The method described here is most suitable for women of, shall we say, more mature years and the great thing about it is that the regime of exercise and diet is the easiest ever to follow. A little boring some might say but no need to calculate, to cook, or to figure out any complex menu—in fact no menu figuring what so ever. For the no cooking bit to work you do need a moderately (just moderately) cooperative husband, partner, lover, or other household member.

After considerable research on the best way to lose weight—approximately half a life time’s research actually, my wife and I decided on the moderate exercise and calorie counting method as the most likely to be successful for her to lose weight. How right we were. A simple case of less energy in than the energy going out—regular exercise combined with a calculated amount of healthy food. It’s the only way to go!

Let’s start with the basics. If you are female, about 150 pounds (70 kilograms or so), and you want to reduce to about 130 pounds (61 kilograms or so) with the commensurate reduction in dress size, say from the tight squeeze into size x now, down to a tight squeeze into the size x – 1, then just keep reading.

You probably also have a yearning to get down to 130 pounds because you regard it as your proper fighting weight, or in Lucy’s case, her wedding day weight. In other words it is the weight when you considered yourself to be at your peak. —A great goal!

Now I am not saying that this diet won’t work for women going from say 170 pounds (about 77 kilograms) to 150 pounds or indeed women of any other starting weight. However I am sticking to what I have personal knowledge of and trying to keep this article on a truly scientific a footing—be it only with a sample of 1. I will therefore keep to what happened in this single instance.

We got the calorie number requirements form Allan Borushek’s book—‘Calorie and Fat Counter’ If you are a woman of over 55 years and 150 pounds, your intake should be about 1660 calories per day provided you are just sitting around, working in an office or the like. If you are doing all the housework then add about another 100 calories. We chose housework as part of Lucy’s activity regime—because that left me free to do more important tasks! Well—I do all the cooking and most of the gardening. See, I told you this was a scientific account.

So according to these figures Lucy and I agreed that to maintain her present weight she should be on about 1660 + 100 =1760 calories per day. We used the good old ‘Calorie and Fat Counter’ book again to calculate her true pre-diet intake and it came to considerably more—over 2000 calories.

So we figured this would be easy then. All we had to do was increase the activity and decrease the calories or perhaps do both and we would be on track. We decided on both.

Based on foods my wife liked to eat we decided on the following basic diet. It had to be simple, easily prepared without deep thought (because I do the cooking remember), easy to shop for, and consistently deliver the correct calorific value.

Fortunately Lucy does not mind eating the same or very similar foods day in day out. She is comfortable with this because she is secure in the knowledge that she has her calorie intake fully under control and this, for her, was the most important factor. She felt that if she was to have a more varied, perhaps less boring regime, she would find it a hassle to recalculate, prepare and organise and in this case she might be more likely to give up and it had to be simple for me also of course. So simple and straightforward it was, and is, and on with the task!

Here is the actual diet and calorie intake—all day and every day!

Breakfast
1 x 200 gram tub of low fat yoghurt—190

1 slice of whole grain toast—100

1 average size sardine—25

Total calories for breakfast—315

Lunch
1 whole grain roll—200

4 average size sardines—100

Lettuce in roll almost nil calories
1 packet or one small tin of soup on average—140

Total calories for lunch—440

Dinner
270 grams (a full bowl) of microwaved greens—270

1 x packet of ‘Lean Cuisine’ ready meal or similar low fat meal—average calories—300

Total calories for dinner—570

Between meal snacks
Fruit various, two or three serves per day on average—250

Total calories for snacks—250

Total daily calorie intake is therefore—1575 calories

Okay, so this diet delivers 1575 calories each day. This is 1760 – 1575 = 185 calories under what is required for maintenance if Lucy is doing all the housework. Now Lucy and I figured that if a little extra exercise was added then this must result in loss of weight over time. The exercise regime we decided should include some walking everyday.

Based on the time Lucy felt she was prepared to devote to this it was decided to include 50 minutes of walking every day. This 50-minute walk around our local neighbourhood is undertaken every morning just as soon as it begins to get light. Right now this is at about 5.00 AM.

As with the food there is no variation introduced here such as alternate walking routes. The priority is for a simple consistent exercise routine and Lucy walks exactly the same 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometres) circuit each and every morning. The only exception is if she is unwell or the rain is absolutely bucketing down.

