Hihigh

Archive for November, 2010

The best cleanser and face wash for oily skin helps reduce oil production that give you skin that “shiny” look, while improving tone and reducing pore size.

What are the Causes?

Chronic or acute oiliness is often the result of over-active sebaceous glands.

Magazines and books abound that tell you how to take care of your health with diet and exercise. There are diets for almost every medical problem, too. But how often do you see anything on how to maintain your sexual health? Rarely. From a leading sex therapist, here are 10 ways to stay sexy and keep sexually active.

1. Use fantasy to keep your sexual interest alive. Even if you don’t have a partner, indulge in fantasy. It seems that women who stop thinking about sex can have a very difficult time restarting. Keep your sexual desire alive through fantasy.

2. Self-pleasure is an excellent way to stay in sexual shape. Many women would overcome inhibitions and learn how to have orgasm more easily with a partner if they would self-pleasure regularly. There are many books and sexual aids to help have better and easier orgasm.

3. Be sure your birth control method fits your lifestyle. If you have sex frequently, using a condom is probably not the right choice for you, because it has a failure rate of ____. Talk to your physician about the options available to you.

4. Do your Kegel exercises. Kegel exercises strengthen pelvic floor muscles, which helps the overall health of the bladder, uterus and vagina. Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can help a woman achieve stronger orgasm.

5. Use lubricant that is glycerin-free. Glycerin is an artificial chemical that is very much like sugar in its structure. Sugar is an ideal environment for yeast to grow; in women, if there is too much yeast an infection can be the result. You can find glycerin-free lubricants online and even in your friendly neighborhood drugstore; you just have to check the label.

6. Watch the hormones. Many women overdo or under use hormones for good sexual health. The current guidelines state that women who are experiencing symptoms of menopause should use the smallest amount of hormone replacement possible for the briefest amount of time. Using hormones in this way may have certain cognitive benefits, too. But using hormones in large quantity beyond the recommended time can end up causing more harm than good.

7. Stay healthy. Many chronic illnesses have sexual side effects. Women with diabetes, for example, may experience vaginal dryness and difficulty achieving orgasm due to neuropathy, or nerve damage to the genitals. Besides, staying at a trim weight, exercising, and eating properly can all help you stay sexy longer.

8. Experiment. Try a new sensation, like using an ice cube on your lover, or letting your lover drink wine from your lips. Use a blindfold. Tie your lover up with crepe paper for fun. Buy a costume (summer is a good time to find them on sale on the Internet) and wear it for fun.

9. Practice safe sex. There’s nothing like a genital herpes outbreak to put a damper on your passionate weekend plans. And some STDs are believed to cause cancer or permanent damage to the reproductive system. Be sure to know your partner, limit your partners, and use condoms, every time.

10. Take care with your genitals. Beware of anything that could cause them harm, like the so-called G-spot shots that doctors promise will increase sexual satisfaction. This procedure is untested and unnecessary. If you really want to stimulate your G-spot, read about it in a book and try it manually, and / or buy a toy designed for this purpose.

Maintaining sexual health is important if you want to have an active sex life now and for as long as you wish. Sex is a wonderful gift that can bring you pleasure for years, if you know how to take care of yourself.

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Low vision eye doctors are those physicians who specialize in the fields of ophthalmology and optometry. Both of these professionals are qualified to treat vision problems, however ophthalmologists and optometrists deal with different aspects of eye health. They are in actuality two distinct types of low vision eye doctors, and if you suffer from AMD, or age-related macular degeneration, you may be treated by each in different ways.

The ophthalmologist is actually an M.D.; like heart surgeons, oncologists and other medical doctors, the ophthalmologist has completed several years of medical school and has met intern and residency requirements. S/he is qualified to perform surgery on the eye. If a patient’s age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is of the “wet” variety – which can be treated surgically if diagnosed early on – the ophthalmologist is the one that will actually perform the procedure, which today involves the use of lasers.

For those whose vision problems are related to the “dry” type of AMD, there is no known cure or long term treatment. However, there are low vision devices and other low vision products that can assist the patient in maximizing his/her remaining eyesight. The person who measures and fits the patient for such mechanical aids is actually an optometrist.

Low-vision doctors in the field of optometry hold an O.D., or Doctor of Optometry degree rather than an M.D.; their main concern is the measurement of a patient’s eyesight rather than the actual diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions (the second element of the word “optometry” is from the Greek metri

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Bitters are a diverse group of chemicals compounds that share the common characteristic of a bitter taste. Bitters are commonly used to strengthen and improve the whole digestive system in the body. Bitters also act to increase the vital energy centers in the body as well as the nervous system. Because they have such a broad effect on the entire physiology, tone, and function of your body, bitters are a principle that can be used to treat the body as a whole. The beneficial effects of bitters go beyond digestive hormone activity. Bitter stimulation can often shift a condition or illness that does not appear to have anything to do with the digestive process. The bitter principal acts to increase self-healing and resistance in many ways.

