Foods To Eat For Clear Skin

Have you ever heard the popular phrase "You are what You eat"? Whether you like it or not your diet will reflect on your skin. Eat healthy food, and you will look healthy. Eat junk food, you won't be looking good. That is why it is important to know the right foods to eat for clear skin. This article will help you get on the right track of skin care, because it is not all about using creams and products; the most basic skin care begins by eating right. First you should know that a diet for the overall health of the body is the best place to start, and in most cases that is enough for your skin, unless you have a deficiency of some type. But there are certain foods you must eat in order to keep your skin looking healthy, young and radiant. Start by cutting junk food. People who eat junk food gain weight, have a pasty complexion and even bad hair. I know it is hard at first, but you can start little by little, always walking towards your goal. And please, don't get into yo-yo diets. By gaining and losing weight constantly, your skin will stretch, and then remain saggy. Fluids Fluids are essential to our skin diet because they help moisturize the skin. Experts recommend that we should drink 6 to 8 glasses of water throughout the day, but don't fall in the trap of drinking the 8 glasses in the morning, you should rationalize them and drink them in a natural way. Don't replace water for coffee or sodas. Caffeine is a diuretic (tends to increase the discharge of urine). Reduce your intake of coffee or tea to a maximum of 2 per day. Also don't drinking too much water 2-3 hours before going to bed to avoid morning puffiness and skin stretch. Alcohol is bad, avoid it at all costs if possible. Essential Fatty Acids Also called EFAs, they are obtained from food, because our bodies can't produce them. There are two classes of EFAs: Omega 3 and Omega 6. For our skin Omega 3 is the one we need. EFA's should account for a 15% of our calorie intake, and can be found on: * Sardines * Tuna * Salmon * Nuts * Seeds and their oils (ground flaxseeds) * Prawns * Soya beans Reducing the intake of saturated and processed fats is very important if you want the EFAs to work. These fats cancel its effects. Antioxidants Antioxidant nutrients protect us from infection and can prevent us from degenerative diseases such as cancer or heart disease. These nutrients are found in Vitamins A, C, E and some B complex vitamins; and minerals selenium, manganese and zinc. Antioxidants play a key role destroying free radicals (electrochemically unbalanced molecules that are produced within our bodies by chemicals, too much sun exposure and stress). Free radicals damage collagen, and collagen is what keeps our skin elastic. We can find antioxidants in: * Berries * Black grapes * Brazil nuts * Broccoli * Carrots * Cherries * Chestnuts * Hazelnuts * Kale * Raisins * Papaya * Peas * Peppers * Prunes * Spinch * Sweet potatoes * Tomatoes Iron Iron is used for the formation of hemoglobin. A deficiency in iron brings anemia, and this shows up in our bodies by a pale complexion and dark circles under the eyes. Iron is best processed from animal food but can be found also in some vegetables. The best sources of iron are * Red meat * Seafood * Liver * Eggs * Spinach Vitamin A Vitamin A helps in the formation of new cell, this keeps our skin supple and is vital for our eyes and hair. If you are lacking of Vitamin A, your skin will be dry and flaky. It is manufactured by our bodies from beta-carotene and can be found in: * Whole milk * Whole butter * Liver * Oily fish * Eggs * Dark orange vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash) * Dark green vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale) Vitamin C Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, essential for the production of collagen (the elastic tissue in our skin that declines with age). Every time you are smoking, under stress or under too much sun exposure, your are draining vitamin C from your body, so it is best to avoid these situations in excess. Vitamin is found in: * Citrus fruits (orange, lemon, grapefruit, lime) * Tomatoes * Potatoes * Papaya * Broccoli * Brussels sprouts * Black currants * Kiwi * Strawberries * Peas * Cauliflower Vitamin E Another antioxidant, Vitamin E has a powerful action against the damage of free radicals. This vitamin helps our skin retain its moisture, and a lack of it brings premature wrinkles, pale skin, acne, easy bruising and slow wound healing. Vitamin E can be found in: * Vegetable oils * Nuts and seeds * Peanut butter * Wheat germ * Whole grains * Avocados * Sweet potatoes Vitamin B complex Keep your skin moist and smooth with Vitamin B complex. It releases energy from food for skin metabolism. This can be found in: * Milk * Oily fish * Poultry * Red meat * Offal * Eggs * Bananas * Soya beans * Whole grain * Wheat germ * Peanut butter * Fortified breakfast cereals Beta-carotene Beta carotene is the plant form of the vitamin A, converted by our bodies. It protects us from the aging effect of the sun and can be found in: * Dark green vegetables (spinach, broccoli, watercress) * Orange fruit and vegetables Selenium Perfect for protection against free radicals and to counter dry skin. Selenium along with vitamin E support the immune system. Found in: * Cereals * Meat * Offal * Seafood * Eggs * Cheese * Brazil nuts * Whole grains * Mushrooms * Beans * Molasses * Wheat germs Zinc Zinc is another mineral vital to the immune system. It manufactures collagen and speeds up healing in our bodies, included skin. A deficiency produces stretch marks, a dull complexion, white spots on fingernails, dandruff and stubborn blemishes. Zinc can be found on: * Seafood * Red meat * Cheese * Brewer's yeast * Whole grains * Mushrooms * Offal * Eggs * Turkey and nuts As you see there are many components in our diets that can help our skin. Instead of making yourself a diet just for skin care, make one that works for the health of your overall body, and then, if you find a deficiency you will know what foods you need to eat to keep your skin clear and good looking. It's all about balancing your diet.

Do you always feel tired?

If you always feel tired then it's no doubt frustrating, however, you can relax safe in the knowledge that you're not the only person suffering from this condition. I have suffered from fatigue for years. Tiredness affects many people in today's modern society in every country in the world and I often hear my mates complaining about being tired. Most people use stimulants to give themselves an energy boost. Many people use energy drinks, caffeinated and sugary drinks as they feeling it gives them a boost. Coffee is by far the most popular stimulant in use at fighting tiredness. As a student my liquid intake consisted mostly of coffee (and a little alcohol of course!). If you are tired in the morning, then a cup of coffee might be enough to motivate you. However, if you are always tired then stimulants are unlikely to work, they can actually cause you to be more tired because you are forcing your body to work harder. If you are tired all of the time then you need to treat the condition rather than the symptom. Coffee is thought to relieve the tiredness symptoms, right? So why would it cause more tiredness? Even if you know that you're tired, a cup of coffee will force your body into working more. Caffeine triggers a type of gland, the adrenal gland, to produce adrenalin. The effects of this release of adrenalin are short lived, they won't last long. They will help you to feel better for a little while. After the effects have worn off you will feel worse than before as your body is even more exhausted. When you feel tired you may feel the need to enjoy another cup of coffee, you see it's a vicious circle! It's easy to get caught up in the coffee drinking cycle, thinking it will make you feel better. Everybody at work does it. You can see the queue forming in the kitchen prior to a long meeting to ensure they get their caffeine fix. However, as a result of your coffee addiction it will make you feel worse, also the coffee can make you irritable and cause you to endure headaches. If you're always tired then coffee won't help you, it only works as a temporary pick me up. Stimulants only mask the symptoms of the tiredness, they do not actually treat the condition at the root of the problem. And so even though the symptoms are being treated, it won't help you. Stimulants will cause you to continue pushing your body too hard, it just can't continue doing what it's doing at the moment and so you will be left suffering from chronic tiredness. If you're always tired then it's important to stop doing whatever you're doing to make yourself tired. You should stop drinking coffee! Of course you should probably try to wean yourself off the coffee rather than quitting cold turkey. If you can't give up coffee completely then you should at least cut down the amount you drink. Try to reduce the amount that you drink every day. Of course few people actually want to do this for one reason or another. Drinking coffee becomes a sociable habit which you partake in with work colleagues, friends and family. If you're not willing to cut down on your coffee intake then you should at least drink your coffee at the same time each day. This really does make a difference, as your body will get used to this. Your body knows when it will be getting its coffee fix, and so adapts and is ready to accept this. This reduces some of the negative effects caused by coffee. Now if you need an extra incentive to cut out your coffee then here goesIf you drink too much coffee then it can actually cause an iron deficiency known as anemia, vitamin deficiencies, or adrenal exhaustion. None of those really sound like a walk in the park now do they?!