Now I know that most people might not want to stick to exactly the same diet and exercise routine every day. What I am saying is that we know that this definitely works. However if you wanted you could use tuna or some other convenient protein rich source instead of the sardines and, as Lucy does, you do have the excitement of looking forward to a change of ready cooked meal every dinnertime!

So there you have it ladies all the information you need for a certain loss of 20 pounds or the equivalent 9 kilograms and the reduction of one dress size. Lucy did it and you can too.

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2. Green Tea And Weight Loss
3. Diet and Weight Loss Myths

Depression is an illness; it is a state of dis-ease in the body. Chemicals in the brain influence moods. Serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine are “feel good” chemicals and when these chemicals linger in our brain, we feel uplifted. When the chemicals reabsorb too quickly, we feel down. Scientists have found ways to help the chemicals stay longer in the brain.

Depression can have internal and external causes. External causes include poverty, financial stressors, abusive relationships, and personal losses. Internal causes can be chemical imbalances, some medications, heart disease, brain disease, and thyroid disorders. In some families, depression shows up from generation to generation.

Male and females may show signs of depression in different ways. During depressive periods, men often express, anger, discouragement, excessive work, alcohol, and/or, drug abuse. Although women may behave similarly, they are prone to express depressive symptoms in hopeless and helpless behaviors. The hormonal cycle vary in women more than men, and studies show that women who have premenstrual syndrome are more likely to suffer from depression in their lifetime.

Unfortunately, treatment for depression is not readily available for everyone. Most insurances limit mental health benefits, but thankfully, there is a movement in congress that supports legislation to have mental health issues receive the same kind of consideration as any other illness. In the mean time, some public health clinics provide treatment on a sliding scale basis. In addition, some drug manufacturers offer programs for patients who cannot afford their medications. Contact the drug manufacturer and inquire if there is a suitable program for you.

Therapy for depression include, talk, behavior modification, and medication therapy. Mild depression often responds well to talk and behavioral therapy. Mediation therapies include Monamine Oxidase inhibitors and Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Another therapeutic option is electroconvulsive therapy. With any medication and treatment, there can be side effects. It is important to discuss concerns and side effects with your doctor.

Depression is like any other disease, as with asthma, diabetes, and hypertension there are causes and treatments. It is important to recognize depression and seek treatment.

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In many cases gastric bypass is the final option when other forms of weight loss and dieting have been unsuccessful and where you are substantially overweight. This generally means that you have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40, or greater than 35 with an accompanying condition which increases the risk of premature death or disability. Those conditions can include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and liver disease among others. In simple terms this translates into being some 100 pounds above your ideal weight.

The rationale behind gastric bypass surgery is simply to reduce the effective size of the stomach and to bypass the greater portion of the stomach, and part of the intestine, physically reducing your ability to eat too much and also reducing the body’s absorption of the food that is consumed.

In spite of the fact that open gastric bypass surgery is still commonly performed an increasing number of surgeons are adopting the laparoscopic approach and, although this takes considerable training and expertise on the part of the surgeon, there are several advantages to this approach. Here are just some:

1. This type of surgery permits greater precision as surgery is carried out under magnification and surgeons can observe details not visible during traditional open surgery.

2. As patients are on their feet very quickly there is less risk of pneumonia, blood clots, bed sores and other complications commonly associated with immobility.

3. Patients experience much less post-operative pain and the little pain that is present needs only mild painkillers like codeine and tylenol.

4. Laparoscopic surgery permits you to return to work in a quite short timescale, often as little as one week although it is suggested that patients do not return to work for around two weeks for safety.

5. As only a few very small incisions are made with laprascopic surgery the healing time following surgery is very much reduced, together with the possibility of infection and of subsequent hernia.

6. As the procedure is faster than traditional open surgery the patient spends less time in the operating theatre and requires less anesthesia, creating fewer anesthesia-related complications.

Gastric bypass surgery produces a significant improvement in a patient’s quality of life and also has the further benefit of improving, or in many cases of curing, arthritis, heartburn, diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and other disorders.

The fact that the procedure can now be carried out so much more easily and can leave patients relatively pain free and have them back on their feet rapidly means that more people are likely to make use of gastric bypass surgery and enjoy a happier and healthier lifestyle.

