Spider veins are like varicose veins but they are much smaller. They often began as small capillaries that are blue or red squiggles on the skin. Most common areas are over the surface of the thighs, calves and ankles. Unfortunately, it is estimated that at least one third of the adult female population will experience spider veins at one time or another in her life.

Women often seek treatment for spider veins because they are of cosmetic concern. And, for cosmetic reasons, insurance companies will not cover the treatment of spider veins. However, it is not uncommon for spider veins to also cause specific symptoms, such as aching, heaviness or itching on the legs. Spider veins are also associated with larger underlying varicose veins and are sometimes a precursor to those larger medical problems.  Read more...

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...

Varicose veins and spider veins will affect close to 40 million Americans, mostly women. Sclerotherapy is a medical procedure which is used to treat these varicose veins and spider veins through a use of sodium chloride directly injected into the vein.

This particular procedure has been used since the 1930s to treat varicose veins. If left untreated these normally cosmetic problems can increase the risk for blood clots, skin ulcers and pain and discomfort.

Sclerotherapy is performed in the physician’s office using a 23% solution of sodium chloride mix with lidocaine. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic used to help numb the area. Heparin is also added to the solution.

This is injected directly into the blood vessel using a very fine needle. The solution is designed to irritate the lining and cause it to swell and stick together. The blood clots within the vessel and eventually the vessel turns to scar tissue and fades from the body.  Read more...

Obesity plays an important part in the overall health of an individual. A person is considered overweight or obese based on his BMI (Body Mass Index). The BMI is calculated by dividing the weight of an individual by the square of the height (kgs/m2). As per the World Health Organization (WHO),

* A person with a BMI of 25 is overweight and
* An individual with a BMI of 30 or above is considered obese.

These numbers and indexes should be treated as indicative since the level of fat, weight of the bones and muscle in all adults can vary on the basis of sex, race and environment.

Given that obesity is a serious concern among kids and teens, the WHO is also delving on the issue of developing a growth reference index for children and adolescents.

Obesity is a major health risk, which is directly proportionate to the BMI of a person. It is a major cause for heart disease and stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis and some types of cancers.  Read more...

Bronchitis is considered to be one among the most common respiratory disorders in the world. Infants, people with a weak respiratory system, children, old people, smokers, and people living in highly polluted atmospheres are vulnerable to this disorder. It constitutes the last stage of infection of the upper respiratory tract. People commonly contract this disorder during the cold months of the winter. Fortunately, there are a number of natural remedies for bronchitis.

Bronchitis normally follows bacterial or viral infection. Most cases of bronchitis are caused by viral infection. Sometimes bacteria are responsible for this condition, and in rare cases, fungal infection can lead to bronchitis. Natural remedies for bronchitis are available, whether it is acute or short-term bronchitis or chronic or long-term bronchitis.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Only laboratory tests can tell you whether bronchitis is bacterial, viral, or fungal. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you visit a doctor as soon as you suspect bronchitis. Physicians will properly diagnose your condition with the help of laboratory test results.  Read more...

Good sleep hygiene is essential to getting a good night’s sleep and when you make improvements to your sleep hygiene you can make an improvement to the quality and quantity of sleep that you get each night. A good night’s sleep is essential to good health. Sleep hygiene is essential to keeping your mind and body rested and strong so that you can stay healthy.

There are many things that you can do to improve your sleep patterns and make a difference if you suffer from sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea. Providing a good sleeping environment will help with any sleep disorder. Here are some tips for providing good sleep hygiene.

Try not to go to bed unless you are sleepy. There are many ways of inducing sleepiness including reading a book, listening to soft, easy listening music, or doing relaxation exercises. If you go to bed and are not asleep within 20 minutes, you should get out of bed and go to another room where you can find something to do that will make you sleepy and then make another attempt to go back to bed.  Read more...

The first sign of a varicose vein is swelling along the path the vein takes down the leg. After this most people notice bluish or reddish tinged coloring to the area as well as a swelling along the vein. These varicose veins are result of damaged one way valves that helped push the blood through the veins and on to the heart. When the valves become damaged the blood is able to pool within the veins and decreases the ability of the body to remove toxins and oxygenate the tissues.

At this time, traditional Western medicine believes that sclerotherapy is the gold standard for treating varicose veins. However, some insurance companies do not cover this expense if there are no other underlying medical symptoms. And, some women would like to try other more natural remedies in order to treat their varicose veins and prevent any further from occurring.  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...

What is a new parent’s number one frustration? Their baby doesn’t sleep through the night. Some parents are lucky and baby will sleep for eight or twelve hours at a stretch from the beginning. On the other hand, most parents are not that lucky.

As adults, we need more than two or three hours of sleep a night. Unbroken rest can leave us cranky and unable to focus. This is the life in a household with a baby.

Parents would pay a fortune for ways to help their baby sleep throughout the night. In fact, getting your baby to do that may not be as hard as you think. It just takes some determination and a lot of love.

What you are looking to do here is to create a routine. Even babies can learn to follow a schedule. Babies sleep around eighteen hours a day, just not the right hours for parents. Most can’t wait six or so months until baby decides to sleep longer at night by themselves. You can shift that sleeping pattern.  Read more...

At this time the American Cancer Society estimates that 21% of the population are now smokers. Approximately 46 million adults smoke cigarettes and of those there are more men than women who smoke. Interestingly, education appears to be linked with smoking rates in those who have higher levels of education have low or rates of smoking. These numbers have declined significantly, almost in half since 1965 when 42% of the population smoked.

Despite the education about the risks of smoking and the decline in recent years nearly 1 in every three male high school students and one in every five female high school students have used some type of tobacco. Cigar smoking appears to be common among high school students. The American Cancer Society also reports on studies which link students who smoke as being more likely to use other drugs, get into fights, carry weapons, commit suicide or take part in high risk sexual behaviors.  Read more...