast cancer (an archetype from my Council).

After making the cards, I journaled with them, asking each voice the following questions: Who are you? What do you have to give me? What do you want from me? How will I remember?

The Healing Continues

The entire process of making these SoulCollage? cards and then dialoguing with them led me deeper into my feelings about my diagnosis and all that I had been through on my journey since then. This led me to a very deep and powerful spiritual healing that is difficult to describe, yet very real in my life.

Now, when my fears of another cancer diagnosis threaten to consume me, I simply look at my SoulCollage? card that honors that voice inside of me and I acknowledge it. This voice, this fear will always be a part of me, but I do not have to allow it to control me. I am reminded of this because I also have the other two cards which speak to me of how I found the inner strength and courage to take the breast cancer journey.

Anne Marie Bennett is a freelance writer, SoulCollage facilitator, and self-taught artist who enjoys playing with mixed-media collage, and all forms of color and words. She has a BS degree in Education from Southern Connecticut State University and has taught children, teens and adults throughout the East Coast. She is a breast cancer survivor and feels closest to her own soul when she is writing, creating art, teaching, and sharing the gift of SoulCollage? with others. She lives,laughs, writes, sings (and makes her own SoulCollage? cards!) in Beverly, MA. To see her breast cancer SoulCollage? cards and read more about them, please visit: http://www.kaleidosoul.com/breastcancer.html

T'ai Chi Essentials

T'ai Chi is many things to many people. It's important to have a sense for why you come to T'ai Chi so that you can focus your efforts and get what you need. You'll get out of T'ai Chi what you put into it.

I teach the Yang Style Short Form as adapted and taught by Professor Cheng Man-Ch'ing. Professor Cheng brought this form to the United States in the 1960s. He condensed this form from the Yang Style Long Form by eliminating some repetition and a few postures in order to make it more accessible to the lifestyle of the Western world. As anyone knows who has studied this form, it is challenging enough in its length and complexity.

T'ai Chi Ch'uan is an internal art which seeks to develop and harmonize the human energy system in the context of a martial arts form. In my teaching, I emphasize the energetic or health and self-development aspects of T'ai Chi.

As a beginning, T'ai Chi enables us to recognize and actively release tension. This opens the way for us to develop balanced, free-flowing energy which creates the conditions for optimum health and well-being. T'ai Chi has been called moving meditation since its practice quiets the mind by centering us into body awareness (and, later, energetic awareness). The deepening of awareness integrates body, emotions, mind, and spirit.

Ultimately, T'ai Chi can be practiced as a comprehensive system of self-development. When you are proficient at T?ai Chi you can use it as a tool to shift your state of being. During T?ai Chi practice you become relaxed, present, energized, and aware. You shift into what I call a Core Energy State in which you experience yourself as a part of the Oneness of life and you feel the flow of universal qi (chee:life energy) throughout your body.

In addition to these profound effects, T'ai Chi just plain feels good. We often lose this sense when we try too hard to excel or to get something out of it. Practice T'ai Chi with awareness and pure enjoyment and the rest will take care of itself. Of course, to enjoy T'ai Chi you've got to do it. The good feeling one gets in T'ai Chi is developed through daily practice.

To guide you on the path towards embodying the essence of T'ai Chi, focus on five principles:

THE FIVE PRINCIPLES:

1) RELAX DOWN: release tension around all joints so they become open and free moving. Drop your shoulders; let your elbows hang heavily; release tension in the low back and hips so the buttocks and hip flexors are soft. Sink your energy. Feel as if your lower body is filled with water or as if there is a heavy weight attached to your tailbone. This is balanced by

2) STAND UPRIGHT: raise the crown point of your head (Bai Hui point) as if it's suspended on a string from above; let your spine rises straight from the coccyx to this point. Tuck your chin slightly and raise your back. Feel as if your upper body is filled with helium. Allow your elbows and wrists to rise slightly.

3) BREATHE FROM THE LOWER DANTIAN: focus your awareness inward and downward to the center of your body, the lower dantian (dahn-tee-en: an energy center approximately three finger-widths below the navel and one third of the way from the front to the back of the body). Imagine this energy center as a heavy sphere in your lower abdomen. Its weight spirals down into your legs and feet. All movement is guided by the waist around this center.

In T'ai Chi, we keep awareness centered in the lower dantian. Whenever your mind wanders to any other thoughts, feelings, or sensations, let those go and gently return your attention to breathing from the lower dantian. As you inhale, feel as if the lower dantian expands and fills up. When you exhale, feel as if the lower dantian relaxes inward and empties out.

Awareness expands from the lower dantian to fill the body as a whole. Feel the connection from the lower dantian to the top of your head (Bai Hui point). Feel the connection from the lower dantian to the soles of your feet (Bubbling Well points in the center of your feet).

Besides unifying body movement, the lower dantian is the storehouse for universal energy or qi. By focusing on this energy center we accumulate qi. The movements of T'ai Chi help to circulate qi throughout the body.

4) SOFTEN YOUR HANDS: release tension from your hands: they are soft, light, flexible, and sensitive. Don't curl your fingers or overextend them. Maintain a neutral wrist position. Soft hands relaxes tension, enhances the flow of qi, and opens the way for sensing life-energy. Feel the connection of your hands to your lower dantian. The rotation of the lower dantian spirals out through the arms. Allow your hands to be like cotton which can feel the air like thick clouds around you.

5) SINK INTO YOUR ROOT & SEPARATE YOUR WEIGHT: feel your feet contacting the ground; your weight distributes evenly across the entire surface of each foot. Maintain a slight knee bend. Sink your weight into the Bubbling Well points, your roots (in the middle of your feet, just behind the balls of your feet). Except at the start and finish of the form (when your weight is 50% in each leg), separate your weight distribution between your feet, either 70%/30% or 100%/0%. Being rooted comes from the weighted rotation of the dantian that screws your legs into the ground. Another sensory image for root and separate is to feel as if your lower body is full of water. Gradually pour the water 100% into one leg while emptying the other leg, then vice-versa.

At first, practice the five principles as a checklist. In time, they will blend into one feeling that you can shift into with a moment's attention.

Beyond the five principles, the following cues are also essential to T'ai Chi practice:

*Roll the tip of your tongue up to touch the roof of your mouth.

*Center your chin with the center line of your body.

*Square your shoulders and hips to one of the eight directions.

*Movement is slow, continuous, flowing, soft, and circular.

*Movements initiate from the ground, move up through the legs, are directed by the lower dantian, and released at the fingertips.

*Sense inwardly: the eyes maintain a soft focus to the outer environment.

*Find balance by harmonizing opposites: sinking with rising, forward with backward, left with right, expansion with relaxation.

To progress in T'ai Chi, practice daily. Even ten minutes a day will grow your ability. If you become frustrated in what seems complex, remember the five principles; these are the heart of T'ai Chi.

After going through the five principles at the beginning of each session, a fruitful method for practice is to focus on one principle at a time. In the first stages of learning T'ai Chi, focus on the fifth principle, root & separate, and on feeling solid contact with the ground. This principle forms a solid base for the other four. In time, the five principles become one sensation, a feeling of rooted, relaxed, upright, soft, centered, energetic presence which is maintained by focusing on the lower dantian.

At the finish of your daily practice, stay in the last posture and hold it. Breathe into your body as a whole. Go through the five posture principles. Take a few moments to record the feeling of relaxation and energy in every cell. This experience then becomes a reference point that you can return to when you feel rushed, tense, or overwhelmed, at other times of the day.

BEYOND THE MOVEMENTS:

After learning the movements of the form, become aware of how your breathing is coordinated with the postures. Breathing further integrates, informs, and energizes the movements while giving them a natural ebb and flow.

You may also want to work with Push Hands, or two person T'ai Chi. Push Hands develops your ability to follow T'ai Chi principles while interacting with another. We increase our internal and external sensitivity and learn to feel and respond to another's energy while maintaining our own energetic core. In Push Hands the connection between T'ai Chi and everyday interactions becomes apparent.

As you see in this brief summary, there are many levels to T'ai Chi practice. One of my T'ai Chi teachers says: T'ai Chi is simple, but it isn't easy. In China, to learn T'ai Chi is considered a life-long study. To maintain such a study, remember the desire that brought you to T'ai Chi. Find the pleasure in practice. Enjoy.

Copyright 2006 by Kevin Schoeninger

Kevin Schoeninger: M.A. Philosophy, Certified T'ai Chi and Qigong Instructor, Personal Trainer, and Reiki Master. http://www.thepowerofpractice.com http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com

Natural Home Remedies for Acne Arthritis Backache Obesity Stress and Many Ailments

Fed up from the side effects of the drugs, people are now shifting towards alternative therapies for the cure and treatment of common problems. Home remedies are one of the alternative methods that have been proven inexpensive and can be easily made at home without many efforts. Since ages our ancestors were using these home remedies for the treatment of diseases but the latest inventions and discoveries in the field of medicines darkened the benefits of these home made treatments. In the recent times the people have again shifted towards these home remedies.

Home remedies for some of the most common diseases and problems are:

Acne

Application of cucumber leaves or grated pieces of cucumber to the affected areas.

Paste of fenugreek leaves applied overnight on the affected area and washed off next morning is also effective.

Mix one tablespoon of besan flour and one teaspoon of lemon juice till a smooth paste is formed. Apply on neck and face and wash off when it gets dry.

Acidity

Drink a glass of cold milk to get quick relief from acidity.

Drink a glass of water with a teaspoon of baking soda for immediate relief.

Chewing bubble gum will also provide relief from acidity in few minutes.

Arthritis

With an empty stomach take 3-4 walnuts (akhrot) or 1 fresh coconut.

Spread warm mustard oil on a madar leaf and apply to the affected area for a few hours .

Drink some radish juice with sugar added to it.

Asthma

Drink a cup of black coffee, the warmth will break up the flem and the caffeine will help to remove tightness from the chest and throat.

Add 30-40 leaves of tulsi in one liter of water, strain the leaves and drink the water throughout the day.

Anaemia

Eat 2-3 apples daily without peeling to increase the iron stores in the body.

Intake of beet juice is highly beneficial for the anemic person?s.

Backache

Drink some hot milk or water with powdered sonth, meetha soda, and salt.

Massage the back with turpentine oil.

For temporary and quick relief heat can be applied at the back with hot water bottle.

Common cold

Drink a cup of water with a few drops of garlic oil and a teaspoonful of onion juice.

Rub the chest and throat with camphor water or oil.

Drink honey and lemon juice in hot water to get relief from sore throat.

Constipation

Drink a tablespoon of corn syrup in a cup of water.

Drink a glass of prune juice to facilitate bowel movement.

Drinking a cup of coffee will also provide relief from constipation.

Eczema

Mix one teaspoon of camphor and one teaspoon of sandalwood to form a paste and apply on the affected e areas.

Drinking Aloe Vera juice will help cleanse the system.

Hair loss

Wash hair with peppermint or spearmint tea to prevent hair loss and to promote hair growth .

Wash hair with white vinegar periodically to prevent falling of hair.

High blood pressure

Mix half onion juice and half honey. Take 2 tablespoons once a day for 1-2 weeks.?

Eat two cloves of garlic every early morning.

Eat one Papaya on an empty stomach daily for a month.

High blood cholesterol

Drinking onion juice daily for a week will lower the blood cholesterol.

Eat a few garlic cloves every day to reduce blood cholesterol.

Indigestion

Drink aloe vera juice, papaya juice, or chamomile, comfrey, red raspberry, or peppermint tea.

Drinking a glass of water with a tablespoon of baking soda will provide immediate relief.

Obesity

Eat 10 fresh curry leaves in the early morning for three or four months.

Drink a cup of water with 3 teaspoons limejuice, one-fourth teaspoon powdered black pepper, and a teaspoon of honey every day for three months.

Eat freshly sliced tomatoes with onion and lemon juice.

Drink lemon juice with honey and warm water every morning.

Sore throat

Gargle every hour with vinegar water or salt water.

Drink hot milk with honey at bedtime for immediate relief from sore throat.

A teaspoon of honey will provide relief from sore throat.

Stress

Chewing 12 tulsi leaves twice a day, morning and evening is the highly beneficial treatment of stress.

Various seeds such as alfalfa, sunflower and pumpkin are highly beneficial in the treatment of stress.

The use of these home remedies is highly effective and causes no side effects on one?s physical body.

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Getting Rid Of Zits 5 Top Tips

Here's the good news -- the battle for getting rid of zits does not need to include a strict diet! Yes, that means you don't have to cut out chocolate or fatty foods. But of course, keeping your intake of these types of foods down to sensible levels is always a good idea anyway. Scientific research says it can find no connection between diet and zits. So, what should tactics should you use for getting rid of zits? Here are a few...

1. While fatty foods and chocolate may not cause your zits, eating well can definitely help to clear up your skin. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Boring? Well, ask yourself this: is having zits all over your face interesting? Just eat lots of good healthy stuff and you're half way there.

2. Acne (zits, pimples -- they're all the same thing) can be cured, so don't go squeezing them. That just makes it look worse, and it may cause scarring. So when the zit goes you may still have a mark there!

3. Your zits are not the result of having dirty skin. So scrubbing your skin vigorously won't help. It can, though, irritiate your skin and make things even worse! Just wash your skin gently using a mild cleanser or soap, especially before going to bed.

4. Benzoyl peroxide works well in getting rid of zits. Use it as a cleanser, or use salicylic acid as a cleanser. There are several products that have these as their main ingredients.

5. Putting a dab of toothpaste on your zit (not gel) will dry out the zit and help to bring matters to a head, thereby speeding up the cycle of zit growth. It doesn't cure it as such, but it might get it over with faster.

Getting rid of zits is a problem usually associated with teenagers. But adults can get them too. Much of the problem is hormonal. Girls who are affected may notice an increase during their monthly period. This of course is not relevant to boys, but remember that from puberty until well into your 20s there's a lot of hormone activity bubbling around inside you doing all sorts of crazy things. Zits can be part of the result.

John Coutts is an experienced author who writes on a variety of popular subjects. Did you find these tips useful? You can learn a lot more about getting rid of zits from this resource, http://www.reviewphase.com/zits.html

Five Easy Things You Can Do Now to Help Prevent Breast Cancer

Rather than focusing on breast cancer, Wise Women choose to concentrate on keeping our breasts healthy through wise lifestyle and dietary choices.

