Is Jergon Sacha the New Hope for HIV Patients?

More and more people worldwide are contracting HIV and the
medical researchers and the doctors that have been working
overtime to find a possible cure for this disease is in a
race against time. While there are a lot of different
medical research facilities worldwide that have been
working endlessly to come up with something that will stop
HIV in its tracks, somewhere in the Peruvian jungles lies
the possible cure to such a deadly disease. Used to cure
snakebites by the Indian tribes who can be found in the
lush tropical forests of the Amazon is the plant called
Jergon Sacha. This tuber plant known as Jergon Sacha is
found to possess a certain enzyme that helps in the
treatment of HIV and even full blown AIDS. When used in
combination with another herb called Cat's claw, there have
been cases of patients with HIV and AIDS showing improved
health after such a treatment.

After using the combined powers of these two herbs to help
treat AIDS and HIV in some patients for a span of six
months, the people who were tested with this kind of
treatment were said to have tested negative for the deadly
virus. This kind of a development is said to have come from
a Peruvian doctor known as Dr. Roberto Gonzales. The good
doctor was said to have reported to the Peruvian media the
wonderful news about the discovery of the cure for AIDS and
HIV, in the combination of these two herbs, that can be
found in the rainforests of the Amazon.

The plant known as Jergon Sahca is said to possess
something called protease inhibitors which is the main
ingredient needed to treat snake bites. This protease
inhibitor, that is found in this herb, is known as a cure
for viral infections and since HIV is a virus, HIV meaning
Human Immuno-deficiency Virus, then it stands to reason
that the herb known as Jergon Sacha will indeed have an
effect on the people who are infected with HIV and AIDS.
This kind of an extract that is taken from the root of the
plant is prepared in numerous ways, aside from the cat's
claw combination that is specifically prepared for HIV and
AIDS. The herb is also prepared as a cure for other viral
infections and may come in capsules or as a tincture.

The other diseases that are said to be effectively cured by
this herb include other viral infections like influenza,
hepatitis, and a whole lot more. The plant is also known to
have some anti-inflammatory qualities and have a cough
suppressant quality, which is why it is also known to be
effective against whooping cough, bronchitis, asthma and
other upper respiratory problems. This herb is also known
to treat bee stings, scorpion stings and other venomous
stings that plague man.

This herb is indeed a miracle herb that helps people find
cures for a lot of the illnesses that plague them. As for
this herb, known as Jergon Sacha, being the hope of HIV
infected people of the world, the results may seem to be in
on the initial testing stage but substantial proof still
needs to be presented before we can truly say that the
world is on the way to getting rid of this killer disease
known as AIDS.

----------------------------------------------------
Patricia McDougall B.Sc. is a Chartered Herbalist and
graduate of the Dominion Herbal College, British Columbia,
Canada. Originally from Peru, Patricia is the Director of
Research and Development for Amazon Botanicals LLC of
Newark Delaware.
http://www.amazon-botanicals.com/Jergon_sacha_s/88.htm

3 Steps to Figuring Out if an Alternative Health Product Will Work for You

If you like alternative health products, you've probably
experienced the scenario I'm about to describe. You read an
exciting article online about detox foot pads, a product
claiming to reduce fatigue and other poor health symptoms
by removing heavy metals from the body. In fact, there's
even a color picture showing a "before" and "after" shot of
a lily white unused foot patch next to a dark brown yucky
used foot patch.

On Amazon.com you find a great detox foot patch containing
the following ingredients:Tourmaline, a semi precious stone
that reputedly alleviates stress; wood vinegar, a substance
that decreases swelling in the body; and Eucalyptus, a
plant with antiseptic properties that is native to
Australia.

The detox foot pad sales page gives a compelling detailed
professional description about how the pads eliminate
toxins from the body. You're all set to buy 10 of these
babies and then feel super energized as heavy metals such
as mercury, arsenic, and copper rapidly leave your body
while you sleep. But before you hit the "pay now" button
you remember that you are a savvy alternative health
product buyer. Before forking over $29.95 for an
avant-garde health product you research it by typing "detox
food pad" into Google. Lo and behold, a simple Google
search reveals thousand of sites, forums, and reviews for
the detox foot pad product you'd so dearly like to try.

Guess what? Some detox foot pad users love the product and
swear it alleviates symptoms of asthma, depression, and
pms. Others say the detox food pads do nothing but remove
sweat from the body. Some reviewers have no intention of
using detox health pads, but they feel compelled to point
out why detox foot pads can't possibly work anyway. Some
alternative health product advocates decry the need for
evidence that detox foot pads work, because they believe
the apparent corruption of the pharmaceutical-driven health
industry negates any need to question the efficacy of
"alternative" health products.

So whereas five minutes ago, you felt all gung-ho about
trying detox foot pads, now you're not so sure they're a
good buy. What if you're just getting scammed out of your
$29.95 by another too good to be true idea? Can removing
heavy metals and other toxins from the body really be as
easy as putting a patch on your foot at night? Where is the
real proof this product works?

While there's no fail proof method of determining if a
product will work for you until you try it, following are a
few ways of making health product investments calculated
risks rather than mere gambles.

Listen to Yourself

1) "Trust your intuition over other people's reason," as
one of my late professors used to say. Do you believe the
body can sense what good health feels like? If so, consider
why and for how long you've been attracted to a particular
health product. Did you quickly forget about detox health
pads after you read that neat little online article about
them, or did you find yourself doing Google searches about
"detoxing" months later? If a health product consistently
appeals to you, perhaps that's reason enough to try it.

Accept that no Health Product is ever Guaranteed to Work
for Everyone

2) Remember that people have different lifestyles and brain
chemistries. Therefore no health strategy will ever be
proven to work for everyone in exactly the same way. Even
antidepressants, which have been prescribed for millions of
people who regularly report that they alleviate symptoms of
mental illness, remain a controversial method of treating
anxiety, depression, and other ailments.

Research All Forms of the Product You'd Like to Buy

3) Often a hot new health product is quickly copied by
companies wanting to get in on the latest alternative
health fad. For example, there are dozens of wholesalers
marketing detox foot pads at prices ranging from $1.50/pad
to $3.50/pad. Research which manufacturer has the best
overall reputation and e-mail any questions to the support
staff at different sites before making a purchase.

To Sum Up

While improving one's health is often scary and exciting
simultaneously, the following simple ideas can make
purchasing an alternative health product less stressful:

1) Listen to your own intuition rather than getting caught
up in too many, "does this product really work or not"
debates;

2) Accept that there's no way to know if a health product
will work for you until you try it;

3) Research all the variations of a product before you buy
it.

