What You Should Know About Carotid Surgery
There are several scenarios in which carotid surgery may be required in order to save a person’s life. Here are a few things you should know about carotid surgery and why it can be so important.
Understanding what the carotid arteries are and what they do can help to illustrate why carotid surgery is a serious procedure. The carotid arteries are the two principle arteries that are located on either side of the neck. What makes the carotid arteries so important to our health is that they are the principle means of blood being carried from the aorta of the heart to the head. In short, these two arteries are the highway that helps to carry oxygenated blood to our brains and thus allows us to continue to think and function. Any obstruction or interruption of that blood flow threatens our very lives.
Carotid surgery may be necessary in several cases. The most obvious situation is when one or more carotid arteries have been damaged due to accident or an attempt on one’s life. Rupturing one or both carotid artery lines will lead to a lack of oxygen for the brain and at the same time rapidly ejects blood from the body. The bleeding has to be stopped quickly, and the supply of blood to the head restored at once, or permanent damage will be the result.
In other cases, carotid surgery may be indicted if there is some sort of growth that has attached itself to a carotid artery. While this is usually not a procedure that is as delicate as emergency carotid surgery, it will require a steady hand, so that the tumor can be successfully removed before it has a chance to do permanent damage to the arterial walls. Because the nature of carotid surgery is so delicate, it may take a number of hours to complete, and also require exacting attention to detail in the operating room.
Regardless of the reason for the carotid surgery, the importance of following the proper procedures for recovery is imperative. Depending on the severity of the situation, the recovery period may be relatively short and easy, or more complicated and of a longer duration. Because it is necessary to ensure that the carotid surgery has successfully addressed the problem, frequent checks for the first couple of weeks will be necessary. Physician will provide specific instructions for the patient who is recovering from carotid surgery. Friends and family members are urged to make sure their loved one follows those instructions to the letter.
James Woodley is the writer for the website
Encourage Meditation
Sometimes the best way to calm down is to meditate. However, in some circles, there is a stigma against the practice. It’s a hippie thing to do, doesn’t really do anything. It is, however, gaining acceptance as yoga becomes a more trendy exercise. And it is documented as being helpful.
Resistance might still be present, however. Especially in someone who is depressed, because the apathy can be strong. The desire to change, while it may be there, can be outweighed by a desire to do nothing. That symptom of depression, the inaction, can be one of the most serious obstacles to healing. It can be one of the hardest to overcome.
But by working together, you can make progress. Don’t send them off to do things on their own. After the habits have become routinized, they can try to do it on their own, but until then, work together. Go to the class together or meditate together. Find music that is conducive to meditation and try it at home. Find a yoga class and go together. The important thing to do is find a way to incorporate healthy practice into daily life. By starting together, you will get your significant other into the habit of calming behaviors which will benefit the both of you and will help to fight the depression.
Learn to alleviate your depression at curemydepression.com curemydepression.com
Herbs – Past and Present
The use of herbs as natural medicines goes back thousands of years, to when their use was first recorded in China. Throughout the ages, their uses have been recorded and passed down from generation to generation. Herbs seemed to drop out of favor with the rapid development of synthesized drugs. They have recently made a resurgence, with many people realizing, that although the quick fix associated with the drugs, may temporarily alleviate a problem, it may not be the best way of remaining healthy.
What Is A Herb?
Basically a herb is any plant that can be used medicinally to treat the body. Such definition includes fruit, vegetables and culinary herbs.
Garlic is a good example, because it has so many medical applications. They include, colds and flu, blood pressure, high cholesterol, and urinary infections amongst many others.
Many people include culinary herbs, such as parsley, coriander, fennel, fresh mint, basil and others, in recipes, and food preparations. They are, perhaps unwittingly, getting regular doses of herbal medicine.
How Do Herbs Work?
Herbs, or shall we call them medicinal plants, work in a variety of ways. The active content of different herbs determines which medical conditions they are able to treat.
There are herbs that treat infections.
Herbs to assist with blood circulation.
Herbs to treat mucus membranes.
Herbs to stimulate appetite and digestion.
Herbs to detoxify and assist with waste elimination.
Herbs to assist with hormone problems.
