Many women have premenstrual syndrome (PMS) approximately 40 million in fact. PMS is a disorder that is not a “cookie cutter” disorder. The symptoms vary from woman to woman and even the same woman can have different symptoms from month to month.
At the present time scientists and researchers have not been able to pinpoint a cause or a cure for PMS. They do suspect that changing hormones may trigger the onset of PMS. PMS can be mild, moderate or severe. Postpartum depression is a special form of PMS and is a severe depression that a woman can experience after giving birth. There is also another severe form of PMS called PMDD.
Many women experience mild symptoms of PMS and never require medical attention while others experience symptoms so severe that they are unable to function, requiring treatment.
There are many guidelines that doctors and women have through trial and error developed, one of which is called the PMS and Migraine diet. A woman who experiences migraines when she is having PMS (the two weeks prior to her menses) doctors has devised a diet that seems to be able to help her treat the symptoms.
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Filed under: Women's Health by Dee
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Many of us are affected by arthritis, or know someone who is. Arthritis is a condition of moderate to severe pain that affects the joints, but what exactly is it that causes some people to get arthritis while others don’t?
The quick and easy answer as to what causes arthritis is that we really don’t know yet. There’s no one answer that explains every case. There’s no śarthritis diseaseť that you catch like a cold that causes you to develop symptoms. Arthritis is simply a joint disorder that develops with time. In fact, there are over a hundred types of arthritis and many of them are probably caused by different factors.
What we do know is that there are some risk factors that increase your chances or having a problem. While they may not be the root cause of your arthritis, they could definitely be helping to further the problem along.
One of the biggest risk factors associated with arthritis is age. You know that as you get older, there’s more wear and tear on your body. Arthritis may not be caused specifically by wear and tear on the joints, but it will definitely speed up the process or increase symptoms. That is why a large number of people over 65 have arthritis, regardless of the other factors.
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Moksha is a term used in many Indian religions. Someone who is thought to experience Moksha is absolved of the suffering and constant rebirth (reincarnation) that life brings. Constantly going through life and death is not considered to be a good thing according to many religious Indian people.
In Hinduism, Moksha cannot be obtained until one reaches a state of full self realization. A Hindu is likely to practice at least one form of Yoga. They also realize that God shows up in many different forms and is unlimited. He shows up personally and sometimes impersonally.
Four Yogas will take someone on the path to Moksha:
1. Karma Yoga – Work for the supreme.
2. Jnana Yoga – Realize the supreme.
3. Raja Yoga – Meditation on the supreme.
4. Bhakti Yoga – Serve the supreme with love and devotion.
Depending on which school of Hindu one decides to follow they will be required to follow one path or another. There are two major schools that are followed nowadays.
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Filed under: Mind and Spirit, Yoga by Dee
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One of the popular techniques that come from traditional Chinese medicine that is considered to be a bodywork technique and is gaining popularity in America is acupressure. It is very much like acupuncture in that it involves different points of the surface of the body but unlike using needles as is done in acupuncture, acupressure uses physical pressure done by the hand or elbow or various devices to different points on the surface of the body. This pressure brings about relief from the symptoms.
There are 14 primary meridian or channels in which qi flows through the body and acupressure removes blockages in these meridians. This pressure stimulates a natural healing process within the body.
When the different points are pressed muscular tension is released and this promotes better circulation of blood and other life’s forces, which will then aid in healing.
Acupressure is safe to do on oneself as well as to have a professional person who uses acupressure may apply the pressure. The best part is that there is no equipment needed, only your hands.
Acupressure can relieve arthritis, backaches eyestrain, headaches, neck pain, muscle aches, and tension aches as well as constipation, indigestion, menstrual cramping, and the pain from ulcers. Applying acupressure can also help you to sleep better at night.
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Filed under: Reflexology by Dee
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PMS also known as premenstrual syndrome is a widespread condition that affects women of childbearing age. It is during the time immediately preceding actual menstruation that PMS hails the hormonal changes that lead to premenstrual symptoms. It is noteworthy that not everyone with premenstrual symptoms also suffers from PMS.
In some cases this condition is not actually part of their monthly experiences at all. Statistics estimate that only 40% of women with any kind of premenstrual symptoms actually experience PMS. Of these there are roughly 10% who report to feel virtually disabled by the severity of the experience.
Although experiences vary, the most commonly reported complaints are exceeding tiredness, irritable moods, sudden outbursts of anger, rapid shifts in emotional responses to mundane situations, and also bloating of the extremities. By far the most commonly reported complaint, however, is the fatigue which seems to color each and every activity.
It is this low energy that deters PMS sufferers from continuing their exercise regimens, from making the extra effort to eat healthy, and even from taking care of themselves with hot baths or other feel good types of activities that take just a bit of preparation or clean up.