How You Can Beat Your Next Binge

When you suffer from Binge Eating Disorder, you are in constant need of different ideas to help you curb a binge. Times get tough and sometimes doing the same thing over and over doesn't work like it used to. I know this from experience. I struggled with Binge Eating Disorder for over eight years. Eight years of my life that was spent thinking about my next binge. Eight years of my life that took away from the person that I really was. Eight years of isolating myself from the people that loved me the most. Eight years that stole my personality away from me. Eight years of being absolutely miserable and hating myself. Eight years way too long to deal with Binge Eating Disorder. I have been fully 100% recovered for close to three years now. Throughout my battle with Binge Eating Disorder, I discovered some tricks that really helped me stay on track. The next time that you are looking to curb a binge, try some of these suggestions. I truly believe that practicing these tricks will help you little by little to curb an upcoming binge and bring you that much closer to living your life binge-free! Say goodbye to Binge Eating Disorder! First of all, as hard as it may be, do not focus on any sort of dieting. I believe that the cycle of dieting, which includes depriving yourself of certain foods will only cause you to binge on those foods, thus perpetuating the binge cycle over and over. Focus on healing yourself and forming a healthy relationship with food. Do not focus on calories, fat, carbohydrates, or any of that right now. When you have established a healthy relationship with food again, then you can begin to think about losing any weight that you gained. If you want to read labels so that you can make healthier choices and be more informed, that is one thing. If you are going to obsess about the labels, I would suggest you not doing this yet. While I was binge eating, I tried to think about how certain foods would nourish me. I knew that healthier foods would benefit me more than eating junk (binge food). I started to implement thinking about the balance of eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein in every meal. When I focused on getting these items into my daily food intake, there was no room to eat the foods that I used to binge on. When I go out to dinner or if I eat at home, I make sure to eat a dinner salad before my meal. I would much rather get full on spinach lettuce and vegetables, if it meant that it would help curb any hunger that could lead me to binge. While eating out, if I order a regular entrée, I either split it with someone, or only eat half of it. Otherwise, I will order an appetizer since it is a smaller portion. When I use to binge eat, I hardly exercised. Eventually I started to put into practice small things that would provide some kind of exercise for me like parking far away from where I was going instead of trying to find an upfront spot. At least a further walk in a parking lot will count for something! If I was going to a particular store in the mall, I would park at the opposite end of where the store was located. This meant that I had to walk through the whole mall to get to the store of my choice. Again, every little bit helps. I learned this next trick from a forum that I regularly visit online. One of the things that I binged on very regularly was chips. I learned to visualize the ingredients that make up the food that you want. So whenever I wanted chips, I would think about the ingredients that went in to making chips. When I started to think in terms of partially hydrogenated soybean oil, a ton of salt, and potatoes that were probably covered in dirt the appeal was not there for me anymore. Who wants to eat a dirty potato, a bottle of oil, and many handfuls of salt? Not me! Whenever I ate at a restaurant and was full but still had food on my plate in front of me, I would put my napkin over my food so that I didn't have to be reminded that there was still food for me to consume. If this didn't work (because really how hard is it to remove the napkin and eat), I would pour salt, pepper, and anything else that I could find on top of it so that I was guaranteed to be finished eating. Whenever I ate at home and was full, I would douse my food with Windex or some kind of cleaner so that I was sure not to eat anymore of it. Of course, you could throw the food in your trashcan, but it still might be tempting for you to fetch it from inside the trash. I learned to make a list to take to the grocery store and did my best to stick to that list. Another important thing that I learned is to go to the grocery store after eating a meal. If I went on an empty stomach, I would end up buying a ton of junk because everything looked good to me. I never kept the foods that I binged on in the house. Never. It's impossible for me to eat a binge food when I don't have it. When I binged, I did not eat breakfast on a regular basis. Sometimes I would have breakfast and sometimes I wouldn't. When I started eating breakfast every single day, no matter what the day's activities were, it helped jumpstart my day and helped curb my binges because I wasn't ravenous by lunchtime. I always kept healthy snacks in my purse when I wasn't at home. This helped me to continue my regular snacking without having to find food while I was out. The times that I forgot to bring my snacks were the times when I would have a fast food binge or eat foods that did not give me the nourishment I needed. I would get fuller faster when I drank a full glass of water before each meal. This tended to fill me up a lot so that I didn't eat as much. If I had a craving for an unhealthy binge type of food, I would make a healthier version of it at home. For example, if I wanted a bean burrito, instead of going to Taco Bell, I would make black beans and guacamole at home and put it on a whole wheat tortilla with some salsa. At least I was not ignoring my craving only to binge on that food later. Making a healthier version of my craving at home never made me feel deprived and I didn't give myself the option of ordering a bean burrito plus a lot more food from Taco Bell. I learned to never buy a binge food in a big quantity. If I wanted chips, I would buy a small package of single serving chips instead of a whole bag. If you like chocolate, buy the smallest serving that you can find so that it is gone once you eat it and there is no room for going back for more. Finally, something that really helped me curb binges was to create a routine of eating that I could stick to for the majority of the time. This meant that I ate breakfast, sometimes a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and sometimes a snack after that. When I ate every few hours instead of just when I felt hungry, my body felt full and I didn't binge as much. The times that I did wait until I felt hungry proved to be disastrous for me. I would end up eating at least double the amount that I would have if I stuck with my regular routine or I would binge. I hope that some of these tricks really prove to be helpful to you and to ending Binge Eating Disorder.

7 Rituals To Improve Your Life and Business

What do Valentine's Day, Christmas, dating, dinner and a movie, marriage and couples have in common? Rituals. A ritual is defined as 'any method of doing something in which the details are always faithfully repeated.' To relate this to your life, rituals include: the time you wake up, how your brush your teeth, the route you take to work - you get the idea. Rituals give life meaning and help us celebrate milestones in our lives. They offer security, stability and routine and a sense of calmness to an otherwise chaotic existence. Rituals date back thousands of years with the ancient Egyptians. Theirs was a culture seeped in traditions. Eating, drinking, bathing, hunting and burying the dead were a succession of rituals. Over centuries, mankind lost the importance of rites. However, many of us in the 21st century are reconsidering traditions and adding them to our lives as we desperately seek meaning during this increasingly shallow and disconnected time. If you want to relax, enjoy your life and feel more connected to others, consider adding rituals to your life. Try these seven secrets: 1. Create a morning ritual to help you wake up refreshed and ready to tackle your day. You might get up a few minutes early to: read, walk your dog, jog, play an instrument, write, do yoga - it doesn't matter, just claim this time as your own. That way you have time for yourself and don't feel resentful if your day is hectic. 2. When you're at work, create a ritual to start your day. This might include: having a coffee at your desk, checking your PDA for appointments, not answering phonecalls for 15 minutes while you read and respond to urgent emails. You might also: set an agenda for the day, plan goals for the week...the list is endless. 3. At work, find ways to meet colleagues and socialize during a lunch hour instead of running a million errands. Also, if you're challenged and need help, you'll have some friends that can work with you. If you work alone, join a network group that is conveniently located near you, cost efficient and helps you build your business. Make it a ritual to attend the meetings and meet new people and create a ritual to record new contacts. 4. Create time saving rituals for work. For example, only check email three times a day, organize your files, file away unused papers as soon as possible; create 'time boundaries' where you can't be interrupted. Close the door, let the message machine take a call, get up and take mini breaks every 90 minutes (for productivity). 5. At the end of a busy week, designate a night as Movie or board game night with friends or family. If being at home doesn't excite you, you could sign up for sports and get out your weekly frustrations. The key is to make time for something special once you complete work; this offers you a buffer to help ease you through a hectic week as you have something to look forward to doing. 6. Create home rituals to ease into your time off. These rituals may include a half hour nap before you start dinner, a walk with your dog, watching your favorite T.V. show, etc. Be sure to add play to your list. Include ways to decompress, times to exercise, time with your partner, friends, family and time alone. 7. Create self-care rituals that put your needs first. If you think this is selfish, consider the rules on airplanes. Parents have access to oxygen masks before their children so they can care for their family in the event of an emergency. You're no good to anyone if you're exhausted, resentful or angry because you don't have time for yourself. For example, get enough rest, make time for things you enjoy such as: walking, yoga, working out at the gym, playing an instrument, biking, reading, writing...whatever makes you happy.