The following tips may amaze you, since the actions and foods they suggest run counter to many alternative views of cancer prevention. They are supported with strong research, however - from the lab, with animals, and in long-term human studies. Thus, each of these tips has a solid scientific basis, unlike the assertions made by those intent on selling you their opinions and products.

Embarking on even one of these suggestions will definitely lower your risk of breast cancer. Using them all is even better. And as a special treat, I have added three extras. Look for lots more tips for keeping your breasts healthy in my book Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way, recommended by many oncologists and breast health specialists including Dr. Susan Love. And please visit my special breast health website: http://www.breasthealthbook.com

1. Be more active

Evidence continues to accumulate that a vigorous lifestyle is one of the best ways to cut breast cancer risk. A study of 20,624 Norwegian women found those who exercised or worked out regularly cut their breast cancer risk by 72%. (NEJM, 5/1/1997)

For breast health I walk every day, take a weekly yoga class, and do tai chi twice a week.

2. Eat more unrefined seed foods

All seeds provide phytoestrogens. Women who eat the most phytoestrogenic foods are four times less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than those who eat the least. No study has shown a degree of risk reduction similar to that found for phytoestrogens ... (Lancet, 10/4/1997)

Whole grains such as wheat, rice, corn, kasha, millet, and quinoa are unrefined seed foods. Beans such as lentils, black beans, pinto beans, lima beans, and chickpeas are unrefined seed foods. Nuts including peanuts, walnuts, almonds, and pecans are unrefined seed foods. And edible seeds such as sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin are unrefined seed foods. Fruits and vegetables that are eaten with their seeds - such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi fruit, summer squash, tomatoes, and cucumbers - count as unrefined seed foods. Even seeds used as seasonings count, such as cumin, coriander, caraway, anise, and dill seeds.

For breast health, I have replaced all refined carbohydrates - including white rice and white/unbleached flour products such as pasta, bread, cookies, crackers, pretzels, bagels, donuts, and cakes - with whole grain products.

3. Eat less vegetable oil; increase animal fat, especially from dairy products

Diets high in corn oil leave animals especially vulnerable to chemically induced cancers say researchers. (Science News, 6/24/89; 10/2/99) Frightening as this statement is, it is not true only of corn oil but of all vegetable (or seed) oils including those made from soy, sesame, sunflower, cottonseed, flax, and hemp.

If you are dubious about eating more animal fat and dairy products to reduce breast cancer risk, consider this landmark study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine (1/12/1998). To determine if food affected breast cancer risk. The diets of 61,000 Swedish women between the ages of 40-76 were followed for four years. The results? For every 5 grams (about a teaspoonful) of vegetable oil consumed per day, breast cancer risk increased by 70%. In contrast, for each 10 grams of fat from meat and dairy products in the daily diet, breast cancer risk was decreased by 55%.

Another study, begun in the early 1970s, followed 4,000 Finnish women's diets for 25 years. Results recently released found that those who drank the most milk had only half the breast cancer risk of those who drank the least.

American researchers agree. According to a report in International Journal of Cancer (2001), women who drank milk as children and continued drinking it as adults had half the rate of breast cancer of non-milk drinkers. (Yes, I do buy organic milk, but the studies used regular supermarket milk.)

Why? Galactose, the primary sugar in milk, slows ovarian production of estradiol, a cancer-promoting hormone. Additionally, milk is rich in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a fat known to suppress breast tumors in animals.

For breast health I use yogurt, cheese, milk, butter, and olive oil daily, and eat meat occasionally.

Remember that olive oil is pressed from a fruit, not a seed. Women whose diets are high in olive oil, and who eat meat and dairy products regularly, have the lowest rates of breast cancer in the world. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1/18/1995)

4. Eat less tofu and soy beverage; eat more miso and tamari

While it is true that if you begin eating soy foods as a child and continue throughout puberty the breast tissues you create during your adolescence will be highly resistant to cancer until after menopause. However, if you begin eating unfermented soy (tofu, soy milk, and the like) after puberty, your risk of breast cancer increases. (Science News, 4/24/1999)

The active ingredient in soy - isoflavone - when given to breast cancer cells in petri dishes causes them to grow rapidly. (Extracts of dong quai and licorice have a similar effect.)

Miso and tamari - fermented soy foods - are the exceptions. Both are strongly cancer preventative, no matter when you start eating them. Animal studies have found both miso and tamari highly effective in preventing cancer, even in mice genetically programmed to get breast cancer. And the more you eat, the more you lower your risk of cancer.

For breast health, I use miso and/or tamari every day. I occasionally eat tofu or edemame. I drink no soy milk, and eat no other soy products of any kind.

5. Eat foods rich in antioxidants; avoid supplements of vitamins C and E

A diet that contains plenty of foods rich in antioxidants definitely lowers breast cancer risk. But supplements seem to do the opposite.

Doctors in Stockholm observed that, among breast cancer patients, treatment failures were higher for women taking vitamin E supplements - and the failure rate increased with dose. Studying this effect, researchers found that the anti-cancer benefits of fish oils disappeared when [we gave ... antioxidant vitamins?. In fact, when mice with breast cancer were given vitamin E supplements the more we gave them, the bigger their tumors grew. The authors conclude that vitamin E supplements preferentially protect a cancer and even aid its spread. (Science News, 4/29/1995 and 7/15/1995)

Supplements of vitamin C (synthetic ascorbic acid) are poorly used by body tissues. But cancer cells seem to thrive on it. (Cancer Research, 9/15/1999) One new chemotherapy links a lethal form of zinc to an ascorbic acid molecule; when the cancer eats the ascorbic acid, the zinc is set free to kill the cancer cell.

For breast health I eat 5-7 servings of dark green and bright red/orange foods daily.

Besides being active, choosing a diet high in phytoestrogens, eating one or more servings of dairy products daily, using miso and tamari regularly, and avoiding vitamin supplements, here are three more things you can do to help prevent breast cancer:

6.Sleep in the dark

Exposure to light at night increases the risk of breast cancer. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (8/17/2001) reports that chronic suppression of melatonin - an anti-cancer hormone made only in the dark - increases breast cancer risk by at least 36%.

For breast health, be certain there is no light (except from the moon) in the room where you sleep. Not even a night-light. Not the light from a clock. Not the little lights on electronics.

7. Drink red clover blossom infusion

Red clover is a potent anti-cancer herb. It contains ten times more phytoestrogens than soy, and in a more complete form. I have seen it clear in situ cancers and pre-cancerous polyps hundreds of times. Since many breast cancers take 7-10 years to become big enough to be seen on a mammogram, I drink a quart of red clover infusion every week and skip the mammogram.

To prepare the infusion:

• Place one ounce, by weight (about a cup by volume), of dried red clover in a quart canning jar.
  
• Fill the jar to the top with boiling water and lid tightly.
  
• Let steep for four hours or overnight.
  
• Strain and drink.
  
• Refrigerate excess and drink within 24-36 hours.

For breast health, I drink red clover infusion regularly.

8. Eat seaweed as a vegetable

If the long-lived and cancer-free Japanese have a secret, it is seaweed, not soy. A sprinkling of kelp as a seasoning is nice, and so are nori rolls - but neither does much to prevent cancer. For that we must eat seaweed as a vegetable - at least a half-cup serving per week. Wakame, kombu, kelp, and alaria are especially effective, but sea palm fronds, hijiki, nori, and dulse may be used on occasion.

There is a rich variety of seaweeds available in Chinese grocery stores, health food stores, and by mail. Seaweed recipes are available in many books (including my herbal Healing Wise).

These eight tips - five easy ones and three more difficult ones - will vastly increase your chances of living to be a wild, wise old woman with healthy breasts. That's the Wise Woman Way the world round.

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material contained herein is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.

Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn more at http://www.susunweed.com

You Can Do Cardio Dance! 10 Tips to Get You Moving

It looks intimidating, doesn't it? That room at the gym where they have classes with names like Cardio Kickboxing, Step Funk and Pump 'n' Jump. As you've walked by, you've watched the exercisers out of the corner of your eye - it looks like loads of fun. But you know you could never do that - you trip over yourself walking from the Stairmaster to the treadmill, both of which are getting really boring. Well, guess what? If for a few minutes you can stop telling yourself that you can't do cardio dance, maybe - just maybe - you'll discover that you actually can.

Granted, if you seriously have a problem moving and counting to four at the same time, one count for each step, then cardio dance is probably not for you. If you can count to eight while moving, then there's a chance you may actually become good at it. Can you step-touch? Meaning, can you take a step to the side and bring your other foot to meet it? Can you march in place? Can you step forward with one foot and then raise the other knee? Can you step forward with one foot and, while standing on that foot, raise the other knee three times? If you can do that, then you've already performed a cardio dance move - it's called a repeater (a rather obvious name for repeating the same knee lift more than once). It only gets better from here on.

Here are some tips that will help you make the most out of your cardio dance experience:

Dress properly, including and especially your footwear! The right shoes can make your cardio class a joy; the wrong ones can cause injury. With cardio dance, you are moving sideways quite a bit, as opposed to forward, like you do when you walk or run. So you will need shoes made especially for cardio dance. If you don't want to invest in shoes specifically for cardio dance right away, at the very least make sure you have cross-trainers - that way, if the classes don't work out for you, you can use them for other activities. If you're a woman, make sure you're wearing an athletic bra that gives you a lot of support, even if you're doing a low- impact class - a jogging bra, at the very least. You really don't want to be flopping around - it's uncomfortable, and if you're more than a B cup, it's downright painful.

When come to class for the first time, show up early and let the instructor know you're a beginner. That way he or she can take some extra time with you or at least make sure you're in a spot where you can see what's going on.

Start off with a simple class, something with a name like Beginning Aerobics or Hi-Lo I. Don't even think about the Tae-Yo-Fusion-Funk-Pump III class yet! Go as basic as possible. When you're starting to get bored of basic, then try something more advanced or adventuresome, like a funk class or a Step class.

Follow the instructor as if you're looking at a mirror. Don't think about right and left too much - that can get confusing. Just imitate/ mirror what the instructor is doing to the best of your ability. Don't think about it too much. Thinking gets in the way of doing. The less you think, the better off you will be.

Once the class has a basic step down, the instructor will usually try to change it a little, add something fancy like a special kick or a different way of stepping or - yikes! - a turn. If you are an absolute beginner at aerobics, this may throw you at first. Don't worry - just keep doing the basic step the way you were originally taught. Or if you do try the new way and you get lost, go back to the basic move. Always, if you get confused go back to the original step until you get your bearings.

Instructors will often add arm moves to your foot moves. Consider those optional for now. Arm moves are good because they add intensity and help get your heart rate up, especially if your arms remain at or above heart level. But if you're starting off, they can be really confounding. Try them only when you feel really confident with what your feet are doing.

Your cardio class will often end with a bit of strength training. Do the moves mindfully. With many of these classes, you're only using light weights, or body resistance, so you must focus on the muscles being worked, or you won't get much of a workout. And if you can't do those last couple of crunches, don't sweat it. It's not a competition.

If you get one of those cheerleading instructors who wants you to yell and scream and you aren't the yelling, screaming type - then don't! Seriously, vocal participation is not necessary. Let everyone else look silly.

If you're really shy about doing cardio dance around a crowd of people, then try some videos at home first. There are loads of cardio dance DVDs out there for all levels of fitness. Just make sure to read the reviews first to make sure they are appropriate for your beginner's level.

Here's the real beauty of working out to cardio dance videos - you can pause the routine and backtrack as many times as you want until you get a step down. The first couple of times, accept the fact that you may not get too much of a workout because you are learning the moves (part of the enjoyment should come from learning, really). But after that, you should be fine. One caveat - be careful of doing some moves on carpet, especially anything where you're leaping around, turning or sliding your feet on the ground. And make sure you've cleared some room - it's no fun to step-kick your coffee table.

If you keep coming back to your cardio dance classes, the time will come when everything falls into place and you feel like you're lighter than air. Enjoy it - that feeling of exhilaration is the dancer's high, and there's nothing quite like it.

Janiss Garza lives for cardio dance! She is also editor-in-chief of http://www.yourexercisedvds.com, which contains hundreds of expert reviews of cardio, toning, Pilates and yoga DVDs. What's more, readers can rate and review the DVDs too! Learn all about your DVD workouts before you buy at http://www.yourexercisedvds.com.

Reiki HandsOnHealing

Anyone feeling or seeing an injury to his or her body will have the instant reaction of putting one or both hands on that area. How many times have you seen someone put their hand over their mouth after saying the wrong thing? When watching a movie containing a scene that you do not like seeing, is not putting your hands over your eyes your first thought? Hands can protect, and hands can heal.

In the biology textbooks that I have read it is stated that humans do not have instincts. It may not be instinctive, but beginning in childhood we put our hands where it hurts on ourselves and on others. Do you remember your mom or dad gently holding your finger that you had dropped something on it? When your heart is hurting does it not ease some of the pain to receive a hug from someone? When pain is involved, the natural reaction is to put hands on the location of the pain, which is hands-on-healing.

All throughout history, some people have seemed to have more of a natural healing ability through their hands then others. It was only natural that the system Mikao Usui developed would involve the placing of hands on another who is ill. I once met a registered nurse that friends and patients would gravitate to because there was something healing about her presence and touch. Some people are natural healers and those people when connected to the vibrations of love and harmony of universal energy by a qualified Reiki teacher increase the healing that happens by their touch.

The difference between what flows from a various individual's hands once connect to Reiki is his or her ability to receive, which is based on their level of consciousness. A person cannot receive more than the level they can reach, which is determined by the level at which they resonate. Higher resonating comes through techniques and self-realization, not tools or Reiki symbols.

The hands of any person feel more healing once that person has been connected to Reiki. I am referring to a connection made possible by a Reiki Shihan (teacher) and not knowledge that has been obtained through books or videos. Knowledge can cure, but healing is a natural process that requires energy in some form.

Hands-on-healing, not the system called Reiki Ryoho, over the centuries has been called many things, such as the "royal touch" in ancient Europe. Unfortunately, at one time it was called by names that ended in selected people being burned at the stake. The mystery of healing being promoted and assisted by human touch is something that has no clear rules or explanations. The mysteries surrounding hands-on-healing are closely related to the mysteries of the heart.