This list is by no means exhaustive, as there are herbs to use with most afflictions, but it serves to demonstrate that different herbs can help to strengthen, and balance bodily systems, and treat a host of maladies.
How to Take Herbs
There are many ways to take herbs internally, and the most obvious is as a food, as already indicated. Otherwise they can be taken as teas, tinctures, capsules, tablets, and powders. Some herbs may also be useful for gargles, and mouth washes. Herbs are also beneficial for external usage as herbal baths, ointments, lotions and creams, and essential oils.
Where Do Herbs Come From?
Because herbs are natural plants, they are obtained from different parts of the world, depending on the climatic and other conditions they require. Modern international trading means that it is probably easier than it has ever been, to purchase anything, including herbs and herbal preparations, from wherever they originate.
There are at least hundreds and more probably thousands of different medicinal herbs growing in our world. As with orthodox medicine, expert help should be sought, before taking any herbal preparation that you are not 100% sure about. Professional advice is readily available, and there are also excellent books and periodicals that are informative.
General
There is much concern these days about poor diet, obesity, malnutrition, and lack of exercise. People are slowly coming to realize, that to a large extent, they are responsible for their own health and well-being. Some are seeking a natural health lifestyle, including wholesome organic food, free from highly toxic pesticides and fertilizers.
There is nothing more wholesome than naturally grown herbs and plants. They provide not only the food you eat, but also the air your breathe.
If you care for them – they will care for you.
Richard Wise writes articles about natural health, aromatherapy, herbal remedies, antioxidants, allergies and vegetarianism. If you are interested in herbal remedies please visit his herbalremediesforall.com web site which is at herbalremediesforall.com/ herbalremediesforall.com/
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Discover How CoQ10 Can Help Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
In this article you will discover:
The facts about co-enzyme Q10How can co-enzyme Q10 help chronic fatigue syndrome?What dose of co-enzyme Q10 do you need to take to help with your chronic fatigue syndrome?
The Facts About Co-Enzyme Q10
Co-enzyme Q10 is a vitamin like compound similar in structure to carotenoids and vitamin E.
Co-enzyme Q10 is present in all your body cells and is sometimes also referred to as vitamin Q.
Co-enzyme Q10 is a strong antioxidant. It also helps with energy production within your body.
Foods which are rich in co-enzyme Q10 are:
WholegrainNutsMeatGreen VegetablesFish
Co-enzyme Q10 can protect your body from free radical damage.
Apart from helping with the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, co-enzyme Q10 can also protect you from the following health conditions:
AtherosclerosisCancerHeart DiseaseHypertensionRaynaud’s Syndrome
How Can Co-Enzyme Q10 Help Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
As you get older, the levels of co-enzyme Q10 within your body starts to decline.
Taking co-enzyme Q10 supplements can help you fight against fatigue.
What Dose Of Co-Enzyme Q10 Do You Need To Take To Help With Your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
To help with chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms, take between 300 mg and 600 mg of co-enzyme Q10 per day with food.
The benefits of co-enzyme Q10 take time to show, in some cases it can take up to three months before fatigue declines and your energy levels return to normal.
Warning: in some people high doses of co-enzyme Q10 can cause mild nausea.
As with all supplements, please consult your doctor before taking them.
So, to sum up…
Co-enzyme Q10 is a vitamin like compound with strong antioxidant properties.
It is similar in structure to carotenoids and vitamin E.
Taking co-enzyme Q10 supplements can help you fight against fatigue.
Stewart Hare C.H.Ed Dip NutTh
newbeingnutrition.com/cfs.htm Download ‘How To Beat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Naturally’ Free E-book
Website: newbeingnutrition.com/wordpress/ NewBeingNutrition.com
Taking Back Control – Alternative Health Solutions During Menopause
Does the thought of hot flashes and memory loss make you shudder?
Are you nervously trying to turn back time? Instead of using it for what it was meant to be? A time to reassess, introspect, and intuit your way to the second glorious half of your life?
Menopause-it happens to ALL women.
Thing is, many women never understand that they don’t have to suffer from this natural phenomenon.
You have a right to celebrate and, yes, even enjoy this rite of passage, not agonize over it, or deplore it!