Escape The Pace: 15 Golden Minutes To Relaxation At Work And Home

"On the keyboard of life, always have one finger on the escape key." - Anonymous It's a miserable, cold Tuesday morning and you've slept through your alarm again. You race through the first part of your morning and then hit the highway like an Indy 5oo racecar driver. Your heart pounds, road rage builds and you fantasize about ditching work, returning to bed, and pulling that cozy duvet high over your head. Instead, you go to work, with the full knowledge that overwhelming tasks will undoubtedly inundate you. It's precisely at that moment you dream of cloning yourself like Michael Keaton did in the movie, Multiplicity. The film focuses on a time-stressed man who can't keep up with work and home demands, so he enlists the help of scientists and produces a clone of himself so he can be in two places at once. Everything appears fine until he realized the copy has duplicated itself to achieve more. To make matters worse, the third version is less effective, like a photocopy of a photocopy. Who hasn't dreamt of having an identical twin slide into their life for a day or two? As the world spins faster and faster, the hours in the day seem to shrink. In the early 1980s, a U.S. physician called the phenomena 'time sickness' and used it to describe the belief that time is getting away and we don't have enough of it, and one must move faster to catch up. This preoccupation with time didn't happen overnight; it commenced with the advent of the calendar. Ancient nomadic civilizations used a calendar to determine when to plant and harvest crops, and when to relocate their villages. The ability to measure time was important for the survival of these cultures. Once we discovered how to measure years, months, weeks and days, we were free to slice time into smaller increments such as: hours, minutes and seconds. This measurement of time became important after the Industrial Revolution. The factories that popped up across North America used to monitor an employee's productivity, loyalty and work ethic. It wasn't uncommon for workers to spend more than 12 hours a day in factories. Now fast-forward to the 21st century to where companies sink of float based on the clock. Couriers would never survive if time wasn't a key to the success of their business. Imagine what would happen if they told a major client his important documents for a proposed business deal would arrive sometime in the near future? Consider companies and corporations that push their products into the market before their competitors? Would they survive if they had a laissez-fire attitude? People believe our 'need for speed' is a 21st invention. It's not. Our lives move quickly due to centuries of time focus and a large dash of new technology. Mix these ingredients together and you've got a recipe for disaster. Since technology is fast, we pressure ourselves. Communication is immediate, so we must be too. We fear being labeled as 'techno-snubbers' (people who ignore technology and aren't 'with it.') It's not acceptable to return a phone call a few hours later; we must phone back within the hour. We can't take our vacation and leave our computers at home; we must keep wired so we don't lose that unpredictable client. To catch-up, we stay up late, work overtime, eliminate exercise and skip meals. Our health suffers and our mental state isn't much better. Resentment, road rage and lack of patience for others become our mainstay. If you think you don't suffer from stress or time constraints, consider how many times you've misplaced your keys, blatantly driven five blocks without remembering if you traveled through a red light, or placed your coffee cup on your car's roof before driving to work. We're all guilty, and it stems from sleep deprivation, stress and multi-tasking throughout our days. We're not living in the moment because we're thinking about the next great thing we must accomplish. I know about stress and the need for speed because I'm a recovering "speed-aholic." Years ago, I worked as an advertising consultant for a daily newspaper and was proud of the speed at which I conducted my life. I walked, talked and drove fast. Ironically, I only received one speeding ticket and that was while keeping pace with the other traffic. Another time, I was late for work and placed my purse on top of my vehicle so I could load supplies into my car. In my hasted to race to the office, I drove away with the purse on the roof. I received a call from a woman who found my purse on a busy street. Things went from bad to worse when my husband and I bought a high-end menswear store during a recession. We hired a wonderful employee to help us through Christmas and beyond and on the fourth day of this man's work, he passed away of a heart attack in our store. I went on to work six days a week, manage two small children and do everything to keep the store going. I got sick. For one year, I was severely ill and I knew, like many people, I couldn't make any drastic changes to my life. I didn't have the luxury of quitting my career and scaling back, so I decided to change my attitude about stress. I read dozens of books for the next few years and talked to many people about stress and solutions. Months later, my depression lifted and I felt happy, fairly healthy and energized. Best of all, I discovered a wonderful antidote for speed - slowing down and escaping the pace. "If slowing down and relaxing seems ludicrous, remember that everything in nature needs downtime to rest and rejuvenate. Why should humans be any different?" I have a beautiful peach tree that grows near the back window of my house. In the first week of August, the tree's branches are laden with plump and juicy, yellow and pink fruit that's warm to the touch. This tree doesn't always yield abundant fruit; every second year, it reduces its amount. Like breaks in the rhythm of music, or the poignant lull in conversation, and like the peach tree, we need to pause throughout our day to rest and recharge ourselves. Our greatest innovations and discoveries are made when people slow down and temporarily pause in life. Now imagine how different our lives would be if Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison or Albert Einstein had found themselves too busy to record their magnificent findings. Decades ago, peace activist, Mahatma Ghandhi said, "There is more to life than increasing its speed." "When you take 15 minutes to rest, walk or just 'be,' you deal more effectively with stress and challenges. If you approach each moment in a calm state, issues resolve easily and your life feels serene. " Escaping the pace is about putting your needs first and being sure to take a mini holiday every day. When you practice this philosophy for 30 days, you'll automatically make time for mini retreats. The definition of a quick retreat is anything that takes 15-30 minutes. Of course you can have longer retreats that take an hour or a day, but this may be difficult if you lead a busy life. Even in the busiest life, there are small hidden pockets of 'free time.' This time can be used for: • reading • walking, outdoor exercise • working out at the gym or doing yoga • sleeping in late • dancing • playing an instrument • eating something delicious • seeing a movie • visiting friends • going on a weekend excursion • taking a sick day to do a hobby Your time should allow you to slow down, relax and live in the moment. For example, how much time do you waste waiting in the doctor's office? There, you might try reading a novel, listening to music on your MP3 player, watching people or deep breathing. Speed isn't the enemy; it is knowing when one must slow down to put balance in one's life. Some things shouldn't be slow, like the Internet and slow drivers in the fast lane. Balance is about knowing when to travel 110 km/h and when to drive off the freeway for a mini holiday. And, everyone's idea of balance will vary greatly.

The Best Time to Do Anything: What You Need To Know to Operate at Your Best

It's 3:00 in the afternoon and you've still got two hours of work to go...and you crave a nap. Your blood sugar is low, your eyelids, heavy and you're feeling the effects of another late night. How will you get through the next two hours? Before you rush out to Starbucks for that low fat, vanilla cappuccino to boost your energy, you should learn more about body clocks and the best time to get your creative work done. It turns out that everyone has an internal time-keeper called the circadian clock. This natural clock is sensitive to light, moon cycles, stress, meal times and the seasons and it's so ingrained that it's in every cell in our body. And, most of us are more similar than we think when it comes to sleep and wake cycles - we only vary by minutes a day. Although light, stress, meals, temperature and exercise affect our circadian clock, these events only hamper the clock temporarily and then our bodies realign to a basic schedule. Knowing this makes it easier to know the best time to be creative, lift weights, eat a larger meal, exercise and minimize stress. The only people who really have a challenge with their body clocks are shift workers because they're fighting the clock. Their circadian clock is thrown out of phase with the light-dark cycles or sleep-wake cycles. But the same thing can happen every year when the seasons change. Research shows that bedtimes vary but people tend to get up in the morning around the same time year round because their children, pets, or careers demand it. The discrepancy between day length and the daily grind might explain why some people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). If modern society doesn't pay attention to natural rhythms, it's because we're less sensitive to the seasons than many creatures on the planet. We ignore the seasons and rise when we need to, not when the day naturally begins. Studies show that seasonal affective disorder can be easily remedied by going to bed when the sun goes down or at least rising when the sun does, instead or getting out of bed when it's dark. Just as seasons go in cycles, our bodies go in cycles and have high and low points. If you want to know the best time to write that report, study the circadian basic clock and see how close your body is to following this basic blueprint. Check out our basic circadian clock schedule: 6:45 am - Sharpest blood pressure rise (sleep to waking state) 7:30 am - Melatonin secretion stops (time to get up) 10:30 am - High alertness (great time for important, detailed work) 12:00 noon 2:30 pm - Best coordination (best time for operating heavy machinery, driving) 3:30 pm - Fastest reaction time (driving, work that involves quick response) 5:00 pm - Greatest cardiovascular efficiency and muscle strength (best time to pump iron, run) 6:30 pm - Highest blood pressure (bad time to start an argument, get stressed) 7:00 pm - Highest body temperature 9:00 pm - Melatonin secretion begins (good time to read, relax, and wind down from the day) If you have an important project to get done in a day, you might want to focus on it around 10:30 in the morning. According to the circadian clock, the majority of people are most alert at 10:30 am. This is why answering emails, planning your day and doing less high brain activity should be done first thing in the morning (besides helping you plan your day). By the time you reach 10:30, you can delve into that elaborate assignment because your brain will be at its peak for functioning. By noon, however, hunger sets in and your alertness fades. At 1:00 pm, alertness fades as food is being digested and blood flow from the brain is being used in the digestive process. You may find yourself sleepy around this time. Although it's not mentioned in the chart, the human brain is hard-wired to take a 20-minute nap after lunch. If this is something you can do, you'll find your afternoon productivity level spikes again. If you suffer from the '3 pm slump,' it's often because you didn't get enough sleep the night before. Remedy this with a glass of water and a high protein snack (not coffee or chocolate) and you'll get to the end of your day. Coffee and chocolate may give you a quick 'burst' of energy due to caffeine and sugar, but you'll sink even quicker later in the day. And, you may have trouble sleeping if you consume caffeine late in the afternoon. You can survive the 'slump' by choosing to do lower brain activities such as: returning calls, filing paperwork, anything that doesn't require sharp brain skills. And, if you have to complete a complex project, go slow, pay attention and take a walk to wake up if you're feeling drowsy. Sometimes just a change of scenery ignites your dwindling energy reserves. The next time you're exhausted, or frustrated and you have a project to complete, think about your internal clock, plan your work around the ebbs and 'go with the flow.'

Stress For A Woman: How To Manage It

Every woman has their own method of relieving stress. Some methods are healthier than others. You may have adopted your own method of woman stress relief tips from your mother. You may have adopted it from your culture, such as yoga or Zen. Both of these methods are excellent ways of relieving stress. Yoga is a great way to not only manage stress, but also strengthen and tone your body with its stretching and flexing. With Zen, on the other hand, you quiet your body and meditate, or focus your mind on a single thing. What you meditate on is determined by your own convictions. Stress can also be managed many other ways, such as through deep breathing exercises, taking a short walk or other light exercise, reading a good book, watching a good movie, getting out into nature, or listening to a relaxing CD. Other stress management methods include less well-known modes such as acupuncture and hypnosis. However, these methods need to be administered by a professional and should not be used as a home relief. Less healthy methods of stress relief also include binge eating, drinking, drugs, and smoking. While these stress relief methods do work in the short run, they may cause other damage to your health. When you decide that relieving your stress level is what has to be done, consult your doctor. He or she will be able to determine whether your chosen method will be the best for you, and any adverse effects will then be discussed. Your physician may prescribe medication for you if you are at a risk for other problems. What you do not want to do is nothing at all. Continually high stress levels put people at risk for problems such as heart attack and stroke. There are many other different types of therapy to help you manage your stress. Maintaining a relaxed body and mind can be very easy if you have the tools and knowledge. Everyone has stress in their lives-even the youngest little baby gets stressed out when his needs are not met. Being able to control your stress levels is extremely important to your overall health. The most important thing to remember when trying to reduce stress is that you need time for yourself-free from the stresses of children, spouses, and other family. While you may love these people in your life, they are also usually the cause of most of your stress. Mom stress occurs every day but little attention is given to it. Its just considered part of mothering. But there is help available because moms need stress relief just like everyone else.