Related posts:

1. Gastric Bypass: Is it for You?
2. Lap Band: A Minimally Invasive Way to a Thinner You
3. Diet Or Surgery

Even after hearing so many stories, I had worries, as any woman would. I had my first miscarriage with my first pregnancy (that I know of). I was concerned about being able to carry a child at all, but was very relieved when I became pregnant again just two months later. At that point I decided not to take any chances and got a doctors note which allowed me to move into a less physically demanding job for the term. I now have a beautiful six year old boy who is just starting kindergarten and a four year old in preschool.

After two successful pregnancies I became pregnant again when my younger son was a year old. It was an unexpected, but not unwanted, pregnancy. The doctors had always told me that if you get past the first trimester you were fairly safe from miscarrying. Knowing that I was past 20 weeks I was not concerned at all, until my ultrasound. I had brought my two boys in to see their new sibling on the monitor and the tech asked my husband to take them out of the room. The bottom fell out of my stomach. I was then told that the baby hadn’t actually developed past 6-8 weeks and that my body would soon realize this and miscarry. Knowing as I did how common miscarriages are you might think I would have an easier time dealing with this loss, after all I was an old hand at this and according to my husband hadn’t really wanted to have another child so soon anyway.

To this day I still think of that baby by name, which I had already chosen. I don’t feel that even after three years I have properly been allowed to grieve for my lost child. She may never have been real to my husband or the doctors, but she was real to me. My sister had a baby almost on the exact due date I had originally had for that pregnancy and it took me two years to get to a point where seeing her daughter didn’t make me want to cry. I had been a doting aunt to her two boys, but couldn’t even look at her daughter. I don’t think anyone has even noticed. Even my family assumes all is past and dealt with. It took me this long to realize how deeply the loss affected me. So much else that was truly horrible and needed to be dealt with happened immediately following the miscarriage that I spent all my emotional energy on dealing with the break up of my marriage, the loss of my home and the death of a beloved dog that I had had for 15 years. Now that those traumas are fading from my mind I realize that this one does not fade. Not yet and maybe never. I am giving myself that permission to grieve and figuratively burry my lost child. There is no way to know for sure, but I truly feel that this was my little girl. I still regret not asking the doctor to see her before they took her away. I have never truly believed that there would not have been a recognizable baby. The delivery was more difficult than either of my other two in so many ways, emotionally and physically.

It is true that every woman is at risk for a miscarriage and I truly do believe that most women who have had children have probably also had a miscarriage, whether they know it or not. But not every miscarriage is the same. No person, mother or father deals with the loss in the same way. The worries of losing a first pregnancy are not the same as dealing with the loss of what will be a last pregnancy. A first trimester loss is not the same emotionally or physically as a later loss. If you are in the middle of dealing with this kind of loss, I truly hope that this story will help you realize that you have permission to grieve. Whether that means having a ceremony and laying your child to rest, or keeping quietly to yourself and giving yourself permission to cry and to worry, please realize that it is your loss, your grief, and even if it is a common experience it is not an easy one.

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2. What You Need To Know For Planning Pregnancy After Miscarriage?
3. Dealing With Grief During Your Pregnancy

While it can be frightening to find yourself pregnant again, it is important to stay positive. Focusing on passing milestones helps many women. If your first pregnancy ended after an ultrasound showed that the baby’s heart wasn’t beating, you can rejoice when you see that little pulse on the screen this time around. If you lost the first baby at 6 weeks, then you can celebrate reaching 8 weeks.

The truth is that if you have had just one miscarriage, unless it was caused by a genetic problem, your risks of losing another baby are no higher this time. One in four pregnancies ends in a loss, although some are mistaken for late and very heavy periods. A miscarriage usually occurs when something goes wrong with the baby, it is not formed correctly or something else has prevented the fertilized egg from becoming a viable embryo and the body reacts by aborting spontaneously.

A pregnancy after a miscarriage is no more risky in the majority of cases than a first pregnancy. Although you may know this, that doesn’t make it any easier to stop worrying. The good thing is that this time around, you know what signs to look out for. If they don’t appear, you can breathe a sigh of relief!

After one or miscarriages, you will be far more cautious. While exercise and sexual activity have not been linked to pregnancy loss, you may feel more comfortable taking it easy and resting during the first trimester. This will not necessarily prevent the possibility of a miscarriage this time, but it will help you feel less responsible should one occur.

