Acne is a problem for many people. There are a variety of products that are designed to get rid of or reduce acne. However, many people do not know that there are natural ways to reduce acne, or completely eliminate it. The best way to naturally get rid of pimples is to consider the causes of acne. By avoiding the causes of acne, you can greatly reduce the amount of acne you have.

Acne is caused by hormones. When trying to prevent acne it is advisable to try to reduce your body’s production of certain hormones. The body produces a large amount of hormones in stressful situations. People who are extremely stressed have an overproduction of hormones. Relaxation techniques such as Yoga, T’ai Chi and deep breathing can help reduce stress and limit hormone production. Additionally, avoiding caffeine can help because caffeine stimulates hormone production. Finally, exercise is very beneficial for reducing acne. Exercise reduces stress and works to rebalance hormones.

Diet is a very significant factor in the presence of acne. Certain foods can foster the presence of acne. Consumption of these types of foods should be reduced or completely avoided if possible. Dairy products such as milk and cheese can contribute to the formation of acne. Additionally, refined and cooked carbohydrates such as flour, bread, and rice can also affect acne. Other foods that should be avoided are cooked fats, such as fried food, and meats like beef and pork. The foods that should be avoided are acid-forming foods in the body. In order to reduce acne, you should attempt to eat more alkaline-forming foods. Fresh vegetables, fruit, and nuts (sparingly) are very good to eat when trying to reduce acne.

Dehydration is also a very important factor in the formation of acne. The skin needs to be hydrated from the inside in order to prevent blocked pores. Drinking great amounts of water is a good practice when attempting to reduce acne. Eating water-rich foods can also help with hydration.

Finally, avoiding yeast is a great practice for reducing acne. Studies have shown that people with severe acne often have a build-up of yeast in their bodies. In order to avoid yeast build-up, you should avoid sugary foods and yeast products such as beer, bread, and mushrooms.

Acne can be a large problem for many people, but there are natural ways to reduce or eliminate pimples. Avoiding stress and exercising regularly while eating healthy and avoiding greasy foods can greatly reduce the amount of acne one has. After trying the natural ways to reduce acne, then it is a good idea to use acne medicines. But if medication can be avoided, you will save money and be healthier.

About The Author

Ruth Stattmiller writes about natural health maintenance topics, including acne treatments. See http://www.myvitaminguide.com/public/603.cfm for more information.

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A large segment of the mineral industry includes ionized minerals. These minerals are suspended in a salt solution and express their electrical charge within that solution. Colloidal minerals are extremely small mineral particles suspended in liquid, but not ionized, which pass through body tissue.

Chelated minerals are wrapped in a huge, surface neutral amino acid molecule to ensure proper absorption. This is how the body naturally packages minerals from food for transport through the body.

Most minerals are absorbed within the first 18 inches of the small intestine. This area of the small intestine has a slightly negative charge. Get two magnets and put the positive and the negative side together. What happens? They stick together. The same thing happens inside your body.

Minerals such as potassium and sodium are light, expressing a single positive charge. These minerals can be accepted into the body without the large amino acid molecule carrier.

However, heavy minerals such as iron and calcium, which each express two positive charges, must be chelated or else they will become attached to the small intestine and form crystalline particles in the tissue.

Not only do the crystal remnants cause severe damage, but the body fails to receive the mineral nutrients it needs to function normally. The neutral surface charge of the amino acid molecule ensures the mineral within will be absorbed into the body as a nutrient instead of a harmful toxin.

Now, do you more fully understand the workings of calcium absorption?

It’s dangerous to take huge quantities of minerals with no consideration of how they affect the body. And it’s also unwise to take certain minerals singly or in the wrong combinations with other nutrients.

Be selective. The solution is supplying essential minerals in the correct measurement and combination. When minerals are in the form nature intended, they are easily recognized and used efficiently by the body. The best mode of calcium absorption (as well as other nutrient absorption) is through super foods.

