Monday, May 12, 2008

Loose Weight ------- Fast Diet Plan

Get ready to lose 10 pounds! By paying attention to the amount of food you eat, eliminating unnecessary sugar and fat from your foods and making sure you include absolutely delicious meals and snacks to keep your taste buds happy. Use this easy-to-follow and super healthy diet plan to lose the first 10, the last 10, or any 10 in between! Because it’s a balanced and flexible program, you can stay on this diet as long as it takes.

Top Fast Secrets:

* Keep track of everything you eat and drink. No need to estimate calories – just write down the type of food or beverage and the amount.

* Cut your fat intake in half, that means half as much margarine or butter on toast, vegetables and your muffin, half the mayonnaise on your sandwich, and half the oil in the pan when you saute foods. You get the idea!

* Limit the sugar treats to three times per week maximum.

* Include good sources of protein at meal, chicken, fish, legumes, peanut, cottage cheese, eggs or yogurt.

* Eat at least one meatless lunch and dinner each week to reduce fat, increase fiber, and get yourself into the habit of building meals around whole grains, beans and vegetables.

* If you’re not currently using skim milk, go down to the level of fat content in the milk you use. For example, if you currently use two percent, use only one percent. If you insist on whole milk, try two percent.

* Eat at least two servings of fresh fruit every day. Choose whatever type of fruit is in season.

* Instead of fruit juice for breakfast or snack, drink water. Add a slice of lemon or lime for zest.

* Include two servings of vegetables with lunch and dinner, for a total of at least four servings per day.

* Choose one to two servings of foods made from whole grains with every meal.

* Shut off the TV whenever you eat – that includes meals and snacks. Studies show that we automatically eat larger portions when we snack in front of the tube, and typically those foods are high in fat and sugar, which means excess calories!

* Choose calories you can chew – that means only calorie-free beverages (except for milk) Sodas are loaded with empty calories, and fruit juices provide less fiber and vitamins per calorie than the fruit they’re made from.

* Plan ahead for meals and snacks so you know exactly what you plan to eat. Last-minute choice tends to be higher in calories and lower in satisfaction.

Why Acne Shows Up Again !!

Acne, one of the most common skin problem that ails the human kind irrespective of the age, caste, colour, gender etc. Acne is a tremendously embarrassing and burdensome problem. Acne can be defined, as red eruptions on the skin some time filled with a white substance, is itchy and also painful. It is a problem on which we do not have our control.

There are different ways to treat acne. One can opt for medication from a skin specialist or one can also try home or natural remedies. Natural remedies are less time consuming, less costly, and have no side effects. It only requires a little more patience because the routine has to be followed diligently to get rid of the problem once and for all. A natural remedy for acne is just as effective as medication.

Here are a few natural remedies to cure your acne:

To start with, your daily consumption of water should be minimum of eight to ten glasses. This helps us to detoxify our system and kill harmful bacteria that cause acne. Too much of oily food also leads to acne, so fried and spicy food should be strictly avoided. Including chromium in your diet also helps to cure acne. There should be a combination of right nutritional balance and proper skin care.

A mixture of nutmeg powder with unboiled milk when applied on the affected area regularly also helps to cure acne. Cinnamon powder mixes with honey is equally effective in curing acne. Boiled neem leaves when applied on acne acts as a disinfectant. The infected area should be washed with anti acne soap at least three to four times a day.

Makeup should be strictly avoided when one is suffering from acne. Makeup makes the acne conditions worse. Acne should never be squeezed as it may spread and become worse. Squeezing your acne may also lead to permanent mark on your skin, which leaves your skin, looking ugly.

Avoid your hair to fall on the acne-affected area. Hair should be kept tied to avoid contact with acne. Pillow covers should be washed on daily basis to avoid the germ to spread. Regular cleansing of your skin should be done to keep it free from germs.

Apart from all these a healthy lifestyle should be followed, with proper balance of food, exercise and sleep. Remember if you take proper care of yourself no ailments can trouble you leave apart a small thing as acne!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Is LASIK Eye Surgery For Me?

I have been wearing spectacles since 14, though my short-sighted is not too bad, but I found it to be cumbersome to have this little thing resting on my nose bridge. I am the type that scare of contact lens. So, I have no choice but to let it rest on my nose all day long. I was thinking for quite sometimes whether or not to go for LASIK treatment to solve this once and for all.

Here I found some interesting information on LASIK Eye surgery, thinking of sharing it with the ladies out there who hate specs as much as I do.

The term LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileuses. LASIK eye surgery is a medical procedure performed on a patient who has eye problems. These eye problems can be any of the following: being farsighted or nearsighted, and astigmatism. Furthermore, LASIK eye surgery is performed so that a person with any of the above-mentioned eye problems would not have to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Nowadays, LASIK eye surgery is one of the most common medical procedures that an eye doctor performs on a patient. Once a patient decides to undergo this kind of surgery, the shape of the cornea will be permanently changed. This is because a rounded “flap” is created on the cornea. Afterwards, with the use of laser or an instrument called the ‘microkeratome’, there is a part of the eye which will be vaporized to correct the eye problem.

LASIK eye surgery has become quite popular in the medical circle because of its pain-free operation. One more advantage that it has over other medical procedures to correct an imperfect vision is: the results are instantaneous. Right after the operation, you just need to let a day or two pass and you will see a definite improvement with your vision.