But They Taste So Bitter!

To be effective bitters must be tasted on the taste buds of the tongue where they stimulate the bitter taste buds and thus increase salivation. This stimulates the gastric reflex to cause digestive juices to be secreted. There is increased flow of digestive juices from the pancreas, duodenum, and liver that results in better assimilation of nutrients and less undigested food being passed through the digestive tract. This is of benefit to problems that have their basis in inefficient or allergy distorted digestion.

The Various Roles of Bitters

Bitters act to increase or stabilize the appetite. In general, there is a stimulation of the appetite, which is important in conditions of convalescence and where there is otherwise a reduction of appetite. Bitters do not seem to increase appetite in a digestively healthy person, rather a more healthful balance in the appetite develops. The body acquires more taste for healthy foods and less taste for unhealthy foods.

When bitters activate the gastric secretion of hydrochloric acid and other digestive enzymes, the nerve tone of the muscles of the entire digestive tract improves. Blood circulation improves and the body can assimilate foods, absorb nutrients, and eliminate wastes more efficiently. In a broader way, this improvement in blood circulation affects the healthy activity of the heart and circulation in general.

Cleansing and Detoxification

Bitters stimulate the liver to do a more effective cleansing and detoxifying job and prompt the gallbladder to make bile. The production of bile helps metabolize fats and keeps elimination moving smoothly. Bitters also produce a diuretic and hepatic effect in the body. This has value when working with any condition that has origins in a sluggish or overworked liver.

Stabilizing Blood Sugar

Bitters produce a regulatory effect on the secretion of the pancreas of the hormones that regulate blood sugar, insulin, and glucagon. This can be of benefit in stabilizing insulin levels and modulating blood sugar swings. Diabetics should be careful when taking bitters because bitters may upset their blood sugar balance.

Reducing Stress

Bitters can also be supportive in reducing stress and anxiety and regenerating the nervous system. When bitters work to strengthen digestion, this activates the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and induces a more relaxed state in the body. Bitters can be useful if you are overextended and stressed out. Bitters produce subtle, beneficial psychological effects. In some cases they can produce a marked antidepressant effect and a generally tonic effect upon consciousness.

Increasing Immune Responses

Some bitter herbs such as Gentian can modulate gut associated immune responses. In some therapeutic circles, bitters are indicated for treatment of those recovering from infectious diseases including viral conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome. Some clinical tests have shown that bitters can decrease levels of sIgA antibodies and reduce or eliminate symptoms in those with inflammatory bowel disease. Bitters may help repair gut wall damage through stimulating self-repair mechanisms.

Who Should Use Bitters?

Bitters are indicated when there is digestive weakness. Digestive weakness is often associated with an infectious disease that depletes the vital energy of the body. Digestive weakness and decreased vitality both reduce the assimilation of nutrients and the elimination of wastes resulting in a spiraling effect of depletion in the body. Stress can deplete vital energy which disrupts digestion and this further decreases the body’s vital energy.

Bitters can also be useful for those who have an over reliance on mental energy that can result in physical exhaustion.

Bitters are indicated for use in:

o poor fat digestion

o poor protein digestion

o weakness due to chronic illness especially with a bacterial or viral infection

o loss of energy and vitality

o painful digestion

o intestinal cramps

o excessive gas

o irritable bowel syndrome

o poor appetite

o anemia

o excessive craving for sweets, fats, and carbohydrates

o immune disorders where nutritional deficiency is present

o digestive weakness due to mental overwork and lack of exercise.

Which Herbs Are Bitters?

Important bitter herbs include: Peppermint, Calendula, Dandelion, Artichoke leaf, Blessed Thistle, Angelica, Motherwort, Wormwood, Bitter Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Gentian root, Centaury root, Mugwort, Goldenseal, Cascara Sagrada, Devil’s Claw, Tarragon, Hops, Boneset, Barberry, Chamomile, Yarrow, Horehound, Rue, and Tansy.

Bitters range in effect from mild bitters like Chamomile to intense bitters like Wormwood or Gentian. The whole bitters class of herbs has a variable therapeutic margin. The more mild the bitter the greater the therapeutic range and the more intense the bitter the more restrictive the range. Intense bitters like Wormwood, Tansy, and Rue have a low therapeutic margin and need to be used with care. Absinthinn found in Artemisias such as Wormwood is so bitter it can be tasted at a dilution of 1:30,000. A mild bitter like Chamomile has a very wide therapeutic margin and can be used in much greater quantities for a larger population. In general though, bitters are taken in small quantities at meals and are not usually consumed by the cupfuls throughout the day.

How To Take Your Bitters

Bitters extract well into hot water and alcohol. Bitters may be combined with flavorful herbs such as Licorice, Orange peel, Lemon peel, or Cardamom to give a better tasting remedy. Some bitters are destroyed by heat and most bitters are taken in alcohol preparations.