Laser Eye Surgery: What You Need To Know About Restoring Vision With Laser

Laser eye surgery is becoming more and more popular, and many different types of people are taking advantage of this new surgery. People who have lost their glasses for that last time. People who have had problems with their contacts. Athletes and those in high-risk jobs who need to see but may not be able to wear glasses or contacts. People who want to simply want to improve their appearance, but do not want the hassle of ordering many different pairs of glasses, or have to worry about contacts. As laser eye surgery becomes more readily available, the demographics become more and more diverse. Whatever your reasons you have no doubt heard about the popularity of cosmetic laser eye surgery. But you may still have questions. Is it a safe procedure? What are the risks? How much will it help your vision? If these questions are keeping you on the fence when it comes to scheduling the surgery, getting these answers will help you finally decide if cosmetic laser eye surgery is for you. WHAT IS LASER EYE SURGERY? There are two common "brands" of laser eye surgery, LASIK and PRK. Both of these laser eye surgeries reshape the cornea with the laser, though they differ in the application. This helps clear up the vision, severely reducing or eliminating the need for glasses or contacts. The PRK procedure removes the upper layer of the cornea by etching it off with the laser. The LASIK surgery cuts a flap in the eye to remove the top layer of the cornea. The end result is the same-the cornea is reshaped and changing the way the eye interprets information. Most of the post-operative symptoms are the same, however, there are some minor differences. IS IT SAFE? While both laser eye surgery procedures are considered low risk and can be done quickly, there are always possible complications when having any surgery performed. Your eyes are very delicate and there is no question about just how much you depend on your eyes. It is important to understand all of the potential risks - including loss of vision - that are possible. As with all surgeries there is a potential risk of infection. It is generally advised to have each eye operated on separately instead of at the same time to reduce the chance of infection in both eyes. Most infections can be cleared with medication, especially if treated right away. Another possible complication with laser eye surgery is an under- or overcorrection of your vision. Under-corrected vision (when the surgery reduces but doesn't eliminate your need for glasses or contacts) can possibly be fixed with further surgery, but overcorrected vision is irreparable. Even with laser eye surgery, it is still possible that you can continue to need corrective lenses, though your eyesight should improve somewhat. Just like every other surgery, each individual will respond differently to a surgery, and results cannot be guaranteed. Make sure you speak with your doctor before your surgery, and contact your doctor immediately with any questions or concerns after surgery.

Six Reasons to Choose a Nudist Vacation

It's that time of year when my loved one and myself set aside an evening to open a bottle of wine and discuss one of the most significant events in the Egger family calendar, to whit, the Great Annual Holiday. As always, the first decision we have to make is whether we choose nude or not. As confirmed nudists, we naturally favour a naturist vacation, or at least a vacation during which we can get naked for part of the time. However it's not an automatic choice and this year there is a particularly tempting selection of textile holidays on offer. There's a Mediterranean cruise that looks appealing, and the Rocky Mountain Rail Adventure takes my eye. Maybe we should support one of the Indian Ocean countries devastated by the Boxing Day Tsunami, or stay at home and redecorate (ugh!) However, we'll probably choose nude, and here's six reasons why. Reason # 1 Getting naked, even for a short time, can help save your life! I'm not being overly dramatic here. It really seems that divesting yourself of tight, restrictive clothing that impedes the natural flow of blood and lymphatic fluid may be a real life-saver. According to researchers, wearing a bra can cause all manner of unpleasantness, including soreness and even breast cancer. The (admittedly preliminary) research suggests that ladies who wear bras for more than twelve hours each day except for bed, are 21 times more likely to get breast cancer than those who wear bras less than twelve hours per day. And listen to this- those who wear bras even in bed are 125 times more likely to get breast cancer than those who don't wear bras at all! In cultures where ladies don't wear bras, the incidence of breast cancer is about the same as it is for men - virtually zero! And it's not only the ladies who are at risk. The same research suggests that testicular cancer in men may be caused by tight briefs. So, divesting yourself of bra and briefs, even for the short period of your vacation, could keep you much healthier. Reason # 2 Less clothes = less luggage = less hassle. Have you ever noticed how when you're packing for a holiday you can never seem to have enough clothes? And how you'll then spend the equivalent of the cost of the vacation on essential garments brought especially for the holiday? Yet, during your stay you find you've ended up with twice the clothes you need? It's spooky isn't it? Don't ask me why it works that way - probably some unexplained Law of Nature - but it happens EVERY TIME. Except on a nudist holiday. It's as if nudist holidays turn natural laws on their head. The scramble to cover every eventuality clothes-wise is replaced by a disdain for apparel bordering on the obsessive. My normal textile two page-packing list is reduced to just four lines, viz: · Suitable clothing for travelling. . Sufficient smart slinky dresses for evening wear. · Shorts/skirt/tee-shirt for any non-nudist (referred to in nude-speak as "textile") excursions. · And, ummm well that's about it really. The immediate effect of this textile trimming is that my luggage, which is normally equal in volume to a medium-sized car, consists of just one small suitcase. (OK, two, if you count the other one which contains life-saving items such as hairdryer, make-up, skin creams, lipsticks, jewellery etc - gosh, a girl has to look her best, even in the buff hasn't she?) Not only does this make for easier carrying and a swifter get-away from the luggage carousel, it also saves on tips. The largesse I would otherwise have to distribute just to transport my baggage train to the hotel would feed a family of five for a month. A spin off from this is that less clothing also means less packing and unpacking, leaving more time for drinking wine and dozing by the pool, which is the whole idea of a holiday in the first place. Well it's mine, anyway Reason # 3 Skin doesn't stain. Our skin is wonderful. Not only is it the largest organ of our body, but it always fits perfectly (OK. Sometimes some of us may have a just a little more than is necessary, but you know what I mean.) Happily, it's also easier to keep clean than fabric. My husband has a particular fondness for crépes - you know, those pancake things with fillings you can buy from roadside kiosks around the Med? He'd eat 'em all day if I let him. Unfortunately he also has a tendency to lose the syrup filling down his front, which has led to more ruined shirts than would fill a steamer trunk. A nudist holiday neatly sidesteps this problem. Whilst maple syrup may not be particularly easy to remove from a naked chest - especially a hirsute male one - it 's a whole lot easier than washing it out of a silk or cotton shirt. Nor does it leave a stain, except for a livid red mark across the torso after the treacle has been scrubbed from the chest hair, but that's the price men pay for being so clumsy. (In the interests of equality, I have to concede that this is not just a male quirk. After a bottle or two I have been known to distribute red wine down my bosom with something approaching gay abandon, rendering any affected clothing null and void in the process. However I insist that this is not clumsiness on my part, but merely the result of my being tired and emotional. So there.) Reason # 4 It makes more sense to be naked on a beach than to wear a bathing costume. Let's face it. A bathing costume serves no useful purpose. It doesn't keep us dry, or warm, and doesn't even help us to swim: studies by the West German Olympic swim team showed that swimsuits actually hamper a swimmer. They're not even healthy. Ticks and sea lice that bite or sting and which find nowhere to hide on a nude body are easily trapped in a bathing suit. So why do we wear 'em To preserve one's modesty? Hardly. These days mens' costumes are brief enough but ladies bathers are positively miniscule, containing less fabric than a small handkerchief. Bikini tops afford less coverage than two postage stamps on a string, and in any case are rarely worn on European beaches. Bikini bottoms just cover the genitals but often leave the bottom exposed. Which also means they don't protect you from the sun's harmful UV rays. Yet according to a survey carried out by the Ladies' Home Journal Americans spend $900,000,000 each year on bathing costumes, although eighty-five percent of all swimsuits purchased never touch the water. Doesn't make a lot of sense does it? Reason 5 Nudist resorts are nice places with nice people Every nudist knows that genuine nudists are very nice people. What makes nudist especially nice remains a mystery. Perhaps nudism attracts the pleasantest individuals in the first place, or maybe the practice of nudism somehow improves people. Who knows? And really, who cares? Let's just enjoy the situation. You can leave an unlocked car at a nudist resort and nothing will be taken. Nudist resorts and beaches tend to be orderly, well behaved places. Even at a nudist holiday city such as Cap d'Agde, containing some 40000 people at the height of the season, there is none of the threatening atmosphere, violence and general loutishness that disfigures other holiday hot-spots. Any sort of crime is almost non-existent, and most large complexes, even Cap d'Agde, need no more than minimal security. You don't get that at Benidorm or Palm Springs! Reason #6 Nudist entrepreneurs need our support. Despite estimates that the world nude travel business is worth some four hundred million USD annually and growing fast, the nudist holiday industry is still a fragile plant that needs encouragement and support. The fine nudist resorts that cater to the nudist holidaymaker today are a far cry from the primitive camps that were available in the not too distant past, and by attracting the new generation of vacationers who demand a certain standard of comfort, are in a large part responsible for the growth of the nude leisure industry. However, quality costs money, and these resorts are businesses, not charities. Unless we continue to support them they'll close, and we'll return to the old clapped out, run down, make-do-and-mend compounds of yesteryear. As the old saying goes, you have to use 'em or lose 'em So, it looks as if we'll choose nude again this year. All we have to do is to decide where. Wait a minute. I've just had a wonderful idea.

Skin Care This Holi!

