Alternative Health, Alternative Medicine

Prayer: Suggestions on How to Pray, Realizing the Power of Your Prayer

2010-02-05T21:52:00.000-08:00

There is a technique for everything, including prayers. Although emanating from your heart and soul, prayers can be refined to produce better results through the following suggestions on how to verbalize your prayer requests.

1. Be SPECIFIC, YOU MUST BE SPECIFIC! Being specific lets Heaven know exactly what you are requesting. It"s not God / the Universe/ or your Higher Power"s job to guess what you are trying to communicate. If you want a dog, specify border collie, or yellow laborador retriever, otherwise don"t be disappointed when you receive a non descript Heinz 57 "dog." If you want to be physically , emotionally, or mentally healed from Cancer, depression, an intecessory prayer request for healing helps faciltate your healing hourney.

2. Use "I ASK": �ask and ye shall receive." Sometimes when we communicate that we want a specific request or result answered, we are really general, sorta "ho hum" about the intention. The Bible states "ask and ye shall receive". Using the term "I ask" gets God/ the Universe/ your Higher Power"s attention that you are serious about your request, and not just having a hopeful conversation with yourself.

3. �IT IS MY INTENT.� That phrase brings your prayers into the NOW, at this very moment in time. When you state that it is your intention, intention is never never land, with no end or beginning, just "out there" somewhere in time. Do you want results in this lifetime or incarnation? Then set your intent, with a "t" to produce immedicate results, not intend with a "d" for never never land time.

4. Repeat the prayer 3 times, 3 is the universal number. This creates emphasis and focus! You may choose to say it only once, I prefer emphasis if it really means that much to me.

5. At the end of your prayer request, end it with "Now, Forevermore, and Always." "Now�, brings the prayer into the present timeframe. �Forevermore� takes the prayer into all of time so your answer can come from "all there is in all of time". �Always� makes the prayer results continuous, and not just a quick fix. Your free will choice can choose the length of the results after they have occurred.

6. Then add, "So be it, it is done. Thank you." �So be it� brings your prayer into the present life situation instantly. �It is done� manifests that your prayer IS reality! Adding "thank you" reflects your grattitude for any and all help.

7. Prayer Confirmations: If you are asking for a prayer confirmation, or to be shown something, ASK for a specific timeframe and for a specific number of confirmations within that timeframe. I suggest 3 confirmations within 24, 48 or 72 hours, or choose a specific timeframe. Ask that you be able to see, recognize, interpret and understand the confirmation sent to you from your Higher Power and Guides. What God/ the Universe/ your Higher Power, may feel is really obvious, may not, at this point be understandable by you.

8. If you do NOT get any confirmations, then KNOW that it may not be the time for you to have an answer. Try again later and specifically ask in another way. I always try 3 times. Sometimes no answer is THE current answer.
What does this mean? It means the God/ the Universe/ your Higher Power needs a little more time in processing and lining up the myriad number of details for your answer. The Universe doesn�t respond with a half-baked answer.

Try these how to pray suggestions and realize the power of YOUR prayers.

Feel free to reprint this article in its original format.

Contact information:
Brent Atwater
Box 475
Southern Pines, NC 28388
NC Phone: 910.692.5206
ATL Phone: 404.242.9022
E mail: Brent@BrentAtwater.com
Web site: http://www.BrentAtwater.com

Mosquitoes? No Itch, No Bite

2010-02-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

No one wants to be bitten, especially with the threat of West Nile and other diseases. But what can you do?

Knowing what draws the mosquito to its host and what you can do to lessen being bitten can make your summertime outings and barbeques that much more enjoyable.

Here are [five] some of the things that can attract the mosquito to you:

1) Dark clothes and flowery prints attract mosquitoes. When you go out, wear...
(more)

2) Sweet smelling perfumes, hair sprays and... (more)

3) Read Article

Memory fails you after stress

2010-02-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

Stress makes people much more likely to create false memories, say American researchers. It also appears to make them more certain that these false memories are correct. There is serious doubt on the reliability of victim testimonies in cases involving psychological trauma. People are woefully bad at recalling details of their own traumatic experiences. This could help explain why crime witnesses give conflicting evidence or pick the wrong man in a line up.

The brain is affected by stress hormones. The hippocampus, a brain structure needed to form new memories, is riddled with receptors for the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol may cause the effect by suppressing the hippocampus. The nature of the false memories suggests people might tend to let stored associations influence their recall of a stressful event. It might be possible for memories of a crime scene to be influenced by beliefs about the sorts of people who commit crimes.

If you can compare stress to a sort of trauma, it might be the explanation to why stress makes you forget about things.

There is more here:

Memory fails you

False memories

Health News-9: "Thyroid Problem"

2010-02-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

In India, one in 2600 newborn babies and one in 3500 adults have thyroid affection. Thyroid gland is one of the largest endocrine glands and it secretes two hormones, viz., T-3 and T-4, which regulate the metabolism. Hypothyroidism(underactive thyroid) and Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) are the most common problems of the thyroid gland. They could cause not only serious physical problems like obesity, breathing problem, constipation, dry skin, itch, slow heartbeat and muscular pain but also mental problems like dullness, lack of interest in anything, especially studies (in the case of children). Brain growth is also impeded.

Courtesy: �Dinamalar�, Tamil daily, June 23, 2008.

For a detailed article on �Thyroid�, "Hyperthyroidism" and "Goitre" from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthyroidism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goitre

Grateful thanks to Dinamalar and Wikipedia.

The Permanent Pain Cure | Ming Chew

2010-02-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

The Permanent Pain Cure | Ming ChewAre you taking medication or considering surgery because of pain? Have you lived with muscle or joint pain for years? Imagine your life today without pain. Imagine you hold the key to eliminating any future pain. Find it inside this book: a groundbreaking drug- and surgery-free healing plan from master pain therapist Ming Chew.The Ming Method includes:� Total

10 Tips to Finally End Acne

2010-02-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

With so many remedies, potions and pills on the market today to stop acne, how can just 10 easy tips truly stop acne? The reason for this is because many times, the most natural and easiest solution is the best and most resourceful one. The following are tried and true suggestions which if followed seamlessly, will be very effective in ridding you of this dreadful condition.

1. Stay out of the sun! Do not spend more than 15 minutes or so in the direct sun every day. That amount of sunlight is good for you. But in this case, more is not better. And remember to always wear a UV blocker.

2. Don"t smoke. Whether you want to believe it or not, smoking seriously affects your complexion. For your lungs and for your skin, stop smoking!

3. Drink a lot of water. It nourishes your skin and every cell of your body. In a few short days of drinking 10 glasses of water a day, you will notice the difference in your skin because it will be hydrated.

4. Try to stay stress free. One of the ways to do this is to stay away from drinks/foods with caffeine. Drink chamomile tea which is very relaxing. Understand that nothing is really that big of a deal and you"ll get through it. Your skin will thank you for it.

5. Each foods which are very rich in anti-oxidants such as cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, plums, apricots, spinach, broccoli and other leafy vegetables.

6. Eat plenty of foods with Omega-3 fatty acids. These foods are almost the perfect food for your skin: walnuts, flaxseeds, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage.

7. Foods with Vitamin E moisturize your skin and can actually reduce and help to eliminate acne scars: sunflower seeds, mango, peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, kiwi, broccoli and spinach.

8. Don"t lose sleep. It is a very important step toward gaining beautiful skin. You must have 7-8 hours of sleep per night to give your skin the best chance it has at renewing itself.

9. Exfoliate every other day. But make sure it"s a mile product and gently exfoliates your skin. Use one that has moisturizers in them to further help your skin.

10. Cleanse your face at least two times a day. Use a mild acne soap or mild cleanser.

If you are faithful to follow the above steps, your skin will begin to glow and your acne will start to disappear. When you have given your body and skin all it needs to be beautiful, acne no longer has a chance.

Are you struggling with acne and need to get rid of it now?

acne skin care

best acne treatment

Burns .Home remedies.

2010-02-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

To burn is very traumatic damage, the reason fire, chemicals, steam, an electricity or any other form of transfer of heat to a skin (our the largest body). Burns on less than 10 % of a surface of a body is considered insignificant. An entire hand is 1% of the body surface. There are three kinds of burns, and they are classified on their weight. The first degree of burns: whether Are the top layers of a skin, area becomes red and painful burns the burn is an example the first degree. The second degree of burns: These are that is deeper damage of several layers of a skin, the skin becomes red, the extremely painful vials with. The third degree of burns: Here most serious of them, all the thickness long skin it is destroyed in some cases muscular and other fabrics damaged, there is a little painful character as the majority of nerves is burnt also a brain the feeling of a pain cannot, the skin becomes red or white, without appropriate leaving area can be infected sometimes it appears yellow or black. In strong burns of a skin of bribery it can be necessary.

* it is important * do not try to concern the third degree to burn such kinds of the damage, a menacing life, and they demand professional attention. Natural means can help after hospitalisation for the purpose of prevention it is infected and stimulate immune system of objections.

In easy burns of grasses and homoeopathic medicines, remarkable successes to alleviate a pain and accelerates healing.

We recommend

Use of some of these methods of treatment of burns:

Application Colloidal silver is a natural antibiotic and disinfectants if to burn very painful, uses in splashes.

To apply ?????? with the vitamin A maintenance.

To accept vitamin C in / bioflavonoids it is an antioxidant it is necessary for collagen formation. Researches have shown, that high doses of vitamin C, are very necessary.

To accept the vitamin E, scarrings necessary for prevention.

FRCAM (Dublin) Certificates Re-Issued

2010-02-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

Royal College of Alternative Medicine (RCAM) recently re-issued all of it"s Fellowship Certificates.

Anyone claiming to be a Fellow of RCAM should by now be in full possession of his or her new FRCAM(Dublin) Certificate.

Please note that each FRCAM(Dublin) Certificate also now comes with an Officially Revalidated Certificate of Good Standing in "RCAM Targeted Aspects" of Alternative Medicine.

Holders of BOTH of these Professional Certificates can thus lawfully take Legal Action against any person or media group which dares imply them to be a "Quack" in any shape or form.

Please kindly contact RCAM at http://www.RoyalCAM.org for further details.

The necessity of error and the error filter

2010-02-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

Recently, two Scienceblogs bloggers have made substantive errors. (Well, no doubt more than two have, but I saw two.)

One is a mathematician and one is a biologist.

Now the fact that these writers made errors is of no great consequence. Every human, all of us, we all make mistakes. Everyone.

In fact, if some of us (well, okay, me) make lots and lots of mistakes. Actually, making mistakes is part of achieving anything at all, so we shouldn"t fear making them (at least in situations where the consequences of error are not dire) - it means we"re doing something.

What matters to me is not that they got something wrong, but how errors were dealt with. In both cases they made a post that pointed out they got it wrong, and that explained in detail what was correct.

A body of knowledge, whether it resides in an individual or in a culture, contains mistakes. Some of what we think is true is necessarily going to be false. If the fact that the corpus has errors in it is accepted, there is some hope of correcting some of the errors.

If you encounter someone who cannot be wrong, you may be sure they are in a sea of falsehood. It can be no other way.

However, we need more than just an acceptance of the possibility of falsehood and a willingness to change ideas. We can"t just change our beliefs willy-nilly. The fact is, for most people, even the highly deluded among us, almost all of what we believe to be true is true, or close enough to true to be valuable (most of those truths are relatively mundane facts, it"s what gets us through life). So we should need some further reason to change than the simple possibility we may be in error.

We need some way of identifying our most mistaken ideas and replacing them with better ones, without mistakenly replacing a good idea with a bad one. We need some kind of "filter" that allows us to see us to tell one from the other.

Some people use prayer to try to figure out what is right. The problem with that is it"s mired in error. You can"t tell for sure that what you think is divine guidance isn"t just your own thoughts. In fact it"s obvious this must be so, not least because two people can each be sure that they"ve received guidance about the right path, and those pieces of guidance are contradictory; since they can"t both be right, at least one must be wrong. Whether you believe in God or not, the possibility that people can be mistaken in their interpretation of the result of a prayer for guidance should be obvious.

What is this magic knowledge-generating filter?

It"s reason and evidence.

This is how we learn. This is how we discover what we did not know. This is why we even have a body of knowledge at all.

In order to raise ourselves out of the muck of ignorance, we need to admit the possibility of error, and use the only reasonably reliable filter available, in order to reduce those errors.

Pharyngayla

2010-02-05T06:21:00.000-08:00

Pharyngula has an interesting response to an interview with a biologist about homosexuality and evolution. There"s a lot of discussion about where homosexuality comes from. I have my own ideas, and I"m sure we all do, but this bit I found particularly interesting:

Homosexuality is a byproduct. This is my favorite explanation, because ultimately it"s about development. Why do men have nipples? Because women need them. Both men and women have the same set of genes (more or less), and follow very similar developmental pathways, and the nipple represents a developmental constraint or byproduct: mutations that knock out the male nipple might also knock out the female nipple, so the structure is retained in both sexes. Male nipples are a byproduct of a function needed by the other sex.

We might also ask, why do some men love other men? The answer: because women need to love men. (We could also propose the complement, that lesbians exist because men need to love women.) If there are pathways that can predispose an individual to find males sexually attractive, the base structure is present in both men and women, and what we have are additional mechanisms to modulate the expression of the trait in men vs. women. Just as we guys have an echo of a female attribute in our nipples, why not assume that we also bear echoes of female mate preferences in our brains�echoes that can"t be expunged without also eliminating women"s desire for men (and oh, no, we mustn"t have that, I know)?

That is one way of looking at it that I had just never considered before.

Stop RFK Jr.

2010-02-05T03:16:00.000-08:00

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is on the current list of potential appointees for President-elect Obama"s cabinet. While RFK Jr. has had a very successful political career, the positions for which he"s being considered are the EPA or the Department of the Interior.

This cannot be permitted to happen. Why? Because he"s a total crank when it comes to science. He believes the vaccine/autism link is plausible and has praised antivaccination movement leader Dan Olmsted--who has continually pushed junk science disproven years ago. He blamed Katrina on global warming (errr) and has opposed the building of wind turbines near Martha"s Vineyard on because "it would damage the view" despite the project having support from many other environmentalists. He"s got a track record of politicizing science to serve his own needs--and that"s bad for reasons that should be obvious.

You can contact the Obama transition team and let them know how you feel about this. Not sure what to say? Consider Mark Hoofnagle"s letter as an example:

RFK Jr. must NOT be appointed as head of the EPA. He is NOT a scientist. He does NOT understand science. He does NOT respect science. He is, in fact, a crank, who believes in pseudoscientific nonsense like vaccines causing autism. And when people are cranky and unscientific in one area of belief, it is never restricted to just that area. It reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of science and an incompetence in evaluating the quality of data and scientific information. This is not remotely a partisan letter, this is a plea for your administration not to make a horrible error.

This is a BAD choice. Do not do this or you will alienate scientists from your campaign very early on, not to mention doctors and especially pediatricians. This man is a crackpot, and I simply can not condone his presence anywhere in government.

Yes, I support our troops

2010-02-05T00:04:00.000-08:00

That"s why I want to pull them out of a hopeless, dangerous war.

London�s First Vegan Footwear and Accessory Shop Opens

2010-02-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

It"s a pity I live down in Penzance, otherwise I"d be at this new shop as soon as it opens. I love the stylish shoes this company sells online, but being able to try them on in the shop would be just heaven.

Bourgeois Boheme, one of the UK�s most well-known online and animal-friendly fashion companies is opening London�s very first animal-friendly footwear and accessories retail outlet.

On May 17th 2008, just a couple of days ahead of UK National Vegetarian Week, Bourgeois Boheme will celebrate the official opening with an open day at the shop in Richmond, London.

Known for its quality and stylish vegan footwear and accessories, Bourgeois Boheme is responding to customer requests for a physical retail location. Bourgeois Boheme founder and Director, Alicia Lai and has found that 90% of returns from online sales relate to shoe-fitting issues.

Alicia says, �Unless you shop online, vegetarian footwear is difficult to find: it�s a dismal choice of either low-quality, cheap and environmentally-challenging shoes or Stella McCartney � gorgeous fashion no doubt, but very much beyond the pocket of many a style-conscious vegetarian/vegan.�

Its an environment that has served online sales well and, having already built up a dedicated and growing following of online and mail order customers, Bourgeois Boheme is giving shoppers what New York and other fashion capitals around the world gave their consumers years ago � a stylish home for animal-friendly fashion.

Bruce Friedrich, Vice President at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says, �All of us at PETA welcome the news of a Bourgeois Boheme storefront. We enjoy ordering from BoBo online, but we�ll be even more delighted to have a place where we can try on the shoes, examine the bags, and have a compassionate shopping experience.�

Visitors will be able to buy Bourgeois-Boheme�s exclusive labelled styles as well as ethically sourced products from other companies; not only footwear, but also bags, wallets and belts for women and men, and cosmetics.

Alicia says, �Our shop is an extension within our office premises, it�s a humble start but it�s a first step towards our greater dream of having lush and exclusive Bourgeois Boheme boutiques in the world�s fashion capitals�

Now customers can find a perfect fit in every sense- true to their size, philosophy, style and ethics.

Address: Hydrex House, Garden Road, Richmond TW9 4NR
Shop hours: Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm; Sat 10am - 2pm; by appointment.

Bourgeois Boheme�s range is available to buy online at http://www.bboheme.com/.

VACCINE NEWS UPDATE OCTOBER 2004

2010-02-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

Flu Crimes At The CDC

This is an excerpt from a short article on Dr. Mercola"s site. You should read it and then go to the referenced site "Vaccine Alternatives" to get some real info on how to protect you and your family wholistically and without dangerous drugs with questionable contaminants.

"Vaccines, like mega-billion drugs, actually do little to protect you from the flu. Most people have been lead to believe -- by the pharmaceutical powers that dominate conventional medicine and really like your money -- that viruses like the flu bug are the problem, but they aren"t.

"The real problem: Most people have weakened and impaired immune systems that are unable to function as they"re designed to because of horrendous dietary habits (the same culprit behind the obesity epidemic in this country).

"Dr. Mark Sircus wrote an excellent piece for his association that he agreed to share with us about the history behind the flu vaccine and the method behind the madness of our government"s push to strike fear in the hearts of its citizens. This exposes provides more motivation to further my personal mission to topple the existing health care paradigm." Full article at:

http://www.mercola.com/2004/oct/23/flu_crimes.htm

The only logical conclusion

2010-02-04T20:38:00.000-08:00

Daily Kos has put up a copy of the Republicans new "Fillibuster against people of faith" ad. Yeah, because Democrats are all just a bunch of athiests. And if you"re not a right-wing, whack-job, conservative Christian, you"re an athiest too.

I can only draw one logical conclusion from this new tacic.

Republicans hate the Constitution. They hate freedom. And they hate America.

3 Steps to Effectively Use Probiotics After Taking Acne Antibiotics

2010-02-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

After getting acne under control, the first thing on your mind is probably socializing, shopping and generally leaving your skin related health woes behind. But if antibiotics were apart of your acne axing regime, you may want probiotics to be apart of your acne-afterlife.

Patricia Raymond, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, finds that antibiotic usage can negatively impact the colon. Raymond explains, "As antibiotics work to treat a disease, they also kill off healthy micro-organisms in the gastrointestinal tract, paving the way for harmful bacteria to take over."

Probiotics are bacteria that co-exist in the colon with so-called "bad" colon bacteria. About 100 trillion microorganisms populate a healthy bowel. Probiotics balance the pathogen (harmful microorganisms) count, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and facilitate immune function.

If the number of probiotics drops significantly- due to acne antibiotic usage- other health problems like diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome could result.

You can restore probiotic stability after a series of acne antibiotics in three simple steps.

1. Eat foods that help probiotics thrive

2. Minimize your stress level

3. Take the right probiotics in the right proportions

1.Eat foods that help probiotics thrive

Gary Huffnagle, PhD, of the University of Michigan Health System, is a pioneering researcher into the world of probiotics. Huffnagle recommends supporting probiotic growth by increasing the amount of cultured dairy products you eat, such as cheeses and yogurt.

To encourage probiotics from these dairy products to multiply even further, Huffnagle suggests consuming foods like spices, tea, red wine, berries, apples and beans.

2.Minimize your stress level

Not only should you minimize stress because research teams at Wake Forrest University discovered that stress aggravates acne prone skin, but stress also weakens the colon where probiotics need to work. Research has implicated chronic stress in the development of irritable bowel syndrome and in the worsening of inflammatory bowel disease symptoms.

Moreover, stress sensitizes the gut which increases the likelihood of yet another acne culprit-- developing allergies to certain foods. Reducing your stress level while using probiotic therapy will allow the helpful bacteria to flourish while preempting acne outbreaks.

3.Take the right probiotics in the right proportions

Pharmacist and complementary medicine advocate Dr. Author Presser says the important intestinal bacteria include Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus (L.) Acidophilus, L. Rhamnosus, L. Plantrarum, L. Bulgaricus, Streptococcus Faecium and Streptococcus Thermophilus. Presser recommends taking probiotic supplements that contain all seven bacteria. In his book, The Nature Pharmacist"s Vitamin Primer, Presser points out, "look for a product that contains FOS, fructooligosacchrides."

Presser explains that FOS are sugars found in fruits, vegetables and grains. Microflora metabolize and multiply on fructooligosacchrides both in the intestine and in the tablet.