To gain their full effectiveness bitters should be taken over time. Some effect may be seen immediately, but their fullest benefit in the body is achieved when they are taken over weeks and months. Bitters are usually taken 15 to 30 minutes before the meal or just after the meal. If too great a dose is taken symptoms may worsen. If that is the case lower the dose and gradually build up as the body gets stronger.

Where Do I Get Bitters?

You can find Bitters at most health food stores and herbal companies. Evenstar Herbs makes a general Liver Bitters Tonic.

You are what you eat.

Your health and performance are enhanced or disabled by the timing, frequency and the quality of what you eat. Your dietary and nutritional patterns and routines throughout the day can enable you to successfully navigate with ease and grace through turbulent high stress times. Consuming the right foods, at the right time, in the right environment is one of your highest priorities. Without specific and attentive dietary choices it becomes nearly impossible to achieve a high level of wellness and performance and all stress becomes excessive and recovery is not effective.

o Do you crave junk foods?

o Are you never hungry?

o Are you always hungry?

o Do you experience gas or flatulence?

o Do you experience burping or belching?

o Do you experience constipation?

o Do you experience diarrhea?

o Do you experience”heartburn”?

o Do you experience reflux?

o Do you experience rumbling, agitation or burning in the digestive tract?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above you might benefit from including specific bitters in you diet. Consult your healthcare professional.

Bacteria in your colon are referred to by many different names – probiotics, good or bad bacteria, beneficial bacteria, acidophilus, disbiosis, micro flora, proflora, friendly flora, and unfriendly bacteria.

I simple use good and bad bacteria to refer to all the bacteria that exist in the small intestine and your colon.

Your colon has both good and bad bacteria. The good bacteria maintain the health of your colon by keeping the bad bacteria from multiplying and reducing constipation.

Most people have bad bacteria as the dominant condition in their colon. You can see this by the illnesses that exist throughout the world. Most people later in their life suffer from diseases that resulted from colon neglect and abuse.

Bad bacteria multiples when you,

* Consume poisons such as pollution, pesticides, food additives such as preservatives, coloring, so on.
* Drink alcohol
* Eat processed foods
* Have excess anxiety
* Lack fiber in your diet
* Use birth control pills
* Use drugstore laxative
* Use drugs and medication

Good bacteria in your colon consists of hundred of species of bacteria. The good bacteria are most active in a pH of 5.9 to 6.9- an acidic environment. This makes for a healthy colon.

Your colon serves as a home for the good bacteria, which ferment specific carbohydrates, which in turn keep your colon environment slightly acidic. The acid environment favors the good bacteria and keeps the bad bacteria and pathogens from multiplying.

The bad bacteria create an alkaline environment and are most active in a pH of 7.1 to 7.9

Again, the good bacteria creates an acidic environment and are most active in a pH of 5.9 to 6.9

Acidophilus and Bifidus are the main good bacteria that exist in your colon. The ascending colon, on the right side of your abdomen area, has the most bacteria. The quantity of bacteria becomes less in the transverse colon and lesser in the descending colon. Eventually, little bacteria is found in the sigmoid and rectum.

When good beneficial bacteria is dominant, in your colon, it prevents the spread of disease from various organisms – parasites, bacteria, viruses, fungi. The specific organisms

Shigella, salmonella, viruses, encephalitis, protozoan, amebas, staph, herpes, flu, cold viruses, comphylobacter, and CMV, are the ones that creates killer diseases such as dysentery, blood poisoning, meningitis, pneumonia, influenza and encephalitis

The good bacteria keep these organisms in the minority, thus preventing them from multiplying, getting into the blood, and into the different body organs. They do this by their antibiotic like secretions, lactic acid production, and other secretions, which keep their environment acidic.

The good bacteria live and thrive on carbohydrates. When your body has good digestion and little carbohydrates reach your colon, the good bacteria population decreases and the bad bacteria become dominant.

Good bacteria need to be fed to keep it dominant in your colon. If there are any good bacteria left in your colon, then by feeding them, you can get them to multiply. If there are not any good bacteria in your colon, then you cannot reestablish the good bacteria by eating specific carbohydrate foods. To reestablish good bacteria, under this condition, you must do a flora enema.

In his book, Acidophilus and Colon Health, 1999, David Webster, also says,

“Indicators of a healthy colon flora are a soft but well-formed stool, with amber color and little or no odor, and that floats in water most of the time. When the stools are dry, dark brown, too solidly formed or too loose, and especially if there is a putrid odor, these are clear indicators of a putrefactive, alkaline-producing colon flora. Chronic constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome are often eliminated when your colon is restored and maintained at a slightly acid pH.”

In his research, Webster found that feeding the remaining good bacteria edible lactose whey rejuvenates the good bacteria in your colon. By drinking 2 – 5 tablespoons or more each day in a cup of distilled water enough lactose can reach your colon to feed the good bacteria. Webster recommends doing this for 30 days. After this period you can check your stools to see if you have reactivated you good bacteria

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