When it is one of those days when you feel bloated, have breast pain, gain weight, have Acne, headaches, cramping and mood swings, you know it is one of those days that every woman dreads. A lot of women suffer from premenstrual symptoms (PMS) and it can cause a lot of inconvenience to the sufferer. There are a plenty of home-based treatments available for the PMS sufferers but it needs some experimentation to determine the right one for you.

The common treatments for PMS are:

• Reduce your intake of saturated fats: When you consume a lot of fatty foods, your PMS symptoms and pain tend to worsen. Avoid fatty cuts of beef, lamb and pork and go in for fish and poultry. Replace butter, which has high content of saturated fats with flaxseeds, safflower and corn, which are rich in polyunsaturated fats.

• Minimize salt intake: Excessive intake of salt leads to water retention. Many snack foods and some fast-foods have very high salt content. These foods will lead to bloating. Hence it is advisable to choose fresh fruits and vegetables over packaged and processed foods.

• Take more of carbohydrates to minimize the cravings: It is common to crave for high carbohydrate foods like ice cream, chocolate and potato chips during PMS. But switching to complex carbohydrates like whole grains, pasta, cereal and bagel will effectively counter the food cravings experienced during PMS. Also, these foods are the excellent sources of fiber and thus remove the excess estrogen from the body. High-carbohydrate, low-sugar foods help in relieving the psychological symptoms of tension, anxiety and mood swings associated with PMS. Women who eat high-fiber foods are more alert and happier than those who don’t.

• Move your body: Exercise has been shown to reduce many physical and psychological symptoms associated with PMS. This is because exercise releases endorphins, the chemicals in the brain associated with easing pain and increasing the sense of well-being. It also reduces breast tenderness, food cravings, fluid retention and depression.

• Eliminate caffeine: If you are sensitive to caffeine, it is best to avoid caffeine like tea, coffee, colas and chocolates. Studies have proved that women who consume two or more cups of caffeine a day are likely to suffer from PMS, since caffeine is a stimulant and can lead to anxiety and irritability. It also leads to breast tenderness.

• Read labels on pain relievers: Some over-the-counter medicines contain caffeine. Hence, if you take them during PMS, they will aggravate the symptoms. Read the contents of the medicine carefully before taking them.

• Skip alcohol: Alcohol is a depressant and a diuretic and can worsen PMS headaches and fatigue. It can increase depression. Hence, avoid taking any alcoholic beverages including wine or beer, if you have PMS.

• Prevent menstrual Acne with vitamins A and D: Vitamins A and D have been proved to suppress menstrual acne. Eat plenty of carrots, cooked spinach, cooked sweet potatoes and cantaloupe for vitamin A and plenty of sunshine or fortified milk for vitamin D.

• Improve your mood with vitamin B6: Taking more of vitamin B6 has been shown to improve mood swings, fluid retention, breast tenderness, bloating, sugar craving and fatigue. You can take supplements of 25 to 100 milligrams a day or increase your intake of vitamin B6 by eating more of potatoes, bananas, fish, white meat in chicken and turkey.

• Reduce stress and allergies by taking vitamin C: Vitamin C helps in alleviating the stress experienced during PMS. Being a natural antihistamine, it helps women whose allergies worsen during PMS. Take more of vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and raw peppers and fruits like cantaloupe, grapefruit, oranges, cranberry and citrus fruits.

• Vitamin E helps: Vitamin E has been shown to have a powerful effect on the hormonal system, thus relieving painful breast symptoms, anxiety and depression. Cooking oils and salad dressings like olive oil, safflower oil and corn oil as well as some fruits like blackberries and apples contain vitamin E.

• Fight PMS with calcium and magnesium: Calcium prevents menstrual cramps and pain. Magnesium helps the body in absorbing calcium. Magnesium helps in controlling premenstrual food cravings and stabilizing moods. If you do not suffer from lactose intolerance, you can opt for skim milk as a source of calcium. Include green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, tofu and canned salmon for calcium and spinach, tofu, rice bran and some fish like halibut and mackerel for magnesium.