Likewise, the Harvard Women"s Health Watch has three more tips for anyone shopping for probiotics:

� The recommended doses range from 1 billion to 10 billion colony-forming units (CFU)-the amount contained in a capsule or two-several days per week.

� A daily supplement for one to two weeks may improve conditions such as infectious or antibiotic-related diarrhea.

� The microorganisms in probiotic supplements need to be alive when you take them (or when they"re freeze-dried for capsules). They may die on exposure to heat, moisture, or air. Some require refrigeration. Read the supplement label for proper storage instructions.

Even though probiotic therapy may appear extraneous after an intense acne regime, just remember that these microflora may also prevent future zit eruptions.

Sources:

Harvard Women"s Health Watch. Should You Take a Daily Dose of Bacteria?. Newswise; April 25, 2005.

Mary Beth Reilly. Probiotic Microbes Could Be a Key to Good Health. University of Michigan Health System. March 6, 2006.

Presser, Arthur M. The Nature Pharmacist"s Vitamin Primer. Your guide to vitamins, minerals, amino acids, superfoods, nutraceuticals and other dietary supplements. Fifty-Ninth Street Bridge Publishing Corporation; 2000.

ProfNet Wire. Health & Medicine: Keep Intestines Well-Flourished. May 10, 2007.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Link Found Between Teens" Stress Levels and Acne Severity. Newswise; March 5, 2007.

Zareie, M et al. Probiotics prevent bacterial translocation and improve intestinal barrier function in rats following chronic psychological stress. Gut, 2006; vol 000:pp 1-8.

Naweko Nicole Dial San-Joyz pioneered the acne trigger approach to naturally controlling acne in her internationally published book, "Acne Messages". San-Joyz continues to serve the acne patients by developing customized acne scar removal treatments for the face and body at the San Diego based skin research firm Noixia.

If you want free tips for naturally removing acne marks, visit Noixia.com

Home Gym

2010-02-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

Product Features
Compact yet provides complete exercise workout, Both upper and lower body exercises in one machine, Adjustable arms provide multiple positions for upper body exercises
Bungee mechanism adjusts for different resistance levels, Padded seat and backrest

"fullpost">

Drawing of the space habitat

2010-02-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

It appears that a number of people are misunderstanding my description of the space habitat (on the order of the "invasion fleet being swallowed by a small dog" scale).

So here"s a picture, approximately to scale:

(Edited to correct drawing the moon orbit too small.)

The large circle is the earth"s orbit. The circle in the middle is the Sun. The little circle on the left, that"s the Moon"s orbit around Earth. (Earth itself is a teensy dot in the middle of that circle, about as big as the line marking the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. I drew the Earth in, but you probably can"t see it in the small image). The relatively large circle on the right, that"s the space habitat sitting at a Lagrange point (or rather, sitting with a Lagrange point at its centre). It is so phenomenally big it might not actually be stable here (I have not done the calculations to check).

(By comparison, the original Ringworld would be represented by the really big circle. Much larger.)

Now the habitat goes around the Sun in the same orbit as the Earth, offset by 60 degrees. It rotates about its own central axis once every 24 hours, giving it a day-night cycle. The ring would be tilted a little, so it doesn"t shade itself most of the time - in fact the ring will precess as it goes. The artificial gravity induced by the rotation would be about 1g (it would, I think, vary somewhat between night and day, because at midnight you"re orbiting a fair bit nearer to the Sun than you "should" for the center of mass of the habitat, and midday you"re a bit further from the Sun).

Acupuncture research

2010-02-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

Assesment of acupuncture by the scientific community has been hampered by the fact that acupuncturists in most studies know whether the needling they are doing is attempting to affect the point or not.

So, it"s interesting to see this - an attempt to develop a suitable acupuncture needle for test situations. Here is a provisional abstract from
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2007 7:31 ( 10 October 2007 )

Background
Placebo needles that can mask acupuncture practitioners to the type of needle used have been considered almost impossible to develop until now.

Methods
We designed a double-blind non-penetrating placebo needle, the needle tip of which simply presses against the skin, and a matched penetrating needle. The needles are encased inside an opaque guide tube and the appearance and feel of the pair are designed to be indistinguishable. To validate the masking effect for the practitioner, 10 acupuncturists each applied 23 non-penetrating needles and 17 penetrating needles to the large intestine-4 point. After removing each needle, they judged whether the needle was penetrating, non-penetrating or unidentifiable. For the validation of patient masking, an acupuncturist randomly applied a non-penetrating/penetrating needle pair to the bilateral Sanjiao-5 points in 60 volunteers. When both applications were completed, we asked them to write down anything that they noticed regarding the needle application and associated sensations.

Results
The mean [SD] of correct/unidentifiable/incorrect answers given by the 10 acupuncturists were 17.0 [4.1]/6.4 [3.6]/16.6 [3.0], respectively. Regarding patient masking, none of the subjects commented in the questionnaire that they had received a non-penetrating needle. Of 60 penetrating and 60 non-penetrating needle applications, 48 (80.0%) and 25 (41.7%) applications elicited skin penetration sensation and 48 (80.0%) and 20 (33.3%) applications elicited de qi, respectively.

Conclusions
These needles have the potential to mask both practitioners and patients from the type of needle used in acupuncture research.

You can read more about this study here.

How To-41: "How to Improve Your Health as a Diabetic"

2010-02-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

This is not a cure but rather tips for improving and preserving the health of a diabetic. According to health experts, type 1 diabetes cannot be cured, because it is a form of pancreatic dysfunction, which results when insulin producing cells cannot make enough insulin to process glucose in the body. Type 2 diabetes, however, can usually be prevented or controlled by diet and exercise, because Type 2 diabetes is typically the result of insulin resistance, which is caused by physical inactivity and poor diet.

Steps

Drink an ampalaya (bitter gourd/bitter melon) tea. It is well known for helping diabetic patients to maintain their blood sugar at healthy levels. Banaba tea is one of the best sources of plantisul (plant insulin). Consult your endocrinologist, diabetes educator, or dietitian before beginning this or any alternative treatment.
Maintain a healthy diet. Follow the advice of your doctor or diabetes educator.
Exercise. If it is medically safe, start exercising 30 minutes a day. A 30-minute walk at a good pace for the diabetic individual will help to reduce blood sugar, and possibly the amount of medication needed. Have a plan for exercise when taking insulin or using blood sugar lowering drugs, because exercise lowers blood glucose, and can possibly result in hypoglycemia.
Take doctor prescribed insulin regularly, and on time!
Attend all laboratory tests and doctors" appointments.
Have your hemoglobin A1c test done every 3 months or as directed by your physician. Aim for a value of 6.5% or less as recommended by the American Diabetes Association. This test measures your average blood sugar levels over a period of 2-3 months and is a strong indicator of overall glycemic control.
Stop smoking! Smoking raises blood sugar levels, damages blood vessels which can lead to heart disease and stroke, and adversely affects circulation due to constriction of blood vessels. Heart disease, stroke, and circulation problems are frequent complications of diabetes, even in non-smokers; a diabetic smoker is "adding fuel to the fire", greatly increasing his or her risk of developing these complications.
Be prepared for hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. These conditions are more common in patients taking insulin, but can occur in other situations.
- Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, occurs when the blood sugar level is above 126mg/dL (7mmol/L). It can occur as a result of stress, insufficient insulin, too much food, or an issue with oral diabetes medication. Symptoms include frequent thirst, frequent urination, unusual hunger, fatigue, and irritability. Untreated hyperglycemia is a leading cause of complications from diabetes, thus it is important to recognize and treat hyperglycemia as directed by your physician. Treatment includes adjusting insulin treatment (frequently, patients using insulin will simply take a correction shot based on the level of their blood sugar), or adjusting oral medications. While patients taking insulin will typically adjust their insulin dosages to lower blood sugar, patients taking oral medication or patients using diet or exercise will typically have to adjust their carbohydrate intake to control blood sugar. Untreated hyperglycemia can rapidly progress into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is life-threating and frequently requires hospitalization. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, unquenchable thirst, diarrhea, and muscle cramps. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms of DKA, SEEK URGENT MEDICAL ATTENTION.
- Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, occurs when the blood sugar level is below 70mg/dL (3.9mmol/L). It can occur as a result of stress, too much insulin, too little food, or an issue with oral diabetes medication. Symptoms include shakiness, tremor, rapid heart beat, sweating, and clamminess. Untreated hypoglycemia can rapidly progress into seizures, coma, or death; thus, it is very important that hypoglycemia is quickly recognized and treated as directed by your physician. In any situation where the patient believes that he or she is suffering from hypoglycemia, the patient should confirm with a blood sugar test; however, the patient should treat immediately if they feel that the hypoglycemia is severe and it would take too long to test. Treating the low blood sugar is paramount. Mild hypoglycemia can be treated by the patient and usually involves consuming 15 grams of carbohydrates, in the form of sugary (not diet) soda, juice, glucose tablets/gel, or occasionally a small snack in the form of crackers, pretzels, hard candy, etc. It is important to note that candy bars such as Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, etc. contain a high amount of fat and can slow the absorption of sugar from the candy bar; therefore, it is not advised that patients use high-fat candy bars to treat hypoglycemia as the blood sugars may not rise fast enough to prevent any further and possibly severe drops in blood sugar. Once the patient has treated, they should wait 10-15 minutes and test his or her blood sugar to confirm that blood sugar levels have risen above 70mg/dL (3.9mmol/L). If the blood sugar levels are still below 70mg/dL (3.9mmol/L), the patient should repeat the treatment process, and if upon testing again after 10-15 minutes blood sugar levels are still below 70mg/dL (3.9mmol/L), the patient should treat once again and consult his/her physician immediately. If the patient has a meal planned within the next 30 minutes, the patient should continue as normal and continue to monitor his or her blood glucose to check for any additional episodes of hypoglycemia. If his/her next meal is beyond 30 minutes, the patient should consume a small snack (1/2 of a sandwich and an 8oz glass of milk, or a pack of peanut butter crackers). Severe hypoglycemia is an urgent medical condition that requires immediate intervention, and can frequently require intervention from a third-party. It can occur when blood sugars fall very rapidly, or when the patient suffers from hypoglycemia unawareness. Severe hypoglycemia can result in fainting, seizures, or death. Treatment may or may not be possible by the patient themselves due to significant impairment, however, the main idea is still the same: raise blood sugar levels as rapidly as possible. This can be achieved using oral carbohydrates, but in a situation where a patient is unconscious, unable to swallow, or having a seizure, outside intervention is necessary. Two types of injections are used to treat severe hypoglycemia: glucagon and intravenous dextrose solution (D50). Glucagon is a hormone produced in the body that acts an opposite to insulin; it blocks the blood sugar lowering ability of insulin and stimulates the liver to release glucose into the blood from energy reserves. When used as treatment for severe hypoglycemia, the solution is injected intramuscularly and produces results in 1-2 minutes. The patient will typically feel nauseated and may vomit shortly after injection. However, this treatment is ineffective if the liver is depleted of glucose stores and in such cases, intravenous dextrose (sugar) solution is necessary. IV dextrose will awaken an unconscious person whom is suffering from severe hypoglycemia in seconds. IV dextrose is commonly referred to as "D50" by emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

Tips

Always follow your doctor"s prescriptions and guidelines, including, but not limited to: checking blood sugar as directed, taking insulin/medication as directed, following a meal schedule if necessary, and attending all doctors" appointments and laboratory tests.
Regular eye, kidney, and foot checkups are advisable.
Communication with one"s health care professional is essential in developing an effective treatment plan for diabetes; by working together with one"s health team, a diabetic is much better prepared to handle the illness.
Have and know how to use a glucagon emergency kit, and instruct family members and roommates on how to use it. It may save your life if you have severe low blood sugar and are unconscious. The paramedics may not arrive in time.

Warnings

This is not a substitute for professional medical care.
If you have "cotton-mouth" and are urinating frequently, you may be in ketoacidosis: seek urgent medical attention!
If you feel faint/lightheaded, have a quickened heart rate, and are clammy, you may be having an insulin reaction - immediately treat for hypoglycemia as directed by your physician.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

www.joslin.org
www.cdc.gov/diabetes/index.htm
www.jdf.org
www.diabetes.org
www.stormpages.com/sbhagwat/ "It"s Your Life - A Practical Handbook for Chronic Ailments" & "The Caregiver"s Manual" (free ebooks)

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world"s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Improve Your Health as a Diabetic. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

One is the loneliest number

2010-02-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

There"s an article in today"s NY Times about how the social circles of Americans are shrinking to include family, a spouse, or sometimes no one at all. It says that about 25% of all Americans have no close confidants at all.

The article"s pretty short, go read it; it won"t take long. But I was interested to see this paragraph:

The study "should provide a wake-up call to our society," said Bill Maier, a vice president and psychologist in residence with Focus on the Family, the evangelical Christian group. "We"re missing out on deep, meaningful interpersonal relationships."

Focus on the Family. One of the most virulently anti-gay, not to mention, anti-gay-marriage organizations out there. On one hand complaining about the fact that we aren"t forming "deep, meaningful interpersonal relationships," but on the other hand, fighting against the ability of gay Americans to form healthy, stable, and long-term relationships.

There"s something ironic in there, but I just can"t quite put my finger on it.

Red Meat And Cancer

2010-02-04T06:43:00.000-08:00

I"m a vegetarian so I"m always pleased to see research like this which confirms that meat eating is not the great option that many people thik it is:

(Editors" Summary of A Prospective Study of Red and Processed Meat Intake in Relation to Cancer Risk by Amanda J. Cross, Michael F. Leitzmann, Mitchell H. Gail, Albert R. Hollenbeck, Arthur Schatzkin, and Rashmi Sinha Read the full article

Background.
Every year, there are more than 10 million new cases of cancer around the world. These cases are not spread evenly across the globe. The annual incidence of cancer (the number of new cases divided by the population size) and the type of cancer most commonly diagnosed varies widely among countries. Much of the global variation in cancer incidence and type is thought to be due to environmental influences. These include exposure to agents in the air or water that cause cancer, and lifestyle factors such as smoking and diet.

Researchers identify environmental factors that affect cancer risk by measuring the exposure of a large number of individuals to a specific environmental factor and then monitoring these people for several years to see who develops cancer. The hope is that by identifying the environmental factors that cause or prevent cancer, the global burden of cancer can be reduced.

Why Was This Study Done?
Diet is thought to influence the incidence of several cancers but it is very difficult to unravel which aspects of diet are important. Being overweight, for example, is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing several types of cancer, but the evidence that the intake of red meat (beef, pork, and lamb) and of processed meat (for example, bacon, ham, and sausages) is linked to cancer risk is much weaker. Although several studies have linked a high intake of red meat and processed meat to an increased risk of colorectal cancer (the colon is the large bowel; the rectum is the final few inches of the large bowel before the anus), whether this aspect of diet affects the risk of other types of cancer is unclear. In this prospective study, the researchers have examined the association between meat intake and the incidence of a wide range of cancers.

What Did the Researchers Do and Find?
In 1995�1996, nearly half a million US men and women aged 50�71 y joined the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. The participants in this study�none of whom had had cancer previously�completed a questionnaire about their dietary habits over the previous year and provided other personal information such as their age, weight, and smoking history.

The researchers used these data and information from state cancer registries to look for associations between the intake of red and processed meat and the incidence of various cancers. They found that people whose red meat intake was in the top fifth of the range of intakes recorded in the study (the highest quintile of consumption) had an increased risk of developing colorectal, liver, lung, and esophageal cancer when compared with people in the lowest quintile of consumption. People in the highest quintile of processed meat intake had an increased risk of developing colorectal and lung cancer. The incidences of other cancers were largely unaffected by meat intake.

What Do These Findings Mean?
These findings provide strong evidence that people who eat a lot of red and processed meats have greater risk of developing colorectal and lung cancer than do people who eat small quantities. They also indicate that a high red meat intake is associated with an increased risk of esophageal and liver cancer, and that one in ten colorectal and one in ten lung cancers could be avoided if people reduced their red and processed meat intake to the lowest quintile.

However, although the researchers allowed for factors such as smoking history that might have affected cancer incidences, some of the effects they ascribe to meat intake might be caused by other lifestyle factors. Furthermore, because the study"s definitions of red meat and processed meat overlapped�bacon and ham, for example, were included in both categories�exactly which type of meat is related to cancer remains unclear.

Finally, most of the study participants were non-Hispanic white, so these findings may not apply to people with different genetic backgrounds. Nevertheless, they add to the evidence that suggests that decreased consumption of red and processed meats could reduce the incidence of several types of cancer. (Read the full article)

Additional Information.
Please access these Web sites via the online version of this summary at http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0040325.
The American Cancer Society provides answers to common questions about diet and cancer
Information is available from the charity Cancer Research UK about diet, healthy eating, and cancer
The American Institute for Cancer Research also provides information on diet and cancer.
The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study presents information on the impact of diet and lifestyle factors on risk of cancer
The US National Cancer Institute provides information about the kind of food questionnaire used in this study

Read the full article

Health Facts-6: "You are Taller in the Morning!"

2010-02-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, you are actually taller in the morning! This is because you have been lying down in bed during the night, which gives the disks separating your vertebrae, the opportunity to expand, thereby making you just a bit taller. By the end of the day, the disks have compressed again, making you shorter.

Tween Times, Supplement to The Times of India, Chennai, June 1, 2008.

Grateful thanks to The Times of India.

A Taste of "Duh"

2010-02-04T03:18:00.000-08:00

Label on a pack of oral birth control:

"Do not take this medication if you intend to become pregnant."

That would be a little counterproductive, wouldn"t it?

My other personal favorite is probably the "may cause drowsiness" warning on Lunesta and Ambien. If they didn"t, I"d probably demand a refund.

What is ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

2010-02-04T02:26:00.000-08:00

Imagine living in a fast-moving kaleidoscope, where sounds, images, and thoughts are constantly shifting. Feeling easily bored, yet helpless to keep your mind on tasks you need to complete.

Distracted by unimportant sights and sounds, your mind drives you from one thought or activity to the next. Perhaps you are so wrapped up in a collage of thoughts and images that you don"t notice when someone speaks to you.

For many people, this is what it"s like to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. They may be unable to sit still, plan ahead, finish tasks, or be fully aware of what"s going on around them.

To their family, classmates or coworkers, they seem to exist in a whirlwind of disorganized or frenzied activity. Unexpectedly - on some days and in some situations - they seem fine, often leading others to think the person with ADHD can actually control these behaviors.

As a result, the disorder can affect the person"s relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem.

ADHD, once called hyper kinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, is one of the most common mental disorders among children. It affects 3 to 5 percent of all children and perhaps as many as 2 million American children.

Two to three times more boys than girls are affected. On the average, at least one child in every classroom in the United States needs help for the disorder. ADHD often continues into adolescence and adulthood, and can cause a lifetime of frustrated dreams and emotional pain.

What are the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment?

In order to better understand how to deal with you or your child"s ADHD, we have compiled a number of resources for your convenience. These include articles, web site links, FAQ"s and online counseling sessions with our Clinical Psychologist, Michele Carelse (an expert in dealing with ADHD) as well as downloadable eBooklets on ADHD.

ADHD Treatments Resources FAQ. Learn More...

Not the Sushi!!

2010-02-04T01:34:00.000-08:00

Went out for sushi last night with friends. That was fun. Unfortunately, I shortly afterward found myself covered in a maculopapular rash and was quite nauseated. I"m hoping it"s a viral thing. I wish there were some way to figure out what it was in the sushi that I might have been allergic to. I don"t really want to rechallenge a food allergy by mistake. :(

WAH!!! I like sushi!

Ok, whining has officially ended.

Healing Power of Poetry

2010-02-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

I am reproducing material from my poetry blog (Your Poems and My Poems), which I felt could find a place in this blog as it discusses about the therapeutic value of Poetry:

"Dr.Smiley Blanton, one of America"s great psychiatrists, wrote a charming book, "THE HEALING POWER OF POETRY". He found, in his work with patients, that emotional troubles could be helped by the healing properties of great poetry. (From "Treasury of Courage and Confidence" by Dr.Norman Vincent Peale).

(On an impulse, I tried Google Search for "Healing Power of Poetry" and got results within 0.34 seconds. It gave about 7890 links! I am furnishing details about one of the articles that I could access immediately and which also impressed me, namely, "Finding the Words to Say It: The Healing Power of Poetry" by Robert Carroll, UCLA Department of Psychiatry, Los Angeles CA 90024, USA. It was published in an Oxford University Press (OUP) jounral, namely, "Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine".

Another interesting feature of this article is it has been published under Open Access model and though the author retains copyright, "users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that: the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with the correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions{at}oupjournals.org."
http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/2/2/161

As the article talks about the therapeutic value of poetry, I think I should also post a copy in my other blog devoted to Alternative Medicine and Health.

Grateful thanks to Dr.Robert Carroll and OUP."

About Alternative Health Care

2010-02-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

Health care has become a major issue for most Americans. Costs are skyrocketing, many of us do not have health care coverage and a visit to the doctor can prove both costly and unfruitful. The typical medical doctor has spent about eleven years in college and residency programs to earn their degree. While well educated, sometimes they don"t have all the answers.
Due not to poor education, but

Skeptico welcome you to the 10th Skeptics� Circle

2010-02-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

Go visit Skeptico and read all the wonderful stuff there. As expected the hottest topics this time around are critical thinking and pseudoscience, but also great writing about quackery, the paranormal, Urban Legends and historical revisionism, with a few others to round out the list.