And with just a few tweaks, and with the use of natural products to control those hormone fluctuations we all fear, you’ll rejoice in this really special time of your life, rather than suffer through it.
Everyone now knows that there’s a variety of natural remedies available to treat symptoms of menopause. But did you know that in many cases, they work BETTER than traditional prescriptions?
What does “natural” mean, anyway?
Alternative medical practices usually stress how natural they are for your body, but rarely does anyone explain why or how this benefits you.
When all is said and done, a natural treatment is one that works with your body to restore balance to your system, rather than “forcing” it to go another way by the use of chemical prescriptions.
A natural remedy gently restores balance without the harmful side effects that always seem to accompany medical prescriptions.
More women have become aware that emotional equilibrium and other symptoms of menopause can mostly be gently treated with alternative health therapies.
Consequently, you’ll find a slew of natural products available on the internet and at your local health food store, or vitamin store. So many, in fact, that it creates an “alternative problem.”
Manufacturers of natural and homeopathic remedies for menopause market many of their products directly to the public. This gives you the impression that you should make the decision of whether or not to use a remedy on your own. Not so!
In the not so distant past, your choices were to either take hormones or not take them and suffer.
Now your poor addled brain is expected to make a choice between way too many alternative solutions – when in many cases, making decisions is exactly one of the things that cause you difficulty at this stage of your life.
The solution?
Rather than spending hours browsing the web or the shelves in stores for ways to alleviate your symptoms, spend that time looking for a good naturopath, homeopath, or Ayurvedic practitioner in your area.
Look for one who specializes in the symptoms of menopause. Make this person your ally for the next few years as you navigate through what I call the “Menopause Tunnel Ride.”
You may already have a favorite practitioner, and if so, this should be the first person you speak with. She or he could be the right person to see you through this transition period of your life. If not, you might come away with a referral or two as a place to start your search for your “menopause partner.”
Because you’ll have many delicate issues to address…
Be sure you feel comfortable discussing any and every subject with this individual.
If you can afford to do so, make an appointment with two or three health practitioners, and ask them questions that particularly concern you. Look at it as an interview for a job you need filled: after all, you’re “hiring” this person to help you navigate one of the most important and fabulous portions of your life!
Pay close attention to your heart region when you meet the different practitioners.
How do you feel in his or her presence? Imagine yourself asking this person a question on a subject that you find particularly difficult to talk about out loud. Could you ask this person that question?
Remember. You’re likely to visit this health practitioner several times a year as you make your way through the “Menopause Tunnel Ride.” Be sure.
How does the practitioner respond to your questions?
Do you feel like you’re being “handled” by the practitioner’s response? Do you feel like s/he really cares about your feelings behind the concerns you raise? Does s/he give your concern validity by answering in depth, or is s/he just giving you a superficial answer that really explains little or nothing to you?Do you feel that the practitioner sees your patient/practitioner relationship as a partnership?Or does it seem more like this practitioner would expect you to follow a course of action she or he chooses without question?Below are some of the natural ways you can deal with the symptoms of menopause.
Read the list slowly, paying attention to how you feel as you think and read about any of these solutions. Do some research on each of them, and pay attention to how what you read makes you feel.
If you feel good as you read about a certain option and comfortably see yourself partaking of that particular solution, then bring it up during your interviews with the health practitioners.
Yoga: check out yoga studios in your area for classes specifically designed to alleviate symptoms of menopause. There are still too few of these available, but there are some. Call the studios in your area and ask about such classes. Yoga teachers need to know that there’s an interest.
Acupuncture: there are acupuncture treatments specific to menopause. You’ll find many of these just browsing the web.
Reflexology: this is a form of acupuncture without needles, and you’ll also find many of these browsing the web.
EFT: another form of acupuncture without needles, you can do this one yourself after easily learning how.
Herbal supplements: many women have found relief using ginseng, dong quai, black cohosh, motherwort, chickweed, licorice root, sage, lavender, St. John’s wort, and chaste tree.
Sensory therapy: this includes color therapy, with blue, green, and yellow the first choices as healing colors for menopause symptoms. Aromatherapy is also sensory therapy. It’s best to see a professional though, as mixing the wrong essential oils can have adverse effects.