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Many of us walk around not knowing we have bad breath or that we are at risk for bad breath. If we knew we might change some of the things we are doing in order to avoid the embarrassment of being told we have bad breath. Would you like to know what things might put you at risk for having bad breath?
Bad breath can occur when you eat certain foods such as foods that are spicy or foods that contain garlic or onions. Bad breath can also happen when your dental hygiene is poor either because you do not take the time to brush after meals or you simply do not like to brush. Some people never floss and have bad breath do to all the food particles that accumulate in between teeth that might have been dislodged by flossing.
Learning how to brush your teeth, floss and clean your tongue properly can help you to prevent bad breath.
Lifestyles can also contribute to bad breath. Two things that people do that can cause bad breath are drinking alcohol and smoking or chewing tobacco products. When these habits cause you to have bad breath the friends you thought you were making because of being “cool” may shun you because you have bad breath. It is better to avoid drinking and smoking if it prevents you from having bad breath.
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Filed under: Healthy Mouth, Teeth by Dee
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It’s 1:15 a.m. here…I had turned off my computer for the night and was headed to bed. Like most of the country, and the world, I have spent a good part of today watching the news. It’s been a long, sad day.
For reasons I can’t begin to explain, I just had to turn the computer back on and make this post. Maybe because I’m trying to sort through my own feelings and have a small hope that putting my thoughts down ‘on paper’ will help me do that.
Wow, two HUGE icons – icons who have been ‘in’ my life for all of my life – gone in a single day. It’s mind-boggling.
“But Dee, this is a health blog, why on earth are you posting about the deaths of two celebrities?”, you may be asking. Well, yeah, it’s a health blog – but more than that, it’s a life blog.
Music has always been a HUGE part of my life, and of my kids’ lives. I could tell my life story in songs, believe me. On Thanksgiving the kids and I have a tradition of blasting music while we cook and bake – stopping at regular intervals to shoot our own ‘music videos’. It’s a tradition we all cherish and one we all look forward to.
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After a day on our feet, most of us enjoy a good foot massage. It relieves pain, alleviates tension, and just plain feels good. But did you know that with a few modifications, a foot massage can have numerous other health benefits?
Reflexology is often considered the same thing as foot massage, but it’s actually an ancient practice. Evidence of its practice has been found on Egyptian wall paintings dating back as far as 2330 BC, and it is believed to be even older than that. Reflexology has much in common with the Oriental practices of shiatsu and acupuncture, both of which are believed to have originated around the same time as reflexology.
There are some important differences between reflexology and an ordinary foot massage. While a foot massage usually involves the entire foot or the portion that is in pain, reflexology involves specific spots on the feet. The goals of reflexology usually have nothing at all to do with the feet themselves. Rather, the purpose is to either benefit a specific part of the body or promote overall health.
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If you suffer from PMS and have actually discussed the condition with your doctor, the odds are good that you were urged to increase your intake of certain dietary supplements, such as magnesium, calcium, vitamins E and D, and maybe even some evening primrose oil.
You may have followed this regimen faithfully now for two to three months, but rather than helping you with your PMS, things might actually have gotten worse. This most likely leaves you wondering what to do when dietary supplements for PMS do not work. Fortunately, there are still plenty of answers.
* It is clinically proven that PMS is caused by hormonal changes and imbalances which occur during the time in the menstrual cycle immediately preceding menstruation. Thus, physicians have found that the simplest way of regulating the monthly hormonal flux is with the use of oral contraceptives.
Even low dose versions of the pill are considered highly effective in leveling out some of the more bothersome hormonal fluxes and their expression in PMS. While this may not completely eradicate PMS, it can go a long way to greatly reducing its severity. Since oral contraceptives are prescription medications, a doctor does need to prescribe them.
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Yoga found it’s roots in ancient India. To practice yoga is to focus on enhancing both physical and mental discipline. There are many different schools of yoga; some of which I will briefly describe in this article.
A sage named Patanjali is believed to be the founder of Yoga by many people. He defines yoga as a practice that inhibits changes in the mind. Patanjali’s texts have influenced one of the most followed schools of meditation called Ashtanga Yoga (Eight-Limbed Yoga). Here are the eight limbs:
1. Yama – Devoid of lying, violence, covetousness, sensuality and being possessive.
2. Niyama – content, study, purity, austerity and belief in god.
3. Samadhi – to merge the conscious mind with the object of meditation.
4. Dhyana – Intensely contemplating the nature of meditation.
5. Pranayama – to stop (restrain), breath control.
6. Pratyahara – Remove the senses from external stimuli.
7. Asana – seated meditation.
8. Dharana – Focusing on one object.
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