I reported on the debate between Michael Shermer and Kent Hovind. As I don"t live in the USA - it"s harder to understand why somebody takes creationism seriously, but I realised they have reason to do.

And then Skeptico introduced "goddidit", - a phrase used by theists to express the idea "I don"t know". It differs from the common usage of "I don"t know" in that it implies that "I don"t wish to find out, either."

So now I know why Skeptico think that "Goddidit" is much easier to explain. It�s not science, it�s nonsense, and it is easy to explain.

(You could also say God did it, but "how did God do it?")

Well as Skeptico wrote, one of my favourite subjects is definitely Homeopathy, because I consider Homeopathy as this century"s quackery (hopefully nobody will get tired of this - except for the homeopaths). I still wonder why homeopathy remains one of the most popular complementary therapies despite the inability to reproduce the anecdotal evidence in clinical trials. If any effect on homeopathy it is quite unknown to science.

I haven"t read everything yet - but I will soon - and I encourage everyone to check the 10th Skeptic"s Circle out. It"s a great one.

I"m really looking forward to putting the next edition together in about two weeks from now.

I"m Home Again: Pet Reincarnation Brent Atwater. Blogtalk Radio 2nd show

2010-02-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

Pet Reincarnation- I"m Home Again, a Dog"s Never Ending Love Story! on Amazon .com October 2008

Blogtalk Radio call in show

Due to an overwhelming response we"re doing

ANOTHER Pet Past Life and Pet Reincarnation show
This Wednesday night Jan 23rd 9pm EST
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/BrentAtwater

Call in and ask Brent Atwater hosting I"m Home Again, a Dog"s Never Ending Love Story-Pet Reincarnation
your questions or share your story!

Please Pass this to all your freinds that might be interested! and post on all the pet groups and forums in which you are a member

I"m Home Again, a Dog"s Never Ending Love Story: Pet Reincarnation Series-
Inspiring hope in animal lovers suffering pet loss and grief.
www.myspace.com/petreincarnation

Brent Atwater -Pet Intuitive, Pet Medical Intuitive Diagnosis, Pet Energy Healer
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/BrentAtwater

Web Sites: http://www.brentatwater.com/ or
http://www.justplainlovebooks.com/

Email: Brent@BrentAtwater.com
[P} NC 910-692-5206 [F} NC 910-692-5103 USA
Mobile: 404-242-9022 USA

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How Could You Benefit From Osteopathy And Holistic Massage?

2010-02-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Osteopathy is a system of manual medicine used to diagnose and treat a wide variety of complaints, specifically tailored to each individual. The spine is used to diagnose not only the main areas of musculoskeletal strain but also which of the organs of the body are working well and which are under stress.

By restoring mobility to the spine and extremities by removing restrictions and working on the soft tissues and joints, the spinal nerves that supply the muscles and organs can be stimulated or relaxed and blood circulation and drainage can be improved to allow the whole body to work more efficiently. Treatment involves rhythmic joint movements, with gentle stretching and soft tissue manipulations and cranial osteopathy can also be applied with the intention of rebalancing the whole body resulting in improved musculoskeletal health as well as internal organ and immune functioning.

Treatment can be given to any age from babies suffering colic and restlessness from birth trauma, toddlers with recurrent ear or chest infections, school children carrying heavy bags and students spending long hours hunched over a computer. These tensions all build up and can be aggravated in our working life when long hours are spent at the desk or driving. Pregnancy is another time when our bodies are under greater strain and the aches and pains of pregnancy and also strains produced during labour can be eased. In old age the joints can stiffen and osteopaths regularly treat and help to alleviate arthritic pain.

Bowen Technique is also suitable for all ages from babies to the elderly and consists of gentle precise rolling moves applied over specific areas of the body. The treatment is highly relaxing whilst stimulating the bodies ability to restore its own structural integrity. Frequent pauses between moves allows the patient"s body the time to respond and benefit from each series of moves. Bowen has helped many problems including muscle pains and spasms in the back and neck, whiplash, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow and R.S.I.. Patients with M.S. have reported increased energy and improved flexibility in the limbs. The minimal approach allows people with M. E., tension, stress, depression and fatigue to also respond very favorably. Migraine, headaches, sinus problems, TMJ dysfunction or jaw problems and hay fever have often shown remarkable benefit. Asthma and respiratory difficulties, lymphatic drainage and sponatural36f energy, promote healing, relieve pain and enhance sports performance.

Holistic massage also has many benefits and is one of the most natural healing arts.The refined touch and varying strokes of the massage practitioner help to soothe, tone and stimulate repair and regenerate the body tissues and organs. This can leave the recipient feeling more energetic, lighter, uplifted, calm and confident. It is ideal for those wanting a more hands on approach. Treatments aid relaxation and help to relieve stress and tension, whilst easing muscle stiffness and improves joint flexibility and mobility by increasing blood and lymphatic flow. Holistic Massage can aid the recovery of the body after injury and reduces the formation of excess scar tissue and improves elasticity and tone. Tension related headaches will usually respond to this form of treatment with many pain clinics referring patients suffering headaches for massage. Massaging the whole body helps to aid digestion and improves elimination of waste, it has also been shown to help reduce high blood pressure. Overall massage reduces anxiety and helps to release blocked emotions and may help to elevate mood.

About the Author:

At York Natural Health - http://www.yorknatural-health.co.uk - our aim is to stimulate your body"s healing response, to bring improved health and well-being, naturally. Alison and Annette Jowett both have a family background of living by the principles of alternative medicine and bring the wisdom of three generations of living in this way to their treatments.

Swine Flu Prevention And Treatment

2010-02-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

Here"s some great advice from Grace DaSilva-Hill, a homeopathic practitioner:

The best way to keep well is to not connect with the type of fear and alarm that we sometimes hear in the news; eat well with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, drink a lot of good quality water, and supplement with good quality Vitamin C if you feel you need it; many people are taking the herb Astragalus which is what I normally recommend in the winter months to boost the immune system.

Several of my patients (adults and children) have now had swine flu, and I am pleased to say that they have all recovered with the use of homeopathic remedies.

Another way to keep well is to take your constitutional homeopathic remedy; I advise that people take this at least once a year to strengthen the immune system; this way you can cope with anything that may come your way.

There is also a combination of 3 hom. remedies that I have been recommending to people to take as prophylaxis (twice weekly) to avoid getting the flu.

Visit Grace"s web site.

Free Travel First Aid Kit

2010-02-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

we are curently offering a free travel first aid kit with two of our Probiotic lines:

1. Travla - minimise the chance of a holiday tummy by taking Travla probiotics. This natural health formula is a proven formulation of unique probiotic strains designed to support the traveller�s digestive health and immunity while abroad.

2. DiarSafe - Our product contains extra strength S. boulardii, an internationally acclaimed probiotic to help naturally support bowel health, comfort and function during episodes of diarrhoea. S. boulardii has undergone extensive clinical research proving its ability to flush out pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella and its therapeutic benefits against diarrhoea.

Ten tips for immune nature increase system

2010-02-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

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fish bone: Used in time approximately 4000 years in traditional Chinese medicine. Early Chinese, limning remember it in manner of "chief tonic". fish bone is a favourite immune constructeur system among nature health association. This good for colds, immune-deficiency- touched markets, in a that date AIDS, cancer, and growths.

Orange-pekoe: you, at a case, can boost their fight against grippe with orange-pekoe. In recent studies, people, which gargled with black stop exhibition tea twice per day, specified high immunity a virus grippe, compared to people, which no gargle with orange-pekoe. An orange-pekoe gives sediment obviously one biggest fountain flavonoids--natural class antioxidants, which find he in many nature plant-, got foods.

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Liquorice: Scientific studies specified, that liquorice stimulates immunity. His inclination to protect a virus grippe and bacteria are settled by the use it not only for cure, but and for plans a flu in time epidemics. Root liquorice it is no necessary used in case high blood pressure, aquatic blocks up a weir, pregnancy ni if cure.

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Alzheimers Disease Can Be Cured With Pomegranate Fruit

2010-02-03T02:33:00.000-08:00

A Research conducted at the Loma Linda University, US revealed that the Pomegranate fruit should essentially be one among the �must-eat� items in one�s regular diet.

The research conducted on mice that were given pomegranate juice, experienced 50% less degeneration of brain cells, compared to their counterparts, who drank only sweetened water.

This indicates that pomegranate juice helps cut risk of Alzheimer�s disease by fifty percent.Also, researchers at Israel Institute of Technology are of the opinion that drinking 60ml of pomegranate juice everyday prevented the absorption of bad cholesterol in the body of diabetics and helped protect their arteries.

(Alzheimer�s disease is a brain disorder, comprehensive information on Alzheimer"s disease, memory loss, Alzheimer"s care and Alzheimer"s treatment about Alzheimer"s Treatment, Alzheimers prevention and symptoms and Alzheimer"s Alzheimers Support, Alzheimer"s Symptoms, Signs Alzheimer"s disease information - Alzheimer"s symptoms, Alzheimer care, stages of Alzheimer"s, Alzheimer"s caregiver, treatment, medication, prevention Diabetes Symptoms, Symptoms of Diabetes.Learn about type 1 type, 2, and gestational diabetes symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, diet, management, and diabetes prevention)

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I Really Wish...

2010-02-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

I could post something that was good news, because right now I"m breaking into the blogosphere with a crash of pessimistic thunder and accompanied by an armada of dark storm clouds.

Unfortunately, I hope you brought your umbrella, because a federal judge just suspended a state law requiring pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception, otherwise known as "Plan B." According to the article, the law unconstitutionally violates pharmacist"s freedom of religion:

The rules appear to force pharmacists to choose between their own religious beliefs and their livelihood, Judge Ronald B. Leighton of the U.S. District Court in Tacoma wrote Thursday.

Some pharmacists believe the emergency contraceptive pills, also called "morning-after pills," are tantamount to abortion because they can in some cases prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.

"Whether or not Plan B ... terminates a pregnancy, to those who believe that life begins at conception, the drug is designed to terminate a life," the judge wrote in a 27-page order granting a preliminary injunction.

As a little background, Plan B consists of a package containing two 0.75 mg tablets of levonorgestrel, a form of progesterone. One tablet is intended to be taken as soon as possible, with the second tablet following 12 hours later. The sooner the first dose is taken, the better; this is a drug where time is crucial. Because Plan B is now available "over the counter," it may be true that if one pharmacist refuses to dispense the drug that the patient can simply go to another pharmacy. But what kind of option is that? Every minute counts. And isn"t it possible that every pharmacist within reasonable distance of your home might refuse you EC just because they don"t think you should be permitted to have it?

It doesn"t help that few people actually understand the science behind Plan B, even pharmacists. 25% of pharmacists surveyed in North Carolina thought Plan B was an abortion pill like mifepristone (RU-486), which will actually terminate an early-term pregnancy. 5% who knew that it wasn"t RU-486 still thought it could somehow directly induce an abortion. They"ve apparently forgotten their physiology; part of the way that the body maintains pregnancy is jacking up serum progestins to keep the endometrium from sloughing off and dumping out an implanted fetus with the next menstrual load. No wonder they"re opposed to it; they have no idea how it works! In fact, RU-486 works because it"s an synthetic anti-progestin steroid. And it"s commonly cited that Plan B works by preventing implantation, which is only partly true; like other oral contraceptives, Plan B also alters cervical mucus and the action of the fallopian tubes. It may even prevent ovulation entirely, depending on where the woman taking it is in her cycle! It may, in many cases, prevent union of sperm and egg altogether. Even if it didn"t, refusal to dispense EC but dispensing other oral contraception is logically inconsistent. They have identical mechanisms of action.

Think about it this way. Suppose you were seriously injured and losing large amounts of blood. You desperately need a blood transfusion. The attending physician at the ED appraises your condition and shakes his head. "This patient is bleeding to death," he says to his colleague, "but there"s nothing we can do. It"s for his own good that we not save his life. I won"t be responsible for condemning his immortal soul."

Sound impossible? Maybe. But a woman recently died during delivery of twin babies for refusing a blood transfusion. She was a Jehova"s Witness, and her religious beliefs prevented her from recieving blood transfusions. It is common legal and ethical precedent that physicians cannot treat patients without their consent. And a doctor who refused to treat patients on the basis of his or her religious beliefs could potentially be sued for malpractice. Why can"t the same be done for a pharmacist? Pharmacists have been sued over this issue in the past; why in the world would a court overturn that ruling now?

Perhaps the issue is one of urgency. Any layman can tell you that severe hemorrhage is potentially fatal, and very quickly so. But what about symptomatic iron-deficiency anemias? Treatment protocol for patients experiencing significant shortness of breath or other potentially serious problems includes an infusion of red cells. Can you imagine a doctor telling a patient, "it"s okay, just take iron supplements for the next month, eventually you"ll get better without a blood transfusion?" It might potentially be true, but does that mean it"s good medicine? It"s vastly subpar care with no medical basis or scientific evidence to back it.

The article mentions that most people "can get Plan B without a pharmacist," but as I understand the matter, that"s an issue of state law as well. Where I work, a patient must present an ID to purchase Plan B, and all sales must ultimately go through the pharmacist. If the pharmacist refuses to sell Plan B and finds out that a technician has violated this decision, the technician could very easily be fired. How many technicians will risk their jobs like this?

In summation, I really have to agree with one of the activists quoted by the article:

"I think this is another step on the assault on women"s rights to control our own bodies," said Helen Gilbert, an activist with the group Radical Women. "If [pharmacists"] beliefs are in conflict with doing this job, then they should do a different job." [Emphasis mine.]

Absolutely. To quote a pharmacist I used to work with, refusing to dispense oral contraceptives or emergency contraception is like a Christian Scientist getting a medical degree and then refusing to treat anyone except with prayer. Why would you take the job if you find it incompatible with your belief system? You are responsible for certain things as a medical professional. If you don"t like them, find another line of work.

Success! (Tales of Vacation part 5?)

2010-02-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

The fatigue finally lifted yesterday. I guess I was just really tired. I highly recommend periodic vacations. They"re good for resting and recharging.

I cleaned my house (which I hadn"t done in an embarassingly long time.), hauled away a bunch of garbage, vaccuumed, dusted, swept, mopped, organized, and generally finally got things taken care of. I"m now left with the biggest pile of laundry ever! That"s today"s project, along with getting my oil changed, taking 10 boxes to goodwill, and going to work (just for a couple of hours, I still have a week of vacation left). I"m just a bit of a slow starter this morning, because I stayed up until 3am enjoying my clean house. I should look into getting a house cleaner. I know, it"s the wussy way out, but I love having a clean house so much, and if someone else did the actual cleaning, I could spend more time organizing (and goofing off!). The other thing (and this is not for the squeamish, is that in vacuuming, I vacuumed up so much cat hair (I only have 2 cats, I"m not a crazy-cat-lady (yet?)) that it filled my vacuum canister a couple of times. I can already tell that my allergies and asthma are grateful; but it got me thinking, wouldn"t it be easier to vacuum the cats instead? Hah.

I also booked a trip to Chicago for a couple of days. Hey, the price was right, I"ve never been (except for O"Hare airport, and that doesn"t count), and what the heck, I"m on vacation!

I also finally went back to Ikea, and I had enough energy to make some furniture decisions. I ended up buying: the blue Henmes drawers, the granitas table (I may hate glass dining tables, but for whatever reason, I liked this one. If I stop liking it, I can throw a tablecloth over it), the poang chair and ottoman, and some other random stuff.

Healthy Facts About Potatoes

2010-02-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

Throughout America, potatoes are the most popular vegetable, even being ahead of other well known vegetables such as lettuce and onions. You can cook potatoes in a variety of ways, and they are included in one out of three meals eaten by almost all Americans. When they are prepared in a healthy way, a potato can be an excellent source of energy and also pack a nutritional punch.

Like oranges, potatoes are very high in vitamin C. The fact is, one medium potato contains 45% of the vitamin C that"s recommended for good health. Potatoes are also high in fiber and carbohydrates and contain more potassium than a banana.

A potato is naturally low in calories and contains no fat, sodium, or cholesterol. The skins of the potatoes provide a helpful dose of fiber, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and several B vitamins.

You can prepare potatoes by boiling them, steaming them, or even roasting them. If at all possible, you should avoid putting potatoes in the refrigerator or freezing them, as cold will turn the potato starch to sugar and cause them to turn dark when they are cooked.

When you store potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark place. Too much light will cause them to turn green. You can store them in the basement if you have one, as the basement is the best place to keep potatoes.

From mashed potatoes to baked potatoes, a potato is something we all know and love. They serve many different tasty foods, and they provide our bodies with plenty of healthful benefits. We all eat potatoes, some of us even grow our own. Whether you grow your on or buy them, the potato is the one vegetable that makes everything just a little bit better.

The Sum of Four Years

2010-02-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

I got the summary of my procedure logs from residency in the mail the other day. It"s kind of funny to think, "this is the sum of four years of victory and defeat, immense joy, and some of the most unimaginable pain you could ever think of", which all sounds melodramatic, but really is true. I can truthfully say that my residency was the best time of my life and the worst time of my life. I"m like Mowgli, but instead of being raised by the jungle creatures, I feel like I was raised by obstetricians, and my childhood can be summarized as follows:

Surgery on antenatal patients:
Appendectomy 1
Laparoscopy 17
Cerclage 9

Abdominal Hysterectomy:
Total/subtotal hysterectomy with/without removal of tubes/ovaries: 78
Radical hysterectomy (for cervical cancer) 2
Hysterectomy after Cesarean delivery 1
Other abdominal hysterectomy 13

Vaginal Hysterectomy:
Vaginal hysterectomy with or without removal of tubes/ovaries: 23
Laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy: 9

Laparotomy:
Removal of ovaries: 7
Laparotomy for ectopic pregnancy: 4
Removal of Mass: 16
Myomectomy: 10
Other laparotomy* 98

Incontinence and Pelvic floor:
Urethral suspension: 1
Paravaginal repair : 5
Anterior/post repair: 32
Other incontinence repair: 24

Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery: 437**

Forceps Deliveries
Low/outlet forceps: 27
Mid/rotational forceps: 1

Vacuum Deliveries: 49

Cesarean deliveries: 226

Breech presentation delivered vaginally: 12***

Multifetal deliveries:
Twins: 18
Triplets+: 2

Low birth weight:
500-1000: 18
1000-1500: 23
1500-2500: 34

Operative laparoscopy: 91

Hysteroscopy/operative: 32
Hysteroscopy/diagnostic: 47
Other hysteroscopy****: 38

Conization of the Cervix: 35

Induced abortion (Medical or surgical): 88

Surgical sterilization: 117

Vaginal Ultrasound: 118

Miscellaneous: 353^

Endocrine/Infertility Surgery: 118
Uro-gynecology: 49
Surgery for invasive cancer: 76

Outpatient/primary care visits:
hypertension: 353
Diabetes: 173
Thyroid disease: 82
Dermatologic: 38
Gastrointestinal: 156
Respiratory: 46
Breast probs: 89
Geriatrics^^: 147
Behavioral medicine:292
Immunization: 45
Peds/adolescent: 59
Preventative care: 329
Other ambulatory: 277

For a total of 2086 outpatient visits in 4 years.

Wow. It"s really weird to see the most formative years of my life summed up in numbers like that (some of which I suspect weren"t documented quite right, like the 98 "other" laparotomies). I remember every single forceps, every single breech presentation delivered vaginally, and every single surgery for invasive cancer I did (half to 3/4"s of the cancer patients I operated on as a resident have now died of their disease).

* I don"t remember what other laparotomy really means... maybe exploratory laparotomy/lysis of adhesions?

** Um... I probably did more like 600-700, but I stopped counting after 2 years of residency

*** My favorite!!

**** I can"t imagine a hysteroscopy that"s not either diagnostic or operative, those are the only kinds there are!

^ Um.. what 353 cases did I do that don"t belong into those catagories above?

What kind of atheist are you?

2010-02-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

The Ardent Atheist
The results are in, and it appears that you have scored 61%...

You are an atheist, pure and simple. You think God is just one big lie, and consider religious people to be both annoying and beneath you. Ardent atheists will argue tooth and claw for their position, and have no truck with people that won"t listen. You think being an atheist is the only way to lead an honest life, and see no reason to accept the pleas of faith. Ardent atheists are the backbone of atheism. Be proud.

Link: The Atheist Test written by chi_the_cynic on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

(Hat tip: Science & Politics)

Things I wish I didn"t have to figure out

2010-02-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

For unexplained persistent postpartum tachycardia in an otherwise healthy 12 year old, does one call an adult cardiology consult or a pediatric cardiology consult?

How many commandments are sacred, again?

2010-02-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

The cryptotheist ID-brigade seem to find no tactic beneath them in their quest to bring down science and replace it with creationist nonsense. No lie is too egregious. Lie upon lie upon lie; it"s all grist for the mill.

The makers of Expelled have taken lying to the form of art, or at least artifice. They lied to obtain their interviews - lied about the film"s title and purpose, lied in the film, lied in marketing it. The whole "not bearing false witness" thing is apparently only a suggestion. Certainly it doesn"t carry the force of the cryptotheist"s only commandment - "Promoting creationism"s lies shalt be the whole of the law."

But it doesn"t end there. Apparently a few other biblical commandments are also mere suggestions, not, well, commandments.