Foods that are presented to the body as pristinely as possible. Yes, there are no more pristine soils now, but some ARE better than others. Do the best you can to ingest whole, super foods which already have been naturally chelated for total absorption into your electrical body.

Every body needs minerals that work!

Article by Rita Lambros-Segur, M.H. of Electrical Body, Inc. Rita has helped thousands of regular folks improve their health-restoring strategies. Visit Electrical Body Products and Infrared Sauna for FREE articles, ezines, catalog, a great e-book offer and more.

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If I were to tell you that you could burn away as much fat as possible by sitting at your computer twiddling your fingers and toes, would you believe me? Well I sure hope you don’t!

However, losing weight in the confines of your own home at your computer is not only possible, it’s a reality. What I mean is that you can use the advice that’s given to you through online fitness coaching to pursue a more productive way of burning off undesired fat and reach your fitness goals.

Any program, no matter how difficult or time consuming takes EFFORT. Through online coaching, anyone can receive the advice and the motivation to put 100% effort into their fitness goals. The end result whether its weight loss, toning, and muscle gain can be achieved with certainty.

It’s all about saving time and money!

If you can imagine yourself with a personal trainer at the gym, receiving face to face advice, and helping you out physically with your exercise routine. Then by all means sign up to one of your local programs and off you go! There’s nothing wrong with having your own personal trainer.

But the down side is that these expert trainers cost money. Some can charge $150 per hour, and many find this service so expensive to the point where their wallets are paper-thin and overdue bills are pilling up!

The cost each type of personal training (offline - meet your trainer type) varies with different levels of service and convenience, let’s investigate some of these services on offer.

Personal training in a health club:

This has to be the least expensive due to the fact that you’re already paying the club a membership fee. You could be stuck with long cues for equipment let alone the discomforting stares of fellow exercisers.

Working out at home:

With a personal trainer, this can obviously be the most convenient provided you have some equipment at home. You might find yourself walking to the bank more often with the higher rates these “come to your home” types charge.

Private training studio:

If you’ve accepted the invitation for personal training at their studio, chances are you’ll be paying fees that would fit into the “pricey” category. Location is also another factor; if the studio is located further away than you can walk then it may not be convenient for you.

Furthermore, if the personal trainer has a busy schedule, you may not get the appointment times you had hoped for.

Although location and price can be inconvenient, there’s no doubt that this method can be the most effective way to exercise. Sometimes, it’s a case of confidence and personal preference to avoid certain situations, which may leave you embarrassed, confused or bothered.

For example, many have been pushed into taking advantage of the local gym’s personal trainers. In terms of the convenience factor, it’s a plus if you’ve signed up for a lengthy period. But you might find that sweating and stretching in front of hundreds of people just isn’t your thing! Many people just can’t stand that.

Diets and Personal Training are alike!

The truth has to be told here. People who start an exercise routine (with or without a personal trainer), only half will continue this good habit for long-term. The rest will have thrown in the towel within 6 months.

How surprised would you be to find out that old habits are repeated when you stop personal training?

This obviously varies from person to person but the lack of trainer support can sometimes render a person lazy to the point where they neglect their fitness… because for many it’s the external motivation that provides the will to exercise and reach their goals in life.

Online fitness coaching can provide a very similar service to traditional personal training, and the costs involved are usually much lower and much more affordable for the general population.

In many situations, online consultation can be an excellent service if the trainer can deliver the right amount of motivation and supporting advice to the client. This can be seen in the case of weight loss, where many clients find weight loss a difficult task due to lack of confidence.

There are always that bunch of people who will shy away from a personal trainer because of misconceptions and stereotypes. They may fear loosing face having to hire one or be under false impression that trainers are just for athletes or bodybuilders.

This is far from the truth - a supporting hand from a trainer can go a long way for many wanting to slim down or improve their fitness levels.

Online coaching really excels when the trainer acts as a mentor and plays a supporting role to dissolve misconceptions and stereotypes about people’s inability to achieve the results they’re after.

