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The standard pattern for loss of hair in guys is the receding hair line on the forehead that makes an m shape. The top of your head might often also start to thin and become finer. Loss of hair in patches doesn?t tend to happen in guys. Explore the latest hair loss techniques from Advanced Hair Studio, home to hair restoration.

Guys hair grows usually in most men at 1.5 inch every 8 weeks, each and every hair strand will last around two to 6 years and then drops out. Once your hair falls out a regenerated hair strand takes its place on your scalp. With genetic baldness once the hair falls out the hair does not come back.

Each strand of hair sits in a follicle in your scalp, over the course of time the follicle in men may reduce and result in thinner hair on your head or no hair. The reason for this is still not proven and might be related to hormones or DNA. Although your follicle could shrink they are still alive.

Loss of hair might cause stress in lads and fortunately there are awesome baldness treatments available that will probably help slow down loss of hair and develop marvellous hair growth. These baldness treatments include minoxidil which is a wonderful lotion treatment applied directly on your scalp, this is shown to stop hair loss and even produce new hair, now that is wonderful. Once you stop this baldness treatment the hair loss will then restart.

I hear a lot of people commenting that they wish they hadn’t indulged so much on their holiday or that they need a vacation after their vacation.

It’s essential to your self-care and wellness that you DO take holidays, have a break from your regular routine and recharge your batteries. But this kind of unstructured time - whether it’s one Sunday or a three-week holiday - presents unique challenges to your self-care.

Here are some clues that you might be taking a holiday from your self-care when you have time off.

1. Clutter and mess are starting to take over, but you tell yourself you’re on holiday so you shouldn’t have to clean up or worry about it. You don’t know what day it is and things are piling up, undone.

2. You’re worried about the work that’s waiting for you when you return.

3. Getting where you’re going on time - either around the corner or around the world - is stressing you out.

4. Your body is showing the effects of extra indulgence or lack of sleep - fatigue, weight gain, indigestion and back and neck pain.

5. You have no energy and/or you’re feeling lazy.

6. You’re arguing more with your loved ones and you’re easily irritated by things they say and do.

Adding in some structure to otherwise unstructured time can keep you feeling good about yourself and your choices all through your holidays, and can keep you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated long after you return to your regular routine.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Keep your sleep on track. When we don’t “have” to get up in the morning to rush off to work or our other responsibilities, it’s tempting to oversleep or to fall into the pattern of staying up late and rising late. While it’s certainly a great idea to “catch up” on sleep during your time off, experts agree that having a regular bedtime and waking time keeps us at our best. So if you’ve been exploring the night life during your time off, give yourself at least a few days at the end of your holiday to get back to your regular bedtime and waking routine. This way your body won’t get a shock when it’s time to go back to work.

2. Keep your meal times regular and your meals healthy. It’s tempting to let go of any planning or structure during time off, and this includes meals. Grabbing whatever’s there, whenever you think of it, can lead to poor food choices that don’t give you the nutrition you need to keep you going strong for all the fun you’ve planned.

3. Have at least one activity planned every day. The key word here is “planned” - plans can, and should, be changed - this is YOUR free time, after all! Having something planned helps to keep you moving around and active and keeps you from slipping into lethargy.

4. Take some time alone. After all, as much as you love your family, you’re not used to spending 24 hours a day with them. Spending some time apart, nourishing your own self-care, will help you to appreciate each other more when you’re together.

5. A change is as good as a rest. This well-worn expression has lots of truth to it. Having time off doesn’t necessarily mean a complete absence of activity. Instead, it can be a rich schedule of activities that are things you don’t usually get to do. This could include self-care rituals such as an aromatherapy treatment, time in the garden, experimenting with a new, colourful vegetable in the kitchen or visiting a friend.

And above all, adjust your expectations - of yourself, of your loved ones and of your holiday plans. As this article has discussed, sometimes a holiday is NOT the rejuvenating panacea you might have hoped for.

While I hope these tips will help you to improve your experience during your time off, try to let go of the pressure to pack in as much fun and/or relaxation as you can.

Instead, enjoy each moment as it comes and focus on the next healthy choice you can make.

