Posted on May 29th, 2011 in Health & Fitness | Comments Off
Acid reflux is a condition that is not as threatening as it’s disturbing and upsetting. The feeling of irritation and burning in the chest can leave a very bitter aftertaste for any meal, no matter how exquisite it is. There are different ways of dealing with acid reflux and associated heartburn, including lifestyle changes, dietary measures and medications. So let’s take a closer look at the possible cures for acid reflux in order to have the choice when it’s really needed. Lifestyle changes Quite often acid reflux results from wrong choices in what concerns the exact foods we eat and the way we consume them. In order to minimize the risk of heartburn you should limit the intake of specific foods such as spice sauces, salt, citrus fruits, tomatoes, peppermint, fatty foods, chocolate, caffeine, soft drinks and alcohol. You should also avoid eating large portions of food in short period of time, try to break down your daily regimen into smaller food intakes instead of 3 large meals. Do not eat in less than 3 hours before going to bed, and in 2 hours before doing intense physical exercises. This way you will limit the factors causing acid reflux. Vinegar Recently, vinegar has become quite a popular home remedy for acid reflux. People started using vinegar for this problem after a couple of home remedy books were published on the web, describing the benefits of vinegar for controlling heartburn symptoms. There were no clinical or scientific trials regarding the actual effectiveness of vinegar and its properties, so any statements about its benefits for controlling acid reflux are purely theoretical at this point. Still, many people choose vinegar as their solution for acid reflux problems and some state that it actually helps. So you can give it a try, if you a pro home remedies. Medications There is a wide selection of medications both prescription and over-the-counter for treating the symptoms of acid reflux of different severity. Most of them are aimed at reducing the levels of acidity in the stomach, which helps keeping acid reflux under control. Drugs such as Nexium, Zantac and Prilosec are commonly prescribed by doctors for treating chronic heartburn. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on May 29th, 2011 in Health & Fitness | Comments Off
Anyone who has ever experienced problems with their hair knows how discomforting it may be to see your head going slightly bald. You start to observe every bald spot on your head, worrying that others will notice it and make fun of you. Sure, hair loss doesn’t really pose any danger to your health but it’s really a depressing process that not everyone can cope with. For centuries people have tried to use different lotions and potions to stop and reverse the process of hair loss. But in most cases they had no real effects or were able to just prolong the process without effectively reversing it. Is it the same these days or there are really effective treatments for hair loss available on the market?
The problem of hair loss wasn’t in focus of intense medical research up until lately. Doctors were always more focused on conditions that were threatening the lives of people, and only in the last decades of the past century healthcare professionals have shifted their interest towards such health problems as hair loss. Different factors were observed to influence the condition of hair and it wasn’t quite clear what exactly triggers hair loss problems. As these problems are more common in men and male pattern hair loss is the most widely spread form of hair loss, some specialists assumed that it has to do something with the male physiology. And they were not far from the truth.