Let’s go through some of the benefits that can be attained using online coaching:

* Personal coaching no matter where you or the trainer are located around the globe can help you develop the will and motivation to exercise

* Save money on travel expenses and expensive personal trainers

* You can exercise when you want discarding the need for timed exercise appointments

* Where self-motivation fails, online training can provide enough support to stick with a homemade program.

* No need to workout at a specific place designated by the trainer, take control over your workouts at home, at the gym, at work or on the road

* Sit in the comfort of your own home on your computer to receive coaching and advice

* Have your training questions and problems answered with educated responses, promptly and confidentially via email

* Allows for tremendous flexibility, especially for those who travel.

* Allows privacy for those who are intimidated by “public” personal training, such as people who don’t feel comfortable with their bodies.

* The American Council on Exercise asserts that online training is an effective supplement to working one-on-one with a qualified trainer

As you weigh down the benefits of online personal training, you’ll find that each method will give you substantial results provided that YOU are willing to put 100% effort into your exercise & dietary program.

Personal trainers can’t do all the work for you, but they can guide you in the right direction to the point where you can observe results in weeks not years.

Whatever the interest, the choice comes down to you. Whether you’re comfortable just working out with a friend, willing to spend money to see a personal trainer, or find opportunity with an online trainer, the achievements you make will be proportional to the time you put in.

About The Author

Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your ‘free’ weight loss or muscle building e-courses.

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Laser treatments have come a long way since they first appeared in the mid nineties. IPL - also called Flashlamp, MultiLight or Photo Laser - can perform minor miracles on sun damaged skin (photoaging) anywhere on the body, but most significantly on the face and hands.

IPL is a safer option than tradition laser resurfacing and is commonly used for facial hair removal, removal of birth marks and even tattoo removal. What we are mainly concerned with here, however, is skin resurfacing. Skin resurfacing can eliminate fine lines, spider veins and pigmentation and significantly reduce deep lines and acne scarring.

Broad spectrum light is a lot more gentle on the skin and the risk of burning or blistering is significantly reduced. So much so that IPL can even be used for the treatment of redness and rosacea. Many patients have also noticed a reduction in pore size and a smoother skin.

The benefits are ongoing too. IPL stimulates the skin to produce more collagen, plumping out the skin and making it appear younger.

IPL usually needs more that a single treatment and may need four and as many as six treatments for the full effect to be realized. Because of this, there are no “dramatic” effects after one treatment which makes it a great alternative for those who don’t want to be conspicuous.

For this reason it’s very popular with males who would rather die than admit to any form of facial rejuvenation!

Because the treatments are gentle, there is also minimal, if any, down time. Wonderful for those busy people on the go.

IPL is also much safer for dark skinned people than traditional laser treatments as it doesn’t cause as much loss of pigment, although this is still a risk.

The deeper the treatment, the more the benefits are increased, but this has to be balanced against the increased risk of burning. Always select an experienced practitioner and ask to see photos.

Side effects? A pink face for a while and possible loss of pigment in the deeper IPL treatments. You will need to treat your skin gently and use a high UV sunscreen (15+ or more)

IPL will not work on natural aging such as sagging skin. Only a face lift or neck lift can improve this. There is a non surgical procedure called “thermage” which may help and of course the “thread lift” which is gaining in popularity and which will give some “lifting” effect.

Copyright 2005 Wendy Owen

About The Author

Wendy Owen is a health researcher and writer dedicated to natural healthy options. Sign up for our monthly news letter and receive a free book.

Look more radiant! http://www.holistic-facial-skin-care.com will show you how. For the complete “skinny” on skin, visit us now.

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“Beauty is a glorious gift of nature.” Homer

What you put on your skin is absorbed through your skin. To be more precise, the skin absorbs approximately 60% of any substance applied to it. Hence the success of trans-dermal skin patches prescribed by physicians to deliver medications.

Unfortunately, most of the skin care products mass produced for the market today, even those claiming to be `all natural’ and/or `botanically based’ products, contain harsh, toxic and even possibly carcinogenic ingredients that actually contribute to disorders of the skin and accelerate the aging process.