However, there are some disadvantages to this type of medical procedure. First, the rates can be quite steep so you better check with your eye doctor or ophthalmologist if you plan to undergo such a surgery. Second, just like any other medical operation, there are complications that the patient may suffer in the aftermath of the operation. Third, some job types will not allow an employee to undergo any form of eye surgery.

If you decide to go for LASIK eye surgery, you need to do your part and research so that you will know everything about the procedure. Also, have a thorough talk with your doctor so that you would know what to do before the operation. Finally, you can ask about the results and improvements with your vision problem right after your LASIK eye surgery.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Rash – Kind and Cures

"Rash" is a kind of red bump that forms on your body and could be caused due to a variety of reasons. This word is freely used in normal language to denote a number of skin conditions. Most commonly occurring skin conditions or skin rash types are:

  1. Non infected scaly patches on the skin.
  2. Scaly patches on skin caused by fungal or bacterial infection.
  3. Red, itchy patches or bumps all over the skin.


Skin rashes are rarely classified as dangerous, but still warrant medical attention. Rashes should not be self-diagnosed. Proper evaluation of the skin rash type requires a doctor visit. The following list of skin rash types may help you to categorize the condition.


1. Non infected scaly patches on the skin:

Scaly and itchy skin rash type usually represents a condition known as eczema.


Atopic dermatitis: The most common form of eczema is known as Atopic dermatitis. This skin rash type is normally hereditary which often starts in childhood with symptoms like scaly patches on the arms, legs, scalp and torso. During teenage the condition of atopic dermatitis may spread to inner elbows and knees. Adults are affected by atopic dermatitis on the genitals, around the eyelids, on the hand and all over the body as well.


"Dermatitis" means skin inflammation. "Atopic" refers to hereditary diseases. These diseases may include hay fever, asthma and atopic dermatitis. In a condition of atopic dermatitis, the skin turns extremely itchy and inflamed which may cause redness, swelling and cracking. Atopic dermatitis affects off and on for no apparent reason. It is at its worst in winter months, when the air becomes cold and dry.


Contact dermatitis: Contact dermatitis is a skin rash type caused due to contact with a specific material which may cause allergy to the skin. For example poison ivy and jewelry containing nickel causes reactions. Contact dermatitis affects only the touched parts.


The other kinds of skin rash types are scaly rashes. The ones worth mentioning are psoriasis, also a hereditary condition affecting knees, elbows and pityriasis rosea, which forms scaly rashes on the chest and back and generally disappears in a month. Xerosis or very dry skin, may appear as rash during the cold, dry months of the year.


2. Scaly patches on skin caused by fungal or bacterial infection:


Fungal infections: Fungal infections are common but don't appear as often as rashes in the eczema category. Fungal infections are not due to hygiene, clean people are also prone to them. The fungal infection skin rash type is not caught from animals, nor is it transmitted in gyms, showers or pools. They are not contagious.


Bacterial infections: The most common skin rash type caused by bacterial infection is impetigo. Impetigo is caused by strep germs and is more common in children. This again is not due to poor hygiene.


3. Red, itchy patches or bumps all over the skin:

This form of skin rash type is caused by virus or allergy.


Viral rash: Viral infections of the skin like herpes mostly occurs on one part of the body, viral rashes also occur all over the body and are symmetrical. These viral rashes usually last about a week and vanish on their own.


Allergic drug rash: Rashes caused due to drug allergy start in about two weeks of a new medication. It is very unlikely that a medicine which has been prescribed for a few months or years to cause a reaction. There is no specific test to prove whether a rash is allergic as a result of which doctors recommend stopping a suspected drug to see the results.


4. Other rashes

Hives or Urticaria are red welts that are itchy. They appear and disappear on different parts of the body. Because of the vagueness of the term, most people use "rash" to describe the conditions of pimples or rosacea on the facial skin. They certainly do not fall into any skin rash types.

Bee and Hornet Sting Cure

I wanted to share this marvelous information in case you may be experiencing the same problem around your home/garden....

A couple of weeks ago I was unfortunate enough to get stung by both a bee and hornet while working in the garden.

My arm swelled up so I visited my family doctor. The clinic gave me some cream and an antihistamine.

The next day the swelling was getting progressively worse so I visited my family doctor again... Infected arm - needed an antibiotic.

**The interesting thing is what the Doctor told me....

"The next time you get stung put a penny on the bite for 15 minutes."

At that night itself, my niece also got stung by two bees when she came over to swim. I looked at the bite and it had already started to swell. So I went to get my wallet and taped a penny to her arm for 15 minutes. The next morning, there was no sign of a bite. We were very surprised but figured perhaps she just wasn't allergic to the sting.

Then guess what? I got stung again - by a hornet - twice - on my left hand. I was so distressed, thinking I would have to go to the doctor for yet another antibiotic.

I promptly went into the house, got my wallet, and taped two pennies to my bites, then sat and sulked for 15 minutes. The penny took the string out of the bite immediately. I still wasn't sure what was going to happen.

In the mean time the hornets were attacking my niece and she got stung on her thumb. Out came another penny. The next morning I could only see a micro spot where I had been stung... no redness, no swelling. I went to see my niece and hers was the same. I couldn't even see where she got stung!

The Doctor said that somehow the copper in the penny counteracts the bite. I would never have believed it. But it DEFINITELY WORKS!

So remember this little bit of wisdom, keep some pennies on hand at school and at home, and pass this on to your friends, children, grandchildren, etc.