Regular checkups with your doctor are imperative. He will most likely order more frequent ultrasounds to make sure that the baby is doing well, but remember that you are not likely to see any proof that the baby is alive until 6-8 weeks. Earlier than that, the only thing that will show up on the ultrasound is the amniotic bag which may or may not indicate problems with the pregnancy depending on its shape.

As with all pregnancies, the first three months are the most dangerous for the fetus. This is when the baby is forming. If anything is going to go wrong, it usually does early on in the pregnancy. After 12 weeks, you are normally pretty safe. However, if you suffered a late miscarriage in a previous pregnancy, you may continue to be worried until that date has passed as well.

It can be stressful dealing with a pregnancy after a miscarriage and the only cure for the anxiety is time. Once you hold your new baby in your arms, your fears will melt away and it will all have been worth it.

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1. What You Need To Know For Planning Pregnancy After Miscarriage?
2. Miscarriage: Your Loss, Your Grief
3. Types of Bleeding During Pregnancy

1. Breastfeed. If you are able to breastfeed, even just for a couple of months, you will find that you lose weight faster. Doctors recommend adding around 500 calories to your daily diet if you are breastfeeding because it takes a lot of energy to provide all that nutrition for your little one. Also, the nipple stimulation caused by a nursing baby helps contract the uterus back to its regular size far faster, which makes your stomach look smaller almost immediately.
2. Drink water. Keeping your fluid intake up right after the birth will help flush the excess liquid and toxins out of your body. If you experienced edema or hypertension during the pregnancy, this is a super fast way to lose those massive calves and huge thighs, they seem to just melt away after a few days!
3. Get out with the baby. Babies enjoy the stimulation of being outdoors, looking at new people and things, even while very small. The exercise is great for you as well. Pop your baby into that new carrier and head out for a walk. You don’t need to hike up a mountain or anything, but even a twenty minute stroll on a daily basis will help you regain your figure.
4. Join a baby exercise class. There’s nothing like paying for something to motivate you to keep doing it! There are a number of classes available for moms with babies and you are bound to find one that fits your tastes. Check out a baby yoga class or one of the new stroller exercise groups that are forming around the country.
5. Don´t do it alone. Find other moms in your area and get together to go for walks or take your babies to the park. There is probably a mother’s group in your area that you can join. If you aren’t sure where to look, try contacting your local health center or a daycare to ask. Having another mom to hold you accountable can go a long way in making sure you stick to exercising and avoid those tempting chips.
6. Avoid hunger. When you are busy with a newborn, it can be tempting to just grab any old thing to stave off hunger pains, but this is a good way to add pounds instead of taking them off! Instead, have quick, healthy snack options for when you just can’t manage to cook. Granola bars and fruit are excellent choices. They provide nutrition for you and your baby, fill you up quickly and are instant.
7. Take your vitamins. A worn out body won’t be able to deal with weight loss, so make sure you keep your immune system up by taking the vitamins recommended by your doctor. This allows your body to recover from the stress of childbirth and helps you get healthy again.
8. Drop the stress. Stressed out bodies store fat. Even if you are doing everything else right, a stressful lifestyle could be affecting your weight loss. Do your best to ease the pressures that you face each day and you will drop those baby pounds faster. Not worrying about household chores and accepting the help that is offered by friends and family members, can go a long way toward making you feel better.
9. Joining an online dieting community is a good way to motivate yourself, too. You can find websites that offer success stories, healthy meal plans and forums where you can connect with other people in the same boat. It is inspiring to see that other people have done what you want to do, plus you can get help from others in the forums if you find yourself stagnating.
10. Keep a food journal. By writing down and tracking your food intake each day, you can make sure that you are eating the right number of calories for this point in your life. It is also a very good way to become aware of exactly how much you are eating. For many people, this is a surprise! Most of us eat far more than we think we do in a day. A food journal will also allow you to figure out where to tweak your diet to be healthier.

Losing baby weight is not an easy task. Take it slowly and don’t expect overnight results. By following the tips above, you should be able to enhance your post-baby weight loss experience and get back in shape.

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In order to be eligible for a surgical weight loss procedure, you must meet one of two criteria. You must have a BMI (body mass index) of 40 or have an illness attributed to your obesity. With a BMI of 40 or more a person is considered morbidly obese and the health of the patient is at serious risk. Morbidly obese candidates have more than 100 pounds of excessive weight who have seriously attempted to lose weight with diet and exercise without success.