There is a growing concern from consumers about the ingredients in the personal care products they use daily. In a recent study by the US General Accounting Office (GAO), 125 ingredients found in cosmetics are suspected of causing cancer. Twenty ingredients have been implicated in causing birth defects. Twenty ingredients may cause adverse neurological symptoms, such as headaches and convulsions. Most of these toxic chemicals are so inexpensive that they are used in extremely high concentrations in many personal care products.

These toxic chemicals provide no benefits or nutrients to the skin. They are the inexpensive alternatives employed to achieve the “feel” or “slip” to the skin that occurs naturally using pure, nutritious, essential oils and vegetable oils. The chemicals used to replace the nutritious components are used in significant concentrations in most skin care products. Their only purpose is to increase the profit margins for the manufacturers. The health of the consumer is completely disregarded.

The trend for natural products is growing because the educated consumer is now demanding these for face and body care. Making the decision to use only natural products is easy. Incorporating this decision into your everyday life becomes more difficult as you try to practice it. It is nearly impossible to find completely natural and organic personal care products on the commercial market. It is offensive to see large numbers of chemically laden personal care products lining the shelves of natural health and food markets. Marketed as “Natural”, these products contain harmful synthetic chemicals; however, few of us have the time to peruse the ingredient lists of our moisturizer, deodorant, body lotion and any of the other products we apply daily. We trust that the products sold in these “natural health stores” are safe for the entire family, and so we believe the advertised claims on the bottles of shampoo, lotion, facial care, etc.

According to industry estimates, on any given day a consumer may use as many as 25 different cosmetics and personal care products containing more than 200 different chemical compounds. If a product claims to be organic and /or natural, its ingredients should be easily recognizable as natural components. Also, the ingredients should be listed in descending order with the most prominent factors listed first.

Nature offers all that is needed for healthy, radiant and beautiful skin.

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Aristotle

About The Author

Pamela Cronan-Maddox, herself an ovarian cancer Survivor, is the visionary and president of The Alchemist’s Apprentice, Inc., www.alchemistsapprentice.com., an online apothecary dedicated to providing 100% pure, organic and healthy personal care products.

Contact: Pamela Cronan-Maddox pamela@alchemistsapprentice.com or www.alchemistsapprentice.com

260 Waverly Hall Drive

Roswell, GA

30075-2113

USA

770.992.2121

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For individuals looking for better posture and increased flexibility and strength, nothing could be easier than training with a Swiss ball.

WHAT IS A SWISS BALL?

The Swiss ball, also called the Stability ball, Exercise ball, Flexibility ball or other names, is a large, inflated, rubber ball. The Swiss ball was originally created in Italy in the 1960’s and provides instability or resistance which requires the user to rely on ‘core’ muscles to retain balance - thus improving strength and flexibility of those muscles.

A Swiss doctor studied its use in a clinical setting by incorporating the ball in rehabilitation therapy. While it is still used in physiotherapy it has also become known in the general fitness world as an adaptable and enjoyable addition to routines building strength, flexibility and proper posture.

WHO CAN USE THE SWISS BALL?

Because the Swiss ball is so easy to use and enjoyable, it is able to be used by almost everyone, young or old. However, because the Swiss ball is designed to create instability (thus forcing the body’s own muscles to be employed) there is a need for caution. The elderly, injured, pregnant women or anyone otherwise subject to a lack of stability or increased risk of falling, should not use the Swiss ball without personal instruction and care.

When choosing a Swiss ball it is important to choose the size appropriate to your height as well as the intended use. Determine what technique you plan to use the Swiss ball for before purchasing your own ball.

HOW DO YOU USE A SWISS BALL?

If you are concerned about lower back pain or posture you can use the Swiss ball as an alternative to a regular chair. Sedentary workers find that certain muscles in the back become weak over time and are easily strained. Sitting on the Swiss ball will improve your ‘core strength’ by forcing the unused muscles to maintain balance.