Happy health product hunting!

----------------------------------------------------
Janna Chan writes about holistic approaches to alleviating
stress at http://i-feel-calm.com

Suboxone, a new treatment paradigm: Part Two

In Part One of this article I described the problems with
traditional treatment of opiate addiction. Suboxone is a
revolutionary alternative.

Suboxone consists of two drugs; buprenorphine and naloxone.
The naloxone is irrelevant if the addict uses the
medication properly, but if the tablet is dissolved in
water and injected the naloxone will cause instant
withdrawal. When suboxone is used correctly, the naloxone
is destroyed in the liver shortly after uptake from the
intestines and has no therapeutic effect. Buprenorphine
is the active substance; it is absorbed under the tongue
(and throughout the mouth) but destroyed by the liver if
swallowed. There is a formulation of buprenorphine without
naloxone called subutex; I have used this formulation when
the patient has apparent problems from naloxone, including
headaches after dosing with suboxone. I have also treated
addicts who have had gastric bypass, where the first part
of the intestine is bypassed and the stomach contents empty
into a more distal part of the small intestine. In such
cases the naloxone escapes 'first pass metabolism', the
process with normal anatomy where the drug is taken up by
the duodenum and transferred directly to the liver by the
portal vein, where it is quickly and completely destroyed.
After gastric bypass naloxone can be taken up by portions
of the intestine that are not served by the portal system,
causing blood levels of naloxone sufficient to cause brief,
relatively mild withdrawal symptoms.

Buprenorphine has a 'ceiling effect'-the narcotic effect of
the drug increases with increasing dose up to about one or
two mg, but then the effect plateaus and higher amounts of
buprenorphine do not increase narcosis. The average
patient usually takes 12-24 mg of suboxone per day, and
quickly becomes tolerant to the effects of buprenorphine
(buprenorphine does have significant narcotic potency, but
the potency usually pales in comparison to the degree of
tolerance found in active opiate addicts).. The opiate
receptors in the brain of the addict become completely
bound up with buprenorphine, and the effects of any other
opiate medication are blocked. Once the addict is tolerant
to the correct dose of suboxone, the buprenorphine that is
bound to their opiate receptors reduces cravings and
prevents the effects-and so the use--of other opiates.
Suboxone is very effective in preventing relapse; the
'choose to use' issue is effectively removed by the fact
that use would require the addict to go through several
days of withdrawal in order to remove the receptor blockade
and allow other opiates to have an effect. Given addicts'
attitudes toward withdrawal, the appeal of this 'choice' is
quite low. The only real problem with suboxone treatment
relates to specificity. With suboxone, the addict stays
off opiates, but there is nothing to prevent the
substitution of alcohol. On the other hand, naltrexone
reduces alcohol cravings by blocking opiate receptors, and
it is quite likely that suboxone, through its similar
mechanism, will reduce alcohol cravings as well. Such an
effect has been reported to me by a number of suboxone
patients, but has not been reported in the literature at
this point. The suboxone patients who move from one
substance to another will likely require an approach that
demands total sobriety. But for pure opiate lovers, other
benefits of suboxone are that only mild (and possibly
medicated) withdrawal is required to start treatment, the
drug is usually covered by insurers, prescribing
restrictions are minor, and there are fewer stigmas
associated with maintenance than there are with methadone.

As I stated in part one of this article, I predict that
suboxone will eventually be the standard treatment for
opiate addiction, and will change the treatment approach
for other substance addictions as well. My only
reservation with this statement is that it is unclear how
the current recovering community will respond to patients
treated with suboxone. If suboxone patients are rejected
by the recovering community, what will be the long-term
outcome of their addictions when the substance is removed
but the personalities and issues remain untreated? Is it a
given that all addicts have a disease that requires group
therapy? As things stand now, addicts maintained on
suboxone are often referred for addiction counseling. But
the exact message to deliver with counseling is debatable.
In many ways, a patient maintained with suboxone becomes
similar to a patient with hypertension treated for life
with medication-the underlying problem persists, but the
active disease is held in remission. If the uncontrolled
use of opiates is effectively treated, is that enough?
Should counseling be focused on removing the shame of
having the disease of addiction, and on encouraging the
treated addicts to get on with their normal lives? Or
should we continue to see addiction as a consequence of a
deeper problem or faulty character structure, which
requires groups and meetings if one hopes to become
'normal'? Unfortunately the use of suboxone runs counter
to successful adoption of sobriety through 12-step
programs, which in the first step require acceptance of the
fact that the addict is powerless over the substance-that
there is no amount of will power that will allow the addict
to control the deadly effects of the drug. By using
suboxone the addict may develop the impression that he/she
has control, particularly if suboxone becomes popular on
the street for self-medication of withdrawal.

Before suboxone, the only option for opiate addicts was to
lose a sufficient number of things-family, employment,
freedom, health-to cause them to accept treatment and
recovery. Only a small fraction of addicts recovered, and
only after significant losses-and relapse rates were high.
Suboxone is an amazing breakthrough; one that for the first
time allows treatment of addicts early in the course of
their illness, and that reliably induces remission in most
patients. But there are some things to be concerned about,
that have the potential to reduce the effectiveness of this
amazing new drug and treatment approach. First, some
insurers demand that the drug be used only short-term, in
some cases for only three weeks! This requirement totally
misses the nature of addiction, and ignores the known high
relapse rate after short-term use of suboxone (and why
wouldn't it be high?). Some physicians use the medication
in this short-term way; hopefully the motivations for this
ineffective treatment method are not related to the limits
placed on the numbers of maintenance patients per
physician. Other physicians will transfer their attitudes
toward opiate agonists to the use of suboxone, and place
constant downward pressure on the daily dose of suboxone.
This approach is not appropriate with suboxone; the value
of the drug requires adequate dosing to achieve the long
half-life and repression of cravings. At doses of less
than 8 mg, suboxone becomes more similar to a pure agonist;
one might as well be giving small doses of hydrocodone to
prevent withdrawal. There is no reason beyond drug cost to
reduce the dose, as tolerance is limited by the ceiling
effect that occurs with relatively low doses. In other
words, higher doses of suboxone do not result in eventual
higher degrees of withdrawal. Another issue is that the
medication is sometimes prescribed carelessly, without
emphasizing the need to dose once per day. Patients left
to their own devices will start using the medication
multiple times per day as a 'prn' medication, and will
remain in the same addiction behavior that brought them to
treatment. Once per day dosing is important because it
allows the addictive behavior to be extinguished over time.
Initially patients will have increased anxiety as they
lose the distraction and placebo effect of frequent drug
use. But over time the anxiety will fade, and the huge
void left by the removal of addictive obsession will allow
the development of relationships and other positive
character traits that were forced out by their addiction.