The Lap Band procedure uses a laparoscope, inserted through small incisions in the abdomen to direct the surgeon where to place the gastric band. By putting a gastric band at the top of the stomach, surgeons are able to reduce the size of the stomach, causing the patient to take in less food than they are used to. As a result, weight loss can be achieved. Where the band is placed, and the tightness of the band both determine the amount of weight the patient will lose and how fast they will lose it. The whole procedure takes roughly forty-five minutes. In most cases patients only stay overnight one night and are released the day after the procedure.

Because it is possible for a surgeon to make adjustments to the band after the initial surgery, it is possible to change make accommodations for patients’ needs. This allows more flexibility than surgical alternatives such as Gastric Bypass surgery. These adjustments can be very important if it is a female patient that later becomes pregnant. It is also convenient for patients who are losing too much weight or are losing weight too quickly.

Another advantage of Lap Band is the unaltered digestive functions. Because your digestive system functions one hundred percent normally, the risk of nutritional deficiencies is greatly reduced.

As with all surgical procedures, there is a risk of bleeding and infection for Lap Band patients. In addition, the two most common risks of this procedure are band slippage and port leakage, both of which have a low percentage of occurrences.

Lap Band Surgery can be an extremely effective weight loss for excessively obese people who have not responded to serious dieting and exercising regiments. With its lack of invasiveness and fast recovery time, Lap Band is becoming an increasingly popular surgical weight loss procedure.

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Hoodia is derived from a cactus, and it has long been used by indigenous peoples in its native South Africa to suppress appetite. These days, hoodia is being extensively studied for its appetite suppression and weight loss enhancing characteristics. Many preliminary studies of hoodia have shown promise, and anecdotal evidence is also strong that hoodia can promote weight loss when used in combination with a solid diet and exercise program.

Hoodia is available in capsule, liquid and tea form, and it is sold in health food stores and on the Internet. In addition to being available as a single supplement, hoodia is also used as an ingredient in a variety of commercial weight loss supplmenets.

Hoodia gordonil is native to the desert regions of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Angola, and it normally grows in clumps consisting of green stems. Hoodia is usually called a cactus, but it actually belongs to the class of plants known as succulents.

Although modern use of hoodia as a weight loss preparation is relatively new, the bushmen of the Kalahari desert have long known about the appetite suppressing qualities of this special plant. These native peoples, who lived entirely off the land where they lived, would use hoodia by cutting off a part of the stem and eating it to stave off hunger and thirst as they engaged on long, nomadic journeys following wild game. In addition, native peoples used hoodia to soothe such ailments as abdominal cramping, hemorrhoids, indigestion, hypertension and even such serious illnesses as tuberculosis and diabetes.

The modern history of hoodia is more recent, thought to begin in the late 1930′s when anthropologists studying the bushmen noted their use of hoodia to suppress their appetite. In the 1960′s, scientists began studying the appetite suppressant qualities of this plant, and that research continues to this day.

Hoodia does appear to suppress the appetite, and it is being studied by science, and used by many people who swear by its qualities. Unfortunately, at least at the moment, hoodia is somewhat expensive, due to the difficulty in growing the plant. Hoodia typically requires from four to five years to mature, and it grows best in temperatures exceeding 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This obviously limits the growing range of hoodia, and it keeps supply scarce and price high.

If you do buy hoodia supplements, you will need to do some experimentation on your own to determine the optimum dosage. The dosage needed to be effective varies according to the taker’s metabolism, lifestyle, weight and diet.

How long it takes hoodia to work is variable as well, but most users say that it takes from one to two weeks to provide maximum effectiveness. For some users, however, the appetite suppressing qualities of hoodia can be felt very quickly, sometimes in as little as 30 minutes.

Hoodia is best taken a full hour before each meal, and it is important to drink plenty of water when taking hoodia, since hoodia has been shown to suppress thirst as well as hunger.

While hoodia has not been shown to have any serious side effects, diabetics are advised to exercise caution when taking it. That is because hoodia’s appetite suppression mechanism works by tricking the brain into thinking it has enough blood sugar. This means that it is possible for a diabetic’s blood sugar to drop to dangerously low levels without the taking knowing about it. It is important for any diabetic taking hoodia to monitor his or her blood sugar frequently while taking the supplement.

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Typically, testing will be performed when a newborn is considered “at risk” due to related hearing loss circumstances involving one or both of the parents, or when a disease, infection or condition occurs during pregnancy that might cause hearing loss.