We know a person who has been connected to Reiki easily does hands-on-healing because the vibrations of love and harmony of universal energy balance and surround with harmony. We have also learned energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but changes form. That well from which all forms of energy come creates more mystery. Mystery is one of the things that surrounds the form of energy called Reiki, but it is the embracing of mystery that many wise men and women throughout the centuries have said enriches our lives.

Information was passed to me by the research of one of my Reiki Shihans (teachers), Richard Rivard, that Mikao Usui being a bit shy of cash would rent his dojo (school) to at least two of his students to use one evening a week. One of those students was practicing a hands- on-healing technique prior to Mikao Usui connected him to Reiki, and another held a medical doctorate. That shows that from the time Mikao Usui practiced and taught Reiki Ryoho many people recognizing the strength of the unique form of energy blended it into areas in which they were already skilled. The blending of Reiki into other practices with the intent to enhance the other practice is a common event. Reiki being a form of universal energy automatically shows that nothing can enhance it, but it can easily enhance anything else in life, in a positive way.

Reiki Ryoho differs in varying degrees from other hands-on-healing techniques. Hard training including the study of many textbooks and written tests are things few Reiki teachers find necessary. Reading books written by those that have researched or experienced some area of Reiki helps to expand our view, but a person cannot be connected without the assistance of a qualified Reiki Shihan (teacher). Another of my Reiki Shihans, Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto, also a Japanese Buddhist monk, explained how teaching Reiki is like pointing a finger to the moon. Once the student sees the moon and knows where it is he or she no longer has need of the finger. In the way Reiki developed once it left Japan and linked to the new age movement the finger transformed into the numerous Reiki symbols that various teachers felt were needed to show the overwhelming number of ways the vibrations of love and harmony can bring balance. Some teachers even incorporated materials and rituals used in other healing modalities. The mysterious form of universal energy that needs nothing but a body that has been opened to it and a mind that is disciplined is not always easy for some people to accept. Perhaps we have become much to accepting of things being new and improved.

Another of the things that separates the spiritual practice of Reiki Ryoho from other hands-on-healing practices is that it can be used in creating a better life. Not better as in learning a skill for an income, but better is learning how to allow balance and harmony to flow into all areas of life. Reiki Ryoho is an effective way to raise spirituality and create a positive life. The mind is the master so daily practice is best to keep the mind in balance so that Reiki can flow smoothing out those bumps that are around you. Reiki flowing quietly into all of every day life is what I so embrace about the styles Gendai Reiki-ho and Komyo Reiki, which I practice. I have found wherever I am and whatever I am doing if I connect to the light (Reiki) and allow it to flow into what is happening at that time, everything simply works more smoothly. Summer in the USA means insects, and when connecting I have fewer negative interactions. Reiki cannot be directed, but a person studying Reiki learns how to connect to person, place or event even over time and distance and allow Reiki to flow. When my hands touch anyone or anything the connection is immediately made and Reiki flows if needed.

One of the unique things about Reiki is that it flows only as much as needed. If you rub an area of your skin that will soon show dark purple or swell it will feel better, but if you continue to rub for an unreasonable length of time, you will cause irritation. Reiki will not irritate, when the cells have received all they can hold at that time it stop flowing. If no cells are in need of energy, it does not flow. I believe everyone can always use extra energy because of all the trillions of activities going on in the mind and body.

Reiki Ryoho is also practiced by flowing through the eyes, breath, soles of feet and emanating from the whole self. Because of this if a person's hands are not available to be used Reiki can still flow bringing balance, surrounding with harmony and healing.

Hiroshi Doi another of my Reiki Shihans (teachers) and a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, the original society created in Japan, said "Usui-Sensei said of Reiki, "It is love, harmony and healing energy. Universal energy which is the essence of all existence is Reiki."

I have always enjoyed the motto of Komyo Reiki Kai, "Go placidly in the midst of praise or blame." Reiki Shihans such as myself must ask money in exchange for our time because most creditors do not accept hands on healing for payment, we began our journey with the understanding the spiritual practice of Reiki Ryoho is not a skill leading to fame or fortune. The mystery that surrounds Reiki Ryoho I like to equate to that which surrounds our central nervous system. My spinal cord and brain were damaged in an accident. Oh the stories I could tell about how awesome I have found the unique energy called Reiki to be.

I have learned no one can give specific explanations for the lack of movement or sudden unexplained movements associate with central nervous system damage. Medical doctors, who I highly respect, know certain symptoms indicate damage in certain areas, but the answers to all those specific whys remain mysteries. Anyone that has not experienced central nervous system damage or studied it can at times become very annoyed because person X's limitations or actions do not fit in the file they hold that explains the workings of nerves. Those people having only read or heard about Reiki can react in the same way to the mysterious form of universal energy. There are many things in this life that as humans we cannot know everything about or master. That is not a problem when you reflect on the origins of Usui Reiki Ryoho; "today/now there is no anger or fretful worry, we give thanks and do our work with diligence, and we are kind to all".

The love and harmony that comes from Usui Reiki Ryoho goes beyond hand-on-healing.

Roberta R. Barnes, Gendai Reiki-ho and Komyo Reiki Shihan (master teacher) and Herbalist teaches and gives Reiki sessions in her Natural Healing & Learning Center nestled in a certified wildlife habitat in Maine USA. Roberta Barnes also teaches meditation and raising awareness through connectin with nature, and offer herbal consulting and guided journeys into the past for healing and discovery. mosre can be learned about Roberta Barnes and her practice at her website http://www.naturalhealinglearning.com

Acne Treatment: 7 Things You Must Know!

Let me ask you this...

Are you suffering from acne?

Do you know what is causing it and is there any effective acne treatment?

Studies show that an estimated 80 % percent of people experience acne at some point. No one knows exactly what the cause of acne is, but there are a few theories.

Let?s take a look at 7 of them:

1. Acne normally begins between the ages of eleven and thirteen.

This is true in both males and females due to changes in hormone levels. These hormones, called androgens, will enlarge the facial glands. The oil produced by the glands is known as sebum. The hair follicles shed dead cells too quickly and the cells and sebum form a blockage in the gland.

2. Pressure and rubbing from tight garments.

Adult with acne should avoid tight-collared shirts that might irritate the acne further. Adult athletes may notice an outbreak of acne from equipment such as backpacks or athletic helmets.

3. Acne can also be caused by genetics.

Studies have shown that a family history of acne can affect whether you have acne and the severity of it. So if your mother or father had acne as a teen, chances are that it will be a contributory factor to the cause of your acne.

4. Factors linked to women

Women have several factors that men don?t that can be linked to the cause of acne. Women go through several phases of life that cause their hormone levels to change. These changes can cause acne in adult women between two and seven days before their menstrual cycle.

5. Pregnancy and hormones

Pregnant women also experience a fluctuation in hormones.

Those who may have previously had little or no acne may see pimples during their pregnancy and for a time after the birth of the baby until the hormone levels return to normal.

6. Menopause and hormones

Menopause will cause changes in hormone levels for woman and can be a cause of acne. Women also tend to wear heavy makeup when experience an acne outbreak, which only worsens the problem by further clogging pores.

7.Stress.

Especially in adults, stress can be another cause of acne. When you are stressed, the hormone cortisol is produced.

Cortisol will worsen any acne you already have. To prevent stress-related acne, try relaxation and meditation.

Some adults experience acne from picking at blemishes on their skin. You should never pick at or squeeze a pimple, blackhead or any other blemish on your face.

This can only cause more acne and possibly an infection. When cleaning your face, avoid harsh facial cleansers(they cause the creation of more sebum) and scrubbing your face too vigorously.

Acne treatments

The sad part is that most of the acne products are sold over the counter for treatment.

Most over-the-counter acne treatments are topical and come in the form of a cream, soap, lotion or gel.

Acne products normally contain benzoyl peroxide (good for killing the bacteria and possibly reducing oil production), sulfur (helps eliminate blackheads and whiteheads) and/or salicylic acid (cuts down the speed of cell lose).

More severe cases may require prescription acne medicine that is topical or oral.

Oral acne medication can help reduce both the growth of the bacteria and inflammation of glands.

Robin Araoz makes a short review about Chris Gibson?s natural acne treatment. Find out how thousands of people have cured their acne in 3 days. Visit this link for details: acne treatment.

Acne Control Start Early

When starting an acne control program the biggest advantage you can gain is by starting as early as possible. Catching acne in the early stages allows your acne control medication to head off more serious forms of acne before they start.

Genetics play a large role in how severe adolescent acne may become, But almost all teens will acne to some degree. For those who may have the genetics to be prone to severe acne catching it early may save a lot of heartache in the long run.

When starting an acne control program you need to first consider your skin type. There are basically 3 types of skin oily, dry and combination. The first are self explanatory the last is represented by some ares being dry and others being oily.

There are acne control medications for all three, using the wrong medication could possibly cause your outbreak to become worse. ProActive acne medication offers several top quality acne control medications, these products are tailored to very specific skin types. They have products that cover various types of acne problems and several good products for maintenance.

With the proper medications most people can keep acne under control. If acne control medications do not seem to be working you should consult your doctor for advice.

To find out more visit Acne Control Here

Best Acne Treatments the Professional Choices

Before we discus the best acne treatments let us see what acne is all about. Acne is a common skin disease which is believed to occur in up to 85% of the people at one time or another. Acne can be described as an inflammatory skin eruption which is commonly seen in or near the sebaceous glands of the various parts of the human body including the face, neck, upper back, and shoulders. Now back to the best acne treatments ? the professional choices.

There are several products which a person can consider as the best acne treatment. However, the best acne treatment for an individual could not be the ideal one for another person. This is due to the fact that the skin type of each individual differs from the other. And the best acne treatment is determined by the type of skin a person has and the skin reaction on that treatment. The best acne treatment could also range from the traditional herbal acne remedies to the modern medicines like acne light treatment which are proved to offer better results.

Before determining which is the best acne treatment one needs to assess the level of toxicity in the acne treatment product. Low level of toxicity means there is less health risk involved in it. Here are some of the best acne treatments which have been tested and contain only low level of toxicity in it.

Australian Tea Tree Oil is considered as one of the best acne treatment. Using this product is quite easy ? what you need is to add one or two drops of the product and apply it in the affected area. Several acne patients have reported that the product provides best results.

Desert Essence Blemish Touch Stick with Eco-Harvest Tea Tree Oil is also reported to be a professional choice for acne treatments. The product comprises of grain alcohol, Witch Hazel Extract, and several types of extracted oils (Blue Chamomile, Eco-harvest Tea Tree Oil, Rosemary, etc). The product is also simple to use ? just apply it to the blemishes and to even other skin irritations five to six times daily.

Burt's Bees Doctor Burt's Herbal Blemish Stick with Tea Tree Oil is also rated as one of the best acne treatments. The product can be applied to the affected area several times daily.

Tail Piece: These are only some recommendations of the best acne treatment products available in the market. As mentioned earlier, the best acne treatment differs from one person to the other according to his/her sin type.

We have made a research to find the best acne treatments. Find the results only on the Best acne treatment products guide. More valuable acne info on http://www.acne-pimpels-treatments.com

How Does Polarity Therapy Work?

Every human body has a flow of electromagnetic energy in an around the body. When this flow is undisturbed, the individual enjoys TOTAL health and well being on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual plane. Polarity therapy, developed by Dr. Randolph Stone, is a system of balancing this electromagnetic energy through nutrition, exercise, counseling and energy balancing.

If the flow of energy is blocked or impeded the resulting tension is manifested as pain, disease or illness. Polarity therapy seeks to remove these blockages and restrictions, thereby revitalizing the flow of energy in and around us. The resulting release from tension allows the patient?s system to return to its inherent fluid state.

What causes the block in energy? Human life is greatly influenced by factors such as environment, attitudes, life experiences, relationships and trauma. These external factors may affect us adversely and lead to blockages. The Polarity practitioner is trained to assess the patient?s energy system. For this, his main tools are palpitation, communication and skilled observation. Reflexology, energy exercises, touch, open communication and diet are some of the body works that are included in Polarity Therapy. These works enable the person to get better through self-awareness.

Polarity therapy can work in tandem with supervised medical care to cure allergies, arthritis, asthma, cancer, burn out, circulatory problems, depression, emotional problems, headache, hormonal imbalances, infertility, insomnia, injury, menstrual disorders, PMS, pre and post surgical pain, pregnancy, sciatica, skin diseases and problems related to stress.

In a typical Polarity therapy session, the patient is made to lie barefooted. Each session may last between 60-90 minutes. The practitioner guides the patient to focus all his attention and awareness on the subtle changes that he is experiencing. Some of the physical sensations include tingling, hot and cold waves or push/pull movements. Due to the subtle nature of this treatment, the patient may take some time to understand what he or she senses.

After the Polarity Therapy session, it is common for patients to feel a deep sense of relaxation and self-awareness. Patients also experience relief from specific symptoms and gain a new insight or clarity. Polarity therapy addresses the entire system of the person. Therefore the patient may experience a general improvement in the quality of his life as well as freedom from the symptoms that prompted him to therapy in the first place.

There is no fixed time span for this therapy. A patient may continue with the therapy for as long as he wishes. There is no fixed protocol followed in the therapy sessions. Communication is open ended, and one of the prime aims of the treatment is to facilitate self-awareness. The procedures used will vary from doctor to doctor and will also depend upon the needs of the client.

Polarity therapy is deeply influenced by the ancient Vedic philosophy from India that considers the human body to be made of the five Tattvas or five elements ? ether, air, fire, water and earth. There has to be a balance of these five elements for the individual to feel healthy and strong.

Polarity therapy thus stresses the importance of the body-mind continuum. The human being is considered to be an entire unit and healing process is practiced in a synergistic fashion.

Alternative Holistic Medicine

A Clear Complexion Made Easy

Getting clear skin is a simple matter of paying attention to your daily habits.

First of all, beauty works from the inside out.

Make it your mission to eat as well balanced a diet as possible and take a multi vitamin every day.

While diet has never been shown to have a direct affect on having clear skin or as acne prevention, it is widely known that diet does promote general health and is very likely to play a role in good or clear skin.

It is important and recommended that you consume at least 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

This will help you have clear skin. Certain vitamins such as A, C and E are classified as antioxidants and are also cancer fighters.

Get as much sleep as possible (eight to nine hours is the optimum) because it will do your skin and body a world of good.

Clear skin needs to be well rested so if you cannot get enough sleep at night, try to have a catnap sometime during the day. Even a ten to fifteen minute nap is advisable if that is all the time you can spare.