Given the time pressures and payment structures of modern
medicine, suboxone may eventually replace residential
treatment as a more reliable, less costly alternative. I
believe that the time has come to replace the 'recovery'
model with a new 'remission' model, which allows treatment
of a much higher percentage of users at an earlier stage of
disease. With time, will we find analogous agents that
provide a low level of intoxication in return for receptor
blockade? While not likely with alcohol, such an outcome
is certainly within the bounds of imagination for cocaine,
benzodiazepines, and barbiturates. While it is true that
daily use of a partial agonist would represent a reversal
from our current approach where all intoxicating substances
are to be avoided, it is also true that the current
approach has no bragging rights based on outcome. Finally,
perhaps the adoption of a remission model will lessen the
time until opiate and other addictions carry as much moral
stigma as hypertension or diabetes-two other diseases that
are generally treatable, but that require long-term use of
medications.

----------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey Junig lives in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He has
worked as a neuroscientist and as an anesthesiologist, and
is a psychiatrist and pain physician in solo, independent
practice. Additional information can be found at
http://wisconsinopiates.com , the web site of his chronic
pain and addiction practice, or at http://fdlpsychiatry.com
. He is available for patient care, consultations, or
educational presentations.

How Scratching Affects Psoriasis Development

Psoriasis is a skin condition that is more prevalent than
most people think. In fact, approximately less than 3% of
Americans are diagnosed to have psoriasis and thousands of
new cases are expected to turn up every year. The causes
for psoriasis are still undetermined; what they do know
however is that for a person to develop psoriasis depends
largely on several "triggers" such as stress, medication,
and skin infections and injuries.

Affected areas – referred to as plaques by dermatologists –
often feel dry and hot, making suffering invidividuals feel
the intense urge to scratch. Psoriasis can lead to more
serious complications, however, if pruritus – or itching
and scratching – isn't controlled.

Possible Effects From Scratching

Besides having more and worse problems with psoriasis,
uncontrolled scratching may have other medical and
non-medical effects on the affected individual:

Addiction – Once you start scratching, it's possible that
you'll never be able to stop. Consequently, the urge to
scratch may become a condition that you won't be able to
resist indulging in. This addiction is also known as the
itch-scratch cycle.

Distraction – Scratching can occupy your whole mind to the
point that it will distract you from accomplishing whatever
your objectives are efficiently, thoroughly, and on time.

Lack of Confidence – Individuals who scratch one time too
often in public are often viewed as people with
embarrassing hygiene problems. And since you can't explain
the reason why to each and every stranger seeing you
scratching, your confidence might suffer when you're the
recipient of not-so-friendly looks.

Relationship Problems – Constant scratching can irritate
people around you such as your family, friends, and even
your partner. Even though they know why you're scratching,
that doesn't mean they have to understand and tolerate what
you're doing, especially since scratching isn't at all
advised in your condition.

Skin Infection – Besides the development of new plaques in
your head and body (referred to as the Koebner phenomenon),
pruritus can also create openings in your body which may
allow bacteria to come in and cause you to suffer from all
sorts of infection.

Temporary Measures to Keep from Scratching Yourself

Curing yourself out of the scratching symptoms of psoriasis
is one that requires long-term treatment. If, however, you
need to stop your fingers from clawing its way to your skin
pronto, here's what you should do:

Using a Cold Compress – Place a cold compress or anything
clean and intensely cold next to affected areas can succeed
in keeping the urge to scratch at bay…for the time being.

Topical Medications – Also known as topical steroids, this
type of medication is usually the initial treatment you'll
receive from your physician for psoriasis. Some topical
ointments are sold off the counter while a few may require
you to have your doctor's permission. When applied to
affected areas, topical ointments can soothe away the
burning sensation for a short period of time. As topical
ointments vary greatly, it's best that you consult your
physician prior to trying anything so as to prevent
yourself from having undesirable reactions to the treatment.

Take a Bath – Taking a warm and soothing bath is usually
effective for people who want to get rid of their
scratching urges in an instant. Of course, stepping out of
the tub may allow the irritating feeling to surge back
after a few minutes.

Skin Love – Taking care of your skin can also help relieve
you from feeling scratching. Keeping your skin moisturized,
for instance, will significantly reduce the burning and
irritation.

What to Do to Stop Yourself from Scratching

The best way to get rid of your scratching and itching
problems is to solve the root problem itself: psoriasis. If
you're able to treat psoriasis effectively, there'll be no
reason why you'll feel the need to scratch because there IS
nothing to scratch!

Methrotrexate – This particular medication can either be
taken orally in pill or liquid form or intravenously.
Caution must be exercised however as this drug can cause
liver or bone trouble.

UVB Photography – UVB light is used to eliminate visible
effects of psoriasis. To avail of this treatment, a person
may have to spend approximately half an hour in a life
booth and attend as much as thirty sessions.

Psoriasis may be a lifelong condition and without cure, but
this doesn't mean it can't be managed effectively. Having a
healthy lifestyle, a cheerful disposition, and continuous
medication can go a long way in relieving you from
psoriasis trouble…and scratching.

----------------------------------------------------
To find out more about psoriasis check out
http://www.psoriasistoday.com where we publish the most
up-to-date advice on the current psoriasis cures.

Juvederm vs. Restylane : My Lip Enhancement Experience

Dermal fillers have been getting a lot of attention lately
in the world of cosmetic dermatology and anti aging. And
all for a good reason. Dermal fillers such as Restylane
and Juvederm can make a dramatic difference in the
appearance of a person's skin, all with minimal time, a
fairly reasonable cost, and minimal invasiveness and pain.

There is little difference between the two big competitors,
Juvederm and Restylane, as they are both comprised of a
substance that is naturally found in the body called
hyaluronic acid, which naturally diminishes as we age.

The result of collagen's diminishment is that our skin
starts to slacken, since collagen and hyaluronic acid, a
component of collagen, is the plumping force under our skin
that makes our skin look "filled out" and youthful.

Cosmetic dermatologists and other qualified dermal filler
specialists have harnessed this "filling" power in the form
of a very fine needle that injects the fillers underneath
the skin so that it may fill out folds, lines and wrinkles
and make them look plump again, reducing their appearance.

Not only that, but both fillers may be used to plump the
lips to give them a naturally fuller look. This is the
procedure I had performed, and I chose to go with Juvederm
over Restylane for reasons I will explain later in this
article.