There are many videos and books as well as group classes that teach routines targeting different muscle groups. The Swiss ball has been used in therapy as well as for professional athletes so you are sure to find a method suitable for your experience and needs.

While it is possible to use the Swiss ball on your own at home or the office (and is recommended as an easy way to fit in your workout) it is helpful to have professional instruction when learning to use the ball correctly. Having someone guide you into proper position will show you what the proper alignment feels like.

Performing warm up exercises is also recommended before beginning a Swiss ball routine. Using the Swiss ball properly will increase the benefits you receive with regular use. No matter what your fitness level, try it out and see how much fun the Swiss ball can be!

Copyright 2005 MHG Consulting

About The Author

Dan Farrell is the owner of The Weight Loss Primer, found at: http://www.weight-loss-exercise.info and a free newsletter, “Pain Relief Now!”. Subscribe at above link.

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Bird flu is a disease caused by a specific type of avian (bird) influenza virus, the so-called H5N1 virus. This virus was first discovered in birds in China in 1997 and since then has infected 125 people in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia, killing 64 of them. It is spread by infected migratory birds (including wild ducks and geese) to domestic poultry (primarily chickens, ducks, and turkeys), and then to humans.

Since 1997, and especially since the beginning of 2004, approximately 150 million birds have either died from the disease or been killed to prevent further spread. Nevertheless, this very infectious and deadly virus has spread relentlessly to China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Laos, Russia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, Romania, England, Croatia, Macedonia, and other countries. This ongoing geographic extension of the virus is of great concern around the world. It is feared that it will continue to spread to all continents, including the Western Hemisphere—and it no doubt will.

Normally, different types of viruses infect just one, or a limited number, of species specific to the particular virus type. The bird-flu virus, however, has infected a large number of birds and animals, including ducks, chickens, turkeys, tree sparrows, peregrine falcons, great black-headed gulls, brown-headed gulls, gray herons, Canada geese, bar-headed geese, little egrets, pigs, clouded leopards, white tigers, mice, domestic cats, crows, magpies, peacocks, blue pheasants, rare eagles, turtledoves, swans, terns, and others. This is another sign of the virulence or destructiveness of the virus.

Researchers, historians, and infectious-disease experts have determined that influenza pandemics (global epidemics) occur approximately once every 30 years. The most deadly pandemic ever recorded occurred in 1918-19, killing more than 100 million people across the globe in less than two years. Two other much less severe pandemics occurred, one in 1957, when approximately two million people died, and one in 1968, when about one million people died. Because we have already had three pandemics in less than 100 years, we are “overdue” for another one.

And so this disease-causing virus continues to infect more and more species in more and more countries. In laboratory experiments, it has been shown to be one of the most lethal influenza viruses ever known. In addition, just recently and after 10 years of work, researchers determined that the H5N1 bird-flu virus is genetically more similar to the deadly 1918-19 influenza pandemic virus than to the viruses which caused the much less severe pandemics of 1957-58 and 1968-69.

To summarize the important points so far: The bird-flu virus is a very deadly strain of avian influenza called H5N1 that has killed millions of birds; 2) the virus is spreading relentlessly around the world; 3) the virus has infected many species, which is uncharacteristic of most viruses; 4) the virus has been shown to be similar to the most deadly virus ever known, which caused the 1918-19 pandemic; 5) the virus has been shown to be much more deadly in laboratory experiments than regular influenza viruses; and 6) the virus is known to have infected at least 125 humans and killed 64 of them so far, yielding a fatality rate of approximately 50 percent.

The virus continues to kill humans, but at a slow rate—it has not yet acquired the capacity to be easily transmissible between humans; humans become infected primarily from sick birds. Because humans alive today have no natural immunity to the H5N1 virus, once it becomes easily transmissible between humans a pandemic or global epidemic will occur. The central question is, when will it exchange enough genetic material with the usual seasonal human influenza-viruses to become more like a human-influenza virus—and thus become easily transmissible between people?