Like the one about not stealing. Like the XVIVO video, which Dembski stole (and lied and lied about), and which has now been oh-so-slightly altered in Expelled. So that"s two.

But wait, maybe there"s more.

"Neither shall you desire your neighbour�s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."

(Yipe. Owning slaves is right there in the commandments. God really likes slavery. You think God could have said "Hey, that slavery thing is not on. Cut it out already." somewhere in amongst all the stuff about honoring parents and six days shall you labor and coveting asses... nope. Apparently slavery is just dandy by God.)

Okay, now, science class belongs to, well science -- hence the name. That"s what it"s for. Putting cryptotheist preaching about demonstrably non-science creationism in there by dressing it in pseudo-scientific clothing doesn"t make Jacob into Esau. That"s coveting what belongs to science.

Go argue about whether creationism is literally true in bible class - many churches have one. A few of them even read bits of it. Pity none of the good bits seem to sink into the cryptotheist creatard ID-crowd.

So I reckon that"s three. Seven left*. Come on, IDists, you"re not trying hard enough! Murdering good taste or Darwin"s reputation, or just basic logic... that"s not what Yahweh was on about (probably) - it"s just incredibly shitty behaviour.

*(well, 11 or 12 or so, actually - it depends on whether you"re looking at Exodus or Deuteronomy, and how many separate things you really force together ... anyway, within the limits of the very confused structure, I can count that there"s about 14 or 15, not ten, which makes me an evil non-believer, because a true believer would agree that 14 or 15 is exactly the same as 10 and pi is three and I wouldn"t notice that Mary"s husband Joseph has two different fathers and I would overlook the fact that Jehoachin is both 8 and 18 and there"s way, way too many types of creatures in the world to stick them all on a modest wooden boat with all their food and with just a single extended family to look after them all for more than ten months... or was it seven? With that as an example, maybe it"s no wonder the IDists can never keep their stories straight for five minutes at a time.)

Now the thing is, even if it"s just three commandments, they"re forgetting something sorta important about Yahweh"s little carved-in-stone suggestions... he"s kind of pissy about people not keeping them. Right there in the text of the commandments. Okay, not quite evil ol" New Testament-style "eternal torture in hell" passive-aggressive pissy. Good ol" OT blood and thunder: "I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments". That"s plenty pissy, harming innocent children. He"s sure nifty, ain"t he?

So creatards, you really want to risk your grandchildren (and theirs, it seems, if god is counting okay this week, and feeling kinda smitey) in your evil little games? Are you sure? Or maybe you don"t actually believe it? In which case, what"s all the lying and stealing and shit for, anyway? Either you"re motivated by belief, in which case, you"re fucking with God"s laws, or you"re not, in which case, what, you"re just lying and stealing and so on because you want to put creationism in science class for the hell of it?

Morons.

You Didn"t Just Say That!

2010-02-02T03:48:00.000-08:00

Today, one of the secretaries at work said to me, "Are you ok? You look like you"re dying from cancer."

She"s a generally nice person, but I can"t believe she said that to me.

First of all, it"s not true. I don"t look that bad. I actually feel better than I have in a while. I"m maybe a little pale, but I"m always pale. My baseline skin color could be described as translucent pink. I"m still pink. Especially on 40mg prednisone/day. I"ve lost a little weight (ok, I"ve started wearing scrubs all the time because none of my pants fit any more), but since I"ve always been a bit overweight, I"m still fairly round. And besides, with the prednisone, I feel so puffy and sweaty and gross anyway, it"s not like the weight loss is visible.

I have some energy. I"m eating (and eating and eating and eating. The prednisone gives me this primal, instinctual hunger which GI doc says she approves of, but it"s kind of a bummer to wake up feeling like I have to EAT at 3am. It"s disruptive to my sleep). I"ve started working my routine 12 hour days again, and am actually getting some stuff done. I"m about to start running again, meant to last week, but I kept over-sleeping.

So, really, I"m far from looking like I"m dying of cancer. I much closer to my baseline state of round-bouncy-pinkness than I"ve been since May. Health wise, I"m better than I"ve been in months. I got some labs drawn today (GI doc appt on Monday). Hematocrit is finally up to 30, albumin is up to 2.7.

Secondly, who says that to someone? Is it just me, or is that kind of a bizarre thing to say?
I mean, even if it were true, which it isn"t. Especially from someone who, although maybe not quite a friend, has been a friendly acquaintance of mine.

And seriously, how should I respond to that type of stuff? What do you say in response to someone who says that?

Anyway, I"m just sort of perseverating about that tonight. I should go eat something and go to bed.

Also, if anybody has any high-protein midnight snack suggestions (protein seems to fill me up longer than other snacks), I"m all ears, and tired of eating cheese and yogurt and shrimp cocktail (although not together) at 3am every day. Maybe nuts. Maybe I could precook some chicken breasts and then nuke "m for 30 seconds. Seriously, any ideas?

I"m a mental twelve year old

2010-02-02T01:47:00.000-08:00

I actually got this in some animal crackers a while ago. It cracked me up then, and it cracks me up now. It just goes to show you exactly how juvenile I am.

Brought to you by the perverts at Barnum"s Animal Crackers.

Beyond Reason: Serious or Satire

2010-02-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

Last week, my University"s student newspaper, Imprint, included an article by Brendan Pinto, talking about the double standard between male and female sexuality. It was part of his regular column entitled Read This, Lest the Terrorists Win. You can read the entire article here. A few choice excerpts:

I�ve always subscribed to the notion that you should live and let live. Anyone can choose to sleep with however many partners they wish, and that�s completely fine with me. Unless you�re a girl, because, I mean that�s just gross.

The essence of this metaphor, as I understand it, is that if you can have sex without committing to a monogamous relationship, then why bother with dating at all? Don�t allow yourself to be tied down sharing a bed with just one girl. Let�s be honest, emotionally fulfilling relationships are for ugly people.

Genetic diversity is important to the survival of any species, thus men are hardwired to try and inseminate as many different women as they possibly can. That�s a scientific fact. On the other hand, if you are a girl and you sleep with multiple partners, you must obviously be a slut. A floozy, riding the trollop trolley to harlot town � population: you.

Now I�ve heard some people say that my views characterize women as objects whose express purpose is the gratification of men. I�m not arguing this, I jut thought I�d point out that people say that. But they also say that what I write is sexist, baseless and inflammatory. These angry feminazis really just need to get laid � but only once.

That should give you a pretty good impression of the content of that article, so now we come to the question: Serious or Satire? Was this written in the spirit of Coulter or Colbert? I know many of you will likely be thinking that this is obviously satire. He"s mocking the misogynist position in order to illustrate to all of us how absurd it is. Once you look at it in the context of his past article, it"s even more obvious.

But sadly, this wasn"t obvious to a number of concerned women on campus. A few excerpts from Letters to the Editor in this week"s issue, along with personal commentary because I just can"t help but ridicule those who took this seriously:

Somewhere at the back of my my mind, I am wondering whether Brendan Pinto�s article �Double the standard, double the fun� was writen purely for the sake of entertaining himself with hate mail.

So the back of your mind is thinking "Evil and twisted," while the front of your mind is focusing on the "evil" part. Hmm, if only there were a third possibility...

You walked yourself into a corner in your first paragraph � if female promiscuity is indeed frowned upon by you, then you wouldn�t be getting any. Unless you expect five girls to devote themselves to you and no other, which is nearly impossible unless you�ve planned your penile implants through and through.

Actually, he"s planning on 70, and he plans to make this possible through genetic engineering of the gender ratio. Reading comprehension fails again.

After reading your article I am once again reassured that it�s because of guys like you that girls turn to GLOW for comfort.

GLOW is "Gays and Lesbians of Waterloo," the campus club for, you guessed it, hockey. It"s Canada, every club is a hockey club (atypical sexual orientation places a far second in their goals). Now, if only sexual orientation weren"t genetic, you might have been witty there. As it is, you"re inadvertently discriminating against another group while attempting to defend your own.

And another letter says:

As an angry Feminazi (as this article has coined me, an individual appalled by last week�s editorial), I believe it is my duty to respond to �Double the Standard, Double the Fun,� and question Imprint�s lack of discretion in having printed an article that will affect 22,241 students, 48.2 per cent of which are female.

"Affect" them, you say? So, is this article jumping out of the pages of the newspaper and sexually molesting women? Or could it maybe be that it"s just words that once filtered through stupidity can at worst cause feelings of offense?

You call it satire. I call it sexism!

Wait, so satiring sexists is sexist itself? Your definition of satire might need a little work...

Both the University of Waterloo and Imprint must take responsibility for the printing of an article that infringes on the rights of its entire people.

Aah! The existence of words on a piece of paper in the Opinion section of the student newspaper is infringing on my right to... my right to... uh... not be exposed to satire of ideas I dislike and might mistake for being serious!

Some may argue that the author was "kidding" and that it was "satirical."

Some may also argue that gravity pulls things towards the ground. People tend to do that with blindingly obvious things.

Certainly, he aims to amuse those who share his opinion, but his belief regarding the inequality of women from a sexual standpoint remains. If this article was intended to exemplify the ludicrous notion of the gap of privilege between men and women�s sexual freedom, then it failed to demonstrate this is in its final paragraph, where it may have had the opportunity to redeem itself.

Alright, let"s drop the joking about, and let me explain the point of satire. The basic point of satire is to illustrate the absurdities of the opposing position. You obviously saw a lot of absurdities in what he said. But you seem to think that since he didn"t come clean at the end of the article and admit that it was satire, it had to have been serious.

The problem with that is whether or not you should be coming clean depends a lot on context. Take The Colbert Report, for instance. The show was originally pitched as "Colbert parodies the O"Reilly Factor," and Colbert will readily admit outside the show that it"s satirical. Yet within the show, he"s playing a character. Admitting it"s satire within the show would be breaking character. (Plus, this makes for hilarious instances where Republicans are idiotic enough to think he"s serious.)

When a normally-serious venue makes a satirical segment or article, on the hand, it"s generally best if they do come clean. I did this myself in an earlier post. The bulk of the article is satirizing the simple booklet that supposedly teaches you how to debunk evolution, but I put in a note at the end to make it clear that I was just joking around. (Granted, I never actually said it, but instead went into an increasingly ridiculous variant on the "shooting fish in a barrel" metaphor that at the least made my personal beliefs clear.) For another example, see this recent post at the Two Percent Company.

So then the question becomes, where does Brendan Pinto"s weekly column fit in? Look at the title: "Read This, Lest the Terrorists Win." Look at his first article. Look at his article in this issue. It"s constant satire. How distracting would it be if he came out at the end of each article saying so? That would surely get annoying fast.

Now, besides that, there"s another good reason he shouldn"t be admitting it"s satire. This reason is that leaving it this way makes it more likely to convert people over to his actual way of thinking. Take the case of the rational person who"s initially neutral to this debate and thinks this is serious. They"ll see that it"s utterly ridiculous, and will likely come out against the satirized position.

Now take the case of someone who"s initially in agreement with the satirized position, and thinks this is serious. They might be suckered into accepting these flawed arguments, and then go on to later use them themselves, ultimately making them look ridiculous and easy to take down. On the other hand, they might think about the whole thing logically and see clearly that these arguments are flawed. If they can come up with reasonable arguments for their position, nothing might happen from this. But if they can"t, they might be lead to start questioning whether their position is logically supportable at all. None of this would happen if they knew it was satire; they"d just reject it entirely as the other side"s propaganda rather than think about it logically (okay, some people are better than that, but a lot aren"t).

The problem, of course, is that some people on your own side might think you"re serious, and get ridiculously mad. If they take the time to present logical arguments against your ridiculous claims, there"s no real harm done to your cause. Unfortunately, sometimes people don"t bother with argument and instead resort to censorship. Imprint received a petition asking for Brendan to be fired and for a formal apology for the article. They were fortunately wise enough to not do so, and instead published a community editorial, written by the arts editor, explaining the situation. This is a good move--they"re explaining that it"s satire without Brendan breaking character.

In the end, though, this raises concerns for people"s gullibility. There was a frightening number of people who didn"t realize this was satire and got quite angry about it. Perhaps it"s the existance of people who seriously do believe such insane things that"s the problem. If no one ever said something like this seriously, people would be more likely to jump to the conclusion that it"s satire. Instead, people are expecting to be viciously attacked. When they see something like this, instead of realizing this is an ally, they see the attack they were suspecting. Confirmation bias, perhaps?

On the other hand, it"s also possible to be fooled in the other direction. When I first stumbled across Jack Chick"s tract on evolution, it was so ridiculously bad that I thought it had to be satire for quite a while. What finally clued me in that he was serious was a misstatement of fact, where the professor supporting evolution agrees with the straw man that evolution also includes cosmology, nuclear chemistry, astrophysics, and abiogenesis. This is something a satirist would never do. A satirist uses the other side"s bad arguments, but the actual facts. If their false facts are left in, the audience won"t be able to see through it like they will the arguments, and those will remain even after the arguments have been stripped away.

Skepticism isn"t always about paranormal claims. Sometimes the skeptic"s toolbox must be applied to situations like discerning whether or not someone is being satirical. Failing to do so can lead you to end up making a mockery of yourself.

Food Borne Illness

2010-02-01T22:38:00.000-08:00

This post may be TMI.... so you may want to move along now.

No... really, feel free to just wander over to the next blog. I recommend The Blog that Ate Manhattan, her pictures from Roanoke are great!

Really? I think the Shrink Rappers are podcasting this weekend.

TinySurgeon"s got a great post about being a gunner.

Don"t you want to read the New York Times? You can do it online now, you know.

OK.... you asked for it! About a week ago, I cooked a chicken. Actually, after getting it home and butterflying it, I decided it was the biggest chicken I"d ever seen. Anyway, covered it in lemon, pepper, thyme, olive oil and then broiled it.

Well, after cooking it (and I thought I had cooked it to an internal temp of 165), I let it rest for a few minutes and then ate it. Come to find out later, my probe thermometer is not working correctly. About 2-3 days ago, I was eating a drumstick from said chicken and chomped into an area of raw chicken.

Now, because of the large scale poultry farming, chickens can carry salmonella and campylobacter. I"m really quite careful about chicken. It has it"s own cutting board. I refrigerate it quickly. I really am all about food safety.

Now, I think I have Salmonella. I won"t go into why. That really would be TMI. Why can"t I just get lucky, once in a while? If 20% of US chickens are infected with Salmonella, that means that 80% are not. Oh, statistics, why did you fail me?

All you younguns out there, make sure that you cook your chicken properly!

Salmonella is, apparently, a self-limited problem. And, apparently, outside of the immunocompromised or hospitalized, antibiotics aren"t supposed to have much of a benefit. I"m still considering them. I"m a naughty doctor.

How to Use Natural Means from the Ulcers Caused Pilorusami Helicobacter

2010-02-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

One of bacteria which live in your mouth and cause gingivitis, is helicobacter Pilorusami or Pilorusami H. This bacterium is transferred, kissing. All have this bacterium in it or her mouth and a stomach. You mainly have possibly received it when you were the boy and have been kissed by your parents and all kinds of relatives.

When these bacteria enter into your stomach and a thin gut, they wait for possibility to the repeated. When you eat unhealthy food, overeat, connection products it is wrong, use NASID"s or have continuous pressure, superfluous acid of a stomach is created. It weakens alignment of a stomach and gives ????????? H. Chance to insert into these weak areas and repeated.

How to make you use natural means to reduce a stomach ulcer? Is to two proved methods to make it.

At first you can use Mastic Rubber.

In a recent problem of Increase of Life Ezine this history has appeared,

"My daughter has been diagnosed with Pilorusami H. When its doctor insisted on giving its antibiotics, it has decreased, and the doctor thought, that it was silly to do so. Instead my daughter continued ????-Lori II modes. After 4 weeks it has been checked up again, and its levels ????????? H. Have sharply fallen, showing 50 %-s" reduction in a pathogenic microorganism. Needless to say, its doctor has been amazed. Mariann Hardington, Ontario"

????-lori II product which contains mastic rubber. Pure capsules of rubber of mastic are accessible. Mastic rubber, pitch, arrives from juice of a tree of mastic to the Mediterranean.

Action of rubber of mastic in a stomach or intestines should kill H. pyloric bacteria and to reduce and cure ulcer ignition.

Second you can use Licorice Deglycyrrhizinated or DLG.

DLG - the natural product made of a grassy root ??????????. Researchers have found DLG so effective in ulcer consideration as use of drugs Tagament, Zantac, Prilosec, or Prevacid.

DLG stimulates release secretin which protects alignment of a stomach or intestines. In the past neutralised means acid were used, that ?????????? ulcers. As neutralised superfluous sodium, aluminium, by-effects, such as a diarrhoeia, a lock have means acid, and lift stomach acid, it is better not to use them.

DLG enters into tablets which need to be chewed or are terminated in a mouth. DGL it is made active by a saliva to make chemicals which help to restore cells in the inflamed areas of your stomach and intestines.

Typical use for DLG makes 750 - 1500 mg taken for 30 minutes prior to food intakes. Use for approximately 7 - 15 weeks.

Adding to the Growing List

2010-02-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

Epididymal Superinfection needs to be the name of a band.

The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity

2010-02-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

If you want have beautiful body you can try this medicine.What leading experts are saying about the Body Ecology Diet: "No one has ever put together all that we need to know about recovering and enhancing immunity - until now. I am making it a must reading for all my patients with candidiasis, immune disorders and food allergies
Product Features
Plan meals with dozens of delectable recipes, menus, and detailed shopping lists!
Learn simple principles of proper eating and food combining to rebalance your internal ecology.Use effective cleaning methods to restore your system"s harmony.
* Develop strategies for controlling your urge to snack and for dining away from home.

Stroke: Stroke Damage Treatment- Paralysis and Energy Healing

2010-02-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Stroke: Stroke Damage Treatment- Paralysis and Energy Healing

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Seed Money - the Law of Tenfold Return

2010-02-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

When we give our Seed Money and claim our return we must KNOW that our tenfold return has ALREADY been made. Any thoughts that the return will only be made in the future will postpone our return indefinitely.

Imagine that you have the return in hand. That much you must do. Then, to that add the mental picture of exactly what you are going to do with the return. If you intend to spend it, see yourself obtaining exactly what you want and using it. Go through the details of whatever is its function several times.

Money is God"s activity, that it does good when it serves need. I use it with wisdom; I release it with joy; I send it forth without fear for I know that under Divine Law it comes back to me.

The individual"s only relief from poverty is to get himself out of the vicious cycle of thinking of need and poverty and stop focusing on these, and instead focus on sharing, giving and being willing to receive.

Learn how to apply the Law of Tenfold Return, "The Classic Seed Money in Action" by Dr. Jon Speller and Kathleen Shedaker.

Read Article � Seed money

Health Tips-20: "An Apple A Day"

2010-02-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

Eating an apple a day during pregnancy will not only keep the doctor away, but it can also help lower the risk of their kids developing asthma and wheezing. The finding is based on a study published in the September 2007 issue of the journal, Thorax, in which researchers found that when women ate apples during pregnancy, their offspring tended to have a significantly lower risk of asthma and wheezing when they reached age five.

As a part of their study, the researchers followed 1253 mother-child pairs and studied their dietary intake. The study also backs up the findings of an early study published in the European Respiratory Journal in June that found a link between apple juice consumption and a reduction in wheezing among children. Among children who experienced what was characterized as �current wheeze� (where the child had wheezing or whistling in the chest in the last 12 months), there was a significant dose response association between consumption of apple juice and a reduced incidence of the wheezing.

Researchers found that drinking apple juice made from concentrate and consumption of bananas one or more times a day (compared to drinking apple juice or eating bananas less than once a month) was directly associated with improvement of wheezing occurrences. Authors of the Thorax appear suggest that apples help kids because they have a powerful phytochemical content, which includes flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and phenolic acids � ANI.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Sunday Magazine, Dec. 9, 2007.

Grateful thanks to The Hindu.

Because we just don"t have enough months

2010-02-01T09:05:00.000-08:00

I discovered from soyisthenewblack that this is NoBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month. I guess NBPM was less pronouncable. Trying to make a blog post every day for a month is an interesting idea. I don"t know if it will just make me blog more, or if my blogging will suffer in quality. We shall see.

Health Benefits Of Herbs

2010-02-01T05:49:00.000-08:00

How soon we forget how important a role herbs play in our health. The benefits of these natural remedies are so reliable, they"re incorporated in many medicines and treatments, under the chemical name of their active ingredients. Sadly, in many cases the law now prohibits the selling of herbs for any health benefits because that would be practicing medicine without a license. This leaves us with one solution for almost every health problem...an expensive pill.

History Of Herbal Medicine: Pharmaceuticals are not necessarily the answer. For thousands of years, people have relied on herbal remedies for everything. Just in the last couple hundred years, have drugs been the treatment of choice. Even now, with all the medicines available, most of the world prefers the traditional herbal cures and personal attention of herbalists. Herbs like garlic, aloe and echinacea are so commonly known for their benefits, they"re included in thousands of products. Some countries have successfully blended medicine and herbs, but most of the West has abandoned herbal medicine as being quaint and amateur.

Herbs In Medicine Today: The arrogance of this position is revealed by the fact that most of the medicines today are mere chemical compounds extracted or duplicated from the active ingredients of the herbs. Thanks to the marvels of modern science, what was effective and relatively harmless when self-administered by the average person, has now been synthesized into something so concentrated it can have extremely harmful side-effects, requires years of double-blind testing, and a doctor with an advance degree and board certification to administer it.