Make your own natural colours: To make your own colours, all you need are a few plants. For green, take plants like henna and dry and powder them. Use separately or mix the powder with suitable flour to make a green colour. Ultimately, you could use the paste of green leafy vegetables to turn others green. Turmeric mixed with gram flour gives a good colour too. Marigold flowers can also be dried and ground and paste used instead of artificial colours. Red sandalwood powder can be used to colour the cheeks crimson. Rose petals or gulal is also a good option and so is vermilion. Red hibiscus flowers soaked in water overnight, also give a red colour. Use palaash or tesu: These flowers, available with any general merchant, can be boiled and soaked overnight to get a rich yellow colour. In the Vedas, it is written, "If clothes soaked in this colour are worn, then that colour will have its effect on our bodies by entering through the pores of the skin, and will save us from contagious diseases." It has miraculous medicinal effects on the body. The increased heat in the body may result in gloominess and an increase in anger. Palash prevents all such symptoms as it regulates the body temperature. This colour destroys kapha, pitta, leprosy, heat and urinary disorders, vayu and blood impurities and increase blood circulation. It also increases willpower and mental and physical strength. And now... Get set and go: - Wear clothes that cover most of your body. - Liberally coat your entire body with oil, rubbing it into fingernails and body folds. Oiive oil is the best. Even coconut oil will do. This prevents permanent staining and forms a barrier to protect your skin from potential allergen. - Oil your hair similarly. Colour will wash away more easily and not leave your hair feeling like a bundle of rope later on. - Use nail paint and transfer resistant lipsticks (any Colourstay range), which stays put on your fingers and lips, besides protecting your fingernails, nailfolds and delicate skin of your lips. - Colours and sunlight combined may cause a "photo toxic" reaction, so sunscreens are a must. Use waterproof sunscreens because liquid colours can wash off ordinary sunscreens. Try Banana Boat SPF-30 or Spectabran SPF-28. When the hulla of Holi is over... - Cleaning the skin of all the colours after the fun and games are over is the most important aspect. Wash immediately as these chemicals can harm your skin on prolonged contact. So bathe and shampoo as soon as possible to minimise skin contact time. Use a glycerine-based soap. - Stuck with gulal stains on your face and ink blobs on your nose? No problem! For colour, or gulal on the skin, massage warm oil into your skin, (heavy oils like mustard are the best), and let the oil seep in for 15 minutes. Using a gentle soap and warm water, wash off the oil. - For permanent colour stains, use a cotton ball soaked in acetone (your nail polish remover) or kerosene and gently remove it. - Do not rub the skin vigorously with soaps, etc., but instead, opt for a cleanser. Follow this up with loads of moisturiser, especially one that is meant for sensitive skin. Liberal use of cold cream or moisturiser is good for the skin. Apply moisturiser on damp skin immediately after the bath. - Apply the pack of curd or mashed papaya for 20 minutes. Liberal use of cold cream or moisturiser is good for the skin. - After removing the colour, replenish and rejuvenate the skin by using a paste of soya bean flour or besan with milk. A mixture of sea salt, glycerin and a few drops of aroma oil has an anti-bacterial and antifungal effect and can take care of the bad effects of chemical colours. Use warm water and moisturising soap to scrub off the colours. Then, using a cream cleanser or baby oil, gently massage off the leftover colour. - Colour on the hair should be rinsed off with a mild shampoo immediately. Conditioning is a must. Apply a hair pack of olive oil and honey after shampooing. If you have any rash or allergy, you can take a non-sedative, anti-allergic tablet like Ceterizine or consult a doctor immediately. If you continue to have problems... - If your skin feels irritated and is itching or burning, wash it properly again. Then mix one part of cortisone (Fluticasone) lotion with two parts of moisturiser or calamine lotion and apply. - For a more severe reaction with eruptions, a tablet of Cetrizine (available at chemist shop) may be taken but its better to see a doctor immediately. - For dull, dry hair, try this hair pack. Mix half a cup of olive oil, an egg white and 4 teaspoonfuls of honey. Coat your hair with this mixture for half an hour then wash off. - A soothing face pack can be made with a mixture of pureed banana, 2 teaspoonfuls of honey and 2 teaspoonfuls of milk cream. This hydrates, softens and soothes the skin. After Holi hulla, you are bound to get tanned, so try this natural recipe. Puree a tomato and apply it on your face for about 20 minutes. Fresh, crushed tomato pulp is supposed to remove immediate tanning. Wish you a happy Holi with a healthy skin and great hair! Visit http://www.time4tips.com for more beauty and makeup tips, skin care advice, hair care with lots of effective home remedies.">Holi is after all Holi. There is no festival more vibrant, colourful and exhilarating than Holi. Everyone wants to enjoy it - to dance in clouds of gulal and to get soaked in shower of coloured water. Yet many of us suffer from skin problems, allergies, breakouts and irritations later on. The consequence of Holi in not just spoilt clothes and floors, but skin and hair damage too due to the presence of chemicals in the colours used. Synthetic colours Most Holi colours sold these days contain many harmful chemicals. In fact, most are dyes meant for industrial uses like dyeng textiles and are not meant to be applied on humans. These colours have in them heavy metals, acids and powdered glass. The black paste youngsters use has lead oxide, green contains copper sulphate, red is mercury sulphite and so on. All these are toxic and can result in anything from skin allergies to cancer, from eye irritation to blindness. And worse. Even the bases in which these chemicals are mixed are highly toxic. Many dry powders use a base of asbestos talc, chalk powder or silica. Asbestos is a known as human carcinogen, which builds up in the body daily tissue, and even micro quantities can result in cancer. Silica may dry as well as chap the skin. The shine in the colours is due to the addition of powdered glass or mica. Many water colours have an alkaline base capable of causing severe problems. If it enters the eyes, it can pose a great danger to one's vision. Colours in the form of paste have toxic compounds mixed in a base of engine oil or other inferior quality oil, capable of causing skin allergy, temporary blindness and much more. Synthetic colours used during Holi often contain lead oxide, engine oil, diesel, chromium, iodine and copper sulphate, which cause skin irritation and even blindness in case of extreme exposure. Colours in the hair: Hair can turn brittle and extremely dry if colour remains in it for a long time. This is due to the chemicals in the colours and the dust in the air. Though no damage is done to the roots or scalp, the hair begins to break. Oiling of the hair thoroughly before jumping into the playing arena can go a long way in taking care of this common problem. If the colour enters the eyes... While throwing colours at each other, people do not realise that these colours might enter the eye, damage the ocular surface and cause temporary problems. There could also be complications that pose a great danger to the sight and could impair it. There are well documented cases of eye injury due to Holi colours. So one should keep in mind that, while playing Holi, sensitive areas like the eyes should be avoided. However, if colour enters, one should immediately wash them with large amounts of water and, incase irritation persists, medical aid should be sought immediately. If your skin is too sensitive: Individuals with a history of eczema oratopic dermatitis are at a high risk of developing allergic contact dermatitis due to Holi colours and dyes. This will manifest in itching, a red rash and irritation in the area of contact. Such individuals should use a barrier cream (white soft, yellow soft, paraffin) prior to playing Holi While the application of very little colours would be an ideal solution to avoid any kind of allergy, the application of a body oil, like coconut oil, can also protect the skin. However, if the colours irritate the skin, they should be immediately washed away with running water. To make Holi truly colourful: Use quality colours: - Use water-soluble colours and stay away from "permanent" colours because they contain cheap dyes that cause reactions. - Avoid metallic colours, like gold and silver. - Most dry colours are safe, but avoid glittery ones. They contain silica particles that can abrade your skin. - Feel the texture of the colour before buying it. It should feel powdery, like talc and not grainy or gritty. Make your own natural colours: To make your own colours, all you need are a few plants. For green, take plants like henna and dry and powder them. Use separately or mix the powder with suitable flour to make a green colour. Ultimately, you could use the paste of green leafy vegetables to turn others green. Turmeric mixed with gram flour gives a good colour too. Marigold flowers can also be dried and ground and paste used instead of artificial colours. Red sandalwood powder can be used to colour the cheeks crimson. Rose petals or gulal is also a good option and so is vermilion. Red hibiscus flowers soaked in water overnight, also give a red colour. Use palaash or tesu: These flowers, available with any general merchant, can be boiled and soaked overnight to get a rich yellow colour. In the Vedas, it is written, "If clothes soaked in this colour are worn, then that colour will have its effect on our bodies by entering through the pores of the skin, and will save us from contagious diseases." It has miraculous medicinal effects on the body. The increased heat in the body may result in gloominess and an increase in anger. Palash prevents all such symptoms as it regulates the body temperature. This colour destroys kapha, pitta, leprosy, heat and urinary disorders, vayu and blood impurities and increase blood circulation. It also increases willpower and mental and physical strength. And now... Get set and go: - Wear clothes that cover most of your body. - Liberally coat your entire body with oil, rubbing it into fingernails and body folds. Oiive oil is the best. Even coconut oil will do. This prevents permanent staining and forms a barrier to protect your skin from potential allergen. - Oil your hair similarly. Colour will wash away more easily and not leave your hair feeling like a bundle of rope later on. - Use nail paint and transfer resistant lipsticks (any Colourstay range), which stays put on your fingers and lips, besides protecting your fingernails, nailfolds and delicate skin of your lips. - Colours and sunlight combined may cause a "photo toxic" reaction, so sunscreens are a must. Use waterproof sunscreens because liquid colours can wash off ordinary sunscreens. Try Banana Boat SPF-30 or Spectabran SPF-28. When the hulla of Holi is over... - Cleaning the skin of all the colours after the fun and games are over is the most important aspect. Wash immediately as these chemicals can harm your skin on prolonged contact. So bathe and shampoo as soon as possible to minimise skin contact time. Use a glycerine-based soap. - Stuck with gulal stains on your face and ink blobs on your nose? No problem! For colour, or gulal on the skin, massage warm oil into your skin, (heavy oils like mustard are the best), and let the oil seep in for 15 minutes. Using a gentle soap and warm water, wash off the oil. - For permanent colour stains, use a cotton ball soaked in acetone (your nail polish remover) or kerosene and gently remove it. - Do not rub the skin vigorously with soaps, etc., but instead, opt for a cleanser. Follow this up with loads of moisturiser, especially one that is meant for sensitive skin. Liberal use of cold cream or moisturiser is good for the skin. Apply moisturiser on damp skin immediately after the bath. - Apply the pack of curd or mashed papaya for 20 minutes. Liberal use of cold cream or moisturiser is good for the skin. - After removing the colour, replenish and rejuvenate the skin by using a paste of soya bean flour or besan with milk. A mixture of sea salt, glycerin and a few drops of aroma oil has an anti-bacterial and antifungal effect and can take care of the bad effects of chemical colours. Use warm water and moisturising soap to scrub off the colours. Then, using a cream cleanser or baby oil, gently massage off the leftover colour. - Colour on the hair should be rinsed off with a mild shampoo immediately. Conditioning is a must. Apply a hair pack of olive oil and honey after shampooing. If you have any rash or allergy, you can take a non-sedative, anti-allergic tablet like Ceterizine or consult a doctor immediately. If you continue to have problems... - If your skin feels irritated and is itching or burning, wash it properly again. Then mix one part of cortisone (Fluticasone) lotion with two parts of moisturiser or calamine lotion and apply. - For a more severe reaction with eruptions, a tablet of Cetrizine (available at chemist shop) may be taken but its better to see a doctor immediately. - For dull, dry hair, try this hair pack. Mix half a cup of olive oil, an egg white and 4 teaspoonfuls of honey. Coat your hair with this mixture for half an hour then wash off. - A soothing face pack can be made with a mixture of pureed banana, 2 teaspoonfuls of honey and 2 teaspoonfuls of milk cream. This hydrates, softens and soothes the skin. After Holi hulla, you are bound to get tanned, so try this natural recipe. Puree a tomato and apply it on your face for about 20 minutes. Fresh, crushed tomato pulp is supposed to remove immediate tanning. Wish you a happy Holi with a healthy skin and great hair!

