If your teenager is anything like other teenagers, they have almost every moment of their day mapped out. Even if they like keeping busy or are participating in activities that they like, it can still be a source of stress for them. Help them to manage their activities so that stress works for them instead of against them.

What is stress anyway? It is our response to various situations in our lives. There is such a thing as good stress or “eustress.” A looming deadline can spur us into action to come up with something terrific for that term paper. Anxiety over public speaking can lead to long practice sessions to get the speech just right.

On the other hand, there is also stress that can lead to bad results. Worry or fear can immobilize you. It carries symptoms like loss of appetite, weight loss, weight gain, stomach aches and loss of sleep to name a few. These situations demonstrate a lack of coping skills.  Read more...

When we think of losing hair, our thoughts turn to men. They are the ones who have the shiny dome later in life. But what about women who are having problems in this area? More and more are suffering from hair loss.

For women, hair loss is particularly devastating. We think of our hair as our crowning glory. Without it we don’t feel beautiful anymore. It seems like vanity but to lose your hair and not have any grow back does affect your self-image.

Hair loss in women is referred to as alopecia. It is a blanket term that covers all types of hair loss. The causes are varied and can occur at different times in a woman’s life.

Why do women lose their hair? The first thing that comes to mind is menopause. When the menstruation cycle ceases, lots of changes occur in the female body. For one, hormone levels fluctuate. No longer are the ovaries producing estrogen and progesterone like they used to. This makes the level of testosterone in the female of higher concentration than the other two more dominant hormones.  Read more...

Have you ever tried to go to sleep but your mind is racing a mile a minute? It seems that when you want your mind to take a break, it just won’t listen. Here are a few ways that you can silence the noise and learn how to give your mind a rest.

What is it about thinking? Everyone today tends towards multitasking to make all of their activities fit into one 24-hour day. If you can’t think about five different things at one time, you are in the minority.

You may get a lot done, but there is a price. When you try to find the calm after the storm, it isn’t there. One of the main reasons is that we don’t let our bodies stop at the same time. The mind and body are connected. It is hard to keep the mind at bay when the body is still moving.  Read more...

The hardest part of losing weight seems to be changing eating habits. You can exercise until you are blue in the face but if you don’t have your food intake under control, you could be simply spinning your wheels. Here are some ideas to help you make the right choice when it comes to food.

It is a fact that fresh foods have more natural flavor and nutrients than processed food. We often choose the processed foods because we are in a hurry. The one thing we tell ourselves is that we will do better next time.

How many of you know that tomorrow never comes in this case? Making the right and healthy food choices requires focus, discipline and a few simple tricks of the trade.

1. Prepare your food ahead of time. The chief complaint about making a healthy dinner is that you don’t have time. Take a day on the weekend when you have more time and whip up a few nutritious dishes for the following week. Because you have the time, you can experiment with spices and different foods you may not have tried before.  Read more...

Stress is something we all experience. But research suggests that adolescents are affected by it in unique ways that can increase impulsivity and risky behaviors. While eliminating stress from life isn’t realistic, young people can learn to control how they respond to it.

This book offers proven techniques that teens can use to deal with stressful situations in school, at home, and among friends. They’ll find current information on how stress affects health and … More >>

Fighting Invisible Tigers: Stress Management for Teens

Faced with the seemingly insurmountable task of how to quit smoking many people just bow their heads and acknowledge defeat before even starting. However, with advances in technology as well as discoveries in herbal medications and smokeless cigarettes, most people are able to find a means or a method to quit smoking that fits within their lifestyle choices and their current abilities.

Tobacco smoke contains over 200 known chemicals that cause cancer in animals and one of the most powerful addictive drugs known – nicotine. For some people it is the very act of smoking that gives them pleasure and reduces their stress but for most people it is the chemical rush that fills their lungs and feeds their cells which keeps them coming back for more.

Almost all people who smoke recognize the effects that smoking has on their lungs and body. You don’t have to go very far to learn that smoking decreases the amount of collagen produced in the skin which leads to premature aging, causes destruction in the lining of the lungs and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. And those are only the big problems that individuals who smoke can face.  Read more...

Manage stress with yoga; learn a shoulder stretch yoga pose in this free instructional video on how to relieve stress with yoga poses and stretches. Expert: Elizabeth Cafferky  Bio: Elizabeth Cafferky is a yoga instructor at Yoga Yoga studio in Austin, Texas.

We recommend:

PureCalm is a natural, safe and effective liquid herbal formula that works quickly to eliminate symptoms of tension, anxiety, stress, panic attacks and irritability.  PureCalm helps maintain balanced emotions during everyday pressure, stress and common nervous tension. Created by a clinical psychologist, this remedy is pharmaceutically manufactured to the highest standards, combining the soothing properties of Lemon Balm with those of Lavender and Passion Flower, to bring you relief within minutes! For those who suffer from chronic anxiety and severe panic attacks, combine PureCalm with MindSoothe for effective long-term reduction of your symptoms.

Rose oil is one of the most popular essential oils. It has a rich floral fragrance conjuring up images of romance, luxury and pampering. More importantly its properties are said to be:

* Antidepressant
* Calming, Soothing, Relaxing, Restful
* Sensuous, Aphrodisiac
* Uplifting
* Balancing
* Improves confidence
* Reduces fatigue, stress and exhaustion

Rose oil is made from rose petals. As you can imagine it takes a lot of petals to produce a very small amount of oil. Estimates suggest that it may take a ton of petals to produce 300 grams of Rose Oil.

Unfortunately the real McCoy is very expensive, however you can buy the more affordable Rose Geranium (also known as Rose-French oil) which seems to work almost as well at one-tenth of the price. It contains many of the same ingredients as Rose – geraniol, linalool and citronellol – and it has similar properties and scent.  Read more...

People who smoke are faced each day with the recognition that their smelly habit isn’t pleasant for the people around them, that it is dangerous for their long-term health and that the rest of the world would prefer that they quit. What once was helped to relieve anxiety and stress now becomes the root of anxiety and stress in their lives. This continues until one day there is a recognition that something must change and the smoker decides to quit.

It is at this stage that they must decide HOW they are going to quit. There are several methods and support programs available today that can help a person to stop smoking. One that has shown significant promise is the medication Chantix (varenicline) which is an oral medication that theoretically works by blocking the effect of nicotine on the brain. The manufacturer states that it may make it easier for some smokers to stop smoking, although people continue to require persistence and commitment to the goal.  Read more...

Featured Learning Disorders:

• Learning Disabilities: From Identification to Intervention
• Diagnosing Learning Disorders, Second Edition: A Neuropsychological Framework
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, & Distress Tolerance (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)
• Rediscover the Joy of Learning–Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD)
• Elevate: Supplement for Learning, Memory, Focus & Attention Deficit Disorder Support. Contains 21 Key Amino Acids, Herbs, Minerals & Vitamins. Patent Pending. Results Guaranteed.
• Yoga for Sleep Disorders and Insomnia
• In the Home Flashcard Question Set
• The Sound of Learning: Why Self-Amplification Matters