Steroids were invented during the first quarter of the 20th century. Since then, they’ve been used to treat various medical conditions including puberty delays, low appetite, chronic wasting conditions due to cancer, AIDS, bone growth etc. Anabolic steroids are commonly known for their impressive enhancement of muscle growth and athletic performance. These substances are derived from the male hormone, testosterone and hence, also possess androgenic qualities. So, they also affect sexual characteristics when used.

Due to their ability to enhance strength and athletic performance, many sportspeople started abusing these drugs as early as the 60s. Overdose and wrong usage lead to various side-effects and to control use of steroids, many countries imposed restrictions on their manufacture and distribution. Today, anabolic steroids can ONLY be purchased with a valid prescription.

The most common effects of the intake of anabolic steroids are:

• Increases bone growth.

• Increases muscle growth in a short period of time, and thereby increases overall body mass.

• Burns excess body fat and reduces weight considerably.

• Affects sexual characteristics. In men, this means higher estrogen levels as the body works to balance hormone levels. The breast-like features might be developed further. Women may face a change in the working of vocal chords and therefore a deeper voice.

• Increases growth of hair (head, facial and pubic).

• Elevates blood pressure.

• Increases LDL cholesterol levels and decreases HDL levels. This may lead to cardiovascular complications.

• Increases Acne levels.

With all of that said, the reader is advised to be extremely careful when choosing to actually buy anabolic steroids. Looking to acquire these without a medical prescription might lead to illegal dealings and finally, legal troubles. Also, you must seek and heed professional medical advice at every level of steroid usage. This ensures safe and beneficial use of these substances.

Effects of steroids

Anabolic steroids are most commonly known for their usage in sports and bodybuilding. These steroids are capable of manipulating protein synthesis within the muscular cells, thereby stimulating growth. Anabolic steroids are so called because they boost anabolic processes. They are direct derivatives of testosterone, the male hormone, and thus possess certain androgenic properties which allow them to affect sexual processes.

Steroids find extensive use in competitive sports, bodybuilding and modeling because of their effectiveness. However, they do have their own share of harmful side-effects. The most common effects of anabolic steroids are:

• Disturbance in hormone production. This is because steroids are hormones themselves and the excess of testosterone disturbs the hormone balance, prompting the body to work to restore the balance.

• Increased estrogen. This happens due to imbalance of hormones. Results in breast-enlargement in men. In women, enlargement of the clitoris, hair growth and deepening of the voice are most common.

• Possible liver damage. This is known to happen when steroids are consumed orally. The reason is that many enzymes in the liver are altered due to the nature of anabolic steroids.

• Elevated cholesterol levels. Many sportspeople who use steroids have been tested to show high LDL and low HDL levels of cholesterol.

• Cardiovascular complications. The alteration of cholesterol levels might lead to heart-related diseases.

• Increased blood pressure.

• Increased Acne levels.

• Possible sterility. Although rare, it is a potential risk which may occur due to the imbalance in testosterone levels.

Considering the harmful effects, it is the responsibility of the reader to do his/her research before actually deciding to buy anabolic steroids. Due to popular abuse of these substances, they have been banned by almost all major sports bodies. Not only that, many countries including the USA place them under “controlled substances”. It is illegal to purchase them without a prescription. Hence, be aware of the consequences before buying steroids.

The term aerobic means “with oxygen.” During an aerobic activity , the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart, lungs and blood vessels, responds to physical activity by increasing the oxygen that is available to the body’s working muscles. Aerobic activity involves an exercise routine that uses large muscle groups, is maintained for a long periods and is rhythmic in nature. Regular aerobic activity improves your fitness as your heart becomes stronger and begins to work better. The result is that the heart can pump more blood (thus increasing oxygen delivery to the tissues) with each heartbeat. As your aerobic fitness increases, you can work out longer with greater intensity and recover quicker at the end of the session. Aerobic activity is often coined either High Impact or Low Impact. High-impact aerobic activity includes actions that take both feet off the floor, thus causing more jarring of the joints when the body weight hits the floor again. An example of Low Impact is walking while High Impact is jogging or jumping up and down.