Early Detection Saves Long-Term Costs

Not only is it inexpensive to perform initial hearing loss examinations for newborns, but detecting the hearing loss early saves substantial costs throughout the child’s life for the parents and educational system as a whole.

Early detection of hearing loss enables both doctors and parents to develop appropriate treatments and therapies early on to help the child either overcome the hearing loss, improve hearing or adjust during development.
Studies show that school age children who have an undetected hearing loss condition are often misunderstood
as having a learning disability or behavior problems. Many of these students are held back in at least one grade for this very reason.  It’s important that a child’s hearing problem is detected from the beginning to avoid these misunderstandings during school years, which can be traumatic for the child.

When children are treated at a young age, there is less of a burden on the educational system.  Untold wasted
tax dollars are spent trying to accommodate students in the wrong type of learning environment and with inappropriate learning materials simply because their hearing loss is undiagnosed.

The child may be placed in a remedial learning classroom when, in reality, the child could thrive in a normal setting if only his/her hearing loss had been detected and treated. This results in a waste of efforts which could have been prevented with an early diagnosis.

Early Detection Can Prevent Further Hearing Loss

If a hearing loss is detected shortly after birth, the causes of the child’s hearing loss are often detected
as well.  Knowing the cause can sometimes enable doctors to prevent further hearing loss if the condition is
progressive due to an illness or circumstances. The child may be able to hear partially, but further exposure
to a certain condition may cause permanent hearing loss. It would be a shame for a child to lose all hearing
ability when it could be prevented.

Early Detection Enables Better Treatment Results

The earlier hearing loss is detected, the greater the possibilities for treatment and/or a cure. A child
can be treated as young as four weeks old using amplification fittings. Children who are treated at an early age often demonstrate better speech capabilities and reading comprehension.  They’re usually able to enter into an educational setting at a normal age, and learn along with their peers with no complications.

Although there are many other advantages for early hearing loss detection, these are a few of the most
significant.  Each child will have different needs, but detecting the problem early helps to determine these
needs before the child reaches an age of awareness, when it can become more difficult to adjust.  Everyone
involved benefits from early awareness of hearing loss problems, but especially the child.

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“Give me some hair, long beautiful hair.” It’s an excerpt from the rock musical Hair. It was rooted in a time when both men and women wanted and often had long and beautiful hair. The Pop at the Mom and Pop store would give anything to have his hair back, the way it was when he was only twenty. So would his dentist. So would the dentist’s wife. All over the world people are turning to hairpieces, hair extensions, hair implants to cover bald spots and look younger and sexier. They also turn to hair-growth pills, creams, and lotions. Many companies grew even richer producing all these products.

Other people are just as busy trying to remove hair from their upper lip, their chests, their arms, their legs, their back, their ears, and even their bikini line. They resort to creams, laser removal, shaving, waxing, and other treatments. Many companies also grew richer by selling expensive hair removal products and procedures. Whole salons are devoted to removing unwanted hair.

You don’t want to be scammed into spending hundreds and thousands of dollars and still remain as hairy or as hairless as you are now. It helps to know the basic facts about hair.

Hair ABCs

Some facts about hair that you should know:

- your head has approximately 100,000 strands of hair. Blondes may not really have more fun, but they do have more hair than brunettes and redheads. 140,000 strands versus brunettes with 110,000 and redheads with 90,000 strands. You may lose about a hundred strands each day. Don’t worry, that’s quite normal;
- hair is divided into the cuticle, the cortex, and the medulla. The cuticle is the outermost layer that shields the cortex. The cortex adds strength to hair strands and keeps them pliable. The medulla is the innermost layer. The hair shaft you see is made of dead cells; what is alive is the hair follicle, which is buried just beneath the skin;
- hair is made of keratin, the same substance as your nails. About 90% of your hair grows while 10% are at rest at any one time. Each strand elongates at less than half an inch each month. Surprisingly, the hair of men grows at a faster rate and is denser than female hair. Hair density indicates the number of hairs per square inch;
- only people’s soles, palms, mucous membranes and lips are free from hair;
- and melanin is the pigment that gives color to your hair. As you grow older there’s less melanin. That’s why your hair is transformed from blonde, brown, black or red to white or gray.

