Health and Medicine

Archive for January, 2010

It is normal to lose between 50-100 hairs a day, this is part of the hair renewal process. However most people suffer from excessive hair loss at one time in their life. There are many reasons for this including medication, radiation, chemotherapy, exposure to chemicals, hormonal and nutritional factors, thyroid disease, generalized or local skin disease, and stress.

Many of these causes are temporary and a few are permanent. These are some of the more common reason for hair loss.

HORMONAL BEHAVIOUR

Since hormones both stimulate hair growth and cause hair loss, hormonal changes by far have the biggest impact on hair loss. These can affect both men and women in the following ways:

This is the most common cause of thinning and affects both men and women. Men generally have hair loss concentrated in a specific pattern from the front through to the crown. Women tend to have thinning throughout their head without being in any specific pattern. This type of hair loss is caused by the androgen DHT, or Dihydrotestosterone. Since everyone has DHT that is produced by their bodies and only some people suffer from hair loss there has to be another factor involved. This other factor is having follicles that have a greater number of Androgen receptors for the DHT to attach to. This is the component that is inherited through the genes. To date the most effective preventative treatments are anti androgens, drugs that prevent the creation of DHT. In the future gene therapy will one day be able to alter the genes to prevent the follicles from being affected by DHT.

Childbirth

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The idea of beauty, grace, health and happiness are often associated with how we perceive ourselves and how other people view us. In defining beauty, many people still believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, what better situation is there that being able to confidently prove that we are indeed beautiful while at the same time, others also think the same way about us. The concept of beauty has long been connected to the idea of youth. Most of us believe that if we look younger, we look healthier, better, and more attractive. However, we also need to accept the fact that time does take a toll on us, especially on our skin and on our looks.

Even if there are times when we want to stop time so we will not age, we cannot do that. Time flows and so does our looks. One myth, though, is the belief that we can do nothing when it comes to challenging the effects of time. In the field of beauty, technology and innovation has equipped us with additional armor. We now have numerous anti-aging products that may not stop time but may definitely give us youthful skin and health.

The most common problems of men and women today is the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, skin discoloration, stretch marks and other impurities that changes our physical looks. Some people may have tried numerous products out in the market today and most of these people can attest to which anti-aging products are effective and which are not.  Read more...

Find Chinese medicine education in the United States and Canada. Chinese medicine education offered through several acupuncture schools and other Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) schools include certificate programs that are comprehensive, and can enhance your professional aspirations.

A good example of one of the many certificate programs extended through an in-depth Chinese medicine education is the certificate in Chinese herbal medicine (CCHM). This Chinese medicine education program is a postgraduate course for licensed acupuncturists and covers a tremendous curriculum that includes Chinese medicine education in botany, Chinese medical terminology, herbal formulation and therapeutics, Chinese medicine principles and theories, and other related subject matter. Though each school varies in its Chinese medicine education; a number of these programs average about 62 credits.

Other certificate programs offered through Chinese medicine education courses are the Asian bodywork and Qigong courses. Chinese medicine education in these subjects encompass practical training and academics in a range of topics including but not limited to TCM theories, anatomy, qigong, clinical bodywork, shiatsu, biomechanics, kinesiology, Thai massage, Tuina, and other related studies. In many instances, successful students who have completed all bodywork training requirements are awarded Tuina and shiatsu massage certificates.

In addition, some Chinese medicine education courses are extended through home-study programs, as well as in-class studies. These certificate and continuing education programs include courses in herbology. In this Chinese medicine education course, students are introduced to Chinese herbal medicine, pathology, tonic herbs and formulation, and many more associated topics of interest.

Furthermore, several alternative healing schools will provide Chinese medicine education certificate and/or diploma courses in Oriental medicine nutrition, skin care, wellness and acupressure.

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Hair loss also known as Baldness is a big worry to many people, both male and female. Baldness is not usually caused by a disease, but is related to aging, heredity, and testosterone. Hair loss usually develops gradually and may be patchy or diffuse. Some women also develop a particular pattern of hair loss due to genetics, age, and male hormones that tend to increase in women after menopause. The pattern is different from that of men.

Female pattern baldness involves a thinning throughout the scalp while the frontal hairline generally remains intact. Excessive hair loss can occur if any of the stages of hair growth become disrupted. For example, if follicles shut down instead of growing new hairs, there will be less hair on the head. Loss of hair at a very early age has become a common disorder these days. We loose 50 to 80 strands of hair per day. Do not get alarmed, this is quite normal. Unless there is some deficiency in diet, or ill health, lost hair is quickly replaced by new ones. Each hair grows between one quarter and one half inch each month.

Some men have areas on the scalp that are very sensitive to the male sex hormones that circulate in men’s blood. The hormones make the hair follicles – from which hair grows – shrink. Another reason might be interference with the formation of new hair cells at the root during the growing phase; this occurs with some anticancer drugs. Baldness is generally regarded as natural, and not a disease. So if a person decides they wish to try to get their hair back, they will probably have to pay for the lengthy, expensive procedure themselves. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment thyroid disease. Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance. Correcting the hormone imbalance may stop your hair loss.  Read more...

Read this anti aging skin care review before you read anymore consumer reviews. Just because a customer says that an anti aging skin care system is effective does not mean that they know anything about the ingredients. That customer might even be an employee of the company.

There’s no way to tell for sure. You know the old saying. You can’t believe everything that you read. There is a good source for an anti aging skin care review, but it doesn’t focus on effectiveness. It focuses on safety.

Over the last several years, there has been a movement to petition the United States government to pass regulations controlling the chemicals that companies are allowed to use in an anti aging skin care system and other lotions and creams. The European Union has already passed similar regulations, but the Bush administration has been resistant to the change.

Organizations like the Environmental Working Group (your best source for an anti aging skin care review and the ingredients in an anti aging skin care system) would like to see cosmetic companies fully disclose the compounds that they use. If you read enough labels, as I have, you will see that everyone has their proprietary names and they aren’t forthcoming about explaining what they contain.

A cosmetic company representative will say that they are “protecting their formula” from being stolen by competitors. But, the truth is that they all have the same access to the same base ingredients. They are simply afraid that if the customer knew what was actually in the bottle, he or she would not buy it.

But, enough of that, let’s talk about some specific ingredients to avoid and those that you should look for, both for effectiveness and for safety. I read a positive anti aging skin care review for the Avon anti aging skin care system. It took some effort, but I finally found a list of the ingredients.  Read more...