It is important to start at a low intensity and increase this over the following few weeks as the exercise feels easier. For example, 20 minutes of walking, jogging or a combination of walking/jogging may be sufficient to leave you rather breathless and fairly tired at the start of your program, but as the weeks go by, you may need to increase the pace or introduce jogging up some shallow hills to achieve a further increase in fitness. Remind that the heart works better when it is strong. Because the heart is a muscle, it can be made stronger with regular physical activity or aerobic activity. Explain that there are two types of exercise: aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic activities use the arm and leg muscles and give the heart (and lungs) a continuous workout. Anaerobic activities build and tone muscles but are not as beneficial to the heart and lungs as aerobic activities.

Some of the best forms of aerobic activity are the traditional sports. If you get together and play basketball twice a week with friends, this alone might be enough to keep you fit and healthy. The important thing is to get some kind of aerobic activity, and to make it something that you enjoy enough to keep with it. Some people should consult their doctor before they start a vigorous aerobic activity program. The best advice I have is to join a gym for a month. This will let you try out lots of different aerobic exercises and find out which ones you like.

Strep throat is inflammation and swelling of the throat, tonsils and lymph nodes. Unlike sore throat, which is caused by infection with viruses, strep throat is caused by infection with bacteria. While most sore throats generate mild symptoms and clear naturally, without the aid of medical treatments, strep throat generally requires a course of antibiotics. Untreated strep throat can lead to serious complications such as otitis, heart problems, renal problems and even rheumatic fever. On the premises of a weak immune system, strep throat can be very severe, in which case doctors recommend prompt medical treatment with antibiotics.

Strep throat is caused by infection with group A streptococcus bacterium, a strong and very contagious infectious agent. Strep throat is very widespread in the flu seasons and it can be easily acquired by entering in contact with people who carry the bacteria responsible for causing the illness. Streptococcus bacteria are airborne and they can be contracted simply by breathing the same air with an infected person.

Lots of people believe that strep throat only affects children. This idea is unfunded, as strep throat can be acquired by anyone, regardless of age. Although strep throat has the highest incidence in very young children and teenagers, it can also occur in adults. In fact, strep throat is more likely to generate complications when it is acquired by adults. Adults who suffer from strep throat usually have more intense symptoms and they need a longer period of recovery from illness. When it occurs in the elderly, strep throat is more difficult to overcome and the infection with streptococcus bacteria is very likely to become systemic.

When suffering from strep throat, it is recommended to pay a visit to your physician as soon as possible. The doctor will perform an overall physical examination, in order to reveal any clinical signs of bacterial infection. Unlike viral forms of the illness, strep throat usually causes enlargement of the tonsils and lymph nodes, symptoms that are very suggestive for infection with bacteria. Fever is also a very revealing sign of strep throat. The presence of these common symptoms of strep throat is usually sufficient for diagnosing the illness. In order to confirm the clinical diagnosis, doctors may also take samples of the inflamed tissues for laboratory analysis. If the cause of illness proves to be infection with group A streptococcus bacteria, the doctor will prescribe you an appropriate treatment with antibiotics.

In spite of their side-effects, medical treatments with antibiotics are the most effective means of curing strep throat in present. Doctors strongly recommend a 10-day course of penicillin or amoxicillin to all people affected by strep throat. New generation antibiotics such as cephalosporins can overcome the illness in an even shorter amount of time, curing bacterial infections within 4-5 days of treatment. Prescribed in the incipient stages of the illness, an appropriate medical treatment with antibiotics can provide a quick symptomatic relief for people who suffer from strep throat. Furthermore, antibiotics can prevent the occurrence of serious complications such as rheumatic fever, kidney infections and heart disease.

It’s not an inherited trait but a learned skill. Anyone can possess high self-esteem if they really want to, but for some, building positive thoughts about oneself is often difficult. Most people feel bad about themselves from time to time. Feelings of low self-esteem may be triggered by being treated poorly by someone else recently or in the past, or by a person’s own judgments of him or herself. This is normal. However, low self-esteem is a constant companion for too many people, especially those who experience depression, anxiety, phobias, psychosis, delusional thinking, or people who suffer from a lingering illness or disability. If you are one of these people, you may go through life feeling bad about yourself needlessly. Low self-esteem keeps you from enjoying life. It hinders you from doing the things you want to do. It blocks your path towards achieving personal goals.