Adequate hydration promotes clear skin. If you want to keep or improve your complexion, drink at least 6-8 eight-ounce glasses a day (more if you're really a go getter!). Clearer skin, here you come!

Any form of aerobic exercise done at least 20-30 minutes per day will get your blood flowing and help keep your skin as clear as possible. And excercise will play a direct role in the levels of stress in your body. Stress is known to have a bad affect on general health, clear skin and acne.

Just remember that sweat and oil accumulate faster with exercise so shower directly after your exercise regimen to retain clear, unblemished skin.

How else can you get clear skin?

Well for another thing, makeup is for daytime and evening wear not for bedtime.

Cosmetics left on the face can clog up pores with dirt and debris.

This can lead to problems such as acne or folliculitis.

Your best bet is to take it off with a mild soap free cleanser before you turn in for the night.

Who else has been search for more articles and information regarding acne and skin treatments? Visit Acne-Care-and-Skin-Treatments.com

Discover The Link Between Acne And Skin Care

Proper skin care is important any time, but it's particularly important if you're dealing with acne. One of the secrets to controlling an acne problem is to keep your skin as healthy as you can. This includes keeping it clean and avoiding things like sunshine and harsh cosmetics that can damage the skin.

Cleaning Your Skin

Use a specialized skin cleanser or a gentle soap daily, according to the directions. Don't scrub your face as this can aggravate acne and actually make the problem worse.

Moisten your face with a soft cloth and apply the cleaner to your skin, from your hairline to your neck. Rinse it with plenty of water and dry your face by patting it with a soft towl (again, avoid scrubbing it dry).

If you have oily skin you may need to use an astringent, however do so with care. Only use it on problem spots and stop if it irritates your skin. If you think you may need to use an astringent, you should consult with your dermatologist first.

Hair care is also related to acne and skin care. Shampoo your hair regularly and do your best to keep it off your face. If your hair is oily, it can lead to acne if not kept clean and away from your face.

Sun Protection

It has long been thought that exposure to the sun can help acne, but this isn't really the case. The sun can dry out your skin and a tan can make your acne less obvious, but it's really a temporary solution.

Once your skin acclimatizes itself to the sun, your acne will return plus the sun exposure carries other risks such as skin cancer.

Some acne treatments can also make your skin more sensitive to the sun, and in turn more likely to burn. You should always wear sunscreen when you're out in the sun, whether you're dealing with acne or not.

Makeup & Cosmetics

Ideally, wearing no makeup is the best choice but if that isn't an option be sure to choose a makeup that won't clog your pores.

These cosmetic products are labelled as noncomedogenic, although some people may still have problems when using them. Be sure you choose makeups that don't use an oil base. Read the ingredients before choosing anything.

Shaving

There is no hard and fast rule when choosing between electric razors and safety razors. Some people will find one more comfortable, some with find the other.

If you choose to use safety razors, don't shave with dull blades. You might have to shave around serious acne lesions, and make sure you soften your beard with water and shaving cream before you shave.

If you're having a particular bad day with acne breakouts, it's probably best to skip shaving altogether.

Avoid Touching Your Skin

It's tempting to squeeze pimples, but don't give in! It can lead to more serious problems because squeezing them can cause the bacteria that causes acne to spread. It can also cause permanent scarring in some cases.

It's also a good idea to avoid touching your face because your hands tend to be dirty and oily and they can spread germs.

John Lenaghan writes about skin care for acne control on the Acne Squad website. For more information visit http://www.acnesquad.com

Prostate Cancer What Every Man Needs to Know

What Is Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancers in men. Prostate cancer is often found in elder men and the risk of prostate cancer increases with age. It occurs mostly among the male population of 50 years and above. In prostate cancer, cancerous cells are primary formed in the prostate that then gets transferred to other cells through the process of metastasis. Prostate cancer spreads to other parts of your body like bones.

Causes of Prostate Cancer:

Scientists still do not know the exact cause behind prostate cancer. No one knows why some people suffer with prostate cancer while others do not. Clinical researchers and scientists are working hard to find the answer of this basic question. However they are optimistic to come out with a ?prostate cancer cause? report very soon.

Prostate Cancer Symptoms:

There are no definite prostate cancer symptoms that can be easily noticed by the patients. Prostate cancer does not show any cancer symptom or sign at the initial stage. However, few prostate cancer symptoms have been identified by the National Cancer Institute.

These specific prostate cancer symptoms are given below:

1)Frequent urination.
2)An interrupted or weak urine flow.
3)Trouble while urination.
4)Sensation of pain while ejaculation.
5)Inability to urinate.
6)Burning sensation or pain during urination.
7)Blood in the urine or in the semen.
8)Stiffness or frequent pain in the upper thighs, lower back or hips.

These symptoms are however, not specific for prostate cancer. Therefore if you experience any of these symptoms, don?t panic- just consult a doctor. Prostate cancer treatment: Treatment of prostate cancer depends upon factors such as the location of the tumor, general health condition of the patient, age of the patient and size of the tumor. Prostate cancer can be treated with help of following treatment methods.

1)Surgical castration by orchidectomy: the cheapest and simplest prostate cancer treatment is orchidectomy. The only disadvantage is a psychological effect of the loss of testicles.

2)Prostate cancer can be treated with the help of oestrogen hormone and LHRH-analogues. This is a medical castration. This prostate cancer treatment is very expensive. Oestrogen can be taken orally but oestrogen prostate cancer treatment can give rise to thrombotic complications.

3)Hormone therapy can also be used as prostate cancer cure.

4)The chemical found in black pepper, which causes the tongue to burn, sweat to pour out and eyes to water commonly called as capsaicin is thought to be helpful in prostate cancer cure. US researchers have found that capsaicin can cause human cancer cells to kill themselves. This study is guiding to the way for a new prostate cancer cure.

5)Radiotherapy can also be used for prostate cancer cure. Radiotherapy just destroys cancer cells by radiation. The method is absolutely painless. But treatment of prostate cancer with the help of radiotherapy can cause some side effects like impotence and diarrhea.

6)Brachytherapy can also be applied to cure prostate cancer. Here radioactive elements inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Tyson J Stevenson writes on a wide variety of health related subjects, most often with valuable news & reviews. Expect to see his name often.

A related resource is Prostate Cancer Symptoms

Further information can be found at News2Reviews

Acne Solutions They Do Exist.

Acne is something that most people will encounter at some point in their lives in some form or another, and the prevalence of the condition has resulted in the creation of a multitude of myths regarding possible acne solutions. As anyone who has suffered with the condition will know, acne can be an embarrassing and uncomfortable condition, making sufferers all too eager to embrace any potential acne solutions in an attempt to rid themselves of the problem. Let?s take a quick look at some commonly suggested treatments for acne, and see what works and what doesn?t.

Your foundation treatment for acne should always be a good cleansing routine. It is often thought that those heavily medicated facial washes and cleansers are the best acne solutions, and while they are effective in some cases, they can be overly drying, which simply causes the skin to produce more oil. Acne can be an uncomfortable condition and using these products can lead to skin that feels tight and even more irritating. Try some of the milder products available ? not all of these will be advertised as acne solutions, but a good gentle cleanser is often one of the best acne treatments.

And remember that while acne is not contagious, pimples do contain material that can lead to further spots if spread. Unfortunately your Mom was right on this ? one of the best treatments for acne is to avoid touching your pimples.

While acne is a condition of the skin, there are non-topical acne solutions that can help in your acne treatment. While it is simply not true that eating chocolate and fried food directly cause acne, eating a sensible diet helps your health in general, which can in turn affect the appearance of your skin.

Unfortunately, there are very few quick fixes for acne, and treatments for acne invariably take some time to work. Try to be patient, and avoid stress, as this can aggravate the situation. The basis of your acne solutions should be a good cleanser and a topical solution that you can apply directly to each pimple. Slathering your face with a multitude of treatments can simply overwhelm your skin, so stick to the basics that work for you.

Keep it simple, and try to be patient. You will find the right acne solution for you.

There are acne solutions, but it takes some time to find them sometimes.

Find out more about Acne as well as Home Treatment for Acne and Adult Acne, Acne Skin Care Products, the Best Acne Treatments and more at Peter?s website, Acne All Gone.

Why Women's Walking Shoes are the Best Shoes You can Ever Own

Women's walking shoes have to be one of the best pairs of shoes to own.

This has nothing to do with the colour, how they look or even how they fit; this has to do with you, your health and more importantly your life span.

An 8 year study of 13,000 people showed that those who walked for 30 minutes every day had a lower risk of premature death than those who rarely exercised.

The fad of two legged walking began around 4 million years BC. Womens walking shoes were probably not as readily available then as they are now!

1860-1903 saw The Pedestrian Age when walking became the leading sport across Europe and the United States.

In 1877 Mary Marshall walked 50 miles in 12 hours and in 1908 the first women?s 6 day race, covering 372 miles was won by Bertha Von Berg.

You and I will probably be more familiar with craze of the nineties when a staggering 65 million people made walking the most popular form of exercise.

Walking regularly means you will be less likely to lose your mobility [American Journal of Public Health

It gets even better.

Across the many forms of exercise today, physicians recommend walking over any other physical fitness activity.

If you don?t already have any kind of walking program, here?s a few amazing facts to convince you why taking up walking is the best decision you could make today:-

• Maintains a healthy bodyweight
• Burns fat and speeds up the metabolism
• Increases levels of self esteem and self confidence
• Maintains lean muscle
• Reduces blood cholesterol
• Boosts bone strength and prevents osteoporosis
• Controls high blood pressure
• Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer
• Reduces the symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Reduces stress
• Reduces pain and joint swelling caused by arthritis
• Achieves cardiovascular fitness
• Presents an overall feeling of wellbeing and good health

Of course your health is the most important part of your life but walking is completely free, no gym membership required!

One of the most important ?bits of kit? you will need, other than yourself of course is walking shoes. Aim to look for the following:-

• Great fit!
• low heel
• flexible sole
• breathable, lightweight fabric

If you walk regularly you should aim to have a new pair of womens walking shoes every 3-6 months, depending on the distance you usually walk.

By implementing a regular walking program of just 30 minutes a day you are essentially reducing the possibilities of all the points listed above.

You don?t even have to do one 30 minute walk; you could walk for 10 minutes at lunch time and maybe 20 minutes after dinner.

Try not to walk yourself into a frenzy.

Swing your arms as you walk and at a pace that will increase your heart rate slightly.

If you are losing weight you should aim to lose no more than about 1-2 lbs a week.

If you walk a mile, depending on you as an individual, your speed and the terrain you are walking on you can look to burn around 100 calories every mile.

For more information and how to start a walking program visit the Womens Shoes Guru http://www.womens-shoes-guru.com/womens-walking-shoes.html

The Women's Shoes Guru website provides a comprehensive guide to choosing womens shoes online. Visitors are given information on the benefits of womens shoes, the history of shoes and a clear understanding of shoe designs. For more information visit the Womens Shoes Guru http://www.womens-shoes-guru.com

Prostate Cancer: Why Eating Well Is The Best Defense

No other human organ is as susceptible to cancer as the prostate. Each year, an estimated 209,900 American men are diagnosed with the disease, making it the most prevalent form of cancer in the United States. Although lung cancer claims more than twice as many men?s lives each year, prostate cancer is the second most lethal male cancer, killing 41,800 men annually.

In fact, the malady is so widespread that by age 65, nearly two out of three males may develop minute tumors producing in their ?prostates,? the walnut-size gland that is wrapped around the urethra, the tube that drains the bladder. And some doctors believe that if men lived long enough, every man would develop the disease.

Curiously, the vast majority of men who have the disease will never know it. That is because prostate cancer normally manifests a gradual growth of tumor, often taking 20 to 30 years to become large enough to be detected by any currently available tests or to bring about serious health problems.

By then, many older men who had these small tumors will have long since died of other origins such as heart disease and stroke.

According to some urologic oncology experts, many more men die with prostate cancer than from it. They contend that if they could just slow the growth of the tumor so that it takes 40 to 60 years to progress instead of 20 to 30, which would amount to a cure for many men.

Doctors suspect that dietary changes may help men stall the progress of disease and prevent it from becoming life threatening. Here are a few prostate protectors.

1. Go lean fat

Lowering your fat intake to 20% of your total calories, that is about 44 grams of fat if you eat 2,000 calories a day, is one of the best things that you can do to slash your risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.

2. Turn away from red meat

Beef and other red meats are loaded with saturated fat, a type of fat linked to development of several cancers including prostate cancer.

In one study of 51, 000 American men, those who ate the most red meat were 2.6 times more likely to cultivate complex prostate cancer than men who avoided meat consumption.

3. Catch some fish

One reason why advanced prostate cancer is rare in china may be the quantity of fish in the diet. One study compared cancer rates of American men to men living in Shanghai, China, where people consume three times as much fish in their daily diet. The rate of prostate cancer for the American men was a dramatic 25.9 times higher than for the Chinese.

4. Discover the joy of soy

Health experts suggest that instead of meat, try substituting tofu, miso, and other soy foods in salads, casseroles, and soups.

Men in Japan eat many soy-based foods, benefiting from significantly high levels of genistein and genistin, two substances found in soy that may help clamp down on the disease.

5. Learn to like lycopene

A study at the Harvard School of Public Health tracked the eating habits of almost 50,000 health-care professionals for more than six years. The researchers concluded that lycopene, an antioxidant compound that gives tomatoes their distinctive red color, helps fight cancer.

So now you know the preventive measures in order to avoid developing prostate cancer, it is best that you start employing these tips in order to have a healthier, cancer-free life.

As the old adage goes, you are what you eat. So eat healthy in order to be healthy.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides prostate cancer resources on http://www.all-prostate-cancer-resources.info.

Lemon: the Yellow Wonder

The simple, garden-variety lemon is very much understated. Lemons are very common and we see them everywhere. We use them to make lemonade, mix them into our drinks to add a little zing, they remove hard stains, are an all-around deodorizer and air freshener and we use them in our cooking as both an ingredient and garnish. Maybe we should stop and take another look at this yellow wonder because it may change what you think of it. When the world gives you lemons, there's a whole lot more you can make with them than just lemonade.

In traditional medicine, the lemon is widely known for its healing powers and is used in many different ways. In fact, the lemon is so powerful that it was used by the Romans as their cure for all types of poison.

