Posted by admin on March 30, 2009 under Allergies | 
• Coir
• Cotton
• Horsehair
• Jute, Sisal and Hemp
• Kapok
• Linen
•
Ramie
•
Silk
•
Synthetics and Blends
•
Viscose and Rayon
•
Wool
Fibres often appear to be the first suspect if you react, say, to your bedding, clothing or furniture, but they are frequently not the prime cause of reactions.
The most common cause of reactions to bedding, for instance, is house dust mites rather than the material of your bedding . If you react to your clothing, the cause may be chemical treatments and finishes, such as resins or dyes, for instance, rather than the fibre itself. If you react to a piece of furniture, the cause can often be house dust mites or chemical treatments.
Your laundry agents may also be the cause of apparent reactions to fibres. Finally, tiny traces of mould spores cling invisibly to even slightly damp fabrics or bedding. If you know you are extremely allergic to moulds, these may be the cause of reactions to fibres.
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Posted by admin on under Allergies |
Chemical sensitivity means adverse reactions to tiny or very low levels of chemicals in the environment, in which the immune system is not demonstrably involved. Susceptible individuals will react when tested with tiny doses under controlled conditions, and they will replicate their symptoms each time they are tested. Like allergy, but unlike irritant reactions, only a tiny amount of chemical is required to trigger a reaction. Reactions usually occur immediately; delayed reactions are rare. They are caused mostly by inhaling chemicals, but also by ingesting them or by absorbing them through the skin or mucosa.
The most commonly reported symptoms of chemical sensitivity are breathing and skin disorders, and mental symptoms very similar to those reported above for toxic and irritant reactions when exposed to high levels of chemicals. Muscle spasm, muscle and joint pains, and nausea and digestive symptoms, are also often reported.
The causes of chemical sensitivity are not known, although a number of factors suggest that some form of enzyme defect or defects may be at work, whereby a susceptible individual simply does not produce the enzymes necessary to detoxify or break down chemicals absorbed into the body. Whereas most individuals can effectively metabolise chemicals at the levels normally encountered in the environment, chemically sensitive people cannot cope with even low levels of chemicals, sometimes even with minute amounts.
Another factor to consider when looking at whether or not chemicals are causing you to react is the so-called ‘load effect’, also known as the ‘cocktail effect’, which comes into play when your system is ‘overloaded’ with chemicals.
Which Chemicals Cause Sensitivity?
There are no hard and fast rules about which chemicals cause sensitivity. Like allergy, almost anything has been known to cause someone somewhere to react at some time, but, like allergy, certain substances are much more troublesome than others and consistently cause problems. For more detailed information and a list of chemicals that commonly cause chemical sensitivity.
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Posted by admin on under Allergies |
Research has shown that a proportion (20 per cent) of cases of hyperactivity are clearly linked to true food allergy – IgE-mediated reactions to food.
Allergy and sensitivity to other substances also play a strong role. From clinical practice, doctors estimate that between 50 per cent and 80 per cent of hyperactive children are allergic or sensitive to other things as well, including pollens, house dust mites, moulds, pets and other animals, common chemicals and food additives. Many hyperactive children have multiple sensitivity.
The role of food additives in hyperactivity has received a great deal of attention, and the Feingold Diet, excluding certain food additives, together with aspirin and naturally occurring salicylates (the active chemical in aspirin), is widely publicised. Some children do extremely well on the Feingold Diet; but only a small proportion of hyperactive children respond that well – most show some but not great improvement. Higher levels of improvement are found when all types of allergens, foods and chemicals (including food additives) causing reactions are identified and avoided.
Food additives (particularly E102, tartrazine, a colouring) do, however, play a significant role in hyperactivity, and, although not the prime cause, need to be considered seriously. Research has shown that hyperactive children seem to be deficient in a specific enzyme – PST-P – the role of which is to detoxify various chemicals produced naturally in the body during metabolism and digestion. Certain food colourings can block or limit the working of this enzyme, and hence be damaging to an individual who is already lacking in adequate levels of the enzyme. Reactions to certain food additives may thus be due to intolerance due to enzyme defects, rather than to true allergic mechanisms.
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Posted by admin on under Allergies |
So where do you start? If the baby has evening colic, one of the most likely causes is thought to be a form of lactose intolerance whereby the baby is able to cope with small frequent feeds, but not the large first morning feed that most babies take. The volume of this can overwhelm the baby’s supply of the enzyme lactase which breaks down the milk sugar lactose. The morning feed reaches the intestines by evening and causes the symptoms at that time.