© Linda Dessau, 2005.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of “The Everyday Self-Care Workbook”. For free and low-cost self-care resources, visit http://www.genuinecoaching.com/resources.html

What Is The Definition of Fibromyalgia?

What is Fibromyalgia (fi-bro-my-AL-ja) Syndrome? Fibromyalgia
Syndrome patients hurt all over with pain around particular
tender points, and frequently feel extremely fatigued.
Fibromyalgia Syndrome patients feel as if their muscles have
been pulled or overworked. Sometimes the muscles twitch, and at
other times they burn. Even after numerous tests, the physician
is frequently unable to specifically find something wrong with
the patient. When family or friends ask you, “What is this
fibromyalgia syndrome?”, have them think back to the last time
they had a bad flu. Every muscle in the body screamed out in
pain, they felt depleted of energy, as though someone had
unplugged their power supply. While the severity of symptoms
fluctuate from person to person, Fibromyalgia syndrome may
resemble a post-viral state.

What is the unique Definition of Fibromyalgia Characteristics?
According to the definition of Fibromyalgia, the disease is
characterized by chronic pain, fatigue and widespread pain in
the muscles, ligaments, and tendons; with distinct tender
points. Other symptoms include stiffness, soft tissue
tenderness, and sleep disturbances (a constant interruption of
the deep delta sleep needed to rest and restore the body).
Fibromyalgia information determines that sleep disturbance is a
very common ailment of FMS patients. Fibromyalgia Syndrome is
not fully understood, however, it is commonly associated with
physical and emotional stress, inadequate sleep, an injury,
exposure to dampness or cold, certain infections, and
occasionally Rheumatoid Arthritis or related disorders.

Many years ago this condition was known as Fibrositis, Chronic
Muscle Pain Syndrome, Psychogenic Rheumatism, and Tension
Myalgia. In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)
identified a specific criteria for this disease. The ACR
classifies a patient with FMS if at least 11 of 18 specific
tender points of the body are painful under pressure. The most
common sites of pain include the neck, back, shoulders, pelvic
girdle, and hands; but any body part can be involved. The
patient must also have had widespread, tender point pain lasting
at least 3 months. Patients, however, may experience a range of
symptoms of varying intensities that keep changing over time.
Although the intensity of symptoms may vary, they may never
disappear completely. It may be reassuring to know, however, FMS
is not progressive, crippling, or life-threatening.

FM Syndrome - Fibromyalgia Information, Facts, And Statistics
FM Syndrome patients make up as much as 4% of the entire
population. According to the National Foundation for FMS, as
many as 12 million Americans suffer from this disease but remain
undiagnosed because of its elusive nature. It is most common in
women between the ages of 20 - 50, although it also affects men,
the elderly, and children. In children, the disease is often
mistakenly diagnosed with growing pains or behavioral problems.
FM Syndrome is frequently mistaken for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
since the symptoms of the two diseases are so similar, however
FMS affects more individuals than Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - CFS.

10 to 12 million Americans suffer from FMS - 90% of them are
women in the prime of their life. Patients suffering from FMS
sometimes struggle for years before being correctly diagnosed.
Women are affected much more than men in an approximate ratio of
20:1. This condition is seen in all age groups, from young
children through old age. In most patients, the problem begins
between 20 - 30 years of age. This debilitating disease occurs
world-wide and has no specific ethnic predisposition. Symptoms
usually appear between 20 - 55 years of age, but children are
also diagnosed with FM syndrome. Pain and severe fatigue may
keep FM sufferers from their chosen profession, unable to
perform common daily tasks. Chronic pain usually continues
throughout a patient’s life span. For more info visit:
http://www.back-fibromyalgia-pain.com

Assisted Living facilities are generally for person’s 60 years of age and older. Typical candidates need assistance with “Activities of Daily Living” (ADLs), but wish to live as independently as possible. Assisted Living communities exist to bridge the gap between seniors that can live independently and skilled nursing homes.

Assisted living facilities provide helpful services such as:

1. Eating,
2. Bathing,
3. Dressing,
4. Grooming
5. Laundry
6. Housekeeping
7. Assistance with medications.

While Board and Care facilities are usually in a private residential home, Assisted Living facilities are larger structures often arranged as senior living communities. These communities can contain as many as 400 residents or as few as 25 seniors. Residents of assisted living communities usually meet in a dining room together with other residents for meals.