Although the lemon is often thought of as acidic, it is very effective in curing many digestion problems when mixed with hot water, including biliousness, nausea, heartburn, disorders of the lower intestines like constipation and worm infestations. It is even known to relieve hiccups. Water plus a few lemons becomes lemon juice. Lemon juice, when taken regularly in the morning, acts as a tonic to the liver and stimulates it to produce bile making it ready to digest the day's food. It is also thought to help dissolve gall stones. Because of its high vitamin C content, it is thought to help prevent and treat many infections, hastens wound healing and temper down high fever. Lemon juice also relieves symptoms of asthma, tonsillitis and sore throat.

Lemon is also a diuretic. This means it is good for people with urinary tract infections and high uric acid problems, such as those with arthritis or rheumatism because it helps flush out all the toxins and bad bacteria. When lemon is mixed with coffee, it is thought to help treat malaria. This concoction is also effective for headaches.

When externally applied, lemon juice that is poured onto a small piece of cotton wool and gently applied to the nostrils could stop epistaxis (more commonly known as nose bleeds) although this may sting a bit. This too when massaged gently into gums may also stop gum bleeding. Lemon juice with glycerin is effective when used on the lips to treat chapping. This may be a little strange but lemon juice applied on your skin can also help prevent sunburn.

Lemons are also used as balms in highly concentrated forms. Some may know them as cure-alls. Lemon balms are known for their ability to break fevers by encouraging the patient's body to perspire. Because of this, lemon balms are recommended for all fevers, no matter what the cause. Lemon balms are also popular treatments for cough and colds, even hay fever. Balms are also used in the treatment of flatulence and other digestive conditions. Menstrual cramps are relieved by lemon balms, as are dizziness, headaches and high blood pressure.

Psychologically, lemon balm is used to lift people's spirits, especially those who are undergoing menopause and are depressed, because it will calm anxieties, clear their minds and center their focus. It also supposedly improves memory storage and recall.

Michael Russell

Your Independent Herbal guide.

The Cure for Allergies

We now know that there are cures for many of the diseases that are considered to be non-curable. If you go to Europe or Asia ? you will find many of these diseases being cured. We in the US are so pre-occupied with profit that we prefer treatment to cure. It brings in more money on a consistent basis. But, in spite of all that there are those that dare to challenge the establishment and offer to those who need it the cure for so many diseases.

Below is from Dr. Hulda Clark?s book ?The Cure For All Diseases?. More information on Dr. Clark and her books can be found at: www.drclarkuniversity.org or www.drhuldaclark.org

Allergies

(For allergy in connection with arthritis, asthma, diabetes and migraine headaches, refer to the pertinent chapters.)

Allergies are due to a disabled liver, extreme allergies are due to an extremely disabled liver. This is the case for persons suffering from universal allergies, namely everything, like the lacquer on floors, plastic chairs, the neighbor's flowers, and the grocery store.

They have more than merely clogged bile ducts. They have the sheep liver fluke living in the bile ducts! A tip-off to this situation is allergy to wool and wool fat (lanolin). A few flukes might not be noticed but a liver full of flukes that spill over into the intestine can give the worst case of allergy imaginable.

Sometimes the body manages to kill them with its own resources (maybe you ate something even too toxic for them!) They come through the bowel in a torrent. In the water of the toilet bowl they explode, spewing their infectious eggs all over in little black threads. Because these look like hairs, you may believe you passed things with black hairy legs. These are actually burst flukes with black strings of highly infectious eggs. Why some people are literally taken over by these flukes is unclear. Amongst sheep, only certain sheep will be severely affected, being called liver-rot. The disease in animals has been extensively studied.

Kill flukes with a frequency generator (434-421 KHz) or zapper. Come to the aid of the liver by avoiding food molds, removing dental metals, stopping chronic Salmonella infection and finally cleaning the kidneys and liver.

Environmental Illness is another name for universal allergies. When more than a few flukes are present in the liver, they keep the liver from doing its major job: detoxifying all the food and chemicals that are taken into your body.

Different parts of the liver have different detoxifying jobs. One part detoxifies plastics and solvents, another part detoxifies perfumes and another newsprint ink, and so on. Foods have natural chemicals that need detoxification. By changing our food constantly we avoid overburdening any one of our detoxifying mechanisms. This is probably the basis for wanting different food at each meal and different meals each day. We somehow know when we're ready for the same food again. Less extreme forms of allergy can be due to other flukes in the liver, such as human liver fluke (Clonorchis), or just plain clogging with numerous cholesterol crystals.

Anything that is lodged in the bile ducts obstructs the flow of bile. This causes back pressure in that part of the liver so it produces less bile.

The bile duct system is a gigantic tree with lots of interconnecting branches. Remember how stringy liver can be when you buy it in the grocery store. These strings are bile ducts. When one is obstructed, others take over its job. But when a whole section of the liver gets obstructed and it can't detoxify a whole set of chemicals you dare not get those chemicals into you again.

What if you do? These chemicals go coursing all over your body! They are taken up by various organs. The brain has special protection, called the blood brain barrier. But this can get broken by parasites that burrow. Now chemicals can roam through the brain. Some attach themselves and cause an allergic reaction. Beryllium from coal oil, kerosene and gasoline attaches itself to the brain easily. Then other things attach themselves to the beryllium!

The extreme form of allergies simply requires killing the sheep liver fluke and other flukes inhabiting the liver. They tend to overflow the liver and inhabit the intestine, too. In this case, you might actually see some in the bowel movement after killing them. They won't let go of you as long as they are alive.

They have two attachments to hold onto you, yet, they are not difficult to kill, even with herbs. Use the herbal parasite recipe, zapper, or a frequency generator.

Sheep liver flukes might actually be breeding, that is, multiplying in the liver of the hyper-allergic person. This is not normal. Sheep liver flukes should only spend their adulthood in our bodies. When the baby stages are also found in our bodies (instead of in minnows or snails), there is undoubtedly a specific solvent involved. Environmentally ill persons have quite a few solvents accumulated in their organ tissues. Which one enables the sheep liver fluke to go through all of its development in the human is not known yet.

Obviously, the extremely allergic person should remove all solvents from their diet and environment. Begin with eliminating propyl alcohol and benzene. The same products have other solvents too. It is processing of foods that put solvents into them. Go completely natural. Dairy products are free of solvents, except for some cheeses. Remember to boil them to get rid of bacteria. Salt, olive oil, butter, and honey are free of solvents. With electronic technology, you can find solvent free products. Otherwise, if it didn't grow or you didn't make it from scratch, you must assume it has solvents! Cook from scratch; make your own pasta, bread, fruit juices, and beverages.

Often but not always, persons with sheep liver fluke have a specific allergy to lanolin, a sheep product. Since lanolin is so widely used in other products, this becomes a very broad range allergy. Such persons can get no fat at mealtimes or wear no wool without a considerable reaction. The allergy to lanolin does not disappear the day the flukes are all dead. But cleaning the liver with several liver cleanses after killing the parasites will start the recovery process.

Which comes first, the flukes or the solvents? That can't be answered. But what happens next is easily seen. The more flukes, the less able the liver is to detoxify solvents. The more solvents the better able the fluke is to multiply. A vicious cycle is set up that accelerates the illness.

Perhaps neither of these came first. Perhaps something else poisoned the liver so both solvents and flukes are given a home in your liver! Such a powerful liver poison would be a food mold: aflatoxin, cytochalasin B, sterigmatocystin, zearalenone, ochratoxin, sorghum mold, griseofulvin, citrinin, T-2 toxin, Kojic acid, ergot and others. Avoid food molds -- see Mold Free Diet. The diet must be quite limited at first, to allow the liver to regain its detoxifying capability.

Of course, it is assumed that environmentally ill persons have had their dental metal replaced by metal free composite. This includes gold. Gold accumulates in the pancreas, another organ of digestion. This may mean choosing partial dentures. Read the section on healing the jaw and Bone Strengthening to ensure this move brings you success.

The liver is a versatile organ. It can regenerate itself but it won't if food molds block regeneration. Given half a chance it will become like new. After killing parasites do the liver cleanse. If it has been a month or more since you killed parasites, then go on a high dose parasite herb treatment the week before, or zap. Don't use the herbs the day of the cleanse. With one major allergy gone after each cleanse and by timing liver cleanses two weeks apart, it takes only six months to have a reasonably normal life again. You can endure indoor air again, sit on plastic chairs, read newspapers, wear cotton clothing and leather shoes without reacting. You must still be patient and careful as you take back the world for you to live in.

From the book The Cure for all Diseases Page 222 available at www.drclarkuniversity.org

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

Factors That Make Acne Worst

Genetics Factors

Genetics factors play a significant role in acne formation, although we do not know which genes exactly are involved. It is likely that combination of genes from both parents are responsible.

It is common to see that several members in the same family have acne. If one or both parents have severe acne, then the child is also at risk of developing severe acne.

Picking and Squeezing

It is common to see that acne sufferers pick at the acne lesions and squeeze out the retained sebaceous deposits. And it is a common mistaken impression that this will unblock the pore and speed up healing. In fact, the squeezing cause unnecessary damage to the skin, bacteria is introduced to the wound and causes inflammation. The result is often darker, deeper and more permanent scars.

Stress

Acne get worse when the person suffers from stress, worry, tension and anxiety. For example, it has been observe that during examination period, the acne condition get worse for student suffers. This is likely cause by hormones and neuroactive substances produced during stress and significantly influence on acne formation.

Premenstrual Flares

Some women complain of acne flares just before their menses. And these premenstrual flares affect up to 40% of women with acne. It is likely due to the hormone fluctuation over the menstrual cycle. The flares often resolve quickly after the menses end.

Creams and Medicaments

Certains creams and medicaments may make acne worse. Topical steroids which is often prescribed for treating eczema may resulted to outbreak of acne is they are used excessively and inappropriately. You can identify this type of acne by its look - multiple red, inflamed monomorphic papules and pustules.

Drugs

Some drugs aggravate or even cause acne. These include:

- corticosteroids which is taken orally or by injections

- lithium for treating manic depressive illness

- testosterone pills and injection which are used by professional athletes and body builders to increase muscle mass

- danazol which is given to women for endometriosis which is the growth of tissue from the uterus in parts of the body other than the uterus

Cosmetics

For a small group of cosmetics users, they can develop cosmetic acne in the form of side effect. Cosmetic acne is usually present as small, raised whiteheads or small inflamed paules and pustules over the face the cosmetics are applied. Often, women with cosmetic acne are caught in a vicious cycle ? the more acne outbreak they have, the more cosmetics up they use to cover it up which only leads to worsening of the condition.

Climate

Acne tends to get worse in hot humid climates and work environment e.g. steam rooms and kitchen. We do not know why heat and humidity have such an aggravating effect but we know is that the outer layer of skin swells tremendously under humid conditions. The pressure from the swelling could block the opening of the pilo-sebaceous unit and cause acne to develop.

Occupations

Jobs that involve with certain chemicals may worsen acne. These chemicals include:

- insoluble cutting oils that are use in engineering manufacturing industries

- crude petroleum in the oil refining industry

- diesel oil that is used in motor mechanics

- halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons that are use in industries manufacturing conductors and insulators and

- insecticides, fungicides and herbicides

Alvin Poh shares more ideas and articles like this on the very popular website Ask About Acne at http://www.askaboutacne.com

Mesothelioma Doctor Research

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. It afflicts persons who have worked in asbestos- related industries like asbestos mines, shipyards, insulation factories and construction sites. Initially, the workers in these establishments were unaware that the exposure to the asbestos dust could result in such grave consequences. They became conscious of the potential hazards of this disease after three or four decades, since the disease lies dormant for such long periods. The result of dormancy was that the medical field also recognized the existence of this disease a bit late; when the patients came for treatment, doctors were finally able to relate the symptoms to the causes. Initially the symptoms like chest pain, cough, fever and breathlessness were associated with common occurring diseases like pneumonia, but when the patients failed to respond to the treatment. the medical world started research.

Again, when the awareness of the hazardous effects of asbestos dust dawned on the medical community and the public, lawsuits began to be initiated in the courts for compensation, and the government began to act stringently against the asbestos-based industries. The total number of Mesothelioma-afflicted patients in the whole of the United States is not more than 2,000 annually, and, fortunately, even this number is likely to decrease over the coming years. Quite a majority of doctors are still unaware of the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. Since the incidence of the disease is not very common, the number of doctors specializing in this area is also small.

The National Institute of Cancer, Washington Cancer Institute, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeon, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, etc. are some of the major institutions and research organizations that are the best sources to find out the right doctors for Mesothelioma treatment.

Mesothelioma Doctors provides detailed information about mesothelioma doctors, mesothelioma doctor research, mesothelioma diagnosis, mesothelioma symptoms and more. Mesothelioma Doctors is the sister site of Mesotherapy Before And After.

Pimples

For most of us, there is no way around it ? pimples are a fact of coming into adulthood. If that is not bad enough, they can even crop up after that adulthood without any warning and for no apparent reason. Since pimples are such an inalienable part of life, it would probably be a blessing if we could accept them and take them in stride. However, the accent of civilization throughout the ages has been toward cosmetic perfection ? and that makes those pimples hard to take. Pimples are and will remain a human nemesis. So what exactly are they?

In the most fundamental terms, pimples are lesions that occur when the skin?s pores are obstructed or infected. Acne, in which the sebaceous glands and hair follicles get inflamed, will most certainly result in pimples. The sebum released though the pores, meant to lubricate the skin and maintain its elasticity, gets blocked and backs up to form the dreaded blister. This causes the formation of a comedone, which may turn into either blackheads or whiteheads.

Pimples can form for a variety of reasons. However, the mechanism involved in causing some pores to collapse and block drainage of natural oils while neighboring ones remain unaffected is not really understood. This phenomenon makes pimples a unique skin disorder, and medical texts from the beginnings of recorded history reflect mankind?s frantic hunt for effective solutions.

Teenagers who break out with pimples can take comfort from the established fact that the problem usually goes away after adolescence, though this is by no means guaranteed in all cases. It is a safe assumption that the highly unnatural lifestyles and equally unnatural environmental factors that are part of modern life have exacerbated the problem of pimples to a significant degree.

Pimples provides detailed information on Pimples, How To Get Rid Of Pimples, Home Remedy For Pimples, Scalp Pimples and more. Pimples is affiliated with Adult Acne Causes.