Progesterone cream: a natural hormone replacement you can buy without a prescription.
NEVER use a herbal supplement, or hormone alternative, no matter how natural the manufacturer claims it to be, without first consulting with a health practitioner experienced with menopause. Just because an herb or other remedy is labeled as “natural” does not guarantee it can do no harm.
Herbs can be very potent!
Yet, despite their potencies, herbal remedies tend to target the ailment it’s used for with very few, if any, side effects compared to traditional prescription medication.
When your hormones are out of balance, they affect all parts of your life, so it is essential for you to rectify the situation immediately if you want to enjoy optimum health during your menopause.
Once you find a health practitioner with whom you feel comfortable, it’s time for you to work together and decide on a course of action that is right for you personally.
Care for your body! Rejoice in your menopause!
By keeping yourself healthy during this life transition, you pave the way for a happy future.
The thing to remember most about this article is that with the right health practitioner, and the right natural remedies supporting you, you can soar rather than sink during menopause!
For specific information on sensory therapies to alleviate the symptoms of menopause, read Menopause, Depression Color and Scent, Oh My!:
Preparing for Summer Time with Breast Enlargement
Summer time means outdoors and delightfully scanty clothing. It’s a time to kick free of winter restrictions, and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, the beach parties, barbecues, volley ball games, picnics.
Are you pleased with your silhouette in summer clothing? Do you wonder if you have a good figure in a bathing suit? Perhaps you’d like to have a better proportioned figure and fill out your shirt more? Breast implants are a possibility you might want to consider.
You have choices
There are choices as to where the incisions are made and it partly depends on you and your surgeon’s preferences. The type of implant, location of incision and size are all decisions that your surgeon will help you with. Most people now have saline implants though the FDA has recently re-approved the use of silicone gel implants.
One of the great features of saline breast implants is that they can be inserted empty. This means the incision can be quite small, since the implant is rolled up into a small tube and then filled after it’s in position.
Breast enlargement incision sites
There are four possibilities for where your plastic surgeon can place the breast enlargement incisions. They are:
· In the armpit (axillary incision) – this is about an inch long and only visible when you raise your arms.
· In the breast crease (inframammary crease incision) – this one is about 1.5 inches long, running along underneath the breast. It is usually only be visible upon close inspection.
· At the areola (peri-areola incision) – this incision is a small semi-circle, around the lower edge of the areola (the darkened area surrounding the nipple). It can be scarcely visible since the changes in skin here will camouflage it well. Future breastfeeding will be unlikely with this choice of location.
· At the belly button (transumbilical incision) – this one is a small semi-circle around the lower inside edge of the belly button and will be barely visible. With this choice of location, only the one incision is needed for both implants.
So with all these choices, scars for your breast implants will be small and discreet.
Match your lifestyle
Saline breast implants come in many sizes and your breast surgeon will discuss with you how best to match the implants to your overall size and proportion. Breast implants can also be:
· Round or contoured like a teardrop
· Smooth-surfaced or textured
Regardless of which incision site you choose, or which type of implant, you’ll still be able to wear bathing suits and low necklines and participate in any kind of summer activity, no matter how active. You’ll be able to sport your new silhouette all summer long with no worries.
Finding a good cosmetic surgeon
Since cosmetic surgery has become so popular in the last 10 years or so, some doctors have taken short cut training to take advantage of this at a disservice to the general public. You want a properly trained and experienced surgeon, not one who might gain his basic experience on you! Choose a plastic surgeon who’s certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), and one who’s a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).
While you should by all means listen to your friends and acquaintances who may have had cosmetic surgery and want to recommend their doctor to you you should do your homework too, and check the doctor’s credentials.
Some questions to ask when interviewing plastic surgeons
· Do you have hospital privileges, and if so, which hospitals?
· Can you do the procedure in the hospital if I want to?
· If you do surgery in other facilities, are they accredited?
· How many breast reductions have you done?
· Can I speak to some of your previous patients about their experience with it?
scottgreenbergmd.com/breast_aug.htm Please click here for more information regarding breast augmentation surgery in the Orlando, Florida area.