Long Beautiful Hair

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one of the best things you can do to have long, beautiful hair. The basics are healthy food choices, regular exercise, taking multivitamins, stress management, eight hours of sleep, at least 8 glasses of water, moderation in the use of alcohol, and staying away from drugs and cigarettes. The following foods are especially important for healthy hair:

· Omega-3 rich food such as salmon, tuna, walnuts, almonds should be consumed daily.
· Food rich in protein, Vitamins B-6 and B-12, and folic acid should be eaten frequently — bananas, potatoes, yams, spinach, tomatoes, citrus fruits, whole grain bread, beans, lentils, fish, chicken, meat, milk, tofu and cheese.

Hair Loss

You follow all the rules for a healthy lifestyle but still you find yourself losing a lot of hair. However, you may have to take some tests and should consult your physician if you really want to discover the problem and come up with the correct solution. Hair loss can be caused by:

· An overactive or under-active thyroid
· Diseases like lupus and diabetes
· Hormonal problems such as imbalance of male and female hormones
· Some medicines such as anticoagulants, antidepressants and birth control pills
· Medicines used to treat gout and cancer
· An overdose of vitamin A
· Some infections including fungal infections that affect your scalp
· Hairstyles and hair rollers that stress your hair
· Serious illnesses and major surgery
· Severe malnutrition
· Severe stress and trauma
· Genetically determined baldness such as male-pattern hair loss and female- pattern hair loss.

Replacing that Hair

Hair loss can be a temporary problem. If it’s caused by a certain type of medicine, then you can get a substitute from your doctor. If the cause is an infection, a disease or hormonal imbalance, then you have to get the appropriate treatment. If it is your hairstyle, you have to change it. However, you may have already damaged your hair permanently to some degree. If hair loss is genetically determined, what you can do is delay and slow down hair loss through medical treatments or else reverse it through surgery. You can also hide your hair loss by using wigs and hair pieces.

· To delay and slow down hair loss one can use minoxidil or finasteride. Minoxidil can be used by the two sexes but Finasteride can be used only by men. Treatment with the two medicines can take as long as six months before progress is visible. The Serenoa repens or palmetto extract is believed to reduce male pattern hair loss, is less expensive and has less negative side effects. People can also use stress reduction and aerobic exercise to delay and slow down hair loss.
· To reverse hair loss the answer may be hair transplant, or taking hair follicles from areas where there is more hair to areas of hair loss. A technique still being developed is hair cloning which takes follicle stem cells from the patient and clones them in great numbers after which these are transferred into the scalp through injections. A variation is using the stem cells to “awaken” or rejuvenate other hair follicles.
· To hide hair loss, you can use the products available in the market such as wigs and hairpieces. The trick is to get quality products that look natural. A badly made or badly fitted wig can make the situation worse. Combing your hair to hide a balding head is also not an attractive option. It may be better to cut your remaining hair ultra short or shave it all off. If you have a well-shaped head, it may even double your sex appeal.
Taking It Off
Some people prefer the way they look sans body hair or sans body hair in specific areas. Hair removal can be permanent or temporary. Temporary measures include tweezing, shaving, and using chemical hair removers. Electrolysis and laser treatments remove hair permanently. Waxing is temporary but slowly reduces the amount of body hair if done repeatedly.
· Plucking or tweezing is a laborious and slightly painful process but the effects will last longer than shaving.
· Waxing can be painful since you have to strip off the wax together with the embedded hair. However it is quite quick and can cover a large area.
· The effects of shaving may last only a few hours or at most a few days. You should use some kind of shaving cream so that the hair is made softer and easier to remove, and the razor does not irritate or damage your skin.
· You can use depilatories, which contain chemicals that melt the hair. It is not painful; it is easy to do, and lasts longer than some of the other methods.
· In electrolysis, you use a fine needle and electrical current to destroy hair follicles. Its effect is permanent but the whole process can take a long time since several treatments may be needed to destroy the hair follicle. You also have to make sure the technician is competent and experienced to avoid any accident and damage to your skin.
· Vaniga is a cream that can deter the growth of facial hair. It use has been approved by the FDA.

Since time immemorial, hair has been dyed, decorated with jewels or flowers, perfumed, curled, braided and powdered. But hair is probably most attractive when it is simply clean and shining with health.

Related posts:

1. Hair Care – Tips For Long Hair
2. Hair Restoration and You
3. Link Between Menopause And Hair Loss