Back Pain and Massage Alternative Remedies

A hands-on approach to back pain can be a positive experience. Massage therapy can help reverse the vicious cycle of pain-spasm-pain associated with chronic back pain.

Massage and chiropractic therapy can provide many benefits to individuals suffering from mild or chronic back pain. These benefits include:

• Circulation and blood pressure improvement.
• Muscle tone improvement and the prevention of muscular atrophy due to illness or inactivity.
• System detoxification through lymphatic drainage.
• Joint flexibility improvement.
• Stress reduction and a greater sense of well-being.

There are many different massage styles which can be applied to helping back pain. Each style depends on the individual's needs and preferences.

They include:

Swedish Massage: This method uses long, flowing strokes and kneading movements to relieve tension from the muscles. The practitioner helps improve circulation and back pain by working to loosen and relax the superficial layers of muscle.

Sports Massage: This method uses slow, hard strokes and deep, sustained finger pressure to work deeply into the contracted muscles, fascia and tendons. This technique keeps the body flexible, increases performance and assists in rehabilitation from injury and speeds up the healing process by reducing swelling.

Shiatsu: Shiatsu is Japanese for ?finger pressure.? Fingers, thumbs, palms, elbows and knees are all used to apply pressure to points along acupuncture meridians, which are believed to be the body's energy pathways. This method is used to help alleviate back pain and encourage blood and lymphatic flow.

Craniosacral Therapy: This therapy involves the craniosacral system, which extends from the skull to the bottom of the spine. The practitioner uses touch to restore cerebrospinal fluid movement. This method can be used to treat such conditions as headaches, ear and eye problems as well as back pain and even whiplash.

Not all techniques work in all situations. Be sure to know the philosophy and style of your massage therapist before you begin. If your massage or massage technique doesn't help alleviate your pain, try another practitioner.

Visit us for more news and updates about back pain and alternative medicine.

Asbestos Cancer Disease

The history of the Asbestos Cancer disease ?Mesothelioma? dates back to the early 1960s. The use of the silicate Asbestos can be traced back as early as World War II. However, the risks involved with Asbestos exposure were unknown at that time. With the passage of time, studies revealed that the cancerous disease was common in people of South African origin. Majority of them were mine workers. It was in 1962 that Dr. Mc Nulty made the first diagnosis of the Cancer related disease.

Mesothelioma is a cancerous disease that occurs in individuals who are exposed for short or prolonged periods to asbestos dust. As a consequence, the disease can cause severe disfigurement and impairment of the lungs. Individuals suffering from the fatal disease, suffer from breathing problems, abnormal blood clotting, unbearable abdominal pain, significant weight loss and high fevers.

Today, the dangers of the asbestos fibres have raised a growing concern among health professionals. To help prevent mineworkers and shipyard workers from transitory exposures to asbestos, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has devised rules and regulations to help win the race in defeating this gruesome disease, which has robbed the precious lives of many of Americans.

Mineworkers working in hazardous asbestos environments are urged to wear protective clothing at their workplaces. To help prevent inflicting their loved ones with the cancerous effects of the asbestos fibers, the OSHA urged asbestos exposed workers to make it a regular habit of showering daily to remove any trace of the cancerous silicate like fiber. Families of asbestos affected workers should be tested for any trace of this cancer-causing material.

For more Articles about Mesothelioma Cancer please click here http://www.mesotheliomaresourceonline.com/articles/MesotheliomaAsbestos.htm

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Sara Reisness

Osteopathy Is Different To Chiropractic Healing

Osteopathy is a system of healthcare based on the belief that disease is the direct result of the relationship between physiological function and anatomical structure. In osteopathy, function and structure are interdependent. A healthy musculoskeletal system plays a pivotal role in recovery and disease prevention. ?Structure governs function? ? this is the tenet of osteopathy. By structure, this means muscles, ligaments, bones, organs and fascia.

The credit for initiating this system of healing is given to Andrew Taylor Still, who started this treatment at the end of the American Civil War. According to Still, disease happens when the bones are out of place thus disrupting the flow of the blood or hampering the flow of nervous impulses. He therefore concluded that diseases can be cured by manipulating the bones, which in turn, helps to restore the flow.

This system has much in common with Chiropractic techniques where the correct alignment of bones is given the utmost emphasis. Originally Osteopathy used strictly manipulative techniques for correcting abnormalities. However, over the past years, Osteopathy has embraced all aspects of modern medicine including drugs and corrective surgery.

Doctors who practice Osteopathy know how important it is to have a proper and correct understanding of the exact position and correct function of each of the structure in the body. Those who practice Osteopathy look for abnormalities in the working relationship within and between the various structures. According to these physicians, the physical integrity of the entire musculoskeletal system is one of the most important factors that contribute to good health.

Osteopathy has a lot in common with orthodox medicine as well. However, Osteopathic doctors are not merely bone-specialists. Instead, they are grandmasters in the ?biomechanics of the human machine?. The way in which they approach disease and carry out treatment is therefore completely different from orthodox medicine.

The holistic approach to healing aims to take advantage of the body?s ability to heal itself. Osteopaths believe that health, not disease, is the natural heritage of every living thing. They focus all their attention on tracing any changes in function that have taken place within the structures. Within certain limits, the human body, like every other organism, has the ability to repair and correct itself. If given enough ?support?, it can create its own remedies. The ?support? to be given includes:

- A balanced diet

- Good circulation

- Positive attitude

- A pollution free environment.

This self-healing is the backbone and sustaining principle behind all the applications of Osteopathy. According to these doctors, disease basically originates from within the individual himself. So, their main focus is the patient and not the micro-organism that invades his body. If the disease has reached a stage where the micro-organism has changed the structure beyond the point of no-return, Osteopathy tries to help the person function as best as he can.

Osteopathy differs to chiropractors in that the therapist uses massage during a treatment session to help the muscles retain the memory of the manipulation done to the bones and hence restore the flow of nerve impulses through the body to promote healing.

Osteopathy relies on various techniques that are combined with postural, dietary and occupational advice. Counseling patients who are recovering from illness and injury and those who are under excruciating pain is also a very useful part of this healing technique. Osteopathy also allows the use of invasive therapies when all else fails.

Alternative Holistic Medicine

Acne Scar Solutions

Acne is an embarrassing condition that causes millions of young people to feel self-conscious about their skin. Acne scarring is almost as embarrassing as actual pimples. Acne scarring is more likely to occur if you pick at your acne, irritating it and tearing the skin. Acne scars usually last for 4-12 months and then fade away as the old skin cells are sloshed off and new skin forms. This is not always the case however. Sometimes acne scars leave the skin indented or leave behind embarrassing red marks that won't fade. If this is the case, then you should consider seeking out acne scar solutions.

It is a good idea to wait the recommended 4-12 months before seeking out solutions for your scars because during this time your skin will be changing and trying to repair itself. Also, before you seek out acne scar solutions you should also try to get a handle on your current acne breakouts. If you continue to have acne then you continue to have acne scarring, therefore by first eliminating acne breakouts you will help to decrease the chance of more acne scarring.

There are various solutions out there for reducing or eliminating the appearance of acne scarring. One such treatment is a chemical peel. This acne scar solution works best with minor acne scarring as it peels away the outer layer of skin by using a combination of chemicals. While traditionally a dermatologist has performed this treatment, there are now at home chemical peel kits that you can do yourself. The at home versions are not quite as effective so for every one chemical peel with a dermatologist, plan on needing three at home treatments for comparable results.

Another solution for acne scarring is laser resurfacing. Unlike a chemical peel, a dermatologist must perform laser resurfacing. Instead of only removing the first layer of skin it removes several layers with the help of a high-energy light. This gives the skin a smoother appearance. This acne scar solution works great for more prominent acne scars and indentations in the skin.

If your acne scars are too deeply pitted, laser resurfacing may not do the job. Instead you should opt for a treatment known as punch excision or grafting. With this procedure the pits are removed with a surgical instrument called a punch. It closes the pit and then grafts the top layers of skin together for a smooth appearance. A chemical peel usually follows this procedure for those who also have embarrassing red marks that cannot be treated by the punch.

If your acne scars are only a few depressed regions throughout the face another possible acne scar solution is collagen injections. The collagen would be injected underneath the depressed area of the skin causing it to plump up to the level of the rest of your skin.

If you have embarrassing acne scars then don't hesitate, visit your dermatologist today to discuss acne scar solutions that may be right for you. If your acne scars are mild enough you may be able to treat your skin yourself with the help of a chemical peel.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Acne

The Use of Chinese Herbs for Lyme Disease

A number of Chinese herbs can be useful for the many different facets of Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease is a bacterial infectious disease caused by the spirochetal organism, Borrelia Burgdorferi. It is usually caused by a tick bite. The prevalence of the disease is greatest in the northeastern United States, but there have been cases of the illness in all lower 48 states. The disease is easy to treat with antibiotics in its initial stages, but it is often not detected at that point. There is a bull?s eye rash that is characteristic of the disease, but many people never get the rash. The rash looks different in people with darker pigmentation, making it easy to mistake it for other skin conditions, including bruising or eczema. The wide variety of symptoms that a person can have in its later stages makes it hard to obtain a proper diagnosis, and the medical testing for the illness is still not very accurate in many cases.

People with later stages of Lyme need treatment on a number of different levels. At the very basic level, herbs that are anti-bacterial, specifically against spirochetal bacteria, are an important component of treatment. Herbs that have been shown to have activity against spirochetal bacteria include coptis (huang lian), andrographis paniculata (chuan xin lian), isatis (ban lan gen/qing dai), phellodendron (huang bai), scute (huang qin), forsythia (lian qiao), smilax (tu fu ling), and gardenia (zhi zi). Garlic is also a useful antibacterial supplement for those with Lyme Disease.

Lyme disease can lower body temperature and create poor blood circulation. A person is also likely to feel cysts, lumps, and swellings in different areas of their body that often change and move. The bacteria walls itself off, and creates an environment in which it can grow and thrive and the person with the disease ends up in severe pain, with horribly low energy, and neurological problems. The disease thrives in a low temperature, low oxygen environment, and that is the environment it creates within the body. People with the disease often have signs and symptoms similar to someone with severe altitude sickness (also caused by a low oxygen environment). Chinese herbs that clear blood stasis and break blood stagnation can be very useful for this aspect of the disease. The herb, pseudoginseng (san qi), can be extremely beneficial for people with Lyme Disease. It promotes blood circulation and oxygenation in the body, and can force open the cysts that protect the bacteria from being killed off. It also can help clear some of the brain fog that people with this disease have by improving blood circulation and oxygenation to the brain. Frankincense (ru xiang), and myrrh (mo yao) can also help by improving blood circulation, especially to the joints, where the bacteria often hides in cartilaginous tissue where blood circulation tends to be poorer. An herb that is frequently used by people with Lyme Disease, teasel root, is beneficial because it improves circulation in the body and also has a warming affect. All of these herbs can help significantly with the intense and chronic pain that those with later stages of Lyme disease experience.

Certain Chinese herbs can be used to reduce the person?s sensitivity to cold and improve microcirculation in the body. Herbs such as clove, cinnamon, ginger, and siegesbeckia can be useful for this purpose.

The lymphatic system and the metabolism are often compromised in people with Lyme Disease. The bacteria frequently hides inside the walls of white blood cells, and results in swollen and congested lymph glands. People with the disease often have symptoms of hypothyroidism and a slowed metabolic rate even if all of their thyroid tests are normal. In Chinese Medicine, herbs that treat phlegm are frequently used for conditions related to a slow metabolism and a congested lymphatic system. The Chinese herb, prunella vulgaris (xia ku cao), and scrophularia (xuan shen) are very useful for inflammation, congestion, and infection of the lymphatic system. Herbs such as citrus aurantium, kelp, epimedium, and Siberian ginseng, can be beneficial for improving a sluggish metabolism in people with Lyme Disease who have signs or symptoms of an underactive thyroid.

Another aspect of Lyme Disease is severe and debilitating fatigue and a total lack of energy. This can be due to a host of different factors. Poor oxygenation and blood circulation and lowered metabolism and body temperature are part of the picture. The person?s adrenal glands may not be functioning properly either. Someone with Lyme Disease may also have a host of digestive problems that result in a lack of adequate nutrition. The disease itself can trigger chemical changes in the brain that create severe depression and an inability to concentrate, which is debilitating as well.

In Chinese medicine, herbs that nourish the qi and blood can help this lack of energy. The herbs can improve the person?s digestive functioning, support the functioning of the brain, support proper functioning of the adrenal glands, and improve the person?s ability to handle stress. They can also help the proper functioning of the mitochondria in their production of ATP in the cells, which helps a person?s energy at a very fundamental level. Siberian ginseng, schizandra, licorice, and astragalus are all good herbs for improving a person?s energy level, digestive functioning, and their ability to handle stress. White peony, dong quai, and wolfberry nourish the blood and reduce fatigue. Polygonum and eucommia can help improve a person?s adrenal response and can improve brain functioning. Bupleurum, longan fruit, zyzyphus seed, dragon bone, oyster shell, and magnolia bark can be beneficial for the depression, anxiety, lack of concentration, and sleep problems that people with Lyme Disease experience.

As you can see, Lyme Disease is a complex illness with many facets. Chinese herbal medicine has numerous herbs in its pharmacopia that can treat the many different aspects of this disease in a comprehensive and holistic manner.

Farah Khan is a licensed acupuncturist and Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She developed an interest in Lyme Disease after contracting the illness in October of 2001, and developing late stage Lyme Disese by June of 2002. She has used numerous methods to recover from this insidious illness, including her own training and expertise in Chinese herbal medicine. She offers herbal and essential oil formulas related to this condition on the web at http://www.yinessence.com. She can be reached at farah@yinessence.com.

Health Sleep and Insomnia

Millions of adults are short of sleep either because of their work or habit of sleeping late and they accumulate sleep debts like gamblers racking up IOUs. Most people know that lack of sleep makes them punchy and lousy but they are unaware of the risks to their health. New research shows that sleep may be the third essential component of a long and healthy life besides good diet and exercise. Society is being victimized by not getting enough sleep. Our society, our safety, our health are at risk.