There are a number of ways in which you can adjust the baby’s feeding pattern to see if it helps evening colic. You can try waking the baby up early to give a very early morning feed, smaller than usual. Giving a little boiled water before the first feed also helps to quench the baby’s thirst and appetite a little, and means he or she takes less milk at the first feed. If you have plenty of milk, giving the whole feed from just one breast seems to improve things, rather than swapping to the other breast after a set interval. Giving shorter, more frequent feeds and using just one breast, thereby reducing the milk supply, also seems to help.
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Posted by admin on under Allergies |
If you use vacuum filters and keep things dry and aired, you may not need to get rid of, or replace any major object. Vacuum thoroughly first, try the avoidance measures for beds and bedding (opposite), and see how you go. Sometimes, though, a piece of furniture, a carpet, or a mattress just sits there looking at you screaming that it really has to go – it is too dusty, too old and it cannot be retrieved. So get rid of what you have to and replace it.
You can buy specially designed anti-dust mite covers for mattresses and pillows. These are cheap, relative to the cost of replacing old mattress and bedding, and can lessen the work required in airing and drying. These covers are reported by users to be very effective and worthwhile. Full details are given in BEDDING. If you are extremely chemically sensitive and do not tolerate synthetic fibres well, you may not be able to use them since they are made of synthetic blends. For most people, however, they are well tolerated and extremely useful.
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Posted by admin on March 27, 2009 under Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction |
The amount of pain just after surgery doesn’t tell you anything about the success of the operation. Ralph, a 46-year-old businessman, recalls his recovery. “The first time the doctor pumped it up—a month after surgery—the pain was incredible! I’ve only experienced such pain once before, when I was hit in the testicles with a baseball.”
Ralph went home and, taking his doctor’s advice, soaked in a hot tub. “Within an hour and a half the pain was gone. While soaking in the tub, I pumped it up.” Ralph—and his wife—were pleased. But he was initially surprised when his penis got wider and harder, not longer. Once his soreness disappeared, it took the couple about four weeks to get adjusted to the implant. Ralph had to learn to hit the release button in exactly the right way to deflate it.
Sometimes adjustment is a bit more of a problem. “I was in the hospital three days, and home for eight weeks recovering. It was eight weeks until I used it the first time. It takes a full year to adjust. It took me a year to learn how to pump it up and release it without pain. You need practice,” says Carl, a 54-year-old draftsman.
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Posted by admin on under Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction |
Active is the operative word here. Keeping your body moving will not only make you look and feel better—it will also improve your sex life and decrease the possibility of developing ED. It’s difficult to enjoy a fulfilling sex life without a physically active body. At the most basic level, we know that regular exercise improves overall fitness, and that sexual functioning is an important part of the equation.
We are also aware that regular exercise positively affects brain wave activity, making you feel more energized. Body temperature is also raised, duplicating one of the main reactions associated with sexual arousal. Also, the more you exercise, the more muscular stamina you develop, which translates to the prevention or delay of fatigue during sex.
Physiologically, regular physical activity has an impact on vaso-congestion, raising blood supply to the penis and helping to achieve and maintain an erection. On a hormonal level, exercise raises testosterone levels, leading to increased libido. And it works psychologically as well. As the percentage of body fat begins to drop and you are able to exercise longer, self-image can soar. All these factors can positively alter personal attitudes about sex.
There are several types of activities that you can include in your daily regimen. They will restore and maintain suppleness of movement as well as overall flexibility. All are easy, don’t require special equipment, and don’t cost anything. They are: walking, stretching, and resistance exercises.
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Posted by admin on under Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction |
Keep in mind that you must give a new drug a few weeks to work before you can determine if it is causing your problems. If you have begun a new course of medication and suspect that it might be giving you ED, continue with it—but be sure to discuss your concerns with your doctor. If the lines of communication between you and your doctor are kept open, it is usually possible to change or adjust medication. The goal is to maintain your general health while not adversely affecting your sexual performance.
The chart presented here is designed to help you pinpoint whether a specific drug you’re taking is causing ED. It includes:
Name of the Medication
Under this heading, list every drug you are taking by brand and generic name. Include any over-the-counter drug as well.
The Prescribing Physician, Diagnosis, and Date Medication Was Started
This becomes especially important as you develop more ailments and consult with different doctors.
Dose and Frequency
In order for a drug to work effectively, you have to know the correct dosage, how often it should be taken, and when.
Adverse Side Effects
Have your doctor or pharmacist explain the major side effects of the drug to determine if ED is a possible outcome.
