Online Health Information

Massage is great for your health, it relieves stress, improves intimacy in relationships and just feels great.

I have found an EXCELLENT Free e-book – The Secrets of Massage Therapy

“The Secrets of Massage Therapy” – covers the basics of massage therapy and goes into good detail on 3 particular types of massage –

- Full Body Massage

- Indian Head Massage

- Luxury Facial Massage

Each technique is briefly explained, it’s benefits laid out, and then you are taken step by step in an easy-to-follow process how to actually perform each technique.

I didn’t realize before I read this how beneficial massage actually is for your general well-being and state of mind. It really does promote general overall wellness and is extremely beneficial for improving your health.

Another major benefit is the improvement in your relationship with your partner that can be experienced by one or both of you learning how to massage – Amazing.

I’d highly recommend this e-book if you want a good grounding in the basics of massage.

And just one more thing – when you do download the e-book, you’ll have a chance to get your hands on a full DVD and CD course in all the techniques. It’s worth it at the full price for what you get, but there is a one time special offer when you download the book. This is the only opportunity you’ll have to get hold of it at this price. You don’t have to take it, you still get the e-book free, but have a read at what’s on offer and seriously consider it.

I highly recommended the E-book, and it’s free. Click here to download it

Menopause can be a very difficult condition. Although most women experience the condition in the later years, many women may face the occurrence of perimenopause or menopause even during their 30’s.

While menopause is generally associated with older women, it may occur among younger women as well. A women who is experiencing a full menopausal cycle prior to the age of 40, is said to be going through premature menopause. You may imagine the emotional effects; such a situation may have on a young woman. Apart from the symptoms, which are normally associated with menopause, occurrence of premature menopausal cycle may lead to emotional disturbances, which may be just as devastating for a woman in her 30’s or younger.

A few causes of early menopause are:
!. premature ovarian failure, where the immune system of the body attacks itself, leading to the ovaries to stop functioning.

2. Early menopause may also get stimulated by surgery. And as it is, if you have gone through surgery either for the removal of the ovaries or hysterectomy, then in that case, your hormonal levels drop quickly and you will experience instant menopause. Also, even in case, you have not got your ovaries removed through hysterectomy, they may get daEarly menopause may also be caused in some cases when you have your tubes tied.

The factors, which are associated with early menopausal, include extreme weight loss, which is linked with anorexia.

In order to know about the conditions leading to premature menopause, the best thing to do is to consult your mother and grandmothers, as to what age they became menopausal.

In case there is a lack of estrogen, then in that case, it is more probable, that premature menopause would cause menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, loss of libido, vaginal dryness, change in skin, joint discomfort, as well as sleep disturbances. The symptoms are usually more severe in case of premature menopause, than in the cases where menopause occurs naturally.

Most importantly, the condition is marked by the loss of ability to get pregnant. This can definitely prove to be devastating for a young woman and the support of family and friends at this juncture, is rather crucial. It is possible in this age of assisted fertility to remember that although getting pregnant naturally may not be possible after you have experienced premature menopause, it is quite possible to still get pregnant with the help of IVF, have a child through surrogacy or adoption.

If you are considered hot-tempered and frequently have out bursts of rage. Then you may need to deal with your anger or frustations in a healthy productive.

The following anger management strategies are designed to help you return to a healthy, normal existence and help you to deal with your anger in more positive ways.

1.Taking a time-out: Removing yourself from a situation or person that makes you angry is considered taking time-out, however part of a time out strategy is to do something fun, soothing or rewarding while having time out. This time out strategy might mean taking a ride in the car or a walk on the beach, going to the park, playing sports or working out may help you to use up some of the extra energy without itaking your anger or frustrations out on others. Other helpful suggestions for time-out are reading, listening to music or meditating in silence.

2. Working out what makes you angry. When you become angery or upset try to disclose the reasons for your anger whether it is because you are feeling hurt, fear, frustration sadness, confusion , jealousy or whatever seems to bring on an angery outburst.

3. Hindsight : Think back on what made you angery and try to find ways to make changes for the future. Learning the cause of you anger may help you to avoid those things in the future that made you angery.

4. Confront the situation or person head on. Calmly talk to the person or people involved, and try to determine the true problem. You might actually discover that the whole thing was a mix-up, or just a misunderstanding.

If you think you might have an anger issue then you should attempt to deal with your anger by learning healthy anger management strategies or seeking professional help if you feel you can no longer cope with your anger or the whole anger management process.

Benzoyl peroxide is used to treat mild to moderate acne, and is for external topical use only Benzoyl peroxide medication is available in many forms such as creams, lotions or gels that are usually applied once or twice a day to the affected area. A small amount is applied to the affected area and rubbed in gently. What are the side effects The use of Benzoyl peroxide medication may produce the following side effects initially that usually do not require medical attention; * increased sensitivity to the sun, keep out of the sun, or wear protective clothing outdoors and use a sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher). Do not use sun lamps or sun tanning beds or booths. * mild burning or stinging * red, inflamed, and irritated skin, the skin may peel after a few days However, notify your doctor if the following effects occur:severe redness, irritation, scaly eruptions,and or rash. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately. Your acne may get worse during the first few weeks of treatment with Benzoyl peroxide, and then start to improve. It may take 8 to 12 weeks before you see the full beneficial effect. If you do not see any improvement within 4 to 6 weeks, call your doctor or health care professional. Who should not use this medication Benzoyl peroxide in not recommended for children under 12 years old and should be used only when clearly needed during pregnancy and as it is not known if this drug is excreted into breast milk. Though there have no reports (to date) of harm to nursing infants, consult your doctor before breast-feeding. When not to use this medication Do not use the following products on the same areas that you are treating with Benzoyl peroxide, unless otherwise directed by your prescriber or health care professional: medicated cosmetics, cosmetics that dry the skin (especially products that contain alcohol), rough soaps or cleaners, and any other acne preparation or skin treatment. If you use these products in combination with Benzoyl peroxide they can increase the risk of skin irritation. Benzoyl peroxide products may bleach hair or colored fabrics. Avoid getting the medication on your clothes.