A person designated as the ‘Activities Director’ oversees a key area in the assisted living community - Social activities. The Activities Director typically arranges daily options for residents including outings, crafts, dances, music, educational classes, seminars, and other opportunities. All activities are designed to encourage physical and mental stimulation.

Assisted Living facilities create a care plan for each individual resident upon admission. The care plan details the agreed upon personalized services required by the resident and guaranteed to be provided by the facility. The plan is updated regularly to assure that the resident receives the appropriate care as his or her condition changes.

Assisted Living communities are closely involved in the health needs of their residents. They often have a person designated to oversee this called a ‘Health Care Director’. They coordinate the monitoring of health related issues involving medication, diet, personal hygiene, socialization and mental acuity to assist the senior and their family as they interact with health care professionals. If a decline is noted in a specific area, family and health care professionals are consulted by the Health Care Director to resolve issues. Often, because of their experience, unexpected emergency health issues are avoided, as signs of a decline recognized and acted upon early.

Residents can live at ‘Assisted Living’ communities for many years, even as their health declines considerably. Many offer hospice care and end of life assistance. If you are considering senior care options, assisted living facilities are definitely an option worth looking into.

About the Author

Alex Jensen is with Careplacement.com - a free placement service for Southern California. Care Placement’s staff can review your care requirements to determine whether skilled nursing care, assisted living facilities or board and care homes are a viable option for seniors.

Copyright 2006 Konstantinos Marangopoulos

High protein diets have always been popular with athletes. Their popularity increased tenfold during the past 5 years with the introduction of the low carb type diets to the public that include high protein foods.

Regular people who do not exercise can eat moderately high protein foods. On the other hand athletes and people on muscle building diets must eat at least 1gram per lb of bodyweight in order to build muscle. A high protein diet is the staple of bodybuilders. Bodybuilding athletes always include a high protein food source in their daily diet.

High protein foods you can include in your diet are:

Turkey breast Chicken breast Lean cuts of red meat Lean cuts of pork Fish (most fish is high in protein) Eggs & Egg Whites Skim Milk Low fat cottage cheese Protein powders & bars

Whether you are going for muscle building or fat loss, a high protein diet plan can certainly help you either way.

If you are trying to build muscle, you need a high protein intake in your daily diet in order to recover from workouts and build muscle tissue. Protein provides the building blocks for muscle and without it muscle building and growth simply will not occur. During weightlifting and hard training, muscle tissue is broken down. In order for that muscle tissue to be rebuilt and grow stronger, we need to eat a diet high in protein. It’s pretty simple.

If fat loss is one’s goal, a high protein diet is also an absolute must. Most high protein foods are very low in carbs and saturated fats. Therefore by eating high protein foods in your diet, you also also eating quality low calorie foods. In order to accelerate the fat loss process, reducing carbs and overall calories is usually recommended. High protein foods can help you in achieving that.

An average person who trains hard and weighs 180lbs requires a minimum of 180grams of protein in his diet per day. This means at least 1gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Anything less and muscle building/recovery will not be optimal. Some hard training athletes consume up to 2 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight in order to accelerate the muscle building process. This is not recommended for most people who require a moderately high protein intake. The total amount of protein taken every day should be spread over 5 to 6 meals throughout the course of a day.

Timing of high protein foods is also very important. You should be consuming high protein foods at all times but more for your breakfast, post workout meal and before-bed meal. Start your high protein daily diet by giving your body good quality protein to start the day. Then, right after your workout, consume a protein shake that will help kick start the muscle repairing process. Last but not least you have your before bed meal where you must consume a slow digesting form of protein (casein mostly) that will give you a steady release of high quality amino acids throughout the night.

Eating high amounts of protein in your diet can be very demanding. It requires a lot of time to cook high protein foods like chicken and turkey. The best way to get all of your protein is to use protein powders. Protein powders are extremely high in protein and they are very convenient to use. Just one small scoop of protein can provide 20-24 grams of the highest quality protein available. Make sure you choose your high protein supplements wisely. Do not get caught up in the marketing frenzy of magazines. A tub of high quality protein should not cost you more than $30 at any given time.