Sexual Difficulties
If you develop ED, or if it has worsened since beginning the medication, note it on your chart. Include any performance problems like lessened libido or delayed orgasm. Your symptoms may be related to the new drug. Ask your doctor if a different drug can be substituted, or if a lower dose could be used to eliminate, or at least reduce, the sexual dysfunction.
Drug Efficacy
This is the place to write down if you feel the drug is working and fully achieving the projected goal.
The following chart is that of a patient who received a new drug to help reduce his hypertension. As you will see, it didn’t work for him. After a month, his medication was changed, the side effects were significantly reduced, and his sexual problems disappeared.
Name of medication
(generic and brand names)
Doctor, diagnosis, date started
Dose and frequency
Adverse side effects
Sexual difficulties
Drug
efficacy
Diuretic
Lamm,
50 mg
electrolyte
erection
No
Chlorthali-
hyperten-
once a day
imbalance,
problem:
done
sion:
fever, chills,
6/19/97
175/105,
low back
6/30/97
6/3/97
pain,
possible ED
Note: Keep track of how much alcohol and/or tobacco you use on a daily basis as they too can contribute to, or produce, ED.
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Posted by admin on under Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction |
One of the most common obstacles to satisfying sex stems from feelings of anxiety. There are numerous causes, including fear of not being able to perform adequately, dissatisfaction with penis size, self-consciousness about body appearance (especially weight), and financial or health concerns. Sometimes fear itself is a factor.
On a strictly physiological basis, anxiety can effectively prevent a man from becoming aroused and getting or maintaining an erection. It can also limit or even destroy spontaneity and curtail the partner’s exploration of new sexual territory.
Consider the case of Linda and Greg. His ED had been brought on by a combination of factors including obesity, insomnia, and stress. Sadly, all three of his conditions were a response to Linda’s precarious state of health. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of thirty-eight. Greg, three years older and devoted to his wife, wasn’t all that surprised when his own problems began. When they came to see me two years later, their circumstances had, fortunately, changed. Linda had come through surgery and a course of radiation weak but determined. Her prognosis was excellent. Greg, however, still had his ED.
“It’s not that I don’t want to have erections again,” he began nervously. “It’s that I’m worried that after I take the medication and can function again, I’ll hurt Linda. She’s so thin and frail, I’m afraid to have sex with her.”
“You’ve been scared to touch me for two years,” she challenged him.
“That’s because I saw what was happening to you and it put a brake on me.”
Linda regarded him with a combination of sadness and anger. “I think you’re just put off by how I look. Be honest, Greg—isn’t it true?”
Smiling ruefully, he answered, “The truth is, I look a lot worse than you do.”
Throwing her hands up in the air, Linda exclaimed, “The competition never ends. Greg, I want you to know—in front of a witness— that I want you again, spare tire and all. If you want me, then it’s with my buzz cut and protruding ribs. But you have to stop being afraid of me. I’m not going to break—and you’re not going to hurt me any more than I’m going to hurt you.”
This situation is not an unusual one: sex is often a casualty of cancer. Please note that sex will not cause the disease to spread; nor are women who receive radiation dangerous to your health. (This is a particular concern for men whose partners have cervical cancer.)
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Posted by admin on March 26, 2009 under Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction |
During erection, the body’s nervous system is the central computer that tells the arteries when to open up and increase blood flow into the penis. It also controls ejaculation. But the nervous system doesn’t just give orders to open and close. It also sends messages from the penis to the brain. A man becoming aroused has his nervous system operating in full gear. The taste of his lover’s mouth, the touch of her hand, the sound of her voice, the smell and sight of her body all send messages to the brain, which then orders the arteries to send more blood to the penis. And the sensations of pleasure in his penis and throughout his body are transmitted through the nervous system to the brain.
Your emotions and your state of mind affect your physical ability to get an erection. Here’s where the nervous system plays such an important role. There are two parts to the unconscious (or autonomic) nervous system which control erections: the parasympathetic network, which relaxes you, and the sympathetic system, which puts your whole body on alert.
During erection, the parasympathetic nervous system is in full gear, sending messages to the arteries and sinuses to expand and let more blood into the penis. The parasympathetic nervous system also plays a crucial role in food digestion and in relaxation.
In contrast, the sympathetic nervous system is the uptight partner in this operation. These nerves tell the arteries and sinuses in the penis to constrict and decrease blood flow. They go into full gear when you are anxious or tense, shifting blood away from your penis and digestive system into your muscles. Therefore, a man who is tense and anxious might be physically unable to get an erection because the overactivity of his sympathetic nervous system is clamping down on the blood flow into his penis.
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