Stay Tuned to Day Long Freshness

Sweating is a normal response to environmental or bodily heat. It can be accelerated due to pain, panic stress, ill health, or an emotional disturbance. When air is dry, evaporation of sweat takes place rapidly so that we don't notice it on our skin, but when the weather becomes hot and humid, the moisture lingers on and we get soaked in perspiration. As an elimination organ our skin allows sweat to pass out from the pores and rid the body of impurities, just as kidneys send out waste products through urine and the liver breaks down pesticides and other chemicals and shunts them off. Sweat is 99 per cent water while the rest is made up of salt, fat, lactic acid, uric acid and potassium. Since the body stores tiny amounts of environmental toxins in fatty tissues, it's possible that even these may turn up as well in the sweat. There are two types of sweat glands located in the dermis of the skin. The eccrine, found all over the body chiefly on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands, prepares plenty of clear sweat that is low in organic matter and is odourless though it can take on the smell of certain liquids or foods that have been consumed. The other is the highly sensitive apocrine which becomes active after puberty and produces a milky secretion that breaks down into fatty acids on mingling with local bacteria resulting in offensive odour. Since the apocrine glands remain stagnant in babies and the young, they smell sweet. Though we all have the same number of sweat glands per skin area, the amount of sweat varies from person to person. On average, women perspire less than men but those engaged in strenuous activities sweat much more. In men the sweat glands exude a hormone called testosterone which by itself is odourless. However, a host of bacteria known as 'coryneform' located in the armpits convert testosterone into substances that emit a seductive musk-like odour so typical of those sexy sweaty shirts! During middle-age, people with a weak digestive system are not able to metabolise foods like fish, eggs, nuts, legumes and liver and they discharge strong odours. Coffee, colas and chocolates also tend to stimulate the apocrine glands - concentrated in moist areas of armpits, breasts, naval and the groin - so more sweat oozes out from the pores. Excessive chronic-sweating called 'hyperhidrosis' can be due to genetic disorder, tension, low blood sugar, obesity or menopause. Sweating can be controlled by maintaining proper personal hygienes sometimes, pouring water on the body does suffice since our skin is an amazing self-cleansing organ but when dirt, dust, dead cells and stale make-up clog pores and hamper the skin's natural functions, a proper cleansing is required to remove accumulated pollutants without disturbing the skin's normal balance. Soap and water are commonly used for bathing and most soaps have fine floral notes that leave the body refreshed and relaxed. But enough water must be used to clear impurities as well as any soap residue. Applying body lotion or talcum powder after the bath adds to the effect of freshening up. Talc absorbs moisture and diminishes body odour though it lasts for a short while. Lotions and perfumes too repress body odour temporarily and that also aesthetically. However they don't fight bacteria and when sweat overpowers the scent, a stale whiff survives. Deodorants do a neater job to control body odour and keep delightful day-long fragrant freshness. They contain antiseptic ingredients and choice essences that destroy bacteria and keep the skin sweet-smelling. Deodorants are available as sprays, roll-ons and deosticks. Sprays: Formulated with active bactericidals and exquisite perfume, they must be used after stepping out of the bath. They should be sprayed carefully by holding the container away from the face and allowed to set before dressing up, as they can leave stains on clothes. Roll-ons: A thick liquid rolls out through a ball at the mouth of the bottle when pressed on the skin. It feels sticky at first but soon a thin layer adheres to the skin's surface and partly seals the pores. Less is better as excess deodorant may cause discomfort. Deo-sticks: Most convenient to use by rubbing the stick on dry skin. As it has little effect on wet skin, make sure to wipe the body properly. It's handy to carry in the purse and re-apply whenever one needs to freshen up. Some deo-sticks have a pronounced perfume to mask body odour. Select a deodorant that works well for your skin and gives total satisfaction. If a product induces an itch or blisters the skin, avoid it and try some other brand. Use of any deodorant should be restricted to thrice a week as frequent application reduces its potency. Often, sweat dilutes the deodorant and, in the course of time, builds natural immunity to that particular product. An anti-perspirant with its two-in-one formula has a long-lasting effect and doesn't wash off or vanish easily. When it is applied a powdery coat forms on the skin and chemicals like aluminium, salts arrest the flow of sweat considerably while eliminating body odour. The right time to use an anti-perspirant is before retiring to bed at night as then it works for a longer time and makes the skin slow down on sweating. ANTI-PERSPIRANTS Some preservatives in antiperspirants can be harmful for those with tender, sensitive skins resulting in a rash. They should use phitikari (alum) containing sulphate of aluminium and potash on armpits, or rub the juice of onion, lettuce or mint leaves to curtail excess sweat and prevent body odour. Hair follicles are ground for apocrine glands to set up body odour. When sweat doesn't dry up, bacteria - the real culprits - take over and cause decomposition and let off a repugnant stink. Make sure the pubic area and armpits are clear of hair. If you experience sweating of the scalp, where the skin's natural lubricants are concentrated, rub eaude-cologne in hair roots before combing. This will help and the hair will also become more fragrant and bouncier. Sweating of feet can be embarrassing when, on removal of footwear, a stench which is annoying to olfactory senses shoots up. Fungi thrive in warm moist places and increase rapidly between the toes. Best is to keep feet dry and clean and spray some talc or deodorant before stepping into well-aired shoes. In warm weather, drink plenty of liquids which will prevent dehydration and aid in diluting apocrine gland secretions. Try to stay calm and relaxed and wear loose, freshly-laundered cotton clothes. Avoid synthetics as these prevent air-circulation and don't permit perspiration to escape. Most ultra-violet rays are harsh and bounce off concrete surfaces. Zinc, an effective ingredient in sunscreens is the white paste that we find cricketers apply below their eyes and lips to safeguard from the sun's glare. Some cream products claim their sunscreen is sweat-proof and longlasting, yet no sunscreen is absolutely sweat-proof. The fragrant cleansers that we use to combat odour often merge with our skin chemistry and become identified as our particular body aroma. Some regard this distinct smell to be alluring as it often conveys signals of sexual intent. And see what someone has to say on this subject: "A horse sweats, a truckman perspires - but a woman glows!" So don't let your apocrine glands get you down even if you lead a hectic life and are always on the go!

Pool Heaters: The Secret to Long Swimming Seasons

If you live in an area that is known for it's hot summer weather, a swimming pool can be a fun and healthy way to stay cool. Swimming pools have become very popular, and could be one of the best investments you make in your home's value and your family's health. Many swimming pool owners are opting for swimming pool heaters to extend their swimming season, especially if their home is in an area with relatively short summers. The sun is able to keep your pool water at a comfortable swimming temperature during the long summer days. But in the transitional spring and fall months, the days are shorter and the angle of the sun isn't high enough to heat your pool water very much. That's where pool heaters come in. If you live in northern climates, swimming pool heaters can practically double your swimming season. There are several different types of pool heaters available, but gas pool heaters are the most common. Specifically, propane pool heaters are some of the best and most cost efficient ways to heat your swimming pool. Gas pool heaters tend to be the least expensive to purchase. Propane swimming pool heaters can heat a greater amount of water more quickly than electricity. Oil-fired pool heaters are also available in some areas, but are much less common. Electric pool heaters are most often based on a heat pump design. Similar to electric heat pumps used to heat some homes, electric pool heaters take advantage of the heat that already exists in the outside air. The air heats freon gas, which is then compressed to raise it's temperature even higher. The hot gas is then piped to a heat exchanger, where the heat is transferred to the pool water. The heated water is then pumped back into the swimming pool. It's also possible to find or even build your own solar pool heater. Solar pool heaters use the sun's energy to heat the water. It would appear that you're getting the heating energy at no cost from the sun, and in fact you are. But don't forget you have to pump the water from your pool into the solar pool heater, where it is heated and returned to the pool. Most people end up using an electric pump to move the water, which means you don't realize the full energy savings that you might expect. Of course, most pool heater designs require pumping the water from the pool to the heater and back again. Raypak is a leading manufacturer of swimming pool heaters, both for home pools and commercial pools. Raypak pool water heaters can be easily converted to run on either natural gas or propane. Raypak pool water heaters are known for their high-efficiency. Efficiency refers to the amount of energy actually used for heating the water (compared to how much is used running the heater or how much is lost).

Why Do Drinking And Smoking Fit Together So Well?