For more information on protein foods vs. protein supplements, check out: http://www.bodybuildingapplied.com/index_center_articles.asp?newsId=88

If you decide to embark upon a high protein diet, make sure you include a lot of vegetables and fibrous carbs with your meals in order to help protein digestion. Try to eat at least two salads per day and/or steamed vegetables. Furthermore, try to stay consistent with your high protein diet, day in day out, in order to keep a steady influx of aminos to your muscles. Always remember that if you are not eating enough protein & calories in your diet, your body will use existing muscle tissue to repair itself.

Kostas Marangopoulos is a certified personal trainer, natural bodybuilder and owner of one of the best natural bodybuilding websites on the web, Bodybuilding Applied.com. To get Kostas’ free monthy bodybuilding diet & training secrets newsletter, please visit www.BodybuildingApplied.com

My son caught infantigo
while we were traveling home from Argentina on an airplane. He
had an open wound on his wrist from a torn aluminum juice can,
and the wound grew more and more infected.

At first we thought that he was having an allergic reaction, but
the symptoms didn’t go away after a full day, so we thought it
best to seek the advice of a professional doctor. The next day
we were home, our family doctor recognized the rash immediately
and prescribed antibiotics and rest for our little boy. The
antibiotics cleared up the infantigo within one week, which was
a relief indeed.

Our family had no idea that this bacterial disease existed until
this happened to us, so I’m writing this article as an
informative venture for any parent who is unaware of its
existence.

Any public area is a potential high risk area for conditions
like infantigo (impetigo) that can be transmitted from person to
person. The bacteria are transferred when an infected person
touches any infected object with his or her skin. Then the
bacteria are picked up by an unsuspecting child (sometimes an
adult) who touches the contaminated item later.

It is important to note that the infantigo bacteria can only
enter the human system through cuts or abrasions in the skin. If
the skin is healthy then the bacteria will not be able to get
in. If your child has a cut, make sure to wash with soap
frequently to avoid this nasty bacterial infection. And remember
that door handles, luggage trolley handles, hand railings, seats
and seat belts etc all provide good opportunities for the
bacteria to spread.

Too many know as the aids virus that lives in the blood and other body fluids, within the blood or white blood cells of the infected person. Large scale transmit of this virus occur due to unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing of drug injections, infected used in transfusion, and in some occasions through pregnancy when the virus is passed from mother to child. It’s important to understand that people don’t catch aids, they become infected with HIV due to many one of the above listed transmits.

Secondly we need to understand the positive results of HIV that is when the body has been infected by the human immunodeficiency virus. When blood tests are carried out doctors don’t search for HIV but they come across it in our blood, HIV+, HIV antibody positive or seropositive HIV add up to the simple meaning of being infected with positive HIV results. The HIV virus is not a disease it’s a progressive emanation that damages your body immune system.

The HIV virus is best know for targeting the T cells having chances of attacking the cells of the brain, nervous system, digestive system and lymphatic system. Hence the T cells can be referred to as the brain operator of our system, and when these cells are infected our body becomes weak and cannot battle bacteria, cancer, fungi and other parasites, When T cells are infected with HIV it kills the strength of a human progressive and recovery system.

Once HIV infects your T cells then it works like a factory reproducing itself to grow the virus inside the body, which eventually results in the virus moving into the bloodstream. HIV can destroy all fresh T cells repeating its process of reproduction in this manner. The immune system then gets absolutely weekend multiplying this virus all over you, this can be termed as “opportunistic infection”.

A person with a HIV-weekend immune system comes down with one or more of rare opportunistic infections, with low T cell counts it can be diagnosed as an AIDS patient, ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICENCY SYNDROME. AIDS can be thought of the most severe form of HIV disease, all but a handful of medical experts now believe that HIV is the primary agent that leads to the development of AIDS.

About the author:
Mehjabeen Poonawala - Ph.D. Research Scholar (Foods and Nutrition) The author is Content Editor of http://www.eguruguide.com which is a health information portal. eguruguide.com offers quality information on topics like Nutrition, Diet, Obesity, Diabetes, Food habits, Blood pressure and weightloss.