Another big plus of dermal fillers is their relatively long
life. Both Restylane and Juvederm typically last in the
body for about 4-6 months, and at the time that they are
diminished and fully absorbed (harmlessly) into the body,
another treatment will be necessary.

This "second generation" of fillers comes in at a few
months longer than the previously popular straight collagen
injections, which only lasted about three months due to the
high absorption rate and instability.

Typical treatments that are administered with both fillers,
which are in a gel formula, are injections into the
nasolobial folds that get deeper and more noticeable with
age. These are the lines that extend on either side of
your mouth from the outside corners of your nose to the
tips of the top lip.

I didn't think that this was a noticeable part of aging on
a person's face until I looked at before and after pictures
of people who had gotten this area filled with Juvederm or
Restylane, and boy, it really did make a difference in how
young and rejuvenated they looked.

Other areas that are great candidates for dermal filling
are deeper wrinkles around the eyes, and on the forehead.
They do have to be a significant depth to be treated with
dermal fillers though, so be aware that those finer lines
are probably not suitable for Restylane or Juvederm fillers.

Another popular part of the face that is injected with
dermal fillers is the lips, which is what I had done. I
chose to go with Juvederm after I talked to the doctor that
performed the treatment on me, only because he said
personally he felt he could work with Juvederm better on
the lips because he felt it was a bit finer than the
Restylane and he could work more easily with it and
observed slightly better results on the lip area.

Since he felt more comfortable using this product, I
decided to go with Juvederm, which cost the same as the
Restylane. The cost was $500 per syringe, which is about
average for a dermal filler. I loved the fact that this
particular facility, called EvoMedispa in the greater
Akron, Ohio area, offered to store any leftover Juvederm
for up to six months for me as well.

I did end up with a little bit leftover, so I figured I
would have them use the rest of that syringe as well as a
new syringe the next time I went and got my lips enhanced.

So far it's been about 4 weeks since I received the lip
enhancement treatment with Juvederm, and I'm loving the
results. I only asked for a very subtle plumping of the
lips since I wasn't going for anything obvious or
overblown, and that's exactly what I got.

He followed the natural line of my lips, and made sure not
to overfill the top lip, keeping the natural balance of the
top lip smaller than the bottom lip, which is how people's
lips are shaped in nature. The top lip is almost always
significantly smaller than the bottom.

He explained that by keeping this ratio, I'd look more
natural, and he was right. The procedure itself is not
bad, but I have to admit, I was glad when it was over.

If you have the procedure done, you should know that you
want to keep the next few days cleared of significant
plans, since the likelihood of bruising locally is fairly
high.

My upper lip had a bruise about the size of a kernel of
corn for a few days afterward, and it took several days for
the bruise to fully subside. Also, immediately after the
treatment, your lips are not able to move, since you are
typically going to be injected with a local anesthetic.

My local anesthetic was Lidocaine, and my lips were pretty
much frozen for much of the evening after the treatment,
and I was stuck at home since I couldn't speak correctly
and, well, quite frankly, it just doesn't look pretty the
day you get it done.

The treatment is not for those that are extremely needle
shy, since between the injected Lidocaine and the
injections of the filler itself, you will be getting
injected several times by the end of the treatment. Ahh,
the things we do for beauty!

----------------------------------------------------
Danna Schneider has written articles on her experiences
with beauty products and procedures, and also contributes
to lip plumper reviews at
http://www.mybeautyspace.com/lip-plump-reviews/ and
http://www.cosmeticsgalore.com/wrinkle-cream-reviews.html ,
where you can find reviews on natural products that are
noninvasive for lip plumping as well as anti aging and
wrinkle control and reversal.

Suboxone, a new treatment paradigm: Part One

Suboxone is a relatively new medication for opiate
dependence that will result in a sea change in addiction
treatment. Physicians currently prescribing suboxone are
aware of the usefulness of this medication, and news of the
medication has reached 'the street' to such an extent that
opiate addicts often call addictionologists and ask for the
drug by name. Word of mouth has spread the news about
suboxone without the benefit (or need) of television
commercials. My experiences with suboxone make me wonder
if we are at the verge of an entirely new approach to
opiate addiction, and in turn to other addictions as well.
The traditional approach to drug addiction treats all
substances as essentially the same. Yes, the addict does
develop a 'love relationship' with his/her substance, but
the substance's sister, brother, aunt, or uncle can easily
step in and take the place of the drug of choice in a
process called 'cross addiction'. This is one reason why
traditional treatment demands sobriety from ALL substances,
but there is a more complicated reason as well. The
addict, over time, becomes hyper-aware of his/her mood,
comfort level, and anxiety. The addict constantly 'checks
in' somatically, asking 'am I going up? Or 'am I (oh no!)
coming down? Every bead of sweat may portend the pain of
withdrawal. Every ache is a new excuse to use. The addict
takes comfort in the '4-hour schedule' of use; an internal
clock becomes all-important, and eventually the only thing
that really matters. Sobriety and recovery demand that the
addict learn to take life on life's terms, and give up the
obsession with symptoms and medications. Sobriety will
extinguish the learned obsession with symptoms over
time-sometimes a great deal of time. As the obsession
fades, the addict takes steps away from relapse. But if
the addict uses a new substance that changes perception,
even a substance like diphenhydramine that is not
addictive, the old attention to feelings and symptoms
returns. Many addicts are aware of an 'addict' frame of
mind and a 'sober' frame of mind; a drug that causes the
addict to look inward and focus again on symptoms can
trigger the addict mindset to re-appear. And once the
addict is back, it can be very difficult to return to the
mindset of sobriety.

The need for total sobriety no doubt keeps some addicts
from asking for help, and there are other addicts who ask
for help but simply cannot maintain sobriety from all
substances despite multiple trials of treatment. To widen
the appeal and utility of addiction treatment, other
treatment models have appeared, including an approach that
has been called 'harm reduction'. The harm reduction
approach helps the addict find ways to reduce his/her
intake and so reduce the harm that inevitably results from
heavy or uncontrolled use. By introducing 'drink counting'
and other behavioral techniques, harm reduction has
similarities to cognitive therapy. Regarding the various
traditional treatment approaches, there are patients who
would clearly do better in one vs. another approach, and
there also patients who would benefit from either approach.
Specifically, some people use or drink in an almost
nihilistic fashion-every episode of drinking characterized
by drinking to total oblivion. I would favor complete
sobriety for these individuals, because the cognitive
changes made in treatment will likely be obliterated by the
first drink. On the other hand, a patient with a 20-year
long smoldering addiction facing his first DUI may be a
good candidate for a harm reduction approach. In such a
case, alcohol is a major part of the addict's personality,
and the idea of total sobriety after one offense would be a
difficult sell. But with education about changes in
tolerance with aging, and an introduction to drink
counting, the patient may do well for another 20 years.