I quit drinking and smoking after engaging in both for more than 15 years and have always been perplexed about how the two practices seem to go hand in hand. I always smoked more when I drank, which I always found to be an interesting phenomenon as well. I used to jokingly wonder if the two practices were somehow in cahoots. The cigarette companies owning the alcohol companies and vice versa. It just seems to me that the whole thing could be some sort of conspiracy. A conspiracy to keep us down. Now that I'm free of both activities, I'm so much more productive and healthy that it's not even funny. I was in the grips of alcohol, and thinking it actually made me feel good, that drinking became normal to me. Then couple that with the fact that as soon as alcohol touched my lips, I wanted to light up a cigarette, and you have what used to be my life. As I said before, this conspiracy to keep me down, lasted for a little over fifteen years before I finally broke free. In a strange way, I think it is a conspiracy to keep us down and feeling sorry for ourselves, so that we spend more money, all in search of something we really don't want anyway. Because when I think about it, I never wanted to smoke or drink in the first place. I tried it because everyone else seemed to be doing it. The problem with these things is that once you try them, they quickly become the thing to do, and then become normal. Having a beer or three after work became "normal" to me. And smoking? Well, hell I was addicted right, quitting just wasn't that simple and besides a cigarette is just so good while drinking, right? Then one day my daughter incarnated into this world and I just couldn't see myself being a bad example to her, and I stopped both of them. And through stopping, I realized that I had spent the previous fifteen years in an alcohol and cigarette induced haze, just the way the manufactures intended. I was surely a loyal customer for both parties, and part of it was because the two just seemed to fit together so darned well.

Healthy Anger and Your Health: Make Your Anger Work for You Instead of Against You

Each of us developed a warrior spirit soon after our birth. Your first anger development occurred after the first few months of your life, coming to a head around the age of two, which is how the idea of the "terrible two's" developed. THE BIRTH OF THE SWORD AND SHIELD The warrior spirit in general develops because the child self within needs protection. The child and the warrior both represent examples of Jungian archetypes, which are well illuminated in the work of Carol S. Pearson's Awakening the Heroes Within. The child is innocent, open and vulnerable; and needs the protective energy of the warrior for its safety in the world. A useful way of understanding the development of your warrior spirit is by working with the imagery and energy of the sword and shield. The sword projects, penetrates, pierces and protects against anything that threatens or opposes you. The shield deflects, conceals, separates and distances you from the perceived threat or opposition. Both are natural and highly useful. You can see that the sword and shield are metaphors for the defense mechanisms of anger and withdrawal. The metaphor and mythology of the warrior's sword and shield will ground your understanding and take you further into the healthy power of these natural processes. This world does not respond well to the warrior's sword. The piercing, penetrating energy of your anger was most likely punished, overpowered or ignored, causing you to withhold your sword and put it somewhere that it could not be seen or heard. So you either became withdrawn and quiet never showing anger, or you became aggressive and outspoken for your own survival. Your sword is either hidden inside you, or it's out for the world to see, hear and feel. No matter what, it didn't go away completely. ILLNESS, VIOLENCE AND THE WARRIOR GONE AWRY · The sword in our bodies. The American Heart Association has sponsored research that indicates, "people who are highly anger-prone are nearly three times more likely to have heart attacks than those who aren't." Metaphorically, we might conclude that when your sword is out of control, it might just pierce your own heart. Other ways that the misguided sword can injure us are reflected in this quote from a health care professional with the Vanderbilt Health and Wellness program. "Anger impacts us physiologically, making itself known to us through muscle tension, headaches, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, stomach distress, elevated blood pressure and even flushing of the skin." · The shield in our bodies. The effects of shielding, or complex unconscious psychophysiological defense mechanisms are diffuse and multi-faceted. It is clear that chronic tension in large and small muscle groups throughout the body can lead to a variety of acute and long-term physical ailments. Gastro-intestinal disorders, upper respiratory illness, and cardio-vascular problems are all related to and effected by hypertension. We are looking at interactions between emotional and physical processes here, not implying specific cause and effect relationships. When we look at the problems in the world, the warrior's sword and shield are not hard to find. · The sword in the world. The piercing, penetrating energies of angry words, sarcastic cuts, racial slurs, bullets, missiles and bombs are all too prevalent in today's world. With war, terrorism, hate crimes, workplace violence, school shootings, domestic disputes, rape and child abuse occurring on an ongoing basis in various locales across the planet, we don't have to wonder about the seriousness of this problem. · The shield in the world. Stoic faces, no eye contact, awkward silences, cold flat voices, uncaring responses and miles of distance between people inches from each other are but a few of the manifestations of the warrior's shield in the world. THE DESTRUCTIVE PROTECTOR The warrior spirit who is disconnected from love and wisdom becomes the destructive protector. All of the compulsive-addictive disorders can be seen as the destructive protector at work. These behavior patterns create a "high" or "rush" or reward that gives temporary relief (protection) from pain, and yet create far more pain than they ever relieve. In the effort to protect, they become destructive. Other forms the destructive protector may take include: · The inner critic. That voice in your head telling you what is wrong with you, reminding you of your limitations and flaws, is actually trying to protect you from harm. · The inner tyrant. Also known as the taskmaster, this aspect of the destructive protector will never let up on you until all of the work is done. And all of the work is never done. · The cynic. That voice in your head that tells you what is wrong with the world and everyone in it was originally developed in an effort to keep you safe. Yet if allowed to run its course and have its way, it will cause you to become isolated, withdrawn and non-functioning. · The fear mind. This aspect of the destructive protector will convince you that it is just not safe out there. In a misguided effort to protect, the fear mind can create absolute paralysis. · The angry victim. Constantly convincing you that your problems are those other people's fault, the destructive protector in this form can actually lead you into abusive and violent behavior. THE LOVING PROTECTOR When your anger becomes healthy, your warrior spirit is intimately connected with the power of love. The protection of your precious inner child is therefore always a matter of love more than fear-based anger. The development of your sense of faith and optimism are a natural and essential part of this process. A belief in positive outcomes and an overall attitude that "things are going to be okay" will bring stress relief and comfort to your inner child. In extensive research conducted over many years, Herbert Benson, M.D. found that individuals with a strong sense of faith and optimism recovered more quickly when they became ill, and were less likely to get sick in the first place. THE SPIRITUAL WARRIOR So how does this look to the world outside us? As the loving protector develops within, the spiritual warrior begins to develop in our relationship with the outer world. To get a sense of what a spiritual warrior is, think of the people you admire the most. You can use historical figures, celebrities, fictional characters or someone from your own life experience. What do these people have in common, and what sets them apart from others? Here are some of the qualities that come to mind: · They are comfortable with who they are and where they stand. · They go their own way, led by an inner knowing of their purpose and mission. · They enjoy life and all of its little daily pleasures. · They are at home in nature. · They are creative, in their own unique way. · Children are naturally drawn to them. · They laugh heartily, often. · They have a vision of their own place in life. · They manage their finances well and successfully. · They are aware of the beauty in other human beings, and treat each one with respect. · Their physical health is robust. · They are aging beautifully and gracefully. · They realize their own greatness and insignificance. The spiritual warrior has the courage to be creative and to express abundant positive emotion. Set your vision of the spiritual warrior you choose to become. See yourself already there, as you go about your daily activities. HEALTHY ANGER Healthy anger fuels effective action. Healthy anger may not look, sound or feel like anger as we have come to know it. It is purely and simply the raw energy of emotion channeled into action to accomplish the desired outcome. It shows up as determination, enthusiasm, clarity, focus, energy, drive, consistency, fortitude, guts, courage, commitment, persistence, and resilience. Healthy anger grabs the store clerk's attention so that you get better service. All it takes is an enthusiastic, "Excuse me, could I get some help here?" with a smile, a clear voice tone and a lot of good energy. Healthy anger incorporates a tremendous set of skills. Use your healthy anger to say "No!" to the messages you have received about aging. See yourself right now aging like you would like to. See yourself strong, fit, vibrant and well ten, twenty, thirty or more years into your future. Make up your mind you're going to fulfill that vision. Write out a plan to make it happen. Use the healthy power of your anger to stick to your program and don't let anything stand in your way. You can live the life you have always dreamed of, and the pure, powerful energy of your healthy anger can help you get there.