The sleep deprived people are cutting short a natural rhythm that begins in the evening when our inner clocks signal that it is bedtime. As the head hits the pillow, breathing slows and the brain relaxes, the rapid beta waves of the daytime will change to slower alpha waves of the night. Then alpha waves disappear, replaced by the even slower theta waves of stage-one sleep. The deep sleep stage is known as the lazy delta waves. In the absence of lights, the natural length for best effect is about eight hours.

Researchers are beginning to understand what we lose by giving up sleep. What happens to people who shortchange their sleep? In 1999, a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago; published a groundbreaking study in The Lancet in which, for six nights, young men spent only four hours in bed. During that week, their blood samples showed impaired glucose tolerance: they were in a pre-diabetic state.

The expert believes that sleep loss is partly involved in the rising rate of obesity. Lack of sleep could drive down growth hormone which controls the body?s proportions of fat and muscle. Another hormone, leptin, tells the body when it should feel full. ?With the low leptin levels of sleep debt, your body will crave carbohydrates even though you have had enough kilojoules? says the expert.

Preliminary studies also associate lack of sleep with changes in immune response. Robbed of all sleep, a laboratory rat will die in about three weeks, apparently from infection. This may indicate that the body is having trouble fighting infection by the changes of white blood cell counts and immune-response modifiers if one is lack of sleep.

Another research revealed that not enough sleep might even boost cancer risk. It also says there may be a connection between the increase in breast cancer and hormone cycles disrupted by late-night light. This may be the answer to why blind women are less prone to breast cancer than sighted women and people should get a dark night?s sleep. Those who were badly sleep deprived performed as poorly or worse on reaction-time tests as those with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 per cent ? legally drunk in many countries.

It is easy to know if you are sleep deprived. If you can lie down in the middle of the day and fall asleep within ten minutes, you have then shortchanged yourself on sleep and catching up is simple basic arithmetic. For every hour or any fraction of it under eight hours per day you missed, you need the same amount of sleep soon after.

Sometimes a nap in the day can boost your alertness. The worldwide siesta time between 1 and 3 pm are good for napping out. A short nap of not more than half an hour works best. After that, you will be in deep sleep and will feel groggy upon awakening and may look sickly. It is advisable not to sleep more than half an hour in the day.

Sleep resettles us emotionally and recharges our body energy and biological system. What we have used up in the day, we need to be replaced in the night through sleep. It is just good to have a good night sleep. Unfortunately many people have trouble sleeping in the night. Stay away then from caffeine and alcohol late in the day and do not nap longer than half an hour. If you continue having trouble sleeping in the night, do not take nap at all even if you are very sleepy. Make yourself busy with anything or just get out of the house, go to the supermarket or just kill your time anywhere to avoid the nap. By nightfall you should be feeling tired and sleepy and you can catch up what you have shortchanged by going to bed early.

People with insomnia should give themselves a chance not to sleep at all in the day. Any nap in the day can affect our good sleep in the night. Unless your doctor prescribes sleeping pills, you should make yourselves very busy in the day so that your natural body system needs a good rest in the night. If nothing works, and you have to swallow the sleeping pills, then in spiritual sense you may be suffering from the sickness of the karma.

In the teachings of Tao of Heaven, there are two types of sicknesses. One is curable by medicine and it is because of our carelessness in our food, daily life or bad habits. The other type cannot be cured by medicine and it is called real illness or sickness of the karma. It is suffering through sickness to repay what we owed to our spiritual creditors or the unseen creditors of the past lives.

These sicknesses can be very dangerous and eventually many will die after suffering for a certain period. Any sicknesses that cannot be cured even by the best doctor in the world, we classified them as sicknesses of the Karma. Certain of these sicknesses purposely make the sufferers turn very ugly so that they cannot come out in the day. Some give intense pain before they die and there are many evidences in the temple to show proofs. The spiritual creditors can appear in photographs, X-ray etc unseen to the eyes in the form of ghostly figures. Many accidents are also caused by this type of revenge. People may suddenly turn mad or possess by evil spirits. It is just a mysterious world. Revenge is real in this world by the revengeful unseen spirits because their souls are not at rest, just like our souls that cannot sleep.

Author: T.A Chew

T.A Chew has two friends who are suffering from insomnia and they are really a pitiful sight. The best advice is to do good deeds to repay the unseen creditors and through prayers to say sorry and ask for forgiveness from them. Website: http://www.white-sun.com

Living for Real Healing Adapting to Change is the Way of Life

If you want things to stay as they are, things will have to change. -- Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Scientists tell us that your body is a living system in motion. As along as you live, your system is constantly moving through patterns of repeating activity. All systems generate their own patterns of behavior. Sometimes you get stuck in these patterns ? e.g., finding one bad relationship after another (the names change but the story ends up pretty much the same). You don?t do exactly the same thing every time, but close. In one sense, these ruts are bad habits of how you usually live in your world.

The situation is similar for your health and healing. That is, you can get stuck in patterns of bodily dysfunction that lead to any number of diseases, disorders, or health problems. For instance, if you tense our neck and back at work every day because of sitting at a poorly-designed chair while reacting with stifled anger to the boss?s unreasonable demands, you could end up with frequent tension headaches. If you changed the chair or the boss ? or just experienced the situation differently physically and emotionally, your health would change too.

Problems can arise from an interaction of your with your environment - who you are, what you perceive and experience as stressful, and what your genetic potential sets us up to do when you undergo stress. This process happens at the physical level as much as at the social or behavioral level of your life. The first step is getting unstuck. If you live in a specific neighborhood of grasses and trees (a type of physical stressor) to which you are allergic, you can activate a runny nose or asthma ? or you can move to a different neighborhood without the grasses and trees and be allergy-free. Or, if you can?t move away, you can shift the way your immune system reacts to the presence of grasses and trees.

Realistically, you can?t avoid all stress at all times. You even need some stress and challenges to grow and develop in positive ways as a human being. When you are sick, however, you can't bounce back to health as quickly as someone who doesn't have the same health problem. As a system, you have lost your resilience, your adaptability to change in your inner and outer lives. So, the goal of true healing is restoring your ability to adapt to changes and challenges in your environment.

In alternative medicine, many different mind-body approaches can help us improve how you experience your life. Various forms of meditation, hypnosis, and guided imagery, for example, can help you learn to allow situations to arise, but to respond differently, with a new and healthier pattern of behavior in your physiology and your psychology. When that happens, you begin to shift internally, to change, to have the freedom to establish healthier patterns of being and living as a whole system.

Mind-body techniques are only one way to change toward the goal of resilience. For children and adults with behavioral problems, for instance, even with violence, some research suggests that taking good multivitamin-multimineral combination products, i.e., particular mixtures of nutritional supplements, can really calm things down. Since some studies even happened in prisons, the external situations that usually trigger violence don?t change ? but the reactions of the individuals do. Finally, adding some form of constitutional treatment such as acupuncture, classical homeopathy, or Ayurveda, to support deep and lasting change throughout you as a whole system can be invaluable.

When you develop the right program of care for your individual needs, you likely will experience improvements in overall energy and sense of well-being. You will be more adaptive and resilient in the face of change. Annoying symptoms that you had just resigned yourself to experiencing may improve or go away. Your outlook on life, even your sense of purpose and meaning, can become renewed and changed in a better, positive way. These are the kinds of changes that take time to develop and grow. Usually no single treatment makes them happen. It takes a coordinated approach. But these positive changes in patterns are possible with the right program of treatment, assembled by you for your specific life and circumstances.

(Permission is granted to reprint this article, unedited, provided proper attribution is made and the signature line is kept intact.)

Iris R. Bell, MD PhD is an alternative medicine researcher, author, and educator. Discover a self-empowering system for treating arthritis with her new multimedia program, available at http://www.arthritiscaremap.com

Mesothelioma Pleural Brachytherapy

Mesothelioma Pleural is a lethal cancer that initially affects the thin membrane enveloping the lungs. This affliction is mostly caused by exposure to asbestos. Currently about 3000 cases are reported in the United States every year. But according to reliable estimates, nearly 8 million people have been exposed to asbestos during the past fifty years and about .3 million new cases would turn up by 2030. Higher rate of incidence is noted in the Pacific and Mid-Atlantic States.

The disease is almost always fatal. If it is detected early, surgery could be helpful. But the problem is that Mesothelioma Pleural has a long latent period of 20 to 40 years or more and by the time it is diagnosed the cancer would be usually in an advanced stage. There is no universally accepted line of treatment as of now. Chemotherapy is not considered effective. Several combination therapies are tried.

Radiation may be of use, particularly as a palliative measure. Here the problem is that since mesothelioma is resistant to radiation, high doses have to be applied. This, not only kill the cancerous cells but also the good ones. To overcome the difficulty, many doctors who treat mesothelioma pleural patients are employing a century old procedure known as Brachytherapy, which was being, and still is, used for treatment of certain other cancers.

Brachytherapy today is a high-tech and precise form of radiation. It is a process applied internally instead of through a gadget outside the body. Radioactive sources (sealed in needles, catheters, seeds or wires) are planted on the tumor or very close to it. By this process the radiation is focused on the bad cells and therefore spares the good ones. This has been found to be effective.

Like all radiation, Brachytherapy also has side effects. But they are minor ones like short duration soreness in the area where the procedure is done. There is nothing to worry about if the patient follows the doctor?s instructions.

Pleural Mesothelioma provides detailed information on Malignant Diffuse Pleural Mesothelioma, Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma, Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Survival Rate, Mesothelioma Pleural Brachytherapy and more. Pleural Mesothelioma is affiliated with Peritoneal Mesothelioma Lawyers.

What Treatment Is Available For Severe Acne

Severe acne can be detrimental to the thin layers of skin on your forehead and face. It can also cause extreme irritation, resulting in open wounds, puss-filled pores, and unsightly scarring.

This type of acne is quite different than mild or moderate cases. Severe acne needs the immediate attention of a qualified dermatologist and your family practitioner.

Severe or acute acne can be caused by both environmental and genetic variables. Prevention and treatment are the best ways to deal with such cases. Seldom does an extreme acne sufferer's skin clear up naturally, but in most instances, it actually worsens.

Usually a dermatologist will recommend a combination of both topical cream and oral drugs. Several types available include different antibiotics, benzyl peroxides, Tretinoin, Adapalen and the strong, yet effective Azelaic Acid. Antibiotics and this acid can work wonderfully, attacking the source of inflammation-the bacteria lining the follicle.

The other topical drug, Tretinoin, is simply a form of vitamin A that stops the development of comedones, or inflamed hair follicles. While it doesn't necessarily stop the growth of bacteria, this is a more natural way of unplugging clogged pores that cause inflammation and lesions, thereby allowing the use of topical antibiotic cream to work deeply within the skin.

Another drug that isn't so natural in it's approach are the newer forms of Retinoid drugs. These drugs are quite powerful in the way they work. Like Tretinoin, these drugs, often Tazarotene or Adapalen, also help to fight off the development of comedones or comedo lesions.

These drugs, although not available over the counter (OTC), come in different forms. Similar to OTC drugs, these come in a variety of solutions, gels, lotions and creams. Your dermatologist will immediately know which type is right for your skin and prescribe what she or he believes will most effectively open pores and fight-off unwanted bacteria.

Dermatologist will routinely ask you which form of medication you'd prefer. Creams are good for those with extra sensitive skin, while gels and other solutions tend to make the skin become more dry and irritated. He or she may recommend one or the other based on gender and/or whether you live in a hot and humid climate.

At first, your skin may look and feel worse with the use of such strong medications. If the pain becomes unbearable or if you develop a rash or extreme redness of any kind, be sure to stop using the product and immediately talk to your doctor and dermatologist.

Similarly to OTC treatments, it will take up to eight weeks for you to actually notice improvements. But, once it begins to clear, it will make a world of difference to how your skin looks and feels.

Steve Williams is a freelance writer, who suffered acne for many years. His research into prevention and acne cures have helped him, and other fellow sufferers.

Discover useful advice and information about the causes and prevention of acne. Website contains useful articles and updated information on this nasty skin condition. http://www.acne-treatment-zap.com/

How the Season's of God Helped Me Overcome Having Breast Cancer

Heal Cancer!!!!! Pray for a Breast Cancer Healing Prayer

Overcoming Breast Cancer with the Season?s of God

How I accepted the feelings and emotions of having Breast Cancer

My husband and I go to a wonderful church. Our pastor is like no other. He is a great teacher. He teaches us how the Bible can help us with our daily lives. This book the Bible has everything for a Christian life. It deals with every situation and it gives everything we will ever need to know. The answers are in the word of God.

Pastors teachings has helped me to get through one of the most difficult times in my life. This particular Sunday he preached on the seasons of the year. Our lives are ruled by the seasons. Each season has a purpose in our lives. Mans seasons are changeable and negotiable. Gods seasons are fixed consistent, reliable and not negotiable. Everyone has a different time span for their season. My season may be long and yours may be short. It is just what God has planned for us. All of your seasons follow in order just like they do each year. There are seasons of love, marriage, death, sickness, prosperity and success. Do you know what season you are in?

I was in my Winter. It is the coldest season of the year. It is a time when you are tested. Winter is a time to grow through and not go through, Your winter may be long or short. It may be filled with the problems of snow and rain, and things just are not easy, emotional stresses, death, sickness and the pains of divorce. Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own. Do you know what season you are in?

Then long came Springa time to take advantage of opportunities. It is a season for expansion. This is a time to plant seeds a time to grow. Spring is a time to give birth to new ideas and relationships. Your spring may be long or short. This is a time of great favor in your life. Too, forget the harshness of winter and start a new beginning. All doors are open to you now. The opportunity of college is opened and a new job or home. It is the time to buy a new car or even marriage. The sky is the limit for opportunities. Do not wish for less of a challenge pray for more wisdom. Do you know what season you are in?

A long came Summer the hottest season of the year. It is a time to nourish and protect. This is the time for the seeds you have planted in the spring to blossom. As soon as you plant the seeds the insects and weeds of the world come to destroy. This is a time to protect all good things. A time to protect yourself from sickness, poverty and enjoy the harvest of prosperity and success. All good things will be attacked. Satan will try robbing you of your God given harvest. Successes are to be protected and celebrated. Do not wish for fewer problems pray for more skills. Do you know what season you are in?

Next and last Fall this is a time to take responsibility and reap the activities of spring. Your fall may be long or short. Get rid of excuses of not succeeding, bad childhood, bad relationships and bad choices that you made in life. This is a new beginning to start to make the best of your life. Fall is a time to achieve Gods plans and his true purpose for your life. Do not say I wish it was easier just pray to make yourself better. Do you know what season you are in?