There are problems with traditional treatments, beginning
with the simple observation that relapse rates have always
been high. The high relapse rate has implications for
addiction that go beyond treatment methods, as I will
explain later. Another problem with traditional methods is
that they require significant motivation from
patients--motivation that must be accessible over and over
throughout patients' entire lives. Finally, some degree of
detoxification is usually required before tradition
treatments, requiring expensive medical services that may
be far removed from the treatment center. The specter of
detox and withdrawal are major roadblocks to treatment.
Withdrawal is a unique experience, difficult to compare to
other dysphoric experiences. Physical symptoms include
headache, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramping,
diarrhea, and muscle spasms of the legs that result in
involuntary movement. The withdrawing person usually feels
profoundly depressed and anxious. Even in situations where
there is no chance of access to drugs, the addict feels the
desperate need to use. The description of these symptoms
does not do justice to the misery experienced by the
withdrawing opiate addict. I also suspect that memory has
a 'kindling' effect on withdrawal such that symptoms become
more and more severe each time withdrawal is experienced,
so that eventually there is no such thing as 'mild
withdrawal'-the addict experiences withdrawal as severe as
any experienced to that point, regardless of the degree of
tolerance going into the withdrawal episode. Addicts who
have suffered through severe, unmedicated withdrawal have a
sense of camaraderie akin to disaster survivors.
Camaraderie is nowhere to be found during the withdrawal
experience, however, and the addict feels completely alone.

There have been alternate treatment models for years that
are less dependent on character modification and more
reliant on medication. Opiate maintenance with methadone
and opiate blockade with naltrexone are two treatment
approaches that are not dependent on the 12-steps or
cognitive therapy that may be used alone or in concert with
traditional treatment. Methadone and naltrexone treatments
are diametrically opposed to each other in several ways,
but have some things in common as well. Methadone
maintenance creates deliberate 'hypertolerance' to opiates
in the addict by providing very high daily doses of opiates
(usually methadone). The high tolerance prevents
recreational use of opiates, and the high daily dose of
methadone serves to treat opiate cravings. Patients in
methadone programs often feel trapped, in that withdrawal
from such high doses of methadone is extremely difficult,
and any violation of the rules of the clinic (or problems
paying the high cost of treatment) result in dose
reductions. People maintained on methadone often claim
that they always feel 'high', no matter the tolerance that
develops. And while high doses of methadone will satisfy
cravings for a time, eventually the tolerance will catch up
and cravings will return. There are other problems with
methadone; some users claim that methadone results in a
lack of motivation to better themselves through education
or employment. For decades, methadone maintenance was
associated with blighted urban areas, where addicts could
line up each morning for their daily 'fix'. There have
been recent attempts to make methadone maintenance
'mainstream' by improving the physical facilities, and in
some cases relocating to less-blighted neighborhoods.
There have been few changes, however, in the regulatory
control of methadone. Methadone maintenance for the most
part requires addicts to add morning dosing into their
daily schedules, which in some cases becomes a barrier to
occupational growth.

Naltrexone has already been partially discussed. The use of
naltrexone is limited by the difficulty of achieving two
weeks of sobriety prior to treatment; it takes that long
for the sensitivity of opiate receptors to normalize to a
degree that avoids naltrexone-induced withdrawal. Another
problem is that the addict can 'choose to use' by simply
missing a couple days of naltrexone dosing. In fact,
patients maintained on naltrexone develop a
hypersensitivity to opiates, making them subject to
dramatic highs during relapse, and vulnerable to the
associated risk of overdose by respiratory arrest. In
addition to pills, naltrexone is marketed as an
intramuscular, monthly medication, which helps reduce the
'choose to use' problem. The primary indication for this
medication, interestingly, is alcohol dependence rather
than opiate dependence. Naltrexone has been demonstrated
to reduce cravings for alcohol. A related form of
naltrexone treatment is called 'rapid opiate detox', where
the addict is anesthetized and given withdrawal-inducing
doses of intravenous naloxone. After 8 hours or so, the
addict awakes with an implanted, slowly-dissolving chip of
naltrexone under the skin. This technique has popularity
since reports of patient deaths during the anesthesia, or
by suicide some time afterward.

In Part Two, I will explain how Suboxone represents a
dramatic improvement in the treatment of opiate addiction.

----------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey Junig lives in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He has
worked as a neuroscientist and as an anesthesiologist, and
is a psychiatrist and pain physician in solo, independent
practice. Additional information can be found at
http://wisconsinopiates.com or http://fdlpsychiatry.com .
He is available for patient care, consultations, or
educational presentations.

Oil of Oregano: Nature's Miraculous Medicine

Can you imagine an amazing herb strong enough to sterilize
sewage water, but gentle enough not to harm human tissue?
Most of us are very familiar with this herb as it is used
for flavoring in cooking. Now more of us are realizing the
incredible health benefits of this herb when it is
delivered in essential oil form. Essential oils work far
faster than teas and many times faster than capsules and
are readily digestible and quickly absorbed and assimilated
into our physical system. We all have heard of oregano as
it is used on our pizza. Now we can realize the health
benefits of oregano in essential oil form.

The results of research done in 1910 by W.H. Martindale,
lead him to conclude that "the essential oil of oregano is
the most powerful plant-derived antiseptic known."
Research in 1977 done by Dr. Belaniche resulted in his
"oregano Index" against which all other antibacterial
substances are compared. Oil of Oregano is the closest to
being the ideal antibacterial agent. Dr. Blaiche states
"Among the more active of oils, Oregano is the best of the
best. The essential oil of oregano has always provided me
with amazing results in treating infectious diseases. Dr.
Jean Valnet who is a French authority on the use and
benefits of essentials oils, states that essential oils
"proved to be many times more effective at killing
pathogenic microorganisms than antibiotics."

An active ingredient of oil of oregano is carvacrol which
has been found to help relieve upper respiratory infections
such as colds and sinus infections. It potently inhibits
platelet aggression which is a risk factor in blood clot
formation that is a major cause of strokes and heart
attacks. Oil of oregano, in one study, was found to reduce
melanoma by 50% in vitro. Oil of oregano has powerful
anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic properties. This
is important because parasites and viruses, like yeasts,
cannot be treated successfully by antibiotics. In a 1966
study published in Medical sciences Research, it was shown
that oil of oregano killed RNA and DNA viruses such as sold
sores, genital herpes, and shingles. This makes it a very
beneficial for treating the conditions of colds and flu.
Oil of oregano is significantly effective in treating
various forms of harmful parasites. Oil of oregano is an
effective digestive aid. Oil of oregano has also been found
to surpass prescription synthetic anti-inflammatory drugs
in it's effectiveness in relieving and reversing pain and
has been said to be almost as powerful as morphine. Oil of
oregano has been shown to strengthen the immune system. As
an antioxidant, it halts the formation of cholesterol which
is responsible for arteriosclerosis, i.e. hardening of the
arteries.