With all the symptoms associated with menopause, hot flashes or flushes have to be considered one of the worst symptoms associated with menopause. While hot flushes or flashes can be an absolute pain, it is a normal occurrence and is caused by a hormonal imbalance during menopause. Since there is no one reason why hot flashes or flushes occur, you just need to determine how to deal with hot flashes or flushes. Medical research has determined that your lifestyle and some psychological factors can increase the number and severity of hot flashes that a menopausal woman experiences. Women who experience high levels of anxiety and stress have five times the number of hot flashes or flushes as those women who have a low level of anxiety or stress. Also women who smoke experienced twice the amount of hot flashes or flushes as those women who don’t. Being overweight also leads to an increase in hot flashes or flushes. Hot flashes often start with the onset of perimenopause, or they may not start until after your last menstrual period has happened. Hot flashes or flushes usually last between three to five years and are can get worse during the year following your last menstrual period. It has been documented that for some women, hot flashes or flushes can last indefinitely. Although it is thought that hot flashes or flushes are associated with a decrease in the production of estrogen, there are also those who think it is simply the hormonal balance which acts as the catalyst to set of hot flashes or flushes. Hot flushes or flashes have been described as a feeling of excessive warmth as if the body gets just a little overheated. In an attempt to cool down, the body perspires and blood vessels dilate, causing skin your to turn pink or red. After a few minutes, the heat dissipates, leading to chills. In the past the typical solution to relieving hot flashes was by using hormone replacement therapy. Given that we now know that HRT does have side affects which can cause more harm than good. It has been widely recommended to support your body through hot flushes or flashes in a natural way, thus not having to rely on hormone replacement therapy. Many women find that with the proper support, reducing anxiety and stress and maintaining a healthy weight, their own bodies can correct the hormonal imbalance that is the real cause. Hot flashes or hot flushes – while being a nuisance – can be managed very simply, by just ignoring them as much as possible. Accept them as part of life and the menopause process and the aging cycle.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive, widely available drugs in the world.
Most smokers would never consider taking such drugs  as cocaine and heroin, which are just as addictive as nicotine but the fact that nicotine is widely available over the counter in most shops, petrol stations and pubs creates a situation where the addictive nature of nicotine can be over looked. Cigarettes create a wide range of health problems and smokers have great difficulty stopping even when the health problems become life threatening.

Once you have been smoking for a while it takes a of willpower to stop due to the addictive nature of tobacco, many people find it very hard to stop even with doctor prescribed medication.

Pure nicotine is a deadly poison and even a small amount of pure nicotine  placed on your skin will kill you. However the amount of nicotine in cigarettes is nowhere near that strong but it is enough to get you addicted which gets you going back for more even when you know that it might kill you and you desperately need or want to stop.

When you inhale cigarette smoke  the nicotine goes directly to your brain in mere seconds where it stimulates the receptors in the brain to make you feel good. It causes the brain to release  dopamine which helps to improve your mood and this is one of the reasons why people who are anxious, sad or depressed often seek comfort in smoking cigarettes.

Your body will become used to the nicotine in the cigarettes and you will gradually require more and more to get the same affect. This leads to heavy nicotine  addiction where some people start to smoke  several packs a day, or start to chain smoke one cigarette after another.

Smoking is expensive when you consider the cost of  paying for so many packs of cigarettes each week, plus there are additional loads placed on a persons health from the damage that all the smoking is doing.

Every day that you continue  smoking you are making it harder to quit the habbit and that is precisely what the tobacco companies want.

If you are a smoker and thinking of quiting smoking – you’ve got to read this. More importantly you need to understand what it means to your health and wellbeing and what the symtoms of quiting smoking are. You will feel a change in your lifestyle when you stop this dreaded habit and since you have just got used to doing it, your body and all other internal systems will that have got used to your habit will react differently when they realize that they don’t have the nicotine coming into them any longer.

You are bound to have certain symptoms of quitting smoking when you start to live a life of a non smoker.

These symptoms may include:

1. Cravings: First and foremost you are definitely going to have the urge to smoke. They say bad habits die hard and you will witness this feeling of wanting to steal a smoke when you are trying to quit smokingt.
2. Depression: However if your conscience prevails over you and you still don’t go out for a smoke, you will see that you may become offbeat and get into a low or depressed mood. You feel that nothing works for you and you aren’t capable of anything. The key to overcome this is realizing that the reason for your feeling is because you’re depriving your body of the nicotine that it was regularly getting and not because you are not a capable person.
3. Mood changes: You may also feel anxiety, irritability, frustration or anger. This depends on how long you have been a smoker and your daily intake of cigarettes.
4. Sleep Changes: There are some patients who experience difficulty sleeping or sleep disturbances. You won’t feel yourself and might be going through a lot of restlessness no matter wether you are awake or asleep and as a result you will be left with drowsiness or fatigue all or most of the time.
5. Change in appetite: Smokers generally have a very small appetite and hence when you stop smoking you would find an increase in appetite that will be directly proportional to your weight gain.
6. Headaches, colds or coughing: You might also feel that you have a head ache, or cold related disorders like coughing, sneezing, sore throat etc.
7. Digestive disorders: with mouth ulcers and constipation also being major symptoms of people who quit smoking.

In spite of all these withdrawal symptoms that a you may have to go through, aren’t all these symptoms, including feeling off-color or under the weather great to go through? After all the withdrawl symptoms will pass and you will one day be a non-smoker , have great health and more money in your pocket.