Yellow Toenails
Yellow toenails are usually a sign of trouble to come. Although harmless bacterial colonization can cause a color change in nails (usually green), and there is a rare condition called yellow nail syndrome, by far the most common cause of yellowish or brownish discoloration in the toenails is fungus infection. Many fungi produce colored pigments when they are growing well – Penicillium, for instance, the fungus that produces penicillin, commonly produces a deep green pigment. The fungi that like to grow in nails commonly produce yellowish or brownish colors.
To determine whether, in your case, a fungal infection is the reason for yellow toenails, you should visit your doctor and get a professional diagnosis. Since fungal nail infections are relatively common, your doctor will have seen yellow toenails before, and will be able to judge whether your nails are infected with fungus or whether you have some other problem that requires different treatment. If there is still doubt, a sample of your yellowish toenail can be taken and sent to the laboratory for testing.
Yellow toenails are not necessarily uniformly colored. Only some toenails may be affected – sometimes only one – and the fungus may only be growing in part of the nail, producing a yellow toenail streak. Untreated, infections that involve only part of the nail will usually spread to cover the whole nail, and generally advance towards the nail root over time. Once you know for sure that fungus is the reason for yellow toenails in your case, don’t delay treatment. Infections are more easily treated if they do not involve the lunula (the whitish crescent shaped area near the cuticle).
You will have to decide between various types of treatment for yellow toenails. Your doctor can prescribe an oral medication that is taken daily for a few months to a year to get rid of the infection. Many people avoid the oral prescription drugs because they are expensive, and because of the potential for unpleasant side effects. There is also a topical prescription nail lacquer that is painted on, but this can only be used for yellow toenails, or a yellow toenail streak that does not involve the lunula (the whitish crescent-shaped region near the cuticle).
Besides the prescription drugs, natural remedies probably work better than over the counter antifungals for yellow toenails and any yellow toenail streak. This is because topical ointments and lotions don’t get through the nail to kill the fungus. Natural and home remedies attempt to soften the nail for better penetration, and often contain natural ingredients that have been found to be effective against fungus. Some are even backed up by scientific study.
R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. She is a contributing editor to nail-fungus-treatment.blogspot.com Yellow Toenails, a blog dedicated to the treatment of fingernail and toenail fungus.
Flushing It All Out – The Benefits Of Colon Cleansing
I’ve recently discovered a great new way to improve my health. It’s called colon cleansing.
We often hear that health is wealth. While some may think that happiness comes from financial wealth, life will be no fun unless your body is feeling fine.
There are many ways to maintain, or regain, your health. Exercise is important. It doesn’t really matter what you do: running, walking, bicycling, climbing, martial arts, yoga, or any other sport that you are enthusiastic about. ‘Just do it’ seriously, as the experts say, at least 3 times a week. This will help your health a lot.
There are several other important factors for good health. Proper breathing is one. Proper sleep and proper diet are 2 other factors that are important to good health. These things are all, more or less, natural, or so it would seem.
But I find that many people today are not aware of how to keep up with even these ‘natural’ parts of life. As important as they are, these topics will have to wait for other articles.
Today I want to talk about a more unusual, but very important, aspect of personal health and hygiene: colon cleansing. Many people seem to accept constipation and are not aware of the importance of regular bowel movements, and of periodic colon cleansing, to remove the waste matter that has somehow ‘stuck’ around inside of us, maybe for years.
Some health experts will tell you that constipation is the root of a very large percentage of diseases, from headaches to cancer, as well as obesity.
There are many reasons for constipation. Some of the most common reasons are a low fiber diet, lack of water intake, lack of exercise and overeating.
These and other habits lead to a clogged colon, a colon that doesn’t allow your food and liquid intake to get into the body and do its work.
In a natural, healthy state of being, nature has planned that the colon will eliminate waste material and bacteria and absorb water and mineral salts while maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance. If your colon has too much waste matter lining its walls, then full absorption of nutrition is blocked and the colon creates extra toxins that spread across the body through the absorbed fluids.
So, a double whammy happens. You let a lot of toxins into your body and as well, only a small amount of the needed nutrition from your food can enter into your bloodstream and give you the vitamins, minerals and other nutritives that you need. Thus, among many other problems, you may find that you have to eat much more than a ‘clean colon’ person does, to supply your body with the required nutrition.