An extra advantage of oil of oregano is that it can be used
either topically or internally, depending upon the need and
target ailment e.g. acne, allergies, arthritis, asthma,
athlete's foot, blood clots, bronchitis, candida, canker
sores, colds, flu, constipation, croup, dandruff, diarrhea,
digestive disorders, earaches, fatigue, fungal infection,
gastrointestinal infection, gum disease, hay fever,
headaches, inflammation, insect bites, menstrual
irregularities, muscle pain parasites, psoriasis, ringworm,
rosacea, seborrhea, sinusitis, thrombus, toenail fungus,
and immune system.

Often known as a cooking herb, there is much more to
oregano when it is used in essential oil form .It's long
list of health benefits makes it one of nature's best kept
secrets, a natural health aid that is a remarkably
miraculous and versatile medicine. If we are suffering from
any the before mentioned health ailments, we would be well
served to explore the healing properties of this miraculous
herb, oil of oregano.

----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer has more than twenty years experience with all
natural health care products. Mor information about Oil of
Oregano and other natural herb benefits is available at =>
http://www.sweetmedicineessentials.com

Sarcopenia: Build Muscle to Combat this Scourge of Aging

A sixty-something year old buddy of mine said something
funny to me the other day. He told me that when he was a
younger man, he had "a really nice butt". Funny… I didn't
even ask for that information; he just blurted it out when
we were talking about body shape changes that normally
accompany aging. He said that this particular bodily
feature had been one of the things that attracted his wife
when they were both young and as fresh as store-bought
lettuce.

"Well, why don't you still have a really nice one?" I asked
while only feigning ignorance of his probable answer.

"GOA", he answered with a smile. "General old age."

Now I'd heard it all. Here was a guy who only minutes
before had admitted he'd spent the previous thirty years
eating whatever he felt like in the moment while steering
clear of any edifice resembling a gym. Now only in his
early sixties, he laid blame for the loss of his previously
athletic shape on only the passing of those three decades.
Apparently, he didn't see the connections among his
sedentary life, his ravenous intake of sugary foods, and
the relentless conversion of his body into a soft and
shapeless form. He also refused to see that he could turn
it all around.

There's a name for the condition that had relegated my
buddy's "nice posterior" to the dust-heap of a nostalgic
memory. It's call sarcopenia; the natural progression of
muscle degradation with advancing age. It actually starts
to occur at a nearly imperceptible rate after age 25 and
accelerates on the other side of the 50 year mark. It's the
reason that even when you get back down to your youthful
body weight as a seasoned person, you don't necessarily
regain that youthful shape. And like most other tell-tale
signs of aging, the ravages of this scourge can be slowed
down immensely with both a bit of effort and a bit of
restraint.

The effort comes in the form of resistance training
(bodybuilding) and the restraint comes from at least
greatly reducing junk-food consumption, if not eradicating
it completely. Bodybuilding is our best frontline defense
in the fight to keep our muscles from deteriorating at a
rate that can reach one pound a year after the age of
fifty. Abstaining from foods devoid of antioxidants and
high in destructiveness (glycation) can greatly reduce the
overall age-related deterioration of our bodies.

Following is a list of the basic steps you can take to
greatly push back the onset of sarcopenia as you get older
and wiser:

• Utilize an effective bodybuilding/strength training
program

What most of us bodybuilders have known instinctively is
finely becoming accepted in medical circles; namely, that
aerobic exercise isn't enough for maintaining the health of
aging adults. Resistance exercise (weight training) is
absolutely essential. More highly developed muscles enhance
protein metabolism and speed up resting metabolic rate.
They also enhance posture, immune response, and bone
strength. There's even new research showing that bigger
muscles help stave off cancer and heart disease.

Notice that I used the word "effective" bodybuilding and
strength training program. I estimate that for every
effective methodology for putting on natural muscle mass,
there are probably a thousand that will provide you nothing
but more wasted time. Nail down a routine that works.

• Eat plenty of Protein with More Frequent Meals throughout
the Day

It surprises me how many people will allow their eating
habits to cause their solid flesh to waste away. That's
exactly what they're doing when they begin the morning with
some toast and a glass of orange juice, eat a salad for
lunch, and munch on some noodles in the evening. Where's
the protein?

Even those who get some with every meal are usually
consuming inadequate amounts for muscle cell regeneration.
Eat thirty to fifty grams of protein with each meal when
building muscle through resistance training.

Also, be skeptical of those who claim these high protein
levels are bad for your kidneys. There's no empirical
evidence that this is true for people with healthy kidneys.
Your kidneys were designed for processing protein.

• Eliminate or Greatly Reduce Sugar Intake

I'll opt for some excess protein in my kidneys over excess
sugar in my bloodstream any day of the week. Too much sugar
can wreak havoc on our cells when it bonds with protein or
lipid molecules. This creates a process called
"cross-linking", resulting in a phenomenon known as
'glycation'. Heavily cross-linked tissue (including the
skin and nervous system) can also lead to accelerated loss
of muscle.

Your best defenses against this are to kick the high sugar
habit and take a supplement called Carnosine. This dietary
supplement has been shown to significantly reduce glycation
in the body.

• Stick with mostly Low Glycemic Carbohydrate Intake

I grew up hearing the commercial that said "a day without
orange juice is like a day without sunshine." For the
longest time I thought: 'Wow, missing either one of those
must be bad'. Now I'm wondering if including either of
those is good – especially the orange juice (sugar in a
glass).

If you want to keep more of your youthful muscles as you
get older, eat mostly carbohydrates that are below 70 on
the glycemic index. Not only will your muscles thank you
for steering clear of the doughnuts and cheesecake, but
your pancreas will function better too. This can lead to
more control over blood sugar which will help eliminate
body fat and keep your shape on the youthful side.

That old saying "we are what we eat" is true, with a slight
modification: "We are what we eat and do". Put efficient
and effective bodybuilding to work for you and modify your
eating habits to ward off sarcopenia. For doing this, your
spouse or S.O. just might tell you you've still got a nice
'you-know-what' even when you're well beyond sixty.