I remember my doctor scorned me for taking Niacin in high doses to help control my blood triglycerides. He stopped that practice and put me on a medicine...my triglycerides doubled in 3 months. Then he changed my medicine to something new, which turned out to be extremely effective. It was a cholesterol medicine combined with Niacin, to control triglycerides. Now that we know cinnamon is effective to control diabetes by lowering blood glucose and cholesterol, they"re trying to make an expensive medicine out of that. Now, there"s nothing wrong with taking the active ingredients of herbs and making concentrated medicines...what"s wrong is preventing people from marketing the herbs based on their known health benefits.

The Law And Herbal Remedies: That"s what happens in the USA and in many other countries, where a company selling Niacin, for instance, is prohibited from putting on the label the fact that it controls triglycerides. You can buy cinnamon capsules, but the manufacturer isn"t allowed to tell you it"s effective in controlling diabetes. This is true of hundreds of herbs. Even when the herb in it"s natural form is as effective and much less harmful than the synthetic alternative, the company can"t tell you their product is useful for managing, preventing, treating or curing any medical condition. Needless to say, a whole world of inexpensive treatment options is being outlawed and forgotten because of our love affair with the pill.

Health Benefits Of Herbs: I"m not a medical doctor and don"t treat anything or prescribe anything. There is very little that ails us today that hasn"t been treated at some time with an herb. Because I"m just a regular guy and no expert, I always caution people to seek medical advice from a licensed doctor before using any herb for any health purpose. In the interest of preserving herbal knowledge, we"ve begun compiling plain-language information on the health benefits, uses and cautions attributed to various herbs and natural substances. Since we don"t package or distribute any products, we should be able to continue to provide the information free of charge. That way, although the manufacturer can"t tell you, you can still know about the value of herbs and other health supplements.

There really is no question that herbs have played a major role in our health. They continue to do so in their natural form and in the medicines that synthesize their active ingredients. We can all benefit greatly from the rich history of natural remedies and preventatives. If we choose not to forget, we can find great value in using both medicine and herbs as powerful weapons in our fight against illness.

About the Author
Glen Williams is Webmaster at E-Health-Fitness Nutrition Exercise And Illness Help and Founder of E-Home Fellowship (EHF), Co. He has counseled and helped people on life and health issues since 1987. You can comment on his articles at his Health And Fitness Forums.

Welcome to the blogolution

2010-02-01T04:16:00.000-08:00

How cool is it that WILL has a blog?

Now

2010-02-01T03:53:00.000-08:00

I sat down to eat breakfast (or lunch, considering it was about noon) and turned on CNN, to see that Time had named Bush II it"s Man of the Year. As it went to commercial the promo made it clear that the Bush story was going to keep going on and on and on. So I flipped over to PBS, to find Now With Bill Moyers on.

Now is a great show and I don"t watch it often enough. Of course, no one else does either, because it"s more than ten minutes long, contains facts, and no one is shouting at anyone else. This episode was all about the media. Shortly after I came in, it turned it"s eye to the right-wing media machine and how it is distorting our perception of the world. Like how the Swift Boat vets can quickly write a book, go on O"Reilly"s show, then talk radio, and Drudge will pick up and put it on the net. Moyers had one guest, Richard Viguerie, described as the founding father of the conservative movement, claiming, "That�s what journalism is, Bill. It�s all just opinion. Just opinion."

That"s a dangerous suggestion, and I think one that goes to the heart of the media today. Sure, we all have our own personal opinions and biases, but what makes a good journalist and even a good scientist, is the desire and the attempt to set those biases aside and just look at the facts. If all news is opinion, who"s opinion isn"t news? Then it"s ok to create a network and a media movement where everything is slanted in one direction. After all, it"s all just one opinion, right?

Moyers then said a short goodbye to the show, since this is his last broadcast on the show. He had a great quote, which I will have to paraphrase here, "News is what powerful people don"t want known. Everything else is just publicity." With this White House, and it"s obsession with loyalty and security, that"s truer than ever.

Nerve Injuries & Nerve damage Treatment: Energy Healing for Restoring

2010-02-01T02:19:00.000-08:00

Nerve Injuries & Nerve damage Treatment: Energy Healing for Restoring
Nerve Disease, Nerve Disorders & Peripheral Neuropathy

Whether you have a pinched or severed nerve, sciatica, peripheral neuropathy, diabetic neuropathy symptoms, stroke or brain damage, a nerve injury creating paralysis, or any loss of physical sensation or movement, nerve damage is an annoying and dehabilitating chronic condition that can benefit from energy healing.

Dr Robert Becker in his book "the Body Electric" was a pioneer in discovering that electromagnet impulses could regenerate neural pathways and restore nerve function. Directed electromagnetic impulses can re establish muscular movement thru electrical current stimulation. According to CBC News, "The functional electrical stimulation rowing machine, developed by researchers in Edmonton and England, helps people with disabilities (paraplegics and others) enjoy the benefits of regular exercise." Christopher Reeves used electrical muscle stimulation on his legs to prevent atrophy and within his diaphragm to encourage breathing movement and maintain lung function. Even the acute pain exacerbated by nerve injury is relieved with focused electrical impulses. TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) machines deliver small electrical pulses to the body via electrodes and has widespread clinical use for pain relief from nerve damage.

Energy Healing is a form of electromagnetic stimulation. According to James L Oschman, "Healing energy, whether produced by a medical device or projected from the human body, is energy of a particular frequency or set of frequencies that stimulates the repair of one or more tissues." Energy healing directed by a healer focuses electromagnetic energy stimulation into the energy field and physical body of the client. This transfer of directed electromagnetic frequency stimulation affects the clients cellular molecular system and the "cascade of activities initiated by such signals may provide essential information to cells and tissues, and open channels for the flow of information that coordinates repair processes and for restoring normal function after trauma." Energy Healing is non-invasive and there are no clinically documented adverse events in existing literature.

The table below, demonstrating the electromagnetic frequency used for restoration is taken from Sisken & Walker in 1995.

Table 1Healing effects of specific frequencies (frequency windows of specificity)
Frequency Effects
2 Hz Nerve regeneration, neurite outgrowth from cultured ganglia
7 Hz Bone growth
10 Hz Ligament healing
15, 20 and 72 Hz Decreased skin necrosis, stimulation of capillary formation and fibroblast proliferation
25 and 50 Hz Synergistic effects with nerve growth factor

Today medical research has confirmed that the application of directed therapeutic electromagnetic energy fields �can convert a stalled healing process into active repair, even in patients unhealed for as long as 40 years� (Bassett 1995). The mechanism by which �active repair� is initiated probably involves both activation of specific cellular activities and the opening of the channels or circuitry for the natural biological communications required for initiating and coordinating injury repair thru the focused electrical impulse stimulation inherent in energy healing. The independent case study research data: INTENSIVE HEALING FOCUS: Paralyzed dog�s spinal cord nerves, discs and vertebra regenerated published in Dr. Daniel Benor"s The International Journal of Healing and Caring illustrates the benefits of healing energy in traumatic nerve injury.

As a medical intuitive and distance energy healer, research continuously confirms the evidence based healing abilities of electromagnetic impulse energy healing.
Traditional procedures and treatments will eventually merge with what we now call alternative medicine, to become the " integrative medicine" of the future. At that time, each client will derive a greater benefit from all healing modalities that are available to them.

Feel free to reprint this article in its original format.

Contact Information:
Brent Atwater, Alternative Medical Specialist
Medical Intuitive, Distance Energy Healing
ATL, GA Phone: 404.242.9022 USA
NC Phone: 910.692.5206 USA
Website: http://www.brentatwater.com/
Email: mailto:Brent@BrentAtwater.com

Disclaimer: Brent Atwater is not a medical doctor or associated with any branch of medicine. Brent works in Alternative & Integrative Medicine. She offers her opinions based on her intuition, and her personal energy healing work, which is not a substitute for medical procedures or treatments. Always consult a physician or trained health care professional concerning any medical problem or condition before undertaking any diet, health related or lifestyle change programs. As in traditional medicine, there are no guarantees with medical intuition or energy work.

How To Get Rid Of Falling Hair?

2010-02-01T00:38:00.000-08:00

Falling hair is a common problem among teens and adult person. The main cause of falling hair is dandruff. It is often itchy if you have dandruff, and you feel like always irritable over the things you are doing. In short, you are not comfortable because of dandruff.

Some natural treatment will help you get rid of your falling hair. Wash the scalp with vegetable soap kneading it thoroughly while the lather is on it. Wash the hair thoroughly until all the soap is out of the hair. Then take a teaspoonful of pure olive oil and rub in. Olive oil is best because it has the smallest molecule of any oil to make it easier for the dandruff to come out. Massage your scalp well everyday. It is good for treating loose dandruff. Rub in olive oil every now and then. If you have a long hair, brush it with a brush, a hundred strokes everyday. Massage the scalp with the fingertips, rotating in so doing.

If your problem is how to treat your dry scalp, the following remedy is reported: put your hands on the back of your head, filling your lungs with air. Bend forward and back as far as you can several times. This brings the blood to the hair, nourishes the roots, and brings new moisture to the scalp. Always had sunshine for your head on the morning because sunshine has a stimulating effect on the hair follicles.

Herbal Pain Relief

2010-02-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

When you experience pain of any sort what is the first thing you think of? You want to rid yourself of the pain as fast as possible and as naturally as possible without a lot of side effects, right? Well, there are many different ways to go about pain relief. You can call a doctor and ask for a prescription or, if you are more health oriented, you can look into a more natural cure and choose Herbal Pain Remedies.

How do you know which herbs accomplish which tasks? Below you will find a list of the 50 most common Herbal Pain Remedy Herbs and what condition they relieve.

>>> Common Herbal Pain Remedies:

** Herb ** -- ** Relieves **

Aloe Vera -- Burns Black
Cohosh -- Menopause Symptoms
Boswellia -- Arthritis and Joint Injuries
Chamomile -- Digestion Problems
Coffee -- Athletic Stamina, Decongestant in Colds Flu and Asthma
Cranberry -- Urinary Tract Infections
Echinacea -- Colds and Flu Evening
Primrose Oil -- Rheumatoid Arthritis
Flaxseed Oil -- Menopausal Discomfort, Osteoporosis
Garlic -- A type of Antibiotic, Cholesterol Control, and Cancer Prevention
Ginger -- Motion Sickness, Morning Sickness
Ginkgo -- Alzheimer"s Disease, Mental Acuity, Erection or Libido Problems, Anti-Depressant Induced Sex Problems, Altitude Sickness
Ginseng -- Athletic Stamina, Immune Enhancement, Diabetes, Erectile Dysfunction, Low Sperm Count
Goldenseal -- Digestive-Tract Infections
Hawthorn -- Congestive Heart Failure
Hibiscus -- Hypertension Horse
Chestnut -- Varicose Veins
Lemon Balm -- Relaxation, Herpes
Licorice -- Sore Throat
Papaya -- Herniated Disks
Peppermint -- Indigestion, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Red Pepper -- Pain Relief Saw
Palmetto -- Benign Prostate Enlargement
Tea -- Heart Health, Cancer Prevention, Bad Breath, Gum Disease, Athlete"s Foot
Turmeric -- Arthritis, Joint Injuries
Valerian -- Insomnia
White Willow Bark -- Back Pain

The above are a list of the 50 most common Herbal Pain Remedies. There are many more out there that you can try and use however; these are just a look at the ones that are used on a regular basis. Some of these works well alone to relieve your pain and some of them actually work to relieve the condition that the pain is caused by.

As you can plainly see from this shortened list of Herbal Pain Remedies, there are many different herbs out there that have healing or pain relief features. The secret is to identify the pain, including the source of the pain if possible, and then search for an herb that will relieve your pain. Once you have the pain manageable, then further investigate and locate an herb that will ease the ailment that caused the pain.

I can not guarantee that there is an herb that will cure every ailment but if you are thorough and consistent when it comes to checking for cures and pain relieve of a given ailment, you will surely be able to receive some assistance in both pain relieve and hopefully becoming healthier.

In conclusion, the body is a very complex unit. When part of the body becomes unhealthy it usually triggers a response of pain in one sense or another. If you are careful to use Herbal Pain Remedies, your body will stay healthier and may actually repair the damage that is causing the pain and not just mask it.

About the Author
Chinese Herbs Direct health store has been providing quality traditional chinese medicine and formulas including herbal pain relief remedies for over four years. Visit us today! (c) ChineseHerbsDirect.com 2008

The Best Way To Lose Weight

2010-01-31T21:57:00.000-08:00

Weight loss is one of life"s greatest challenges. Most people see so much food that their hunger is always stimulated. The world have resulted in the highest obesity rates the past few years.

Most people try multiple times to lose weight, but they almost always end up gaining it back and sometimes even end up worse off than when they started. So to actually lose the weight and keep it off, there are a few tips to keep in mind.

The answer to sustained weight loss is arguably one of the biggest questions in our time. I do not recommend surgery, and others recommend diets, some people try appetite suppressants and other weight loss medicines. Obesity in general is becoming a disease.

The average diet is seen as a temporary solution that doesn"t last for a long period of time. Most weight loss programs fail, since most diets will be circumvented when dieters revert to old eating habits. This entire process shows need for the changing of one"s lifestyle overall, and not just a temporary change to conform to a diet.

Lifestyle changes aren"t painful, such as a diet, and therefore can be sustained. You have to be persistent to lose weight. Others are trying fat blockers too. But it is still best to work out naturally in burning calories. You have to burn those fats by engaging in physical exercise. Sleep early, wake up early in the morning and run or jog. Many are trying to get running supplements by looking at the Internet. But I again recommend you to make the best for yourself and be active in physical exercise. It may be effective in some way but not all the time.

Avoid Dying Before Your Time

2010-01-31T19:26:00.000-08:00

Smoking, high blood pressure and being overweight are the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), with collaborators from the University of Toronto and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The researchers found that smoking is responsible for 467,000 premature deaths each year, high blood pressure for 395,000, and being overweight for 216,000. The effects of smoking work out to be about one in five deaths in American adults, while high blood pressure is responsible for one in six deaths.

It is the most comprehensive study yet to look at how diet, lifestyle and metabolic risk factors for chronic disease contribute to mortality in the U.S. The study appears in the April 28, 2009 edition of the open-access journal PLoS Medicine.

"The large magnitude of the numbers for many of these risks made us pause," said Goodarz Danaei, a doctoral student at HSPH and the lead author of the study. "To have hundreds of thousands of premature deaths caused by these modifiable risk factors is shocking and should motivate a serious look at whether our public health system has sufficient capacity to implement interventions and whether it is currently focusing on the right set of interventions." Majid Ezzati, associate professor of international health at HSPH, is the study"s senior author.

The researchers also found large effects from a series of other preventable dietary and lifestyle risk factors. Below are the numbers of deaths in the U.S. due annually to each of the individual risk factors examined:

Smoking: 467,000
High blood pressure: 395,000
Overweight-obesity: 216,000
Inadequate physical activity and inactivity: 191,000
High blood sugar: 190,000
High LDL cholesterol: 113,000
High dietary salt: 102,000
Low dietary omega-3 fatty acids (seafood): 84,000
High dietary trans fatty acids: 82,000
Alcohol use: 64,000 (alcohol use averted a balance of 26,000 deaths from heart disease, stroke and diabetes, because moderate drinking reduces risk of these diseases. But these deaths were outweighed by 90,000 alcohol-related deaths from traffic and other injuries, violence, cancers and a range of other diseases).
Low intake of fruits and vegetables: 58,000
Low dietary poly-unsaturated fatty acids: 15,000

All of the deaths calculated in the study were considered premature or preventable in that the victims would not have died when they did if they had not been subject to the behaviors or activities linked to their deaths.

Dear Dr.Resident

2010-01-31T17:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Dr. Resident:

I know I should probably send this letter to you. Or read it to you. But I"ll be kind. I"ll work out a less honest version for you.

I know you should have heard this feedback on Thursday morning, when you cornered me to ask why certain attendings didn"t like you. But to be honest, 3am is not a good time to corner me if you want honesty. I was ~19 hours into ~30 hours of work and I would have said anything to anybody anywhere in order to get to my bed. I don"t expect you to understand this, because you"ve never had to work for more than 12 hours in a row.

You ask me what it is that the attnedings have against you?

I"ll tell you: You don"t seem to care about the patients. You care about the obediance you get from your junior residents, you want the attendings to tell you that you"re doing a good job.

You"re not doing a good job.

You spend the whole shift bitching about how hard it is to take care of 15 patients in labor. You bitch about having to put orders in the computer. You bitch about being expected to know the patients at signout, especially when there"s only 2 of them. You bitch about the fact that I tell you that you need to read something, even just 15 minutes, every day.

You bitch about the fact that I didn"t let you do the breech extraction when you wouldn"t help get the patient settled in to her labor room. You wouldn"t consent her for the breech extraction. You wouldn"t take the 5 minutes needed to talk to her about the possibility of a need for an emergency c-section if something went awry with the breech extraction. Not to mention the fact that you"re a 3rd year resident, you"re in charge of labor and delivery, and at this point, even if you"ve never had to deal with a head entrapment at a breech delivery, you should have at least read about it and thought about it.

You weren"t even busy then. The breech delivery was not a surprise. It was our plan.

You complain about all the scut even though you have 2 interns and 2 pgy 2"s that you make do nothing but scut. They don"t even make it to their vaginal deliveries because they"re doing your work. The rotators are here to learn how to catch a baby, not to learn how to get you a coke, gather your charts, or whatever else it is you"ve conned him into doing.

You become angry with me when I direct your attention to an ominous fetal tracing. You administer contraindicated medications to people in renal failure, and become angry and defensive when I draw your attention to the fact that demerol is probably not a great drug for someone with chronic renal insufficiency.

Guess what? None of this has escaped my notice, and I suspect that the attendings of the month are giving you a hard time because your behavior hasn"t escaped their notice.

If you want good evaluations, just take good care of the patients. It"s always the quietly effective people who take care of their junior residents (rather than take advantage) that get the good evaluaitons from me.

If you can"t find a way to care about taking care of the patients, please find some other career; because when you"re an attending or a fellow and you have to get up at 2am to take care of a patient with a real problem, you have to care.

And tomorrow, I am going to have to discuss all of this with you, because I care, and I feel bad for not having told you at 3am on Thursday morning.

Sincerely,
Me

Lumps of Clay

2010-01-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

I"ve been taking a pottery class for the last couple of weeks. I needed at least one outside interest, you know, outside of medicine.

I mean, I like my blog and stuff, but it seemed like I should have some sort of hobby or activity that involved at least periodic contact with humans outside of work. I like most of the people I work with.... but I"ve had this fantasy about having a hobby for years. So, I thought I"d try it out.

A few weeks ago, a pottery class through the community ed program caught my eye. I signed up. It"s on Thursdays for 12 weeks, and I realized I"m not on call on any Thursday for the next 12 weeks.

So, now I do 3 hours of pottery every Thursday evening.

And I love it! It"s like... my hands can make the clay into things! I always felt a bit stupid when it came to artistic stuff. I can"t draw (not even stick figures), my paintings look something like Picasso"s, only somehow, weird messed up proportions and odd colors are only good when he did them! (just kidding... my paintings really look like the tempura and watercolor masterpieces that every parent keeps from their child"s kindergarden years).

So, I thought it was unlikely that I"d be any good at pottery. Pottery being art and all. But I made a vase today.

On the wheel.

Go me!

Clay"s fun. Clay wants to become pottery. You just have to gently guide the clay into being what it"s trying to be. If you try to force it, or make it do something it"s not ready to do, it won"t work for you. But if you listen to the clay, if you team up with the clay, you can bring out structures and forms that are lurking inside the clay.

Not that I"m that good... but I feel like I _get_ pottery in the same way that I get forceps. Or...surgical tissue planes. I don"t know the word for it. It"s a state of being without thinking discrete thoughts, but knowing what to do. A way being with the clay, or being with the pelvis or being with tissue that you know what the clay or the pelvis or the tissue will let you do.

It"s amazing.

I guess I have a hobby now! Yay!

Pottery. Who"da guessed?

Psychological Health

2010-01-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

SAFE - NATURAL HERBAL REMEDIES FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH

* Mood Support
* Stress & Sleep
* Learning & Concentration

Often, we do not focus on psychological health as vigilantly as we do an individual"s physical health, regardless of gender or age. But like our physical wellbeing, we must also be attentive to our psychological, or mental, state to consider ourselves fully fit.

Many illness and conditions fall into this broad mental health spectrum such as learning disorders, concentration, tension, anxiety - test taking is a prime example - panic attacks, mood swings, depression, and even sleeplessness.

To follow are a comprehensive set of herbal remedies to help you manage and optimize your health --- naturally and safely.
Click-here to learn more...

Soapwort As Alternative Medicine

2010-01-31T08:23:00.000-08:00

Soapwort As Alternative Medicine

Soapwort is an alternative medicine that has been used by mankind for more than 3000 years to the time of the Assyrians. Both its root and leaves are used for medicinal purposes. They are usually boiled in hot water and then strained.

It is excellent treatment for skin disorders such as acne, eczema, boils and psoriasis.
It is a remedy for gout, joint pain and rheumatic pain.
It is effective for respiratory complaints such as bronchitis, coughs, flu and cold.
It is an excellent expectorant.
It is also a laxative and diuretic.