But never fear. There is a way out. In fact there are many ways out.
Periodic fasting is useful. A popular yogic fasting method calls for fasting 2 times a month, for 24 hours. This may be with water or juice, or it may be a dry, fast. Either way, it gives your intestines a rest and, when properly done, helps to cleanse the bowels.
An important part of this method is to finish your fast with a good amount of water, ideally with lemon and salt added, before eating any solid food.
Another method that is rightfully gaining popularity is colon cleansing.
There are numerous ways to do this. In many cities you can find therapists who specialise in colon cleansing. One can also ‘do it yourself’ with products of herbal origin, such as senna, cascara sagrada, psyllium and others that you can explore online or through consulting a health therapist.
My own experience proves that it’s well worth any effort. I’ve found that I enjoy every aspect of life better, now that I’ve found out how to keep myself internally cleansed and thus healthy. So, if you would like to get similar benefits, try colon cleansing.
Mike Vincent is health food specialist and distributes food supplements through his site healthy4life.com healthy4life.com . You can learn more about colon cleansing at 1coloncleanse.com 1coloncleanse.com
Article About BPH Treatment With Saw Palmetto
In this article, you will discover:
What Is Saw Palmetto?Why Saw Palmetto Is Considered A Good BPH Treatment?How Much Extract Of Saw Palmetto Do You Need To Take As A Good BPH Treatment?What Is Saw Palmetto?
Saw palmetto is a small palm like tree which grows in the West Indies and North America.
It is the berries of the saw palmetto tree which are used for their medicinal properties.
The saw palmetto berries contain hormone like steroids and fatty acids.
Saw palmetto has anti-oestrogen properties and is used to help benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatitis (NBP).
Why Saw Palmetto Is Considered A Good BPH Treatment?
Extract of saw palmetto is a popular natural treatment for BPH.
It’s the fat-soluble (liposterolic) extract of the saw palmetto berry, which is used as a good natural BPH treatment.
The enzyme, 5-alpha-reductase, converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the body.
Saw palmetto inhibits this enzyme plus blocks DHT from binding in the prostate.
Studies in Germany showed that extract of saw palmetto, improved urinary flow and reduced night time urination.
How Much Extract Of Saw Palmetto Do You Need To Take As A Good BPH Treatment?
Studies in Europe have shown that by taking 160 mg of extract of saw palmetto, twice per day, saw palmetto is just as good a BPH treatment as finasteride at reducing the symptoms of BPH.
So, to sum up this article about BPH treatment with saw palmetto…
Saw palmetto has been proven in trials in Europe that it is a great natural alternative to finasteride as a BPH treatment.
Stewart Hare C.H.Ed Dip NutTh
newbeingnutrition.com/bph.htm Download ‘How To Beat BPH Naturally’ Free E-book
Website: newbeingnutrition.com NewBeingNutrition.com
Penis Enlargement Methods-Which One Is Worth The Money!
Penis Enlargement Methods-Which One Really Works?
This is a question that any man looking for an alternative to penis enlargement surgery asks, “Which one really works?”. I have spent quite some time searching for different products and claims. What I found were alot of sites with ridiculous claims and bad customer service! I cannot mention any names for legal purposes, but here are a few tips for you to keep in mind when searching for the perfect penis product:
1.) Pill enhancements who offer ‘permanent results’. Pills usually only show results for the time that you take them. Obviously you want a product that will give you permanent results, but would you spend thousands of dollars on pills for the rest of your life??
2.) Go with a product with a track record. If the product has a good reputation and real testimonials, you know you have a good chance with that company.
3.) Customer service! If you come across a company that does not have a number to reach them, run away! A good company will have an ‘800′ number to call for any questions and will NOT give you the run around when trying to reach them!
Purchasing the right penis enlargement product is not an easy task. Make sure you use common sense and make sure the product has been proven to work. Don’t focus on the cost of the product but the QUALITY. This will save you time and money in the long run by making the right choice. Good luck!
Written by Jeannie L.
BigPenisFast.com BigPenisFast.com