Women With Thinning Hair

My husband is bald and to him it was no big deal. He just shaved his head when he started getting thin on top. However, for a woman it may take a much more emotional toll. Hair is part of the female psyche. There may be feelings of self-consciousness and it may become exhausting trying to deal with it. You become obsessed with coloring it so that your scalp doesn't stand out too much, combing it a certain way, having it cut a certain way, etc. And the other problem is that unlike male pattern baldness, it may not be as easy to determine the cause of the thinning. Help For Thinning Hair Depending on the cause your hair may come back on it's own. Things such as chemotherapy, hormonal traumas, (such as childbirth) and thyroid fluctuations, once sorted out, will let your hair start growing again. However, other causes may be harder to treat. Hair transplants can be performed after hair loss has stabilized, new drugs are being designed to preserve the health of hair follicles, or there are products such as nioxin, which adds thickness to the inside of the cuticle to make hair look fuller. (Hello-gorgeous.net offers a great selection and great prices on Nioxin Hair System products.) Whatever option you choose, know that you are not alone and that though you have not lost a limb or been given a death sentence, frustration and a feeling of emotional loss are normal.

Read more...

What Is The Best Diet Plan?

This time of year more people are going to start a diet that at any other time of the year. If you are one of the millions trying to find the best diet plan, CNN's Health tested 60 diets and their panel picked the top 10. A few of the top ten you will be familiar with such as the classic Weight Watchers Diet and the diet made popular by Oprah, the Best Life Diet. But you will also find some new diet plans. The Structure House Diet Plan is one that you may not be familiar with because it's mainly been used at The Structure House, a residential treatment center for obese adults, and has just recently been transferred to an at-home plan. It's a very motivational diet which puts it's focus on the 'why' behind overeating. To find out the other seven best diet plans, read a profile of each diet, and decide which one is best for you, visit http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/29/healthiest.diets/index.html

Read more...

Trustworthy Heart Information Online

Heart Disease is the number one killer of American's, killing more than 900,000 individuals each year. You may not give much thought to the work your heart does each day until you or a loved one are diagnosed with a heart condition. If you are looking for more information on a heart problem you will most likely search the internet, probably Google it, and have millions of results to choose from. Which ones can you trust? HeartLibrary.com is a collection of educational videos about the human heart and common heart problems narrated by real doctors and sponsored by St. Jude Medical. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body and can beat more than 100,000 times a day, but did you know that heart failure affects between 4 to 5 million people? Do you know the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options for it? This is one of the many subjects covered in the Heart Library. In addition, you can learn how the heart works, you'll find information on arrhythmias, heart diseases, including stroke, and heart health, you can listen to patient stories and the site even features a collection of Spanish videos, narrated by Spanish-speaking doctors. All of this information is free of charge and from a trusted source. I hope that you will benefit from them and forward them on to family and friends who might also.

Read more...

Natural Way To Bring Down A Fever

I read this tip regarding lowering a fever naturally in the January 5, issue of First. This was the first time I've heard to do this and I thought it was brilliant. Hopefully it helps some of you this winter, especially those of you who have small children. Britta Zimmer, M.D., is a naturopathic physician who keeps her own daughter's fevers down by dressing the girl's feet in cool damp cotton socks, then layering dry wool socks on top. She says this works because, "the body diverts heat from the core to warm the feet, bringing down the fever by two degrees; and that cold wet feeling triggers an immune response that helps eradicate the virus in the process."

Read more...

Calling All Chocoholics - You Can Feel A Little Less Guilt

If you ask me, this should be called the season for chocolate! It's a gift I certainly won't turn down! If, though, you are feeling a twinge of guilt for getting chocolate for someone, I'm here to make you feel better. There are some benefits to be had by eating chocolate, dark chocolate in particular.

• Dark chocolate is loaded with flavonoids. Flavonoids are known for their antioxidant activity, and antioxidants are know to reduce a human's chance for cancer and heart disease.
• A new study shows that dark chocolate may actually help to satisfy your appetite and lessen your cravings for salty, fatty and greasy foods.
• Chocolate can be mood-lifting! It contains not only the chemicals caffeine and theobromine to pick you up, but when mixed with sugar and fat, it appears to actually increase the feel-good chemicals (endorphins and serotonin) in your brain.
• Chocolate, is one of the few foods with a high content of chromium, which is thought to help control blood sugar.