Boost Your Brain Power with Powerful "Smart" Foods

Memory decline is a common complaint as we move through the aging process. The typical 60-year-old is not as sharp mentally as they were in their 40s. That said, some people do age slower than others. There are 80 year olds with the mind and body of people decades their minor. There are 70 year olds who can easily match wits with 40 year olds. Would you like to put the brakes on brain rot? You can, simply by adding a handful of "Super Brain Foods" to your daily diet. The "You are what you eat" adage most definately applies to mental function. To slow the aging process and provide continued brain strength, an anti-oxidant, nutrient rich diet will keep your body and brain functioning at more youthful levels. "Oxidative damage" is the most common blame for brain decline. The brain is highly sensitive to oxidative, free radical damage. Foods high in antioxidants counter that damage and protect the brain. "Brain starvation" is another common cause of mental decline. The brain is the greediest organ in your body and its dietary requirements are high. Feed the brain with the protective nutrients it needs and it will peform better. If you want to slow down the hands of time and boost your brain's ability to retain and recall information, grab a handful of blueberries and read on. The following list of foods are shown to boost brain power; Blueberries: Studies show that diets rich in berries, and most specifically blueberries, greatly improves motor skills and learning capacity. Research also shows that blueberries help reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia and protect the brain from oxidative stress. The most interesting news is that blueberries not only slow brain decline, they can actually reverse it and improve memory. Wild Blueberries, with regular blueberries behind that, are shown to have the highest antioxidant capacity per serving. Cranberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are also extremely high in brain-boosting benefit. **Recommendation: Add at least 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries or other berries a day to your diet. Wild Salmon: Salmon and other deep,cold-water fish are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids. Omega-3s are essential for brain function and also contain anti-inflammatory substances. Other oily fish that provide the benefits of omega-3s are sardines and herring. **Recommendation: Add a 4-ounce serving of salmon or other Omega-3 rich fish to your diet two to three times a week. Citrus Fruits and Colorful Vegetables: Because of their antioxidant properties, citrus fruits and colorful vegetables are high on the list of "brainy" foods . The more colorful the better. Brightly colored yellow, orange, red, purple and green fruits and vegetables are antioxidant rich. Go for orange with carrots, apricots, cantaloupe, mango, papaya and oranges. Blueberries, blackberries, prunes, red grapes and eggplant add a blue/purple hue to your plate. Add red to your diet with cherries, tomoatoes and red pepper. The best antioxidant source of green vegetables are found in the dark green vegetables - spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, brusell sproats, broccoli. **Recommendation: As many colorful vegetables as you can, with an absolute minimum of five servings daily. Since colorful fruits are higher in calories, add two to four servings daily to your diet. Avocados: In promoting brain health, avocados are almost as powerful as blueberries . It is true that the avocado is a fatty fruit, but it's a monounsaturated fat, which contributes to healthy blood flow. Healthy blood flow equates to a healthier brain. **Recommendation: This is another high calorie "Less is More" food. Just 1/4 to 1/2 of an avocado daily will do the trick. Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds are an excellent source of the power antioxidant Vitamin E. Studies show that higher levels of vitamin E correspond with less cognitive decline. Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed, walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, filberts, almonds, cashews, peanuts and unhydrogenated nut butters all provde benefits. **Recommendation: Add an ounce of nuts or seeds to your daily diet. Be careful that you do not overdo this brain-booster. Too much of this higgher calorie food will add to your waistline. Beans: Beans stabilize glucose (blood sugar) levels. The brain cannot store glucose and The brain is dependent on glucose for fuel yet cannot store glucose. Beans rpovide steady stream of energy, as well as a high amount of fiber. With so many varieties - black beans, lima beans, pinto, kidney, garbanzo,Great Northern, Navy and others - it's easy to add variety in this under-recognized super food section. Peas and lentils, other foods in the legume family, also provide benefit. **Recommendation: Add at least a 1/2 cup of beans or other legumes to your diet every day. Whole Grains: Oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain breads, popcorn and barley prmotoe cardiovascular health and good blood flow throughout the organ system, which includes the brain. Wheat germ, though not technically a whole grain, also goes on the "superfoods" list because wheat germ adds fiber, Vitamin E and some omega-3s. **Recommendation: Add three slices of whole grain bread, a 1/2 cup of oatmeal or other whole-grain cereal, or two tablespoons of wheat germ to your daily diet. Freshly Brewed Tea: Whether it's hot or iced, freshly brewed tea contains a modest amount of caffeine which, when used in moderation, can boost brain power by enhancing memory, focus, and mood. Tea also has potent antioxidants, especially the class known as catechines, which promotes healthy blood flow. Green tea contains chemicals that enhance mental relaxation and alertness and is especially good for brain function. **Recommendation: Two to three cups a day of freshly brewed tea. Note that bottled or powdered teas don't count. Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate contains several natural stimulants, including caffeine, which enhance focus and concentration, have powerful antioxidant properties and stimulate the production of endorphins to helps improve mood. Like nuts, seeds and avocado, this is another brain-boosting super food to be used in moderation.

Is Your Memory Loss "Normal" or Is There a Problem?

Experts say some memory lapses are actually normal. So before you go diagnosing yourself with Alzheimer's disease, take heart. It is said that memory loss is the second thing that occurs as you age. So what's the first? Umm, I forgot! Actually, by the time you reach the end of this story, you may remember only a fraction of it. Don't worry, you're not alone. Mild memory loss is perfectly normal, especially as we age. It has happened to all of us at one time or another; You draw a complete blank when introducing a new acquaintance. You leave the house with food bubbling on the stove. You forget to pick up your child from after-school practice. You forget a doctor's appointment, a birthday, an anniversary. Oh - and let's not forget the all-too-often search for car keys. If you sometimes forget simple things, you're not necessarily developing Alzheimer's disease. There are many people like yourself walking around who occasionally misplace their keys, who can't recall the name of one new person they met at their last office party, and have that "deer-in-the-headlights" look when searching for their car in the parking lot. There's a reason Disney has character-themed floors coupled with the happy-go-lucky music in their parking garages. Memory, the ability to normally recall the facts and events of our lives, takes place in three stages: Stage 1 - Encoding: When a person takes information in. Stage 2 - Consolidation: When the brain takes the encoded information and processes it, storing it in certain areas of the brain. Stage 3 - Retrieval:. When someone recalls stored information in the brain. For a layman, differentiating between normal memory loss and Alzheimer's disease can be puzzling because the kind of memory that is affected in everyday situations is also the kind affected in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Time is memory's worst enemy. Memory loss and brain aging are a natural part of getting older. In their 50s, people will often start to report that they think their memories are going. Because they have to use more reminders or more kinds of strategies for remembering things, older adults seem to be consciously aware of their memory loss. But even before we hit our 50s, memory loss can start to occur. Shortly after receiving information, our memory begins to deteriorate. Some information fades right away, while other things fade less quickly. There are many different forgetting curves with different rates of forgetting that depend on the nature of the material, on how important the information is to you, and how high your stress levels are. Studies show that after some time, people probably don't remember events as they actually happened. You may think you have a vivid memory of an experience, but memory distortion does occur. The longer the period of time that passes between an event and trying to recall it, the greater the chance people are going to have some memory distortions and forgetfulness. Occasionally, time distortion causes us to forget the event completely. Short of Alzheimer's disease, other causes of memory loss can include: stress and anxiety, ADHD, depression, thyroid gland diseases, diabetes, lung, liver, or kidney failure, alcoholism, Vitamin B-12 deficiency, infections, and both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Depression and stress are the most common reasons for temporary memory problems. The causes of memory loss from many of these conditions are normally reversible. No matter how "normal" memory lapses may be, that doesn't make them any less frustrating. Experts agree that the best way to keep your brain fit is to keep using it. Four things that slow down brain aging include: mental activity, physical fitness, stress reduction, and a healthy diet. Those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other conditions increase their risk for small strokes in the brain. Also antioxidants help protect brain cells and exercise helps with overall health. The most important things to help extend and maintain your cognitive abilities for a longer period of time include staying intellectually and socially engaged. Also by challenging yourself by learning new things, reading, and taking up hobbies keep the brain active and strong for the long haul. Some other things you can do to improve memory include: Focusing your attention on the task at hand. Multitasking and not paying attention are two of the biggest causes of forgetfulness. Reduce stress, get plenty of sleep, organize yourself by writing things down or using date books. When should you see a doctor? Research shows that up to half of people over age 50 have mild forgetfulness linked to age-associated memory impairment. But there are signs when more serious memory conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, are happening. While there is no definitive way to pinpoint Alzheimer's, there are some diagnostic ways doctors distinguish normal memory loss from that which should raise concern. Normal forgetfulness can include: forgetting where you parked your car, forgetting a person's name, but can recall it later, or forgetting events from your past. More serious symptoms and possible problems of forgetfulness include: recalling recent events, how to drive a car, forgetting to have ever known a particular person, confusion, and loss of function. Many doctors feel that if you are worried about your memory, the problem probably isn't that serious. However you should consult a doctor when your relatives or friends express concerns about your memory loss.

Upgrade Your Life With Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy and Self Hypnosis

Life seems mysterious and people act in what appears to be mystifying ways. When it all comes down to the bottom line, we act on our perceptions. If those perceptions are erroneous then we do things that we shouldn't, driving ourselves mindlessly into the abyss of pain and deprivation. There are a lot of labels for what we do. Overeat, smoke, get depressed, cry, go off in a rage for little or no reason etc, etc are only a few examples. The mystery is easy to solve when you consider that all behavior begins with a subconscious decision which becomes subconsciously driven behavior. Some behaviors are good and some are not so good and often self destructive. The good behaviors are no problem, and we are generally happy with them. It's those pesky bad habits such as smoking, nail biting and a golfer's yip that we want to change. Can these behaviors be changed? From a man that has spent the last 31 years of his life helping people to accomplish things that just don't happen normally, the answer is a resounding yes. There is a catch 22 to this however. The false perceptions, bad habits and painful emotions are not conscious behaviors and therefore cannot be addressed from a conscious or cognitive standpoint. Consider anger for a moment. While not everyone has fits of anger and rage, one would notice that when these fits do occur they happen as quickly as a flashbulb going off. Consciously counting to 10 just isn't going to cut it because the anger has already flared long before a person can consciously think to count and then the counting is usually a waste of time. Why? Because the anger or rage is coming from an old pattern within the subconscious. Change must happen in the subconscious mind for permanent resolution. The bottom line is this, whatever behavior you have, good, not so good or even bad, has been learned by your inner mind because at some time in the past, you could see a benefit to this behavior. The issue with such problems as over eating or snacking, for example, is that you learned this was a good thing, it became automatic behavior and you really just don't think about it. You just do it (subconscious behavior) then get upset with yourself afterwards. It's too late then and your subconscious mind knows it! Somehow you must stop the wrong learned patterns and start to replace them with new and more appropriate behaviors. There are three ways that work exceedingly well. Self hypnosis, hypnosis and hypnotherapy can produce dramatic results for most people, when coached by a professional with years of experience. When you talk with him or her, if they seem to know your problem better than you do, you have chosen well. Look for a master hypnotherapist with compassion, great listening skills and experience in helping people accomplish change.