If youre one of the millions of men and women who are balding, youre probably paying an incredible amount of attention to the many companies touting products that will end your problems. Before you rush out to pay for the miracle cure, take a minute to evaluate the products and the companies.
One of the most important things to remember is your moms advice if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you have eight hairs left on your entire head, a can of spray paint isnt going to make those eight look like a full head of hair. While theres some merit to the idea (mascara works roughly on the same principal and women with thinner eyelashes continue to use that product), use your common sense before you decide that this is going to be the answer to your balding problem.
Another point is to understand exactly what it is that youre buying. If you pay close attention to some of the advertisements, you still end the session knowing that the company is touting a cure for balding but have no idea what that cure is. If you hear an advertisement that catches your interest, be sure you know some details about the product. If you dont understand, ask. Any company that isnt willing to answer your questions is probably in the midst of a scam that wont work anyway. Also, dont settle for techno-babble as an answer. Be sure you understand. Dont be afraid of sounding stupid when searching for answers. Its going to be worse if you pay $99.95 for this product that turns out to be tufts of hair and a bottle of super glue.
Surgery for balding is a pretty dramatic step. If youre thinking of taking that step, find a reputable company to perform the procedure. The process has come a long way over the past few years, but you dont want to pay for a transplant only to end up with tiny rows of hair that look like a dolls head.
Theres no doubt that balding can be detrimental to self-esteem. Confidence can plummet with balding and finding a product that helps reverse that is vital to some people. The important part of this equation is to figure out why you want to address the problem and the lengths to which youre willing to go. With some careful evaluation of the products and procedures available, youre sure to find something that works with your lifestyle. But for some people, finding the self-confidence to simply go on is the more viable solution to balding.
Autism: What causes it, and can it be cured?
Autism is a disorder that is affecting more and more children. But many autistic children have been able to lead normal lives.
Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the early stages of development of a child, mostly in the first three years of development. It is a neurological disorder that affects the proper functioning of the brain and affects the development of the social and communication skills of the individual.
Early diagnosis of autism is most important for the treatment of this disorder. However, there is no blood or medical test available which will help in the diagnosis of autism. Generally, it is delay in the development of language skills or lack of appropriate social development that causes parents or teachers to seek a medical evaluation. There are no racial or ethnic specifications for the occurrence of this disorder, although boys are three or four times more likely to have autism.
Autism is seen to affect each individual in different levels and so is considered a spectrum disorder. Generally, autism is seen to affect the verbal and non-verbal communication skills, leisure activities, and the all-round social interactions of the individual.
There is no standard treatment for the cure of autism. Different medical professionals have different philosophies and practices for treating autistic individuals. The results of the treatment of autism will also vary from individual to individual. However, autism cannot be completely cured; there can only be improvements in the abilities of the autistic person. Autistic children are seen to benefit greatly from treatment approaches that include special education and behavioral management.
An important strategy in the treatment of autism is to keep the diet of the autistic children gluten- and casein-free. A gluten- and casein-free autism diet is seen to produce a marked level of improvement in autistic children. This is because in their body system there is incomplete breakdown of the peptides in the food substances containing gluten and casein. This leads to an increased absorption of peptides causing disruption in the biochemical and neuroregulatory processes in the brain. Adding vitamin B6 and B12 to the diet is beneficial to the treatment of autism as it improves digestion, symptoms of allergy, and sociability in children.
Despite one child in every thousand being affected by this illness, the awareness and the number of support groups for this illness is negligible. Efforts are being undertaken to create an increased awareness and to generate funds to support research and treatment of autism.
Autism awareness bracelets and ribbons help spread awareness about this disorder. The sale of these bracelets supports many autism research foundations and also provides financial assistance to many parents with autistic children.
Autism walk is another novel fundraising effort for the support of those suffering from autism. The money generated from registration of the Autism walk events is used to provide financial support to the parents of autistic children, or to establish support groups to facilitate their treatment.
All You Need to Know about Hair Follicle Drug Testing
Hair sample drug testing is a great way to detect whether or not a person has used drugs in the past 90 days. Whether in an office format or in the home, hair drug testing serves the purpose of answering questions about an individuals drug use history.
How Does Hair Follicle Drug Testing Work?