Only in the past couple of years it was observed that male pattern hair loss is triggered by hormonal changes in the majority of cases. Earlier it was believed that factors like environment, hair nutrition, hygiene, stress and medications play a very important role in the condition of hair. However, while these factors certainly influence the condition of hair in general, it’s more important if there are particular hormonal changes in the body. It was well-established that a specific androgen called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is responsible for triggering male pattern hair loss in men. This hormone is the product of testosterone transformation and if there’s too much of this hormone in the bloodstream it starts affecting the hair follicles, making them weaker and smaller. This in turn reduces natural growth rates that fall below the natural hair loss rates, thus making the hair less dense and provoking balding in specific regions. The level of this androgen tends to rise with age, which explains the common male pattern hare loss among older men. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on May 28th, 2011 in Health & Fitness | Comments Off
According to numerous company accounts for the major pharmaceutical producers, the erectile dysfunction drugs bring several billion dollars worth of revenue into the coffers every year. The total world market is currently estimated around $5 billion. The Americans buy about 40% of these drugs. Quite why we should be so dependent is not clear. It could just be that our market is better developed and more men are aware of the drugs, or that distribution is handled more efficiently. Whatever the reason, the ending of Pfizer’s patent protection in 2012 is likely to have a significant effect. All three manufacturers have enjoyed their monopoly protection and maintain a high price per tablet. When the generic manufacturers are allowed into the market, we can expect to see a price war. This will be to our benefit as this top-selling drug becomes more affordable, but it will indirectly lead to less investment in new drugs. This highly profitable drug has been paying for the development of new forms of treatment. With less money coming in from the world’s biggest market, we can expect fewer drugs coming through during the next decades. Wjo knows whether it’ bad or good? Cialis stays very popular giving a man sexual responsiveness 24/7 at a really economic price. Nevertheless, it is in South America where sales are expected to grow strongly and the region is going to replace revenue lost from the US to some extent. Curiously, Mexico with a population of just over 100 million currently represents 3% of the world market. Taking it together with South America, this includes a significant percentage of men who belong to a culture of machismo. To sell to these men, the consistent advertising message has been that these drugs keep you ready for sexual action. The implication is that, no matter when or where the opportunity, men will never fail. This also explains the development of faster methods for taking the drugs with chewing gum and tablets that melt in the mouth proving very popular. However latest research suggests these drugs aren’t driving men out into the dating market with multiple partners. Rather it shows men more concerned about keeping strong relationships with their wives. Perhaps the machismo culture has been changing rapidly, with the shift to the emphasis more to stability in relationships. Indeed, some independent researchers are saying the drug companies are being overoptimistic in their estimates of market growth. Although some ED causes such as diabetes are becoming more common in the developing markets as processed food replaces real food, the opinion is that the only growth in the market will be among older men. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on May 28th, 2011 in Health & Fitness | Comments Off
One of the greatest myths through the ages has been that it’s only the women who are obsessed with the way they look. In fact, the display of whatever passes for beauty in each culture is always to capture the attention of the men. Once married, the women need to maintain appearances. They are there to be seen on the arm of the man, paraded around like a trophy. So, for example, women in the Chinese culture have always been obsessed with the need to maintain a pale skin. Only common people must go about the streets or work in the fields. Women of high status stay at home. Even today, whitening creams are the biggest selling cosmetics across China and Asia. The arrival of the Westerners confirmed the Easteners’ impression that white skin is best. Yet, when you look back through history, you see that rich and powerful men have always dressed themselves in line with fashion. This often required clothing to be padded to emphasize certain attributes and, for long periods of time, also required all men of status to wear hats or wigs. The rule was simple. If all men wear hats or wigs, it’s impossible to tell which ones have lost their hair until it’s too late, i.e. when inside their homes and about to go to bed, the truth will always out. It’s only in our more civilized times that we’ve abandoned the wig as a joke, and don’t accept wearing hats indoors except as a uniform for ceremonial purposes. Mostly men are expected to go bare-headed. This forces them into the media spotlight as the paparazzi now sell pictures of anyone even vaguely famous, getting higher prices for those candid shots showing the first signs of hair loss or fat. Yet, as men navigate through their 30’s, their body chemistry is changing. Hormone levels are dropping. In line with now eating more food, this encourages the belly to swell while laziness undermines the muscle tone. Coming into the male menopause, there can be a loss of libido and diseases become more common as blood vessels harden and heart disease stalks the land. Worse, a growth can start in the prostate. The lucky find the growth benign. The unlucky find it cancerous. Curiously, it was the need to develop a treatment for these growths that led to the development of Propecia. Many believe science is all about planing a series of experiments and tests to produce a new invention. In fact, it’s equally about noticing the way the world works. It’s a good story but Isaac Newton was encouraged to think about gravity because an apple fell on his head. The discovery of penicillin was when Alexander Fleming was curious to find out the properties of a mold that unexpectedly grew while he was away from the lab. Many discoveries are accidents that, once noticed are rigorously investigated. So the drug thought best to prevent further growth in the prostate was reported effective in preventing hair loss. Read the rest of this entry »