Soapwort is safe for external use. However, it must not be taken orally unless under the guidance and instructions by a trained practitioner. When taken in large doses it can be toxic and purgative. Some side effects are tremor, tongue paralysis and dry mouth. Expectant or nursing women must avoid this herb.

Soapwort as a medicinal plant has a long history. Soapwort is not an alternative medicine used much by modern herbalists because of its purgative properties.

This Ends Now

2010-01-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

After having spent 5 days sleeping 12-14 hours/day and eating buckets of chocolate (although still exercising), I have to say that this ends now. I will clean my apartment, I will get out and do some shopping, and I will start getting up at a reasonable hour. I am on call at 8am on 12/30, and I must be able to get out of bed that morning. I also must continue to fit into my clothes.

So.

THIS

ENDS

NOW.

Central Tenets of Evolution Theory

2010-01-31T06:53:00.000-08:00

New Analyses Bolster Central Tenets of Evolution Theory
Pa. Trial Will Ask Whether "Alternatives" Can Pass as Science
By Rick Weiss and David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, September 26, 2005; Page A08

When scientists announced last month they had determined the exact order of all 3 billion bits of genetic code that go into making a chimpanzee, it was no surprise that the sequence was more than 96 percent identical to the human genome. Charles Darwin had deduced more than a century ago that chimps were among humans" closest cousins.

But decoding chimpanzees" DNA allowed scientists to do more than just refine their estimates of how similar humans and chimps are. It let them put the very theory of evolution to some tough new tests.

If Darwin was right, for example, then scientists should be able to perform a neat trick. Using a mathematical formula that emerges from evolutionary theory, they should be able to predict the number of harmful mutations in chimpanzee DNA by knowing the number of mutations in a different species" DNA and the two animals" population sizes.

"That"s a very specific prediction," said Eric Lander, a geneticist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., and a leader in the chimp project.

Sure enough, when Lander and his colleagues tallied the harmful mutations in the chimp genome, the number fit perfectly into the range that evolutionary theory had predicted.

Their analysis was just the latest of many in such disparate fields as genetics, biochemistry, geology and paleontology that in recent years have added new credence to the central tenet of evolutionary theory: That a smidgeon of cells 3.5 billion years ago could -- through mechanisms no more extraordinary than random mutation and natural selection -- give rise to the astonishing tapestry of biological diversity that today thrives on Earth.

Evolution"s repeated power to predict the unexpected goes a long way toward explaining why so many scientists and others are practically apoplectic over the recent decision by a Pennsylvania school board to treat evolution as an unproven hypothesis, on par with "alternative" explanations such as Intelligent Design (ID), the proposition that life as we know it could not have arisen without the helping hand of some mysterious intelligent force.

Today, in a courtroom in Harrisburg, Pa., a federal judge will begin to hear a case that asks whether ID or other alternative explanations deserve to be taught in a biology class. But the plaintiffs, who are parents opposed to teaching ID as science, will do more than merely argue that those alternatives are weaker than the theory of evolution.

They will make the case -- plain to most scientists but poorly understood by many others -- that these alternatives are not scientific theories at all.

"What makes evolution a scientific explanation is that it makes testable predictions," Lander said. "You only believe theories when they make non-obvious predictions that are confirmed by scientific evidence."

Lander"s experiment tested a quirky prediction of evolutionary theory: that a harmful mutation is unlikely to persist if it is serious enough to reduce an individual"s odds of leaving descendants by an amount that is greater than the number one divided by the population of that species.

The rule proved true not only for mice and chimps, Lander said. A new and still unpublished analysis of the canine genome has found that dogs, whose numbers have historically been greater than those of apes but smaller than for mice, have an intermediate number of harmful mutations -- again, just as evolution predicts.

New Analyses Bolster Central Tenets of Evolution Theory
"Evolution is a way of understanding the world that continues to hold up day after day to scientific tests," Lander said.

By contrast, said Alan Leshner, chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Intelligent Design offers nothing in the way of testable predictions.

"Just because they call it a theory doesn"t make it a scientific theory," Leshner said. "The concept of an intelligent designer is not a scientifically testable assertion."

Asked to provide examples of non-obvious, testable predictions made by the theory of Intelligent Design, John West, an associate director of the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based ID think tank, offered one: In 1998, he said, an ID theorist, reckoning that an intelligent designer would not fill animals" genomes with DNA that had no use, predicted that much of the "junk" DNA in animals" genomes -- long seen as the detritus of evolutionary processes -- will someday be found to have a function.

(In fact, some "junk" DNA has indeed been found to be functional in recent years, though more than 90 percent of human DNA still appears to be the flotsam of biological history.) In any case, West said, it is up to Darwinists to prove ID wrong.

"Chance and necessity don"t seem to be good candidates for explaining the appearance of higher-order complexity, so the best explanation is an intelligent cause," West said.

Simple and Hard

The controversy that has periodically erupted around evolution can be attributed at least in part to the fact that it is both simple to understand and hard to believe.

Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, working independently in the early- to mid-1800s, each came up with the concept of "natural selection." Each sought to explain the astounding diversity of life he found in exotic places, Darwin in the Galapagos Islands and Wallace in Brazil.

Their idea was this:

By some accident of nature whose workings neither man could explain, an organism may exhibit a variation in shape, color or body function new to the species. Although most of these new traits are damaging -- probably lethal -- a small fraction actually help. They may make it easier to hide from predators (like a moth"s coloration), exploit a food source (an anteater"s long tongue), or make seeds more durable (the coconut"s buoyant husk).

If the trait does help an organism survive, that individual will be more likely to reproduce. Its offspring will then inherit the change. They, in turn, will have an advantage over organisms that are identical except for that one beneficial change. Over time, the descendants that inherited what might be termed the "happy accident" will outnumber the descendants of its less fit, but initially far more numerous, brethren.

There are two important consequences of this mechanism.

New Analyses Bolster Central Tenets of Evolution Theory
The first is that organisms will tend to adapt to their environments. If the planet"s atmosphere contains lots of oxygen but very little methane gas, living things are going to end up tolerating oxygen -- and possibly even depending on it. But do not expect to see many methane-breathers.

This appearance of "perfect fit" makes it seem as if organisms must have been the product of an intelligent force. But this appearance of perfection is deceiving. It gives no hint of the numberless evolutionary dead ends -- lineages that, according to the fossil record, survived for a while but then died out, probably because changes in the environment made their once-perfect designs not so perfect anymore.

The second result of Darwin and Wallace"s mechanism is that over time it will create species diversity. As additional "happy accidents" alter an organism"s descendants over millions of years, those descendants will come to look less and less like other organisms with which they share a common ancestor. Eventually, the descendants will be able to mate only with each other. They will be lions and tigers -- each a distinct species, but both descended from the same ancient cat.

What is hard to understand about this process is that it is essentially passive. The mechanism is called "natural selection" because the conditions at hand -- nature -- determine which accidents are beneficial and which are not. Organisms do not seek ends.

Giraffes do not decide to grow long necks to browse the high branches above the competition. But a four-legged mammal on the savannah once upon a time was endowed with a longer neck than its brothers and sisters. It ate better. We call its descendants giraffes.

That a mechanism driven by random events should result in perfectly adapted organisms -- and so many different types -- seems illogical.

"Even today a good many distinguished minds seem unable to accept or even to understand that from a source of noise, natural selection alone and unaided could have drawn all the music of the biosphere," Jacques Monod, a French biologist and Nobel Prize winner, wrote in 1970 in the book "Chance and Necessity."

Natural selection was really hard to accept in Darwin"s day. But it has become easier with the discovery of genes, DNA and techniques that have made it possible to watch natural selection happen.

DNA is a stringlike molecule made up of paired beads called nucleotides. It carries the instructions for making proteins and RNA, the chief building materials of life. Individually, these instructions are called genes.

The random changes Darwin knew must be happening are accidents that happen to DNA and genes. Today, they can be documented and catalogued in real time, inside cells.

Cells sometimes make errors when they copy their DNA before dividing. These mutations can disable a gene -- or change its action. Occasionally cells also duplicate an entire gene by mistake, providing offspring with two copies instead of one. Both these events provide raw material for new genes with new and potentially useful functions -- and ultimately raw material for new organisms and species.

Richard E. Lenski, a biologist at Michigan State University, has been following 12 cultures of the bacterium Escherichia coli since 1988, comprising more than 25,000 generations. All 12 cultures were genetically identical at the start. For years he gave each the same daily stress: six hours of food (glucose) and 18 hours of starvation. All 12 strains adapted to this by becoming faster consumers of glucose and developing bigger cell size than their 1988 "parents."

The second result of Darwin and Wallace"s mechanism is that over time it will create species diversity. As additional "happy accidents" alter an organism"s descendants over millions of years, those descendants will come to look less and less like other organisms with which they share a common ancestor. Eventually, the descendants will be able to mate only with each other. They will be lions and tigers -- each a distinct species, but both descended from the same ancient cat.

What is hard to understand about this process is that it is essentially passive. The mechanism is called "natural selection" because the conditions at hand -- nature -- determine which accidents are beneficial and which are not. Organisms do not seek ends.

Giraffes do not decide to grow long necks to browse the high branches above the competition. But a four-legged mammal on the savannah once upon a time was endowed with a longer neck than its brothers and sisters. It ate better. We call its descendants giraffes.

That a mechanism driven by random events should result in perfectly adapted organisms -- and so many different types -- seems illogical.

"Even today a good many distinguished minds seem unable to accept or even to understand that from a source of noise, natural selection alone and unaided could have drawn all the music of the biosphere," Jacques Monod, a French biologist and Nobel Prize winner, wrote in 1970 in the book "Chance and Necessity."

Natural selection was really hard to accept in Darwin"s day. But it has become easier with the discovery of genes, DNA and techniques that have made it possible to watch natural selection happen.

DNA is a stringlike molecule made up of paired beads called nucleotides. It carries the instructions for making proteins and RNA, the chief building materials of life. Individually, these instructions are called genes.

The random changes Darwin knew must be happening are accidents that happen to DNA and genes. Today, they can be documented and catalogued in real time, inside cells.

Cells sometimes make errors when they copy their DNA before dividing. These mutations can disable a gene -- or change its action. Occasionally cells also duplicate an entire gene by mistake, providing offspring with two copies instead of one. Both these events provide raw material for new genes with new and potentially useful functions -- and ultimately raw material for new organisms and species.

Richard E. Lenski, a biologist at Michigan State University, has been following 12 cultures of the bacterium Escherichia coli since 1988, comprising more than 25,000 generations. All 12 cultures were genetically identical at the start. For years he gave each the same daily stress: six hours of food (glucose) and 18 hours of starvation. All 12 strains adapted to this by becoming faster consumers of glucose and developing bigger cell size than their 1988 "parents."

When Lenski and his colleagues examined each strain"s genes, they found that the strains had not acquired the same mutations. Instead, there was some variety in the happy accidents that had allowed each culture to survive. And when the 12 strains were then subjected to a different stress -- a new food source -- they did not fare equally well. In some, the changes from the first round of adaptation stood in the way of adaptation to the new conditions. The 12 strains had started to diverge, taking the first evolutionary steps that might eventually make them different species -- just as Darwin and Wallace predicted.

In fact, one of the more exciting developments in biology in the past 25 years has been how much DNA alone can teach about the evolutionary history of life on Earth.

For example, genome sequencing projects have shown that human beings, dogs, frogs and flies (and many, many other species) share a huge number of genes in common. These include not only genes for tissues they all share, such as muscle, which is not such a surprise, but also the genes that go into basic body-planning (specifying head and tail, front and back) and appendage-building (making things that stick out from the body, such as antennae, fins, legs and arms).

As scientists have identified the totality of DNA -- the genomes -- of many species, they have unearthed the molecular equivalent of the fossil record.

It is now clear from fossil and molecular evidence that certain patterns of growth in multicellular organisms appeared about 600 million years ago. Those patterns proved so useful that versions of the genes governing them are carried by nearly every species that has arisen since.

These several hundred "tool kit genes," in the words of University of Wisconsin biologist Sean B. Carroll, are molecular evidence of natural selection"s ability to hold on to very useful functions that arise.

Research on how and when tool kit genes are turned on and off also has helped explain how evolutionary changes in DNA gave rise to Earth"s vast diversity of species. Studies indicate that the determination of an organism"s form during embryonic development is largely the result of a small number of genes that are turned on in varying combinations and order. Gene regulation is where the action is.

Consequently, mutations in regulatory portions of a DNA strand can have effects just as dramatic as those prompted by mutations in genes themselves. They can, for example, cancel the development of an appendage -- or add an appendage where one never existed. This discovery refuted assertions by Intelligent Design advocates that gene mutation and natural selection can, at most, explain the fine-tuning of species.

"The mechanisms that make the small differences between species are the same ones that make the big differences between kingdoms," said Carroll, author of a book, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful," that describes many of these new insights.

Although the central tenets of evolution have done nothing but grow stronger with every experimental challenge, the story is still evolving, Carroll and other scientists acknowledge. Some details are sure to be refined over time. The question to be answered in Harrisburg is whether Intelligent Design has anything scientific to add for now, or whether it belongs instead in philosophy class.

Nothing, really

2010-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

I don"t have much to say today. There are a couple of big rants on gay marriage and some political stuff roiling just below my oh-so-calm surface, but they haven"t quite formed yet. I expect they should erupt in the next day or so. Stay tuned.

It"s Time To Take Alternative Medicine

2010-01-31T03:12:00.000-08:00

Charles is right! Time to take alternative medicine seriously
Khaleej Times - Dubai,United Arab Emirates

... This prompted Prince Charles, a longtime supporter of alternative medicine to include in a speech he made to the World Health Organisation, a plea to orthodox ...

East Meets West
Valley Advocate - Easthampton,MA,USA

... 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, more than one-third of Americans have used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM ...

Alternative medicine advocate to talk in Novi
Detroit Free Press - United States...

Natural health treatments -- also known as holistic or alternative medicine -- are said to help with everything from PMS to cancer. ...

Homemade remedies a popular, but risky, alternative for many
...Sun-Sentinel.com - Fort Lauderdale,FL,USA

... 36 percent of adults in the United States employ home remedies, according to a 2004 survey by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. ...

Alternative cancer treatments growing
Munster Times - Munster,IN,USA

... Research by the National Institutes of Health found about 50 percent of adults have used complementary and alternative medicine, not including prayer. ...

More seek alternative medicine
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader - Wilkes Barre,PA,USA

... Nope. These days, it�s not easy being seen. That is one of the reasons alternative medicine has gotten so hot in the past decade or so. ...

Controlling What You Eat

2010-01-31T00:38:00.000-08:00

If you feel like you�re in a losing battle with a triple-chocolate cake, a �mental budget� can help, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

�There are some behaviors that consumers try to limit but have trouble doing so,� write authors Parthasarathy Krishnamurthy (University of Houston) and Sonja Prokopec (ESSEC Business School, France). �Even as one aims to curtail consumption of sugars and fat, one ends up consuming the tiramisu or the triplechocolate
cake. Such discrepancies between one�s goals and actual behaviors represent instances of self-control failure.�

About 70 million Americans are attempting to control their food intake. So, how do consumers rein in overeating? In weight-loss systems like Weight Watchers �, each food is assigned a point value and members are encouraged to limit their total daily consumption to a pre-specified amount of points. The authors conducted several studies where they encouraged some participants to set mental budgets and compared them to people who did not set budgets. They examined their consumption of sweet treats.
They discovered several patterns.

First, having a mental budget alone was not sufficient. Participants also needed to have an active goal of not wanting to consume sweets. Second, the information about the products needed to match the units of the mental budgets. Third, mental budgets succeeded when consumers followed specific numerical recommendations, like the Weight Watchers� points.

�For those who wish to cut out those desserts, our research suggests some simple tips,� the authors write. �First, it is important to have a mental budget. At the very least, it allows you to keep track of how you are doing with respect to your goal. Second, make sure the budget works as a limit rather than a license for the consumption behavior. To do this, it is important to have an active goal of controlling the consumption.�

Parthasarathy Krishnamurthy and Sonja Prokopec. �Resisting That Triple-Chocolate Cake: Mental Budgets and Self-Control.� Journal of ConsumerResearch: June 2010. A preprint of this article (to be officially published onlinesoon) can be found at http://journals.uchicago.edu/jcr).

How to Get Rid of Acne Overnight - Here is One Secret You Can"t Afford to Miss at Any Possible Cost

2010-01-31T00:27:00.000-08:00

Acne is caused due to hormonal imbalances or excess heat within the body. Acne causes a lot of issues for young people. For all those who are too conscious about it, it requires some face saving as well. For women, it is like a doomsday statement which makes them psychologically bogged down. Sometimes they also withdraw into a shell. Physiologically, acne can also be very painful. Let"s take up three ways to get rid of acne overnight....

Applying toothpaste-We can apply toothpaste to the localized infection area. The paste has to remain there for 15-20 minutes at least. After the toothpaste has been there for the asked duration, it has to be removed. Next, we must wash the face and pat it dry. Further, we need to apply alcohol to the affected area. For this purpose, we have to take the Q-tip and immerse it into alcohol. This we can apply to the acne area; next, it"s time to have a good night"s sleep. The pimple will have vanished by the morning. Also, you must remember not to sleep on the acne"s side.

Applying ice-pack- A skin color concealer can look to hide the pimple but it does not gut its existence. For this, the top homemade remedy is an ice pack. Applying an ice pack over a reddened area reduces the swelling. Sometimes, if you are lucky, it may even completely eliminate the pimple. But this may require application for two days.

Applying a home-made mixture- Another great idea is to mix half-teaspoon of camphor lotion with half-teaspoon of tomato juice and one-teaspoon of honey. The combination is deemed to be highly effective for acne of all kinds. The trio acts as a brilliant cleansing agent. This can also be ably used for exfoliation.

What you don"t know yet- I know that what I am about to reveal to you can be almost impossible to believe. But it is 100% truth! Do you know what you can cure any sort of acne within 3 days? Seems impossible right? Well see for yourself follow this link- Click Here

Feng Shui Masters

2010-01-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

Our Feng Shui consultants are certified and trained in the ancient Chinese art of placement. Our services include Home and Business, Interior Design Solutions, Keynote Speaking, Lectures, Seminars and Classes. Find Feng Shui Masters

When there is an obstruction of energy, we find ourselves out of balance, stuck and working harder than necessary to achieve our desired goals. Feng Shui (pronounced FUNG SHWAY) is the ancient Chinese art of placement that enables energy to move freely and in harmony with your surroundings.

It is not based on any religion, mysticism, or supersition. At it"s most basic level, it"s about helping people. By clearing negative or blocked energies, Feng Shui can redirect the Ch"i surrounding you, so that it flows freely in a positive direction, which brings balance, harmony and prosperity to you and your environment. Think of yourself as a boat. It is simply easier and more effective to sail with the current and wind than against it.

Feng Shui Directory On-line

Choosing the Right Acne Remedy

2010-01-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

When looking for natural acne cures, you want to make sure that you are getting not only the right product, but one that will work effectively. Because there are different levels of severity in acne, not everyone will need the same product. In addition to that, acne is caused by different things for different people. In some cases, it is even thought to be a hereditary problem. However, no matter what the cause is, there is an acne remedy that will be effective for just about every type of acne.

Most acne remedies claim to be effective in a very short amount of time. While this is a tempting feature to dive into, there are many cautions that should be taken. For one, it is usually a "fast acting" acne remedy because it is a highly potent drug. This means that it will be harsh on the skin and might cause more damage than it will do in providing help for acne. In addition to that, it could lead to other dangers on the skin. For example, many acne remedies contain elements that are vulnerable to the sun. Because someone with acne is less likely to put oily sunscreen on their face, they will increase the chances of getting sunburn because there is so much medication on their face.

Many acne remedies can be very helpful. Not only do they cure you of acne, but they can often improve your overall skin condition. There are many long term benefits that people forget about. When someone is looking for acne remedies, they usually try to find something that will help in an instant. Either that, or they will discontinue use of the treatment once they notice their acne disappearing. However, it is important to keep using natural acne cures for long periods of time to ensure that the acne doesn"t return.

About the Author
For more resources regarding Acne Treatment or even about Natural Acne Treatments and especially about How To Get Rid Of Acne please review these pages.

Migraines: Options To Prevent And Treat The Pounding Pain

2010-01-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

Migraines are more than a bad headache. As nearly 30 million Americans can attest, the throbbing pain of a migraine can be debilitating, lasting from a few hours to several days. The condition can be aggravated by light, sounds, odors, exercise, even routine physical activities. Nausea, with or without vomiting, may occur.Fortunately, treatment helps most people who have migraines.

Doctors may recommend preventive medications for patients who have two or more debilitating episodes a month. Typically the medication is taken at regular intervals, often daily. Antidepressants, anti-seizure medications and cardiovascular drugs may help prevent migraines.

Infrequently, nonprescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) may help. Injections of botulinum toxin type A (Botox) is an alternative for people who can�t take or don�t respond well to preventive medications. However, this use of Botox for migraine prevention is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Pain relief drugs for migraines should be taken as soon as symptoms begin. Mild migraines may respond to NSAIDs or aspirin. A moderate migraine may respond to a nonprescription combination of a drug containing acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine. Other drug categories used to treat pain include triptans, which mimic the action of the brain chemical serotonin; anti-nausea and related drugs; and ergots, which were used for decades before the more recent introduction of triptans.