Hair drug testing is actually quite simple and merely requires a sample of hair in order to be completed. Parents who are worried about their teens use of drugs can collect a strand of hair from their pillow. Employers can request a sample from their employees. Once a hair sample has been collected, it is sealed in an envelope and sent to a participating laboratory for completion. Hair testing is fast and more accurate than other drug test forms.
For instance, hair sample drug testing can detect drug use for up to 90 days after use. The detection window is much larger in hair drug testing (compare it to few days for urine and saliva based drug testing) because trace amounts of drug chemicals become trapped inside each hair. A simple lab test can detect these trace chemicals making for either a positive or negative test result. Once the results are recorded, you are sent notification of the results. Some companies even provide a phone service where you call in, enter an account number and retrieve the results in that way.
What Kinds of Drugs Can Hair Drug Testing Detect?
Hair sample drug testing can detect all of the major types of drugs, including marijuana, opiates, methamphetamines, PCP, ecstasy, and cocaine. Hair follicle drug testing can detect the trace amounts of illicit substances trapped in the cortex of the hair for up to 90 days after use.
Employee drug testing programs often incorporate hair follicle drug testing into their plans because of the sheer accuracy of these tests. Even though hair testing is more expensive that a urine drug test kit, for example, they can provide a level of accuracy that is nearly ten times that of other testing methods. Likewise, hair follicle drug testing does not involve the embarrassing collection of samples like that of urine or saliva drug tests. A single strand of hair is all that is needed to obtain accurate results.
Parents can also benefit from hair sample drug testing. Hair testing is discrete and confidential. An individual can be tested without their knowledge, making it so parents can know the truth about their teens drug use first before making accusations. By using hair drug testing in the home, parents can safeguard their teens against drug abuse, and help them quit the abuse should test results come back positive.
Up until recently, there were only four “effective” choices for ADD/ADHD. These were:
1. Do nothing and hope they’d get better with time. This is the sad choice of many non-caring or low-income parents, and it almost never works.
2. Put them on Prescription Medications. In some ways, this choice is even worse, as these drugs are not only addicting, but can cause cancer, kill, and affect for life, as the latest news shows.
3. Pay exorbitant amounts of money for EEG Biofeedback (Neurofeedback). This has been the best solution up to now. The overall success rate (with good and bad clinicians) is considered to be about 85%. But, the cost of 60 (recommended) half hour sessions with a “professional” at $4500 to over $10,000 is way above the ability of most mid and low-income families.
4. Try various allergy clinics to try to find the allergy/sensitivity responsible, and also do all the various tests for mineral toxicity (mercury, copper, arsenic, cadmium, etc.) This is also pretty expensive, with the very best system (End Point Titration) costing upwards of $10,000. (For more info on EPT, see www.Alternate-Health.com/allergy.html
Now, there’s another choice. I invented a new method of changing brain wave amplitude (up or down) that is similar to EEG BF, but is inexpensive enough to give mid and low income families a choice besides expensive and dangerous drugs. It’s audio messaging used mostly during sleep. Instead of changing behavior as is “usual” with this technique, it does the same thing that EEG biofeedback (Neurofeedback) does, i.e. it raises the SMR brain wave (12-14 cycles per second – Hz), while lowering the Theta brain wave (4-8 Hz) at the same time.
For those who aren’t familiar with EEG BF, this is the most effective brain training mechanism that best solves this particular brain problem. (It also solves ADHD, insomnia, IBS, epilepsy, and even many cases of schizophrenia.) There is substantial proof of this effectiveness of EEG BF, and a summary of professional papers can be found at:
http://ADHD-biofeedback.com/proof.html ).
In my former practice as an Orthomolecular Psychologist, I had used audio messaging with good success, and in 2004, I realized that it should be possible to use this technique to do the same thing that was done by the expensive EEG Bf units and a computer. Instead of going thru the conscious mind of the “trainee” to affect the unconscious, why not go directly to the unconscious mind?
After more than two years, three clinical trials, and extensive testing utilizing volunteers who paid for the right to participate, I proved the following:
1. The Bate Auditory Brainwave Training (Patent Pending) Is very similar to EEG BF and accomplishes the same basic brain training with these following minor differences:
a. It compares with one night sleep being almost equivalent to one half hour session. 9-10 weeks of sleep showed approximately the same improvement in ADHD diagnosed persons as 60 half hour sessions in a clinic. (Yes, it takes a long time to be effective, with either method – there really isn’t any magic pill, in spite of what the drug companies say in their ads.
b. There is more possibility of a Hawthorne Effect in this training than in EEG BF training. For more info on this Effect see: http://www.Subliminals-Training.com/hawthorne.html .