----------------------------------------------------
Scott Abbett is the author of HardBody Success: 28
Principles to Create Your Ultimate Body and Shape Your Mind
for Incredible Success. He is a certified fitness trainer
and a Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP. To see his
personal transformation, visit http://
http://www.hardbodysuccess.com

7 Quotes from Neuroscientists that Will Revolutionize Brain and Mind Health, Fitness and Wellness

Interested in improving your attention, memory, thinking
skills, ability to manage stressful situations? Good news:
"Recent research in neuroplasticity - the brain's ability
to change in response to information and new activities -
shows that brain cells and new pathways continue to develop
throughout life...", say mainstream newspapers like the New
York Times, who are increasing their coverage on the
growing movement of "brain training" games and technologies.

An article titled "Mind Over Matter, With a Machine's Help"
provides a great overview on how to combine cognitive
therapy with fMRI (an advanced neuroimaging technique that
enables movie-like visual feedback on what areas of the
brain are getting activated). Another article, titled
"Calisthenics for the Older Mind, on the Home Computer",
reviews a number of commercial software packages.

I have interviewed 10 neuroscientists and experts in
cognitive and emotional training to better understand the
research behind this field and the implications for our
lives. Let me share with you some of my favorite quotes:

1) "Learning is physical. Learning means the modification,
growth, and pruning of our neurons, connections–called
synapses– and neuronal networks, through experience...we
are cultivating our own neuronal networks."- Dr. James
Zull, Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at Case Western
University.

2) "Exercising our brains systematically ways is as
important as exercising our bodies. In my experience, "Use
it or lose it" should really be "Use it and get more of
it".- Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, neuropsychologist, clinical
professor of neurology at New York University School of
Medicine, and disciple of the great neuropsychologist
Alexander Luria.

3) "Individuals who lead mentally stimulating lives,
through education, occupation and leisure activities, have
reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's symptoms. Studies
suggest that they have 35-40% less risk of manifesting the
disease"- Dr. Yaakov Stern, Division Leader of the
Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Sergievsky Center at
the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia
University, New York.

4) "What research has shown is that cognition, or what we
call thinking and performance, is really a set of skills
that we can train systematically." - Dr. Daniel Gopher,
Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Human Factors
Engineering at Technion Institute of Science.

5) "Elite performers are distinguished by the structuring
of their learning process...You need to protect and
optimize that practice, learning time… It is important to
understand the role of emotions: they are not "bad". They
are very useful signals. It is important to become aware of
them to avoid being engulfed by them, and learn how to
manage them." - Dr. Brett Steenbarger, Associate Professor
of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Medical
University, and author of Enhancing Trader Performance.

6) "We have shown that working memory can be improved by
training" – Dr. Torkel Klingberg, Professor at Karolinska
Institute, and Director of the Developmental Cognitive
Neuroscience Lab, part of the Stockholm Brain Institute.

7) "I don't see that schools are applying the best
knowledge of how minds work. Schools should be the best
place for applied neuroscience, taking the latest advances
in cognitive research and applying it to the job of
educating minds." - Dr. Arthur Lavin, Associate Clinical
Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western School of Medicine,
pediatrician in private practice.

If you are interested in learning more about this exciting
field of "brain fitness" and "brain exercise", please keep
tuned. Over the next weeks we will publish new interviews
with:

- Dr. Judith S. Beck, Director of the Beck Institute for
Cognitive Therapy and Research, and author of The Beck Diet
Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person.

- Dr. Robert Sylwester, Emeritus Professor of Education at
the University of Oregon. His most recent book is The
Adolescent Brain: Reaching for Autonomy. The Education
Press Association of America has given him two
Distinguished Achievement Awards for his syntheses of
cognitive science research.

Now you know: Nutrition, Physical Exercise and Stress
Management are very important to your brain health and
fitness, but you can also exercise and improve your "Mental
Muscles"!

----------------------------------------------------
Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains,
which provides the latest science-based information for
Brain Fitness and Brain Exercise, and has been recognized
by Scientific American Mind, MarketWatch, CBS, Forbes, and
more. Alvaro holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford
University, and teaches The Science of Brain Health at
UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute. You can read
in-depth interviews with more than 10 neuroscientists and
experts at http://www.sharpbrains.com/

Quick Quiz: Why Do Women Still Live Longer than Men?

The Answers Will Surprise You

The average lifespan for a person who is born and raised in
the United States today is 75 – 80 years. The average
lifespan for someone in the UK is also 75 – 80. A Canadian
is expected to live 80 – 85 years, as is an Italian or a
Spaniard.

And in each of those developed countries, a man's life is
at least five years shorter than a woman's.

With all the strides made in the last 30 years toward the
prevention and treatment of heart disease, cancer, stroke,
high blood pressure and other life threatening illness,
women still outlive men by a clear margin. Why is that?
What do you think are the top three differences between
men's health and women's that make such a statistic
possible?

If you said the stress of earning a living day in and day
out, you are a little behind the times. Women have been
flooding the job force since the 1960s, and with every
passing decade, they have been entering more and more
traditionally "Male Only" fields such as firefighting and
police work. At the same time they have been climbing the
ranks within the corporate world – earning bigger
paychecks, working longer hours and accumulating the same
stress and anxiety, as well. Yet women still outlive men.

If you said, health conditions that only affect men such as
prostate cancer and low testosterone were the cause, you
would be closer. Lowered testosterone levels can lead to
osteoporosis and other health related complications, but
few are truly life threatening. Prostate cancer, on the
other hand, is one of the top killers among men in the
United States. Only lung cancer accounts for more deaths.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 220,900
were diagnosed in 2003, and about 28,900 died from it.

But the real reason men do not live as long has less to do
with any one disease – and more to do with how men respond
to their own disease and illness. Men are much less likely
than women to seek treatment for illness. They drink more
and smoke more than women, and visit the doctor less. This
gives diseases such as lung cancer and prostate cancer –
the number one and number two killers among adult males – a
better chance of becoming terminal.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

As the old saying goes, "if you knew then what you know
now. . . ." Now that you know the biggest health problem
men face is themselves, it is time to take charge of your
own health. If you are a man reading this article, make an
appointment with your physician today to get a complete
check up. If you are woman who cares about the men in your
life, print this article out and hand each of them a copy.

The rest is up to the men.

----------------------------------------------------
Jim Martinez is a National Sales Director for AmeriPlan
USA, offering discount health, dental, vision, chiropractic
benefits plans starting at just $19.95 per month. Visit
http://www.familydentalhealthplans.com and START RECEIVING
BENEFITS today!