Everyone has the right to feel good about themselves. But sometimes, it can be very difficult to feel good about oneself when one is under stress. It can be especially challenging when one faces situations that are hard to manage. One can hardly muster a smile or find anything positive in life when a person is deeply burdened by a physical disability, financial woes, a troubled relationship, or any other emotional upheaval. When a person faces a grave situation, it is easy to be drawn into a downward spiral of lower self-esteem.

Feeling good about oneself is important not only for one’s psychological or emotional health. It is also a necessary factor in improving physical health. Self-esteem is based on how you see your abilities and your worth as a person. People with low self-esteem are often shy, full of anxiety, and often battle depression. They are negative about themselves and their abilities. Because they don’t feel worthwhile, they are more likely to do things that are not good for their health, such as going on starvation diets and smoking.

People with high self-esteem tend to be secure and confident. They see themselves and their abilities positively. Because they know it is important to take care of themselves, they are more likely to eat well and to have a healthy lifestyle.

Contrary to common opinion, gaining self-esteem is not that hard or complicated. All steps, big and small, towards gaining self-esteem fall into two main categories: Avoid the negative and accentuate the positive. Here are some steps to improve self-esteem:

Be positive about yourself and accept compliments that point out your strengths and abilities.

Be realistic about what you can do. Trying to be perfect and comparing yourself with other people can damage your self-esteem.

Recognize that everyone makes mistakes. When you make a mistake, do not put yourself down. Learn from your mistakes.

Listen carefully to others, without judging.

Respect people’s differences. Recognize their strengths and accomplishments. Acknowledge the things others do that help your family, your workplace and your community.

Support and encourage other people’s efforts to learn new things.

Give people in your family unconditional love.

Spend time with people who make you feel good. Do things that make you feel worthwhile.

But, most of all, exercise can be a practical choice to help one improve self-esteem. It’s hard to feel negative when all those endorphins are all pumped up. Plus, anytime you feel as though you are doing something positive for yourself; you strengthen your self-esteem.

Pregnancy is a time of great joy and great stress for a lot of expectant couples. Many couples struggle to adjust to this new development while juggling the demands of their job, keeping the household running, and family life. When a woman is pregnant, she is the center of everyone’s attention, all wanting to be part of this miraculous process of giving life. Unfortunately, this time can also leave their male partners feeling left out in the cold.

Many men feel overwhelmed when faced with a pregnant partner. They begin to worry not only about the financial aspect of having children, but also of its impact on their lives as a couple as well as to his own time and space. He may have some concerns about being a good parent, especially if he has issues with his own parents or his childhood. He may also feel bewildered at his partner’s changing moods as she endures the aches and pains of pregnancy. With hindsight, it seems to many men that the easiest (an the most pleasurable) thing seems to be getting the woman pregnant.

Pregnancy should be a shared experience. Men must remember that the child their partner is carrying is as much his as it is hers. A man must be involved with every step of the pregnancy. One way to do this is by joining your partner when she needs to go for her monthly check-ups and scans. It often helps men feel anchored in reality when they see the actual image of the baby inside the womb during a scan. A doctor can also answer any questions or concerns a man might have about the pregnancy. Men are also encouraged to attend pregnancy classes with their partners. This can give him confidence in dealing with his impending fatherhood. These courses give invaluable information and hands-on practice in order to prepare parents to be not only for the birth of their baby itself but also the initial stages of parenthood, including how to carry, dress, bathe, and soothe the baby. These classes are a great opportunity for couples to meet others in the same situation, allowing them to share experiences and concerns. Many companies recognize the importance of these activities during the course of the pregnancy, and are open to giving expectant fathers time off to accomplish these things.