Some patients find relief from alternative therapies. The National Institutes of Health has concluded that acupuncture may help control headaches. A study in the journal Headache showed that a combination of yoga, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques reduces migraine frequency and pain.

Some find benefit in herbal remedies, such as butterbur, which appears to be safe if taken for a short period to prevent migraines. In addition, the supplement coenzyme Q10 appears to reduce migraine frequency for some. Patients who consider alternative therapies should consult their physician about the pros and cons and to prevent any drug interactions.

The September issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides more information on treatments to prevent migraines and stop the pain.

Migraines headaches Information Understanding the causes, symptoms, disease, migraine relief, treatment with lastest Migraine News to discuss on Migraine .Migraine disease and Migraine headache information including: treatment; news; Migraine myths; advice on medications; Migraine as a disability Migraine symptoms, medications and treatment, causes of migraines, and migraine triggers. Connect with other Migraine sufferers and get support

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We license cars...

2010-01-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

I"m really starting to think we need to institute a policy under which everyone much get a license to use the Internet. I"ve just finished reading a handful of reviews on Amazon, and I have to say, there"s no way I"d buy anything based on the opinions of these nitwits. Under my policy, to get an ISP account, you"d have to prove you can type acceptably well, understand the intricacies of the comma, and Own A Keyboard That Actually Has A Shift Key. BUT NOT A SHIFT KEY THAT STICKS, OK?

Really, people, it"s English, not particle physics.

Acne Treatment for Men

2010-01-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

When I used to work as a sales associate for a lousy phone company I was always embarrassed to give out a sales pitch because of my horrible skin. It was everything that bad skin was. My skin was too oily. When I would try to prevent it from becoming to oily it then became to dry and my skin started to peal and then creating even more pimples and blemishes. I could not even get at least one sale in one day or two days. I was frustrated with my skin and I felt like ripping it off. Until i found the best acne treatment for men.

So, then I started looking in the internet for acne treatment for men. I was then came upon a remedy that changed my life forever. The remedy was simple did not take that much time or money. Let me remind you that I have tried Proactive, Murad, Acne Free, Clearsil, Neutragena, and everything else that promises you clear skin. The remedy included Baking Soda, and a hot rag or towel. I would then start off with the baking soda. I would make the baking soda into a paste by mixing it with a little bit of water. The remedy said to apply to affected areas. My whole face was affected so I just had to apply the paste to my whole face. Every night I would apply this paste. The paste drys your pimples out leaving them to look and feel like frozen little mountains. Don"t worry they will only look like this with the paste on. So every morning I would wash off the paste because it drys up into sort of like a facial mask. Once I wash my face it feels refreshing and almost all pimples are washed off along with baking soda.

I would then cover my face with a hot cloth. This hot cloth will open my pores, which some people think its a bad thing but it will allow for the dirt in my pores to wash away. I would do this about everyday or every other day. On the 2nd week my skin was completed clear. I did not have to use lotion on my face anymore, I did not have to go through a 30 min 3 step process to wash my face. By far this was an amazing acne treatment for men. I just followed those instructions on the remedy and had clear skin within 2 weeks. For me this was the best acne treatment for men. I think everyone should know this method it can work for anybody. Thanks to this remedy I now have clear skin.

For great acne and health products go to: http://www.adelossantos.qhealthbeauty.com Lose Weight, Look Beautiful, and Feel Your Best

When is butter no longer butter?

2010-01-30T13:02:00.000-08:00

In Steven Pollock"s TTC course on "particle physics for non-physicists" he asks: how many times can I cut a piece of putter and still have butter?

If I take a package of Bregott (the typical swedish brand of butter) and cut it once I think that most people would agree that I will get two pieces of butter. But what happens if I cut it again and again and again - after a certain number of division I may have a piece that is a couple of nanometers in width - is that butter? I can make it even smaller and I will end up with a piece that is one angstrom across - the size of an atom and as far as I know butter is not in the periodic table...

The point I guess is that everything around us that we can touch is made up of protons, neurtrons and electrons - or if we go further down the reductionist tree - quarks and leptons. Butter is simply quarks and leptons arranged in a certain pattern with certain forces acting on it, and the same is true for us - we are also just quarks and leptons arranged in a particular pattern. In other words we are made out of the same building blocks as butter. Since our quarks and leptons respond to the forces of nature the same way leptons and quarks in butter does - we should have as much free will as my package of Bregott in the fridge...

One million dollar Paranormal challenge, what are chances of winning?

2010-01-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

JREF offers a one-million-dollar prize:

Randi"s challenge consists of checking to see whether a psychic can really do what he claims to be able to do. The psychic sets the requirements of the test in cooperation with the JREF. Randi makes all conditions as favorable as possible to the psychic.

Now it"s up to the psychic to say exactly what he can do. If he can consistently predict accurately in a number of trials with the same results in carefully controlled experiments, all he has to do is agree with the JREF to how many trials they both agree are enough to establish significance.

If he says he will divert a specific number of trials with the same result, he may not come back and say he was successful because only one trial went wright. If he claims he can do this "thing" a predetermined numbers of time, he can"t later claim he succeeded because he only did it once or twice.

If he can really do what he claims, the probability of his success is near 100%.

But what if the psychic isn"t "psychic", then what are chance of winning?

On any given attempt, the psychic can either predict accurately or cannot predict accurately. The probability may be 1/2 on each trial, it can be either wright or wrong, and for 10 trials, the probability of getting each one right is one in 1024 (2¹⁰). You have a one in 512 (2⁹) chance of guessing right on 9 out of 10 trials. So it depend on how many trials the psychic and JREF agree on. And it has to be done at least twice, both in a preliminary trial and if he pass through, then in the official trial.

The person who has paranormal, supernatural or occult power abilities have a 100% chance of winning. If not, he has 100% chance of losing (nearly). If one really has paranormal abilities, then the probability is essentially 100% that he would claim the prize, barring having an "off" day.

If the person does not have paranormal abilities, then the probability is essentially zero that he would do well enough to claim the prize, barring a statistically unlikely series of lucky guesses.

To my knowledge, no one in the history of humanity has ever proven that he has paranormal abilities.

Usefull links:
Application for Status of Claimant
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Aboutablog

2010-01-30T11:40:00.000-08:00

Greetings, fellow Electablog sycophants! (Why do you all seem to use Macs?) In my defense, I wasn"t amazed by his cuteness, just thought it was an added bonus. It"s the smart and funny parts that are the most important. And the talented writing. He should consider doing it profesionally or something.

Note to Mrs. Electablog: I"m not trying to steal your man, even if he did play on my team. It was just an observation.

No place left for God

2010-01-30T07:09:00.000-08:00

From a story via Bad Astronomy, it looks like there"s an interesting new theory coming out which might explain what happened prior to the Big Bang. Essentially, it turns into another universe contracting down to almost nothing, then undergoing a Big Bounce to come back out again.

Anyone else thing that if this theory gains ground, it"s going to drive religious people crazy? If the universe had no beginning, the concept of a God creating it goes right out the window. Sure, some of them might come up with ideas like a secondary temporal axis, but this isn"t going to be tractable to the public. What they"re going to have to do is deny, deny, deny. If this theory becomes commonly accepted, expect it to see just as much controversy as evolution.

work shift can causes cancer

2010-01-30T03:52:00.000-08:00

According international agency for research on cancer (iarc), worker shift and has higher cancer risk is compared general population. job like them should classified as possibility or has carcinogenic. a team consists of 24 scientists that delve proof says that continuation study is need to mengkonfirmasi this hook, but finding that work shift disturb body internal clock apparently has cancer cause effect. this internal clock regulates rythm sirkardian, a complex system that signals to cell to produce amount of hormone in various time. follow statement iarc, who based on at french cancer body, work shift involve disturbance sirkardian carcinogenic possibility in human. work explanation likes in carcinogenic possibility fire company operator in human. this matter affects in sejumjah person according to have a meaning. almost around 20% worker population at europe and north america works shift. work shift most often in the field of well-being service, industrial, transportation, communication, and service sector. follow vincent cogliano from iarc, this proof is not yet selfexplanatory for any individual to acts. furthermore study is need, augment it. cogliano say that this first the time iarc test work shift as cancer cause possibility and this body mengkaji this rumors may be in 5 year when more many watchfulness been done. monograph iarc this publicized in journal the lancet oncology december edition 2007, but kesimpulan-kesimpulan based on watchfulnesses that publicized through years. year 2001, a team from the fred hutchison cancer research center at seattle find that that woman turn evening has breast cancer risk 60% bigger. several tests in mouse shows that rythm gene sirkardian broken in tumor cells. study other give proof that fire company operator that sip smoke, chemicals and dust and often work to take turns, has cancer risk and higher heart sickness. work finding shift all related to body response towards light. kelanjar pineal in brain produces hormone melatonin after body papar good sunlight or lamp, continued darkness, and disturbed the production when person awaken between two lights with lamp burns. melatonin also work as antioksidan that protect dna from various damage type that aim in cancer and heart sickness. follow cogliano, melatonin many do arrangement in body cycle. but we are not yet know to how to work with system melatonin. we are certain get bight worker and worker shift. several jobs must be done during upside down, the example nurses. we are necessary know to how manner decreases the risk. experts other underscore that worker shift mepunyai behaviour other that increase cancer risk, like inclination drinks alcohol or smoke or less sleep.

Do Christians really want women to die?

2010-01-30T03:44:00.000-08:00

ArchPundit reads WorldNetDaily so I don"t have to. Today, he linked to a column written by nutjob Jill Stanek, who in turn wrote about how horrible the HPV vaccine is. I"m almost starting to think that conservative Christians want there to be horrible consequences for sex, because it makes it dangerous. Stanek says:

Aside from the fact Winokur has no business telling other people"s children about "precautions" to avoid pitfalls of promiscuous sex, her advice stinks. Let"s not address the real cause. Let"s try to avoid the ramifications of the cause.

Winokur or People magazine are fueling the exploitation and health demise of women by refusing to acknowledge the only full-proof [sic] way to avoid HPV or cervical cancer: abstinence.

Let"s ignore the fact that she calls any sex before marriage "promiscuous." No, Jill, actually, that"s not the only full-proof way to avoid HPV. Twenty percent of women are forced to have sex before they reach their twenties. So I guess you have to add "not getting raped" to that list of "full-proof" (dumbass) ways to avoid HPV.

Fig has pointed out that HPV can live on surfaces for a short while. It"s possible to infect yourself by touching an HPV-laden surface, and then touching yourself. So we also have to add "not touching things" to the list of foolproof ways to avoid HPV.

Then Stanek gets into full-self-righteous mode and gets all judgmental on the slutties:

There is only one good reason a virtuous young woman should consider getting the HPV vaccination. That is if the man she plans to marry has had sex with other women, meaning he could be infected with HPV or an array of other STDs. I don"t know why a virtuous young woman would want to marry such a man, but there you go.

Seriously, Stanek has absolutely no idea why a woman would want to marry a man who has had sex? "I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. What, you"re not a virgin? Get lost, tramp!" Is this really what goes through the mind of conservative Christians? Fewer than 10% of Americans are virgins when they get married. So when a woman meets a guy, she has a roughly 90% chance of picking one that has had sex at some point in his life. Those really aren"t such great odds when we"re talking about a disease that"s (a) incredibly common, (b) easy to catch, (c) easy to prevent, and (d) can kill you.

UPDATE: Stanek shows up in the comments and largely apologizes for her attitude towards non-virgins at the end. What she doesn"t mention is that many thousands of women are exposed to this virus, even though they do everything "right." This is a simple way to protect a woman from a virus that she is very likely to be exposed to during her life, possibly even against her will. Remember, even, that the adultery rate in American marriage is roughly 40%.

The Teaching Company � My Favorite courses

2010-01-30T02:22:00.000-08:00

This is my second post in a short time when I am going to help a commercial business. Last time it was Nokia, because of their brilliant software "Nokia sports tracker". This time I want to take my hat off for The Teaching Company. I have mentioned them in previous posts here and here, but now I want to dedicate an entire post to this wonderful company.

Their concept is easy. They hunt down University professors who excel in their subject and in teaching skills. Then they ask these professors to record a series of 30-45min long lectures (on average about 30 lectures in each course) on their subject. Then they sell these lectures over the internet. You can download them as mp3"s, have CD"s with audio sent to you, or buy video recordings of the lectures. I normally prefer the first alternative since I can convert the files to the Nokia audiobooks (another terrific application from Nokia) format which use up very little space on my mobile phone, however, sometimes it is nice to have video also.

The lectures are normally equivalent to what you would expect from an introductory university course - rather detailed in other words. When do I have time to listen to these lectures? Well, on the top of my head, here are a few situations in which I normally put in my earphones and broaden my universe a little bit.

1. When I am riding my bike to work

2. When I am doing the dishes

3. When I am vacuum cleaning

4. When I am out jogging

5. When I am walking the dog

These situations actually correspond to a few hours a day, which adds up to a great many hours per year. Since I discovered The teaching company little more than a year ago I have been listening to an estimated 240 hours of lectures (a modest estimation, in reality it is probably more than that). It has really enriched my life.

If any of my readers are also fans of The teaching company then I am very interested in hearing which courses you liked and which ones you did not like, so that I know which courses I should get in the future. Here are a list of the courses that I have completed as well as my rating of them (5= Brilliant, 1=Not worth buying)...

Classical mythology: 3 - The teacher does everything you would expect, but not more. Mythology is exotic and interesting which makes this course very attractive

Second world war: 5 - I may be a bit biased because I think wars are interesting to study. I think that I finished this 30 lecture course in three days or so. Teacher is brilliant.

First world war: 5- Same rating as for the second world war

History of Russia: 4 - One of the first courses I listened to, very good lecturer, unfortunately I have forgotten a lot of what was said in this course

Argumentation: 3 - I remember this course as being engaging, but for some reason I don"t remember so much of this course, and in addition I retoric has always been a little bit too abstract an inconcrete for my taste

Philosophy of Science: 3 - Good course which can get a bit complex every now and then, and that can make you loose focus

Books that have made history: 5 - Probably the most entertaining course of all, like listening to engaging stories. The professor even makes voices for the characters in the book which makes it even more entertaining

Biology and human behavior: 5 - Robert Sapolsky from Stanford (see above), may simplify a lot, however, a more entertaining course on human behavior will be extremely hard to find. Great, great course!

Science and religion: 3 - Seemed to me that the professor was very biased, and that he wanted to defend religion, however, you will learn a lot about interesting historical events

Biology: 3 - 80 lectures long course going through a huge amount of biology, works well to fresh up your memory, and the lecturer manages to put in a lot of details to, however, I would have liked some more jokes and stuff from him

Economics 3rd ed: 5 - Also a fantastic series from a lectures from a great professor. I thought economics would be boring but now I know it isn"t so

Contemporary economic issues: 4 - Very similar to the course above, same lecturer, great stuff.

Utopia and terror in the 20th century: 4 - Takes you through genocides and massacres in the 20th century which is always interesting, greatly recommended.

Philosophy of the mind: 5 - John Searle"s course on the human mind is simply brilliant. Many good illustrative jokes.

History of the United States: 5 - A massive 84 lectures on the history of the united states. Loved the part about the civil war, but everything was great in this course.

United State and the middle east: 5 - Manages to guide you through a century of conflicts. Gives you the facts without taking sides which is an impressive feat in an on itself.

Here are a few other blogs that have written about The teaching company as well.

Creative think

Cool tools

Learn out loud

How Successful Is Alternative Therapy?

2010-01-30T01:46:00.000-08:00

Author: Steve Hill

Article:
More and more alternative health treatments are available these days, however how successful are they in solving our health problems. In this article I write about this subject, I hope you
find it interesting and enjoyable to read.

A few years ago my girlfriend was having some trouble with her health, she complained of constant aches in various areas of her body. She felt lethargic and generally low. She went to the
doctor and tried conventional treatments and tablets. This unfortunately did not remedy the situation and she became more and more frustrated.

A friend recommended reflexology and despite many reservations and doubts my girlfriend agreed to give it a go. She returned from her appointment full of excitement and stated that she had never felt more relaxed. Now this is not to say that reflexology will work for everyone but her experience was very positive.

With this positive outcome my girlfriend became more open to alternative therapy and then decided to attend an aromatherapy appointment. She really enjoyed it and is now looking into other treatments such as reiki and things like an indian head massage, she is becoming hooked.

As for my own experiences, I am somebody who had a speech impediment known as a stutter from the age of four. My parents regularly took me to traditional speech therapy over the next
eleven years. The advice from what I remember was two fold, firstly they advised me to take a deep breath before talking and secondly to speak slower. I had no confidence with these therapists as a lot of my friends spoke quicker than I did and not one of them took a deep breath before they spoke. They also had never had a stutter themselves and therefore I felt it was
impossible for them to understand what I was going through.

After working very hard for nearly year I managed to overcome my stutter. I did this by reading many books to do with positive thinking and mind over a matter as well as studying people who I thought were very good at talking. This was my own form of alternative therapy and it worked for me.

About the author:
Stephen Hill has a number of websites including:

stuttering therapy

reflexologychart

reiki information

HERBS, AMINO ACIDS, MINERALS: FAR SAFER THAN ANY DRUG

2010-01-30T01:16:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends,

I hope that Dec is full of Blessings and Family!
I am publishing this because I think it is extremely important to Read:

(OMNS) American poison control statistics show that in one year, there
were 28 deaths from heroin; acetaminophen (the active ingredient in
products like Tylenol ) killed 147. Though acetaminophen killed over five
times as many as an illegal drug, few would say that we should make
this generally regarded as safe, over-the-counter pain reliever require
prescription.

Yet misconceptions and misinformation about alleged dangers of mineral,
herbal and amino acid supplements are persistent, in spite of the lack
of scientific evidence to support such fearfulness.

MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS
The 2003 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control
Centers Toxic Exposures Surveillance System, published in the American
Journal of Emergency Medicine (1), lists eight deaths in the “mineral
supplement” category. Five are not from supplements at all, but rather
are from pharmacological sources rightly termed electrolytes : two
from sodium and three from potassium (p 389). Pharmacologic doses of
sodium and potassium are usually given in hospital intravenously and are a
frequent cause of electrolyte imbalance. Two deaths were allegedly due
to iron overdose. Since 1986, there has been an average of two deaths
per year associated with iron supplements. The sole remaining death was
from calcium, a mineral that is employed medically for its antidote
properties. In fact, in 2003, calcium was used as a lifesaving antidote in
5,228 cases (p 344). There is no evidence that the single listed
calcium death was from a supplement, and the odds are overwhelming th!
at it
was not. That makes a year’s total of perhaps two deaths
“associated with” a supplemental mineral. Caffeine also killed two people in
2003. Yet tea, coffee and cola soft drinks are not sold with restriction,
prescription, or in childproof bottles, and rather few would maintain
that they need to be.

HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
The 2003 Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers
Toxic Exposures Surveillance System indicates a total of 13 deaths
attributed to herbal preparations. Three of these are from ephedra, two from
yohimbe, and two from ma-huang. Accepting all seven claims of deaths
attributed to these products, we still find that there were over 20 times
as many deaths each year from acetaminophen.

Only three deaths are attributable to other single ingredient
botanicals, and oddly enough, their identity remains unnamed in the Toxic
Exposures report. Reporting three deaths without naming the cause is a
clear admission of uncertainty.

Millions of persons take herbal remedies, and have done so for
generations. Indigenous and Westernized peoples alike have found them to be
safe and effective, and the 2003 Report of the American Association of
Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposures Surveillance System confirms this
(p 388-389). There have been no deaths at all from cultural medicines,
including ayurvedic, Asian, Hispanic, and in fact, from all others.

Additionally, we find:

Blue cohosh: 0 deaths

Ginko biloba: 0 deaths

Echinacea: 0 deaths

Ginseng: 0 deaths

Kava kava: 0 deaths

St John"s wort: 0 deaths

Valerian: 0 deaths

Furthermore, there have been zero deaths from phytoestrogens,
glandulars, blue-green algae, or homeopathic remedies.

AMINO ACID SUPPLEMENTS
In 2003, poison control centers reported zero deaths from amino acids.

SO WHERE ARE THE BODIES?
Natural health products, such as amino acids, herbs, minerals, and
other nutritional supplements, have a proven safe usage history. This is
clearly demonstrated by the 2003 Annual Report of the American
Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposures Surveillance System,
published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

1. Watson WA et al. Vol. 22, No. 5, September 2004, p 335-404.
(http://www.aapcc.org/Annual%20Reports/03report/Annual%20Report%202003.pdf)

What is Orthomolecular Medicine?

Linus Pauling defined orthomolecular medicine as "the treatment of
disease by the provision of the optimum molecular environment, especially
the optimum concentrations of substances normally present in the human
body." Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy
to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org

Take the Orthomolecular Quiz at
http://www.orthomolecular.org/quiz/index.shtml

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit
and non-commercial informational resource.

Editorial Review Board:

Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.
Harold D. Foster, Ph.D.
Bradford Weeks, M.D.
Carolyn Dean, M.D. N.D.
Erik Paterson, M.D.
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D.

Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D., contact person. Email: omns@orthomolecular.org

My Drug Can Beat Up Your Drug

2010-01-29T19:46:00.000-08:00

Abel Pharmboy"s post about GSK intimidating doctors makes a recent development all the more darkly humorous.