Disover The Benefits Of Yoga

The most important benefit of yoga is physical and mental
therapy. Physical benefits are the creations of a toned,
flexible and strong body, improves respiration, energy and
vitality. It also helps to maintain a balanced metabolism
and promotes cardio and circulatory health and relieves
pain.

For mental benefits, yoga teaches us how to focus on
breathing while we look and feel younger. It improves our
athletic performance too.

Regular practice of yoga with meditation can help diverse
ailments such as diabetes, blood pressure, digestive
disorders, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue,
asthma, varicose veins and heart conditions. Laboratory
tests have even proved the yogi's increased abilities of
consciously controlling autonomic or involuntary functions,
such as temperature, heartbeat and blood pressure.

According to medical scientists, yoga therapy is successful
because of the balance created in the nervous and endocrine
systems which directly influences all the other systems and
organs of the body. Yoga acts both as a curative and
preventive therapy. The very essence of yoga lies in
attaining mental peace, improved concentration powers, a
relaxed state of living and harmony in relationships.

Through the practice of yoga, we become aware of the
interconnectedness between our emotional, mental and
physical levels.

I have practiced yoga for more than ten years now and I
find that not only does it give me wonderful physical
workouts; it also provides me with a completely different
outlook in life. It does not matter how tired I may be
going into class, I always look forward to it and I come
out a changed person when the session ends. I feel
refreshed and renewed, like every cell in my body is
sparkling.

Many activities and workouts can get our bodies in shape
and toned, but yoga provides much more than just a workout.
Holding yoga postures actually wrings toxins out of our
body and the yogi breathing infuses the body with energy.

We need to breathe deeply to bring oxygen to all our cells,
rid the body of toxins and energize us, but we also use
breathing to help us turn inward in meditation. Peace of
mind is important to us and so is staying calm during the
day.

BENEFITS

Physicians and scientists are discovering more and more new
health benefits of practicing yoga. Studies show it can
relieve the symptoms of several common and potentially
life-threatening illnesses such as arthritis,
arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue, diabetes, asthma and
obesity.

Asthma

Studies conducted at yoga institutions in India have
reported impressive improvements in asthma. It has also
been proved that asthma attacks can usually be prevented by
practice of yoga.

Respiration Problems

Patients who practice yoga have a better chance of gaining
the ability to control their breathing problems. With the
help of yogic breathing exercises, it is possible to
control an attack of severe shortness of breath.

High Blood Pressure

The relaxation and exercise components of yoga have a major
role to play in the treatment and prevention of high blood
pressure and hypertension. Yogic breathing and relaxation
techniques have been found to lower blood pressure and
reduce the need for high blood pressure medication in
people suffering from it.

Relief of Pain

Breathing exercises used in yoga can also reduce pain
because our muscles tend to relax when we exhale.
Lengthening the time of exhalation can help produce
relaxation and reduce tension. Awareness of breathing helps
to achieve calmer, slower respiration and help in
relaxation and body pain.

Arthritis

The easy stretches with deep breathing exercises relieve
the tension that binds up the muscles and further tighten
the joints. Yoga is relaxation and exercise rolled into one
– the perfect anti-arthritis formula.

Weight Reduction

Regular yoga practice helps in weight management because it
improves our metabolism. Its ability to reduce anxiety
helps to reduce anxious eating. Yoga deep breathing
increases oxidation or burning up of fat cells. Yogic
exercises induce more continuous and deeper breathing which
gradually burns, sometimes forcefully, many of the calories
already ingested.

Mental Performance

Experts suggest that the regular practice of breathing
through one nostril may help improve communication between
the right and left side of our brain. This increased brain
activity is associated with better performance and doctors
even suggest that yoga can enhance cognitive performance.

Mood change and Vitality

People who participate in yoga over a period of time claim
a positive effect on outlook and energy level. yogi
stretching and breathing exercises have been seen to result
in an invigorating effect on both mental and physical
energy and improved mood.

----------------------------------------------------
Janice H. is a nutritional expert cum author. She shares
with people around the world on HOW to live a true life to
achieve: Happiness, Health and Youthfulness. Visit Janice's
Blog at: http://www.stayyoungsecret.com/blog to discover
how to immediately improve your life and receive FREE
e-Report specially written for you.

What's The Big Deal About Hearing Loss?

There are more than 30 million Americans who suffer from
hearing loss. Although hearing loss is common in seniors
over the age of 65, it is now affecting more youngsters and
baby boomers. Statistics have shown that about 14% of
people between the ages of 45 and 64 have some hearing
loss. This is significant as hearing loss can adversely
affect them at work and in their personal life.

Hearing loss at work

Hearing loss can lead to miscommunication with co-workers
and prevent you from participating fully at meetings.
Co-workers may become frustrated from having to repeat
themselves or at your lack of participation. Communication
problems lead to lower work productivity, which can be
construed as your incompetence at the job. Ultimately,
untreated hearing loss at work can cause financial loss to
the company and can even cost you your job.

Hearing loss and relationships

Hearing loss can have a negative effect on relationships
with friends and family. Turning up the volume on the
television or stereo can be too noisy for others. People
may become irritated or frustrated if you keep asking them
to repeat themselves. As the hearing loss worsens, you may
withdraw from conversations and become less sociable.
Eventually, you may experience sadness or depression as
others communicate less with you.

How to know if you have hearing loss

You may not recognize the early signs of hearing loss.
Most hearing loss is a gradual process and over time you
will begin to stop hearing softer noises or those of a
different pitch. You may be asking people to speak up or
you may turn up the volume on your television and stereo.
Often you may hear fine in a quiet environment but have
trouble hearing when there are background noises. You may
begin to think that others are mumbling when you can't make
out all the words. Eventually, you find yourself
communicating better when you are looking at the other
person's face.

What you can do

At the first sign of hearing loss, you should visit a
hearing specialist. He or she can perform a hearing test
to determine your type and level of hearing loss.

If the hearing loss can be treated medically, you will be
referred to a medical professional. Otherwise, hearing aids
are commonly used to treat permanent hearing loss. They can
improve your hearing significantly.

Nowadays, hearing aids come in trendy colors, shapes, sizes
and styles to suit people of all ages. They are now even
smaller, with better sound quality and advanced features.

By seeking help sooner, you reduce the financial and social
costs associated with your hearing loss.

----------------------------------------------------
Only one out of five people who could benefit from a
hearing aid actually wears one. There are many types of
hearing aids to suit almost every type and degree of
hearing loss, and budget. Check out our hearing aid
comparisons at http://www.abouthearingaid.com/art-deal