In the last test, this possible effect was discussed beforehand and warned about, and while it occurred in a few cases, it did not deter any of the participants, as it had in earlier testing. (This is NOT a dangerous “side effect” such as can be caused by all drugs! It can cause minor discomfort in a few individuals for only a day or so at worst.)
c. Motivation is no longer a huge factor as it is in EEG BF. Both the parents and the child have to be motivated to continue long weeks of training, and if the training is stopped before an end point, some, or most, of the gain is lost.
2. This system costs under $200, and that is a one-time fee only. It can be used for as long as it takes. (With Autistic children, it can take up to 200 EEG BF sessions). The system is composed of two basic CD’s. The first is the actual Auditory Brainwave Training program, playable on any CD player, boom box, etc. The second CD is a computer disk that has several other programs useful as adjuncts to this training. This includes a free allergy/sensitivity test, a free bottle of a patented amino acid supplement (brain food) that has a calming effect (import restrictions apply) and several articles on alternate health therapies that have been shown to be of help for all types of brain problems.
3. There’s also a year’s full money back guarantee of success. If any person tries this for at least 60 days, and then states that there has been no significant improvement they will receive a full rebate including shipping and handling (which is included in the price).
Now, even the low and mid income families have a choice that doesn’t force them to do nothing or to try and/or use dangerous drugs.
Phil Bate PhD – Retired Orthomolecular Psychologist
Inventor and Patent Pending Holder for
Brain Wave Amplitude Changing via Auditory Brain Training
http://Subliminals-Training.com
http://BateAudio.com
While it is true that in most cases acne can be safely and effectively treated with over the counter treatments any time you have an unusual skin condition it is advisable to consult a dermatologist. The doctor can provide you with valuable advice on treating the condition even if it is only acne.
Severe acne should always be treated by a dermatologist, they can provide prescription medication that is effective at treating the more sever acne outbreaks. Moderate and mild acne can usually be treated without the advice of a doctor but even with moderate acne prescription medications may be able to treat it better and faster then over the counter solutions.
Medications for treating acne are given in one of two forms; oral or topical. In many cases the doctor will use a combination of both types to treat the outbreak. Antibiotics are frequently used to treat acne and can be provided in either form. Other topical medications will usually include ingredients such as zinc and retinoids.
The most common antibiotic for treating acne is tetracycline. It works with a dual action both killing the acne causing bacteria as well as helping to reduce the inflammation. Antibiotics are not an immediate fix and will usually have to be taken for weeks or even months before the acne clears up, you will also have to continue the antibiotic even after the acne clears up to prevent a re-occurrence. There are some side effect reported with the use of tetracycline, with extreme sensitivity to the sun being the most common one. Any one taking tetracycline needs to be very careful about exposure to sunlight to avoid severe sunburns. Some people may also experience nausea, hives and even dizziness.
Women undergoing treatment with tetracycline may notice an increase in vaginal yeast infections. Young children and pregnant women cannot take tetracycline because it can cause discoloration of growing teeth.
Ointments that contain antibiotics have a lower rate of reported side effects. These ointments will kill the bacteria and but there can be some cases of the bacteria becoming resistant to the antibiotics. Combining other medications such as; benzoyl peroxide with the antibiotic lotion can greatly reduce the chance of such problems.
Retinoids are a derivative of vitamin A and are usually applied directly the skin in the form of a lotion or crme. The use of topical retinoid medications is very effective in treating blackheads and whiteheads. It produces the positive results by cleaning out the pores that cause the acne; the only common side affect is dry skin.
If the acne is severe and is not responding to other treatments then an oral retinoid medication may be used. This will cause the top layer of skin to peel off which will also open the pores. The oral retinoids also cause the body to create less sebum, which also reduces the acne issues by reducing the oil on the skin.
There can be some rather serious side effects associated with using oral retinoid medications. Since they can cause serious birth defects any woman on oral retinoids should use two forms of birth control to avoid the possibility of pregnancy. They can also cause depression and liver damage so anyone using these medications must be closely monitored by their doctor.
There are some other medications that have the side effect of helping with acne. In some women birth control pills help reduce acne by changing the hormone levels and reducing the testosterone levels. Zinc can also be used to treat acne.