Apparently, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the company that makes Actos, is going to go on an advertising spree informing patients how safe it is. More precisely, they"re making a point to tell you that, according to at least one study, it doesn"t increase the risk of heart attacks or strokes. You know, in all fairness, the black box warning doesn"t say anything about heart attacks or strokes--strictly speaking, it"s about congestive heart failure, in which the heart is unable to pump sufficient blood to keep up with the needs of the body. And while it"s true that Avandia and Actos have different effects on patient lipids, with Actos having a more favorable effect on HDL and triglycerides, the mechanism by which thiazolidinediones (the class of drugs to which Avandia and Actos both belong) increase the risk of heart failure is more likely related to the fact that they cause fluid retention and edema--which has nothing to do with lipid levels.

And even if Takeda did dig up a study saying that the overall risk of mortality for patients on Actos was better, turning it into a direct-to-consumer full-page newspaper ad is just crass. I expect this kind of mudslinging in politics, but in medicine?

There is only one truth

2010-01-29T16:21:00.000-08:00

�There is only one truth. How we interpret that truth is called belief�

When people who believe in SCAM are shown that their beliefs have no scientific basis they often reply with a comment along the lines of, �It�s true for me.�

This infers that there is more than one truth. Personal experiences can create very strong personal attachments and beliefs, but they are still only beliefs, not the truth.

Consider the position of the sun in relation to the earth and the universe. The Sun is a star that is placed along the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Earth circles the Sun. This is the situation now and for the last billion years or so.

Thousands of years ago, people believed the Sun was a god looking down on them. They fought against those who did not believe in this god.

Hundreds of years ago, people believed that the Earth was at the centre, and the Sun revolved around the Earth. Again they defended their beliefs, even killing heretics who dared to suggest otherwise.

Now we know that the Earth travels around the Sun, the Sun travels around the Milky Way and the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies.

Now despite all of these different beliefs, the truth never changed. For the last billion years, the Earth travelled around the Sun and the Sun travelled around the galaxy. Would we take anyone seriously who said that the Sun was a god, or that the Sun circled the Earth? What if they say, �But it�s true for me�?

Truth is not possessive. There is no such thing as my truth, your truth, their truth or anyone else�s truth. There is only THE truth. Anything that does not match the truth is belief. Not only that, but false belief.

So phrases such as �It�s true for me� really mean �I have been shown the truth but decided to ignore it and settle for false belief.�

"There is only one truth. How we interpret that truth is called belief."

"The presence of belief does not indicate the existence of truth."

Thoughts about being skeptic and skepticism

2010-01-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

Skepticism is based on the principle that knowledge is testable and that ideas and beliefs can be replaced if they are wrong.

Skeptics are people who want to make sure, that what they believe in and know is most likely that accords with reality. They like facts to be correct.

To be skeptic does not mean, that you don"t want to believe in anything. On the other side if you believe in something wrong, it can be hard to accept because your emotional investments in the case. As a skeptic you will have to accept reality and not to be emotional influenced.

Why is some people skeptic and some people not ?

Well, yee haw!

2010-01-29T07:27:00.000-08:00

I did not realize this until just today. From the Texas Constitution:

No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.

Fortunately, the US Constitution overrides that clause and nullifies it, unless Clarence Thomas gets his way.

Make your bed and suffer.

2010-01-29T04:55:00.000-08:00

This is off-topic but I love this story!

Untidy beds may keep us healthy

Failing to make your bed in the morning may actually help keep you healthy, scientists believe.

...A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed.

Untidy beds may keep us healthy

On some level, I knew this all along! ;-)

Dangers of radiation in the home

2010-01-29T04:28:00.000-08:00

The best Swedish site for news on technology, in my opinion, is www.idg.se. Today they have an article on radiation in the home. The article is based on an interview with Maria Feychting professor in epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet. The article discusses the danger of the radiation associated with products that are becomming increasingly common in ordinary homes. I am speaking of mobile phones, routers, wireless keyboards and mice, bluetooth headsets and dect phones.

The conclusion of the article, briefly put, is that there are no scientific evidence that this radiation causes any harm. It is a fact that studies showing potential dangers of radiation get much more attention than studies which show zero effects, even though the latter type are much more common. Furthermore, most of the studies which have shown slight biological effects of radiation have subsequently been replicated with contrasting results i.e. the latter studies did not find any effects.

I think that one of the reasons why some people are so afraid of these things is the fact that they radiate, and we all know that radiation is bad right? No, not necessarily so. Radiation can be your friend to. If it were not for the radiation from the sun we would not be alive. Similarly, seeing involves the capture of radiation by photoreceptors in the back of your retina. In fact we are all rich sources of radiation which you can see for yourself if you have a camera that pick up infrared wavelength.

But isn"t that different? Sure some sorts of radiation are more dangerous than others. Cosmic rays which arive from outer space are extremely rich in energy, and alot of that type of radiation would be bad for you. Similarly, X-rays will slightly increase the risk of cancers because it is rich in energy. But what about the radiation from all those home devices? This radiation is lower in energy than normal visual light, so you are very unlikely to get cancer from this type of radiation. These devices actually emit microwaves, just like your microwave oven. The difference is that the radiation is not contained within a box, and also the power is 10,000 smaller than in an ordinary microwave oven (for a dect phone it is 100,000 times smaller). If you want a different point of view on these issues, you can visit this page.

The article also gives some quick answers to the following questions:

1. Does radiation from mobile phones cause cancer: False

2. Will using a bluetooth headset reduce the amount of radiation you are exposed to: True (because a bluetooth headset has a much lower effect than the mobile phone)

3. A dect phone emits more radiation than a mobile phone: False

4. A 3G phone radiates more than a GSM mobile phone: False

5. More wireless devices in the home will make it more dangerous: False

6. A new router radiates more than an old router: False

7. It is dangerous to have your mobile lying next to you when you are sleeping: False

8. The mobile will emit less radiation if you hold your hand over it: False (actually it will radiate more becuase that is necessary in order to communicate the station.

9. Even the good old cable hardware emits radiation: True (anything with a current in it, a cable for instance, will generate a magnetic field which is also basically a form of radiation.

I want to end with a personal reflection on an issue which I think is highly relevant yet often forgotten. Mobile phones, which as mentioned is the device which has the highest effect and thus the highest radiation, has been around for about two decades now. In spite of their popularity, there has not been any increase in cancers in this timeperiod. This "natural experiment" shows that if mobile phones have any effect at all on the human body, that effect have to be very subtle. Pretend for a moment that there has been a slight increase in some obscure form of cancer, or other type of disease, that is a result of mobile phone radiation. Even such a necessarily slight effect would pale in comparison to the enourmous benefits of being able to call ambulances, fire fighters and the police from almost anywhere on this planet. Hurray for mobile phones!

If you like reading The Amazing Randi, then you must read the Ninth edition of The Skeptic"s Circle.

2010-01-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

St. Nate got some great posts on how to apply critical thinking on Ghosts, Aliens, Psychics and Stars, Bad Medicine, Pseudoscience and more.

The rules have tightened since previous editions of The Skeptic"s Circle (you can read why here and here), but we still have good reading on skepticism and critical thinking. And I highly recommend you to read it all.

It"s hard to beat free

2010-01-28T20:28:00.000-08:00

If you live in Illinois or Michigan you can get a free copy of your credit report from the three big credit agencies for free. Actually it applies to a number of states other than those, but I know that all the people that regularly read this blog are from one of those states. I haven"t checked mine in quite a while. As a previous victim of identity theft, yes, I know that"s bad of me.

You can get your credit reports by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com or by phone at 877-322-8228. I just did it, and it really is painless. Now we"ll see if my credit is just as painless.

Natural Acne Remedies the Clear Acne

2010-01-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Remember the angst ridden acne years of your youth. Or perhaps you are still a youth. By youth, I mean either adolescent or teenaged. So many people today suffer from teenage and adult acne. The effect acne has on your self esteem can be devastating, especially at a young age, when appearance seems so important, and people can be cruel. The nutraceutical acne pill is now changing that scenario for many teenagers, and is also helping many people suffering with acne into adulthood to permanently clear acne.

There are some excellent, and fairly new acne pills that actually clear acne through precise combinations of herbal compounds and pure, natural ingredients. These acne pills have been used as very successful, and often times permanent, remedies to clear acne on both adults and adolescents.

How do acne pills work Acne pills actually work by correcting the hormonal and chemical imbalances in the body that lead to acne flareups, persistent acne, and the more severe form, cystic acne. People suffering from cystic acne can really benefit from a natural acne pill, since they are designed to treat acne at its source, from the inside of the body, rather than topically. Cystic acne sufferers really tend to have hormonal issues, which acne pills address by calming, soothing and balancing.

Some of the common ingredients in these complexion clearing acne pills are actually known in herbal communities for their skin soothing and calming properties, and have commonly been used to treat various skin disorders in the past. Natural acne pills actually blend several of these ingredients together in precise combinations to effectively clear acne permanently, or with very little follow up treatment.

Lets look at some of the common skin clearing and therapeutic herbs and compounds that are found in an acne pill. First, vitamin E is a common ingredient. Vitamin E has been used as a skin soothing and repairing agent for decades. Vitamin E actually will help smooth rough skin when taken in the proper dosages, and actually helps facilitate the clearing of acne in combination with other ingredients.

A second common ingredient in the acne pill is aloe vera. Aloe vera actually has many of the same skin soothing properties and advantages as vitamin E. I am sure you have used aloe vera at least a couple times to treat sunburn or irritated skin. Aloe vera seemed to be a staple in everyone home growing up for its skin repairing benefits.

Two more ingredients you may find in an acne pill are alpha lipoic acid and collagen, both of which are actually beneficial for both aging skin and skin suffering from disorders such as acne or acne rosacea. Alpha lipoic acid is gaining a lot of recognition in recent years, especially with the publication and advocation of popular cosmetic dermatologist Nicholas Perricone in his book The Perricone Prescription and other popular follow up books on how to stop and reverse the aging process of the skin.

Other skin cleansing, purifying and balancing ingredients botanicals found in the acne pill are chamomile, rosemary, rose essential oil, and horsetail, all traditionally used to clear, tone and purify the skin for the most blemish free complexion possible, even back as far as the early 1800
The bottom line is, I highly recommend investing in either a natural acne system that combines topical treatment with an oral acne pill or just investing in a natural acne pill that is high in purity standards and has a good track record of customer satisfaction. These treatments have proven to be just as effective as many of the often long term and sometimes harmful treatments dermatologists prescribe. Not only that, you can order them from the comfort of your own home, and dont need to be burdened by dermatologist visits, or repetitive costs. It is truly one of the best investments you can make in your skin

Did you find this article useful For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to Internet Business, do please browse for more information at our websites. http://www.allhottips.com http://www.bookstoretoday.com

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The Healing Power of Acid Tincture of Lobelia

2010-01-28T15:47:00.000-08:00

In the early years, it is not known that Lobelia can become one of the finest remedies God has blessed mankind with.

Lobelia inflate is one of the most valuable herbs used in the botanic practice. Much has been written as to whether this herb is a poison or not. Practical experience � which is far better than theory �has proved that it is harmless as milk, and instead of being a poison, it is an antidote to poison.

The analysis of its chemical constituents show it to contain an alkaloid lobelina and an acid lobelic acid, resin, wax, and gum; the seeds contain in addition about 30% of fixed oil. We have attended cases where poison had been given in mistake, and Lobelia has had the desired effect of discharging the contents of the stomach.

Medical professionals are often deluded by giving heed to mere opinions instead of noticing facts; but those men who have divested themselves of that which has been taught them in medical schools have discovered truth from error.

Dr. Butler in the year 1810 disclosed how effective Lobelia is in treating his asthma condition he is suffering for about ten years. He has made many trial of different treatment with very little benefit until his breathing became very difficult that he took a tablespoonful of the acid tincture of Lobelia, and in about three or four minutes his breathing was free as it ever was and taking another in ten minutes that he felt through every part of his body the comfort and easiness. Since that time his health has improved.

Today, acid tincture of Lobelia is prescribed as remedy for whooping cough with striking success.

TV Science Fiction on humanism and nonbelief

2010-01-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

Characters who lack belief are common in SF, yet - unusually for television - they are usually presented in a very positive light. Let"s consider a few popular shows.

Star Trek
The characters in the various series are almost universally humanist, and the Federation is almost relentlessly humanist. Star Trek is famous for the sense of hope it conveys about the future, and I think that"s largely connected to the humanist sentiment that runs through the entire franchise. In the original series the only main character with any apparent religious sensibilities is McCoy, who does refer to God, and does seem to have a religious background and appears to maintain some level of faith (though he does not appear to be observant of religion). The only main character with any real involvement in even quasi-religious ceremony is Spock, but that ceremony is disconnected from supernatural beliefs. In TNG, the main characters are if anything, more humanist. Worf, while raised by humans, appears to have had enough steeping in Klingon culture to have some degree of acceptance of Klingon religion (he does make reference to Sto"Vo"Kor, for example) and practices some Klingon rituals. None of the humans is particularly religious. Deep Space Nine presents a strongly faith-based culture (the Bajorans), but it is made clear in the show that the beings they base their religion on are not supernatural, simply very powerful aliens.

Firefly
The captain of the Firefly, Mal Reynolds, repeatedly discusses his lack of belief, and is consequently presented as an atheist. One of the other main characters, Book, is a "Shepherd", a kind of priest, but we almost immediately discover very strong indications that he is much more than a simple priest. In one "episode" (in both senses) River fixes Book"s bible, by removing or changing all the parts that make no sense - the book ends up in tatters. The main "spiritual" character is Inara, her religious sensibilities are more Eastern, and several times she is seen to minister to Book; to my recollection, one episode ends with what can only be described as a kind of benediction - Book kneels before her in misery while she places her hand on his head in a metaphorical blessing. Religion may be somewhat important in the wider culture (it features in several episodes, but is as frequently a source of hatred and manipulation as much as comfort), but it is not important in the lives of most of the most of the crew. A sense that people will be good or evil with or without religion clearly comes through. Firefly is somewhat more independent and libertarian in sentiment than the other shows, but many of its characters have a strong humanist bent.

Battlestar Galactica
This show is unusual in that it"s an overtly religious society, though many characters are not particularly religious (and a few are openly doubtful). Doubters are not regarded as "evil". Religious and nonreligious characters generally seem broadly accepting of each other. The main religion of the humans is polytheistic, that of the Cylons is monotheistic. Several humans become much more religious over time, but one is of dubious sanity (starting out sane and atheist and becoming apparently insane and somehwat religious); in each case the increase in belief is associated with apparent evidence consistent with that belief (even though some of the resulting beliefs are contradictory).

Stargate
Stargate is another overtly "humanist" program, but it is much more explicit in its treatment of religion. There are three main "enemies" in the series - the Goa"uld, the Replicators and the Ori. The first and last are gods to their followers - false gods, but gods with great powers nonetheless, so it is little surprise that they have great followings. The heroes aim to convince their followers that those they worship are not gods, and ultimately to defeat the false gods. None of the main characters are religious (though Te"alc is initially a believer, he throws off his religion). The Ori in particular, mirror the worst aspects of fundamentalist, dominionist religiosity.

Dr Who
The Doctor himself is an avowed lover of humanity, and the show is unremittingly humanist. Religious themes do come into the show sometimes, but the explanation is generally more on the natural side than the supernatural.

All of these programs deal in some way with "constructed families"; Firefly is probably the most explicit of these, but in each of them, "family" is something you make, not somethng you are. "Traditional" families are not a major aspect of any of the shows (on DS9, Chief O"Brien has a "traditional" family ... and marriage problems); one parent families are common. Yet love and loyalty to friends and colleagues run very strongly in all of the programs. All four show quite clearly that morality and religious belief are largely orthogonal. Stargate is perhaps the strongest in its anti-faith message (it takes no clear position that all religions are false - but all the religions that have a substantive place on the show clearly are false, dangerous and evil). People who lack overt belief are common, and almost all of them are moral, heroic, loyal, loving... and most of all, human.

Science Fiction, and in particular, TV science fiction - because of it reaching a large and regular audience, has a small but significant influence on our society. Because it is forward looking, the influence is generally strongly progressive, and in the way it presents its major characters, generally presents atheism in an extremely positive way, far out of keeping with the common depiction of atheists in other programmes (who are often presented as cold, abrasive, misanthropic or amoral, when they"re presented at all).

--

Book: What are we up to, sweetheart?
River: Fixing your Bible.
Book: I, um... What?
[River is working on a mangled bible. Passages have been crossed out or corrected. Loose pages lie about.]
River: Bible"s broken. Contradictions, false logistics... doesn"t make sense.
Book: No, no. You - you can"t...
River: So we"ll integrate non-progressional evolution theory with God"s creation of Eden. Eleven inherent metaphoric parallels already there. Eleven. Important number. Prime number. One goes into the house of eleven eleven times, but always comes out one. [She looks him in the eye.] Noah"s ark is a problem.
Book: Really?
River: We"ll have to call it "early quantum state phenomenon". Only way to fit [laughing quietly] 5,000 species of mammals on the same boat... [She rips more pages out.]
Book: River, you don"t... fix the Bible.
River: [Speaking gently.] It"s broken. It doesn"t make sense.
Book: It"s not about... making sense. It"s about believing in something. And letting that belief be real enough to change your life. It"s about faith. You don"t fix faith, River. It fixes you.
(Book tries to pull some of the ripped out pages from River"s hand, but they tear.)
Book: You hang on to those then.

Firefly: Jaynestown

Health Tips-18: Burn Those Calories Away

2010-01-28T13:49:00.000-08:00

The most optical fat-burning exercise is aerobics. Any exercise that utilizes oxygen for a sustained activity of 12 minutes or more qualifies as aerobic exercise. Walking, jogging, cycling, swimming etc are all activities which use the large muscles of the body, moving your limbs freely and continuously without resistance, and your breathing is then rapid, but comfortable. While doing this exercise, should be able to carry on a conversation, but in brief words only not in lengthy sentences. If you are too much out of breath and are gasping, you have gone beyond the aerobic zone. Bring down the intensity of the exercise so that you are in an optimal state of burning fat.

Excerpt from ISTE Newsletter (Other details not available).

Grateful thanks to ISTE Newsletter.

Veep, veep!

2010-01-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

Now this is a debate! Distortion ... inaccuracies ... distortion ... inaccuracies!

What did I tell you?

2010-01-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I was ~~hacking~~ browsing through the Library of Congress the other day, and look what I stumbled upon. I bet you feel pretty silly for thinking I was joking, now don"t you?

(Found via JanieBelle. Make your own.)

Nature"s solutions for your skin problem

2010-01-28T06:54:00.000-08:00

Author: Martha Fitzharris

The face is a part of the body that every one desires to keep as its best, because it"s the most visible part of our body. So, if this important part becomes disfigured, an emotional reactionoccurs. That is why people are so conscious whenever they have any spots on their face. It makes them feel less confident onthe way they deal with people because of the affected self esteem that these marks could bring.

An example of an upsetting skin disorder is Acne. It"s a common chronic disorder of the sebaceous glands present on the skin, characterized by the presence of blackheads, whiteheads, pustules, nodules, and cysts. It occurs predominantly on the face, chest, back, and upper arms.

This skin problem could appear between the ages of 12 and 30 but usually becomes more marked during adolescence, maybe it"s because at this age certain endocrine glands of the body are at their peak of activity, which influences the quantity of the secretions of the sebaceous glands.

Some factors that would worsen acne condition may be periods of emotional stress, premenstrual phase and when diet contains an excess of fats. Consequently, treatments are needed in order to prevent follicular obstruction, reduce inflammation, combat secondary infection, and eliminate factors that may predispose to acne.

There are many ways on how to treat acne, some of which are available in the market, but the fact is that too many chemicals are involved in most acne treatment and not all these products has the effectiveness they claim.

Today, people had come to realize the importance of natural acne medications. More and more people are opting for the natural wayof treating acne because it has lesser side effects. Plus, many people find it more affordable and at the same time effective,compared to the commercial acne medications.

Natural is Beautiful

One of the best things about natural acne medications is that it functions the same way as the commercial acne medications, but cheaper. This is why more people are looking for these solutions, as an alternative way for those who cannot afford the expensive treatments.
Generally, these natural acne medications contain natural ingredients and biological substances such as tea tree oil, green tea extract, Vitamin E, rapeseed oil, Aloe vera, and some of the essential oils, which had long been proven to act upon any blemishes on the skin.
Take for example the green tea extract. It is considered as an antioxidant, which has been proven to reduce the effects of the harmful chemicals and pollutants that damage the skin. Becauseof its Polyphenols component, a certain genre from theBioflavonoid family, it was found out that it has high anti-oxidant assets, which experts find it higher than what thevitamin E has. It is also known to be an efficient anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agent, which is the main component needed in the treatment of acne problems.

The Prevention

People should start using natural acne medications today, instead of the commercialized and expensive treatments, because the more complex the treatment the more you will have difficulty in treating acne.

Experts further contend that complex solutions and multifacetedmedications are more susceptible in worsening the problem. Thisis because too many chemicals in the skin tend to overmanipulate the skin, thereby, causing more clogged pores.

So, for better acne treatment, it is best to look for the natural acne medications that will not only help you enhance your appearance but are also bio-friendly in the environment. As they say, "the real beauty is natural beauty".

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Hydroderm - Better Than Botox!