America’s war on drugs, which has been fought in the opium
fields of Afghanistan and the cocaine plantations of
Columbia, will have to reinvent itself to combat what is set
to be America’s biggest drug abuse problem, pharmaceuticals.
One in five American’s, nearly 48 million, have used
prescription drugs for non-medical purposes at least once in
their lives. The current past month misuse rate among
Americans is 6.2 million. According to a recent white paper
by Carnevale Associates, this rate of use is already higher
than the historical highs of both cocaine and heroin
epidemics.

For some, the road to illicit use of prescription
medications starts innocently. After a car accident, back
injury, or, even, a mental/emotional breakdown a physician
prescribes medication for a legitimate use. Over time,
tolerance builds up so that more and more of the drug is
needed until a state of dependence is reached. At this
point, there is no easy way to get off the drug, and
stopping can involve painful withdrawal symptoms. Some
doctors have been known to become afraid and cut their
patients off at this point. Patients have been known to
steal prescription pads, or visit numerous doctors to get
the drugs they have become addicted to.

However, contrary to popular belief, it is not older adults
or any adults who are most likely to abuse pharmaceuticals.
In the past decade, abuse of prescription meds among youth
has been growing at an alarming first-time use rate of more
than fifty percent each year. In 2002, the latest year for
which there are statistics, approximately 2.5 million
American’s misused prescriptions for the first time and 44%
of them were under the age of 18.

Unfortunately, as the media fixes its gaze on the
methamphetamine problem; and the Office of National Drug
Control Policy spends much of its time focusing on Marijuana
the opportunity to address the pharmaceutical addiction and
abuse is being missed. While certain steps have been taken
they have been tentative. The ONDCP has drawn up a strategy
for addressing synthetic drugs, but no serious media
campaign to educate Americans about the problem has been
undertaken. Nor has any pharmaceutical company been brought
to heel for manufacturing drugs with high abuse potential
even when alternatives may exist.

The next battle in America’s war on drugs must draw a bead
on pharmaceuticals. The ONDCP must be willing to launch the
same type of hard hitting ad campaigns against prescription
drug abuse as it has against, marijuana, ecstasy and
cocaine. The FDA must not be afraid to sanction drug
manufacturers who continue to make unsafe drugs where safe
alternatives exist. Pharmaceutical manufactures must become
better citizens and spend the research and development
dollars to make safe and effective drugs, rather than taking
the easy way out.

This new phase of the war on drugs, without easily targeted
foreigners to blame for America’s drug abuse problems, will
take unwavering political resolve, corporate citizenship and
ingenuity. Even then it is likely to take years before the
trend of increases in prescription medicine abuse and
addiction can be reversed.

Common Prescription Drugs of Abuse:

Opioids: these are synthetic versions of opium. Intended for
pain management opioids are the most commonly abused
prescription drugs. OxyContin (oxycodone), Vicodin
(hydrocodone) and Demerol (meperidine) are the most popular
for abuse. Short-term side effects can include pain relief,
euphoria, and drowsiness. Overdose can lead to death.
Long-term use can lead to dependence or addiction.

Depressants: These drugs are commonly prescribed to treat
anxiety; panic attacks, and sleep disorders. Nembutal
(pentobarbital sodium), Valium (diazepam), and Xanax
(alprazolam) are just three of the many drugs in this
category. Immediately slow down normal brain functioning and
can cause sleepiness Long-term use can lead to physical
dependence and addiction.

Stimulants: Doctors may prescribe these to treat the
sleeping disorder narcolepsy or
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD. Ritalin
(methylphenidate) and Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) are two
commonly prescribed stimulants. These drugs enhance brain
activity and increase alertness and energy in much the same
way as cocaine or methamphetamine. They increase blood
pressure; speed up heart rate, and respiration. Very high
doses can lead to irregular heartbeat and hyperthermia.

© 2005, David Westbrook

About the Author: Dave Westbrook has worked in the field of
crisis intervention and addictions for several years. For
more information on prescription med abuse and other
addiction related topics visit http://www.addictionsresources.com