I learned a great lesson from all of this. This was the greatest test of my life. Pastor's helped me to understand why this was happening to me. This was a part of my destiny, my journey with the Lord. This journey gave me my own testimony. I put all my trust and faith in the Lord that he would bring me through. It was written before I was born that I would have breast cancer. No one can change their destiny. Breast cancer was to be my destiny and my journey. I knew in my heart one day I would have a spring, summer and fall again. Then one day that spring came that I had been praying for. God had healed m.!. I know now that God does things in my life according to the seasons. Each season has a key lesson to be learned to bring you closer to God. Thank your God. Do you know what season you are in?

Many heartfelt thanks and love to all, my Husband, Family, Neighbors, and Friends. Much appreciation and admiration to my Pastor, our First Lady and Church Family. Thankfulness, praise and worship to God, thank you Jesus for sparing my life.

By Yvonne Lee Brown November 1, 2005

About Author: Retired Verzion Telephone Company employee. I am a entrepreneur at heart and Network Marketer. A new web site owner of http://www.MyHealingPrayer.com
This website is about cancer and how Prayer Heals. This is a exciting new site with lots of cancer information and products. Stop bye and visit with us soon. !!!

HEAL CANCER!!!! PRAY FOR A BREAST CANCER HEALING PRAYER

Natural Soap Making and Ingredients in Soaps

What is in your soap?

Active soap ingredients have always been on the forefront of all beauty, bath and germicidal soaps alike but do you know which substances make up most of the ingredients in your regular soaps? Let?s take a look.

Among the most common soap-producing plants are the following:

Soap Plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum)
Soapbark (Quillaja saponaria)
Soapberry (Sapindus mukorossi)
Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)

Roots are the primary source of saponins in most plants while others locate abundance of the same ingredient on the bark. Manual extraction procedure with water produces lather required for an immediate shampoo and body-cleaning needs.

It is obvious that people of the past have managed to use such ingredients in their purest form until they have discovered that other earth and animal-derived material can be used to enhance the efficiency and usability of such products.

Development of Soap Making

Our ancestors have seen the benefits of adding or enhancing the ingredients which makes up the soap they use. It was by accident which they realized that mixing saponin-containing substances with ashes or charcoal derived substances produces a more refined saponified substances as sodium stereate and in some cases, potassium stereate.

In addition, they have found out that the addition of rendered animal and plant fats with the then popular soldium hydroxide solution (which they have known then as an element and not a solution), produces a solidified version of soaps.

Plants are an abundant and popular known source of soap oils - olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil, tallow, palm, olive oil, soybean oil among others .

Modern Soap Ingredients

The introduction of soap technology and as people rallying on to reducing the manufacturing cost of soap production, fat oils such as rendered pork fat or beef fat, derived from animals have overtaken the use the use plant oils plant-derived saponin sources.

But the inclusion of several ingredients in soaps is generally not advantageous for it proved to be irritating to most skin types. Soaps derived from animal fats are no more than different so synthetic materials which makes skin more prone to itching and bacterial attacks.

Plant Oils and Animal Fats

Plant oils used for making soaps are considerably milder and the skin soft. It leaves little residue which usually is dissolved by washing. Moreover, the addition of scents such as perfume adds to the irritating properties of some soap products.

This residue takes in the form of sodium hydroxide, a popular caustic base agent in soap, rayon and papermaking.

Fats and oils derived from plants and animals are good enough to use as soap themselves but they lack the necessary caustic agent for them to produce the lathering effect as seen when using regular bath soaps.

Soap-Making

Lye (sodium hydroxide), is used in the entire saponification process. As treated fats and oils are mixed with lye, it begins to react and form begin the process described above. This process brings about the characteristic thickening and hardening of the liquids and begins assuming a different phase - thickened soft solid mass. This process is repeated until all lye has reacted with oil so that molding and packing goes next.

Active Ingredients - What does this mean?

Active ingredients are one among the most controversial substances ever to put in a bar soap. Active ingredients determine the applicable usage of a certain soap to a person?s body and skin types.

For example, anti-bacterial soaps have triclosan and triclocarban as its active agent which inhibits the growth of specific type of bacteria (gram-positive).

In the same manner as BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) anti-oxidants and PEG-6 methyl ether sometimes found in detergents and added to soaps sometimes do more harm than good so it is best to check out for some of these substances.

You can find soaps made without petroleum or animal products if you have sensitive skin, allergies or are interested in natural products that are environmentally friendly.

Carla Donnelly is a writer on environmental and health issues at the MangoLife Wellness Website . Sign up for the free monthly newsletter and get a free vegetarian ecookbook plus a chance to win a chemical-free soap that raises the body ph and is good for the environment: http://www.mangolife.com/miracle2webpage2.html

Heal Acne Quick with These Home Remedies

Need to get rid of a pimple, and fast? Too late to go to the drugstore? Don?t want to shell out big bucks for products that don?t work? Follow these home remedies and heal your acne, fast!

Cure zits overnight by dabbing toothpaste on them just before bedtime. Toothpaste dries the oil and gets rid of the zit.

To get rid of redness and calm skin, first, take two Advil ? they?re anti-inflammatory. Then, apply Visine drops to remove redness quick.

Dab egg white onto pimples to draw impurities from the skin.

For softer skin, put a pot of water on the stove. Add a few drops of lavender or peppermint oil and bring to a rolling boil. Drape a towel over your head, and hold your face over the steam. The steam will draw out impurities, and the oils will have a calming effect.

Cook plain, old-fashioned oatmeal and cool it in the refrigerator. Rub it on your face for softer skin.

For those stubborn blackheads, mix cornstarch with vinegar and rub it on the area. Allow it to harden for 15-30 minutes, then wash off with warm water and a washcloth. This will draw out bacteria and clear pores.

To get rid of acne, spread a thin layer of Milk of Magnesia on your face. Let it dry, and wipe off with warm washcloth ? it works as well or better than expensive facial masks!

So now you can heal acne fast, with products you already have around the house. In a pinch, these home remedies are a lifesaver!

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Clear-Skin-Solutions.com He provides more acne clearing solutions, remedies and acne skin care products that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Hodgkin's Disease

Lymphoma, better known as Hodgkin's Disease, is a condition characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells. In addition to Hodgkin's, there are many other lymphoma diseases which are known as Non-Hodkin's lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma incidences become more and more common with age, whereas Hodkin's lymphoma is common between ages 16 and 35, and over 50.

The most common sign of Hodgkin's lymphoma is swollon lymph nodes, mainly in the neck. This is not painful, however some of the other expected symptoms are. These other symptoms are unexplained weight loss, constant fatigue, itchy skin, low grade fevers, and night sweats. As these are common symptoms of any infection, the only accurate diagnosis is through lymph node biopsy and blood testing.

Unlike Hodgkin's lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer. In the united states, 5% of cancer victims are due to Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Signs of this disease are similar to that of Hodgkin's, with a few differences. As well as in the neck, swollon lymph nodes are common in the underarm and groin. And in addition to itchy skin, patients will notice unexplained red patches.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma must be tested for as well, using things such as X-rays, MRI's, CT scans, PET scans, and Lymphangiogram, which are pictures of the lymphatic system taken with x-rays after a dye is injected to differentiate the lymph nodes and vessels. These tests are due to the simple fact that the symptoms are common in many other, less critical, conditions.

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Tyler Brooker is the owner and operator of Lymphoma Disease - http://www.lymphoma-disease.com, which is the best site on the internet for all lymphoma related information.

What Your Children Don't Know Could Kill Them

The word asbestos comes from the ancient Greek meaning indestructible or inextinguishable. It is strong, flexible, water and heat resistant, cheap and easy to use. With this top qualities, asbestos was seen over 100 years ago as the exemplary building material. As a consequence, over 30 million tons of asbestos was utilized in the last century in the construction of factories, office buildings, schools, shipyards, homes. Very often asbestos was used as insulation and fireproofing on industrial equipment such as boilers and turbines, and placed on millions of miles of piping.

The real truth is asbestos was everywhere in our life. Even everyday items such as toasters, ironing boards, dryers, and low-density insulation products contained this wonder material.

After 1940 many scientific studies suggested a correlation between asbestos exposure and cancer. In 1955, scientists confirmed what had long been suspected: a direct link between inhalation or/and ingestion of asbestos fibers and the development of mesothelioma, a fatal form of lung cancer. It was the end of asbestos revolution. A very severe legislation interdicted handling and manufacturing asbestos without a special protection. Later the use and production of asbestos has been forbidden in US and old 15 members of European Union.

Why asbestos is so dangerous? Because it is indestructible. Tiny fibers inhaled are not soluble in lymph or stomach enzymes. So they cannot be eliminate by urine, sweating or so on. They remain in human body, creating accumulation of harmful particles. It is still unknown how asbestos leads in mesothelioma, but the correlation between asbestos and mesothelioma is certain.

Despite of severe law, asbestos is still part of our environment. If your home is older than 30 years you may suspect the asbestos presence. If your car is older than 25 years you may have asbestos in brake and clutch system. You must be aware and you must tell this things to children and youngs.

Just try to imagine: a few children on their way back from school watch the demolishing of a building from the 1950s-1960s. A giant bulldozer fight against the ground flour. For a short moment, huge quantities of asbestos fibers become airborne. And your child is there because nobody told him.

Valerian D is a freelance writer specialized in harmful issues affecting men and women as well such as asbestos exposure.

The Truth about Acne and Blemishes

Acne and blemishes affect a person's quality of life more than we would like to admit. Parents hope and pray that their teens won't be plagued by these problems, adolescents who have problem skin can't help being stressed about it, and the scars from difficult cases can last a lifetime. No one likes acne.

So what can be done about acne and blemishes? Blemishes may be upsetting for a young lass on the morning of her prom when she wakes up with a zit on her otherwise perfect face. But these can be treated topically with ease and covered up before she slips on her stunning gown. Most of the products sold over the counter in drug stores work better in clearing up blemishes than with more severe forms of acne. (Americans spend well over $100 million on over-the-counter acne treatments each year.) It's really the heavy-duty acne that causes the heartbreak.

Acne includes pimples, blocked pores (blackheads and whiteheads) and cysts and nodules that are deeper in the skin. While it occurs mostly in teenagers, adults can be plagued by it too, even into their 40s. Interestingly, young men tend to have more severe cases of acne than do young women, but it's the women who seek help from the dermatologist to clear things up. Often for females the acne is hormonally related. Sometimes just taking birth control pills can help clear it up. Of course, the long term effects of taking birth control pills are really unknown, so it's a good idea to check think carefully about the possible side effects before you use birth control to clear up acne and blemishes.

Some people think that acne and blemishes are caused by poor hygiene, but this is not the case. And often, washing more frequently just exacerbates the problem, causing your oil producing glands to work harder, producing even more oil than your skin can handle. Also, if you wash too vigorously, thinking this will help, it will do the opposite. It will irritate your skin, compounding the problem.

Some people say that acne is caused by diet. Mainstream medicine says this is hogwash for the most part. But M.D.s, dermatologists included, have minimal training in nutrition for maintaining health. They're trained in treating disease. People who have studied alternative healing modalities say that diet can be a big factor in whether you get blemishes and acne, and it can be a big factor in clearing up the skin. The link between diet and skin problems is something that will be further explored as time goes on, and more information is likely to be available on just how much our diet plays a role in our skin's health.

Keith Londrie II has put up two web sites for you to use to gain more information concerning acne and blemishes and the treatment of them. Please visit http://acneinformation.info/ and also visit http://acne-solution-treatments.info.

Do You Have Rosacea? How to Diagnose this Chronic Skin Condition

If you suffer from a red complexion, flushing or blushing, a red nose and cheeks and dry, flaky skin with pimples, you probably suffer from the chronic skin condition rosacea. Formerly known as acne rosacea, rosacea is more common in women than men, although men often have more severe symptoms. Most people who have rosacea are fair-skinned, fair-haired and blue-eyed, although it is also seen more rarely in dark-skinned people. The disease affects at least 14 million people in the United States of America, typically between 20 and 50 years of age.

The main symptoms of the skin condition are:

- a burning or tingling sensation

- a persistant redness after blushing or flushing

- pimples, papules or pustules on the face

- tiny visible blood vessels under the skin

- thickening of skin, especially around the nose area

- gritty, uncomfortable eyes (ocular rosacea)

The true cause of rosacea is not really known but certain factors are known to aggravate the condition. Sufferers should avoid exposure to extreme temperatures and weather, such as the sun, the cold and wind. Sun avoidance is particularly important, and sun screens, hats and parasols are useful ways to avoid sun-related flare-ups. Alcohol and hot drinks and food are also known to excacerbate rosacea, as is exercising in hot temperatures and hot showers, baths, steam rooms and saunas. Loofahs, rough towels, exfoliators, astringents and cosmetics with perfumes and many additives should also be avoided. Gentle perfume-free cover-up cosmetics can help disguise a flare-up and reduce the psychological and social effects of rosacea.

Rosacea is a condition that is controlled rather than cured and many people find that keeping a diary helps them to pin-point their own triggers. Keeping cool, drinking water to stay hydrated and using natural gentle skin care products go a long way to controlling this chronic condition.

You should, of course, consult your dermatologist for advice about prescription creams and other procedures that may be available to relieve the symptoms of rosacea. Generally, rosacea treatment is aimed at the control of redness, inflammation and skin eruptions, and this treatment is necessary to prevent permanent damage to the skin.

If he decides that you do have rosacea, a dermatologist will often prescribe a combination of oral antibiotics and the use of antibiotic gel as initial treatment. The oral antibiotics will reduce the redness and reduce the pustules, then the topical gel may help to keep the symptoms under control. The dermatologist will also be able to help a patient look at lifestyle factors to help control the rosacea in the future.

Steroids are also often prescribed for rosacea because they appear to relieve the symptoms quickly, but sufferers should be aware that topical steroids are thought to make the symptoms worse longterm. The steroids dilate the blood vessels in the face and thin the skin and dermis by breaking down elastin and collagen in the skin's structure. Topical steroids have actually been thought to cause rosacea in the first place in some instances.

Justine Kay is the author and webmistress at Rosacea FAQ where she writes articles and discusses this sometimes misunderstood skin condition.