Because a woman’s movements will become increasingly limited as their pregnancy ensues, men must step up in the domestic arena and begin doing more around the house to ease their partner’s burden. Another way to share in the pregnancy would be to begin preparing the baby’s nursery, painting the room, as well as purchasing and assembling the furniture. A suitable car seat must also be prepared and installed in the family car.

But the basic, and perhaps the most important way to share in the pregnancy is through communication. Men should try talking with their partners about the baby and even directly talking to the baby as if he or she was already there. This establishes and strengthens the bond between the expectant couple and the unborn child. Being open and honest about his doubts, fears and feelings about the pregnancy and impending fatherhood goes a long way in making a couple closer during this time.

The Excimer laser is a form of ultraviolet chemical laser, and is the key element that has made laser eye surgery possible. Though Excimer laser was originally used in semiconductor manufacturing in the 1970s, its use in eye surgery is now fairly widespread. While working at the IBM research laboratories in 1982, Dr. Rangaswamy Srinivasin and his research team discovered the potential of the Excimer laser in interacting with biological tissue. An ophthalmologist, Dr. Steven Trokel, explained its connection with the corneal tissue. And this was how LASIK eye surgery came into existence.

There are several types of lasers, but excimer is the preferred choice when it comes to corrective eye surgery. This is due to the fact that excimer is the most technologically advanced laser type. The excimer laser is, literally, a cool laser. That is, it precisely removes the desired part of the corneal tissue, without heating up or damaging the adjacent tissue. Quite amazingly, the excimer laser is so precise that it is capable of removing 0.5% of a human hair’s width at a time. That fact itself is enough for patients to believe that excimer-assisted eye surgery is not a gimmick, but a true technology leveraged procedure.

With the computer technology at its disposal and the precision offered by the laser, LASIK surgery has emerged as the number one choice for patients with refractive error. Since the excimer laser emits cool, minute beams that make precise incisions on the surface of the cornea, a dedicated technician operates the machine while the ophthalmologist performs the surgery.

Your eyes are your window to the world and your sight is the most important of the five senses. Hence, it is all the more imperative that, if need be, you go for an eye surgery that is reliable and has minimal side effects. With the high-precision technology of the excimer laser and the overall reliability of the procedure, LASIK is the most prevalent of corrective eye surgeries.

These days it is so hard to make it the gym. Life is very busy which creates a serious challenge for being consistent with exercise each week. However, exercise is exactly what we need in order to reduce stress, increase longevity, and give the body extra energy for daily living.

The best results are achieved using refined techniques, functional exercises, cardio, proper nutrition, awareness, variety, consistency, supplementation and motivation over time!

Refined technique means correct form to isolate muscles or “target areas of the body.” Efficiency is the priority to ensure maximal muscle stimulation. With resistance training, also known as weight lifting, it is important to eliminate momentum. It is also necessary to move the weight through a full range of motion. This will cause muscle contraction for the correct amount of time and ensure appropriate length of the tendons. The goal is to strengthen the joints of the body by stimulating the muscles around it.

For example, the lower back is an extremely important part of the body. Many people have trouble with this area, especially if their occupation puts a strain on it. So, it is a good idea to strengthen the muscles of the lower back like the erector spinae by performing three to four sets of back extensions on the floor superman position or face down on the exercise ball for 8 to 12 reps. As the muscles around the spine get stronger, the spine is held in place better, which reduces the changes of lower back problems. It is also important to keep the joint partially bent at the end of the rep, so that constant pressure remains on the muscles and no added pressure is applied to the joint from locking it out.

Cadence is a term that refers to the rate at which the resistance or weight moves. The best results are achieved by a slow cadence that causes the muscle to contract longer. On occasion, a mixture of fast and slow cadence may be used, especially with sports-specific training.

Lastly, using correct angles achieve muscle isolation in target areas and decrease the chance for injuries, especially with heavier weights. So, how many sets and reps should be completed? Four sets of 8-12 reps using a weight that is difficult but manageable. Allow 24 hours to recover with his approach. Six sets of 4 reps is more advanced, calculated at 60 to 80 percent of the one rep max. Allow 48 hours to recover when using this approach.