Now don't you feel better for giving/eating more chocolate? Now, I'm not advocating you run out and gorge yourself on it, but a little nibble of chocolate, while watching your calories in other areas, may actually have some health benefits. If you are looking for some incredible gourmet chocolates, (like my favorite, the chocolate covered apple!) Gertrude Hawk Chocolates offers everything from chocolate covered pretzels and apples, to classic candy bars. And right now you can get up to 50 % off on select items.

Read more...

An Apple A Day - Keeps The Flu Away?

Unfortunately, it's flu season. I've already had one cold, and it was one too many. If you're like me, and trying to avoid getting the flu, you'll be interested in an article I ran across at RallieOnHealth.com.

Apparently the 'apple a day' theory works on the flu too, who knew? Why? "A study published by The American Physiological Society found that while stressful exercise increased the occurrence of influenza in laboratory mice, quercetin, a powerful antioxidant present in apples and other fruits and vegetables, canceled out that negative effect." That effect carries over to humans. The proof is in another study showing that human taking daily-doses, of this flu-fighting antioxidant, proved to have fewer respiratory infections following three days of exhaustive exercise. And those results should carry over and to those not only physically exhausted, but also emotionally stressed out, sedentary individuals. In addition, there are other benefits from quercetin. It is know to reduce inflammation, inhibit the growth of cancer cells, improve lung function and more. Dietary supplements of quercetin are available, but it can be readily found in foods such as "grapes, blueberries, broccoli, tea and red wine. ...and is especially abundant in the outermost layers of red onions and in the skins of apples."

Read more...

Cleaner Air In Your Home

My mom is allergic to just about everything. OK, that's an overstatement, but pollens just about do her in every spring. Chemicals and pet dander can also send her into a fit. Fortunately, a good air purifier really seems to help. If you're looking for more information on the different types of air purifiers available, www.AirCleanersGuide.com is an "internet site filled with details on various kinds of products designed to remove allergens and pollutants from the air." For instance, do you know the difference between a hepa air cleaner with ionizer, an ultraviolet air cleaner, a carbon air filter and an electrostatic precipitator? It's important to know what you need prior to shopping. Hopefully, you'll find the information presented useful in your search for cleaner air.

Read more...

Has A Natural Steroid Been Found?

Popeye apparently had it right! In a test-tube study, Rutgers researchers discovered that treating human muscle cells with a phytoecydysteroid - a compound found in spinach - increased protein synthesis by 120 percent. Phytoecdysteroids appear to allow muscle tissue to repair itself faster, says Gorelick-Feldman, Ph.D(c). What's more, rats that consumed high amounts of the substance became stronger after just 28 days! However, you'd have to eat huge quantities, about 2 pounds a day, to reap similar benefits. Future studies will test the effect of smaller quantities. source: Men's Health, Oct. 2008

Read more...

A Quicker Way To A Whiter Smile

Are your 'pearly whites' looking a little more like 'pearly yellows'? Have you ever noticed that when someone wins American Idol, or becomes famous quickly, one of the first things they have done is their teeth? Suddenly, overnight, they have nice, white, straight teeth. That's because one of the first things someone notices about you is your smile. Because the populace puts such an emphasis on the looks of a person's teeth, if you run a spa or salon, you may want to consider adding teeth whitening to your business. With the help of a heated bleaching light, your client's teeth will lighten 5 to 10 shades in just 30 minutes. The Shine White Tooth Whitening System is quick, safe, and easy. It may just be the answer to your salon's 'slow' season!

Read more...

Is Your Shower Curtain Liner Toxic?

Going Green just got another thumbs up, and this time it's for something in your shower. According to the October 2008 issue of Men's Health, using a vinyl shower curtain may expose you toxins. The Center for Health, Environment, and Justice, (CHEJ) a Virginia-based environmental advocacy group, tested five vinyl curtains and found that they all contained phthalates, chemicals used to soften plastics. Some scientists doubt that the amount in a vinyl shower curtain poses a threat, however the CHEJ argues that repeated exposure can be dangerous. "Phthalates can affect hormone levels, so you should avoid them whenever possible," says David O. Carpenter, M.D., the director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany. If you want to be err on the side of caution, and Go Green at the same time, try a fabric shower curtain like the Croscill Fabric Shower Curtain Liner, which is less than $15.

Read more...