Functional exercise is a new popular technique that stimulates the core or torso of the body while working another muscle group at the same time. For example, performing a dumbbell press while lying on an exercise ball. The abs and the core muscles contract to hold the body into position, while the chest and tricep muscle push the dumbbells up. This type of challenge causes maximal stimulation to the body and keeps the workout interesting. Cardio is great for the heart and lungs. The number of calories burned is important as well as maintaining the correct heart rate. The heart rate formula is 220 minus age times point 60 for the lower margin and 220 minus age times point 80 for the upper margin. This is also known as the fat burning zone. Cardio also detoxifies the body and strengthens the immune system among many other health benefits. Muscles contract and move lymph along, which allows the immune system to clear dead cells and bring in new ones.

Warm up is important for preparing the body for the more demanding portion of the cardio workout. Allow 15 to 30 minutes prior to weight lifting and 10 to 15 minutes prior to cardio activities like jogging, swimming, aerobics or walking. In addition, a good stretch routine before warm up is highly recommended.

The preferred schedule for the weekly workout is warm up followed by cardio, then weight lifting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with cardio only on Tuesday and Thursday.

While you may feel your schedule is too busy to maintain a scheduled workout routine, you will find that by adding exercise to your life you will actually add time, as you will have more energy and become more efficient in your day to day activities. Think of exercise as the battery that gives your life power.

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Now, the days of tediously taking oral contraceptive pills every day are finally over. Thanks to modern science, the concept of a birth control implant has been perfected and is now a reality. But how does it work?

Birth control implants come in many different names, but they all look the same - a thin, flexible, plastic rod, 40mm in length and 2mm in diameter, roughly the size of a toothpick or a cardboard matchstick. It requires a prescription before you can buy it, and you’ll need a trained doctor to have it inserted under the skin of the arm. Contraceptive implants provide continuous protection from pregnancy for 3 years. Compared to its predecessor, Norplant, which consisted of six rods, the new birth control implant, Implanon only requires one, making insertion and removal easier.

Birth control implants work like the progestin-only pill or the minipill, it thickens the cervical mucus lining to prevent sperm from getting to the egg, changes the lining of the uterus so that implantation of a fertilized ovum would be difficult, and stops the ovaries from releasing an egg cell monthly. The implant continually releases a low dose of etonogestrel, a kind of progestin, over a period of three years.

Here are some of the advantages offered by birth control implants:

• It offers a 99% effectivity rate.

• It is a good alternative for women who cannot use estrogen-based oral contraceptives.

• It provides continuous and long-lasting protection from accidental pregnancy.

• It is barely noticeable, making it a private and discreet contraceptive method to use.

• It can be used even when a woman is breastfeeding.

• It allows for a more enjoyable sex life because nothing needs to be inserted or put on before having sexual intercourse.

• It can be removed any time within the three-year period.

• A woman’s fertility returns almost immediately after removal of the implant.

Here are some of the disadvantages you might encounter if you use the contraceptive implant:

• There are complications on the site of implantation. Complications like: pain, bruising, redness, and swelling.

• There may be problems removing the implant because the implant cannot be felt or it could have broken.

• There is a slight chance of getting a scar from the insertion and removal of the implant.

And just like any hormonal contraceptive method ever created, the birth control implant still have its set of side effects, these are:

• Irregular bleeding

• Mood swings

• Weight gain

• Breast tenderness

• Headache

• Acne

• Depression or anxiety

• Dizziness

• Vaginitis

• Stomach pain

• Hair loss

• Painful menstrual periods

• Back pain

• Nausea

• Viral infection (cold, sore throats, sinus infections, or flu-like symptoms).

Women who are pregnant or may be pregnant should not use contraceptive implants as it may cause complications to the growing fetus inside their bodies. Birth control implants are also not for women who have or have had breast cancer, unexplainable vaginal bleeding, liver diseases, a history of mental illnesses, or blood clotting diseases.

Consult your doctor for a thorough discussion of the risks and benefits of using the birth control implant. They’ll be able to tell you if any of your present and past medical conditions would decrease the efficiency of the contraceptive implant.