Many people believe that the virus will continue to spread around the world until it is present in most or all countries—before it will “go human” (become easily transmissible between people). And that may be the case. The pandemic of 1918-19 is thought to have started in Kansas (of all places). So it is certainly possible that the coming pandemic could start somewhere else than in Asia—although most experts believe it will, in fact, start there. It could start in a country which has not yet been host to the virus.

However, it is most certainly not necessary for the virus to march all the way around the world before a pandemic can begin. The fact that the virus already has spread to more than 15 countries, and to many different bird and animal species, provides the opportunity for it to commingle with a human-influenza virus and create the dreaded human contagion. There is no known reason why this could not happen tomorrow. While it is true that the probability of the switch increases with time, the probability of its happening tomorrow is far from zero.

The flip side to the possibility that the crossover could happen at any time is the fact that the virus has been around at least since 1997 and, as a matter of record, has not yet switched to a deadly human-to-human form. At least a few scientists believe that the virus can’t and won’t make the switch to a deadly form, possibly ever.

And so we are left with these two very different possibilities—at any time, and as soon as tomorrow, the virus could mutate into a deadly form, readily transmissible between people—or it might never transform itself into such a form. There appears to be much more evidence for the former and, presumably, that is why the vast majority of scientists and governments are scrambling to prepare for the worst.

This situation is analogous to living on the Gulf Coast during the beginning of hurricane season. Residents there have been through it before, but most of the time the storms are not too severe and the people can get by without too much hassle. However, there have been rare severe storms that have been devastating. Some day another hurricane is coming, and it appears that it might well be a Category IV or even V by the time it strikes land. However, that’s not certain—no one can say for sure, and no one knows exactly when it will strike land. So what should the residents do? What should the residents have done before hurricane Katrina?

The coming bird-flu pandemic might be mild and it might not come for years. On the other hand, it might be severe and it might start tomorrow. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has said, “While the severity of the next pandemic cannot be predicted, modeling studies suggest that its effect in the United States could be severe.” We should also be mindful that the pandemic could come at any time, even before the virus methodically marches around the globe. No matter how advanced science has become, we still can not predict when the switch will occur; it is currently unknowable—and that does not mean it will come later, in a predictable fashion. As Miguel de Cervantes admonished, “Forewarned, forearmed.”

Bradford Frank, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.

The Frank Group

P.O. Box 138

Lakewood, NY 14750

http://www.AvoidBirdFlu.com

About The Author

Bradford Frank, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.

Dr. Frank graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in chemistry and his M.D. degree. He completed two residencies, one in family practice and one in psychiatry. He is board certified in psychiatry as well as addiction medicine and geriatric medicine, and is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, N.Y. He has a master’s in public health (M.P.H.) from Yale, where he specialized in infectious diseases, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Dr. Frank is president of The Frank Group, a diversified company that includes a business-contingency planning consulting firm. He has expertise in the areas of business-contingency planning, emerging infectious diseases, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza (“bird flu”), weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, epidemiology, and various public health issues.

He is the author of numerous scientific articles and several books. His latest books are Terror Unleashed: The Coming Bird Flu, Oil, Terrorism, and Financial Crises (January 2006), and Avoid Bird Flu: Expert Advice to Help You and Your Family Stay Safe (January 2006).

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First, 5-10% of women of childbearing age have PCOS. If their symptoms are mild they are often undiagnosed. If they have even one child, many physicians will say they can not have PCOS. This is ridiculous if you look at the diagnostic criteria. The most common criteria for diagnosis include a failure to ovulate regularly. However, for many women this means they have long cycles (35 days or longer in many cases) but they DO ovulate.

Some women with PCOS have unhealthy eggs because their periods are too far apart, in many cases this is correctable with herbs, diet or drugs. Many women with PCOS also have a thyroid condition. Frequently, if this is treated they begin to ovulate. Many women with PCOS have frequent miscarriages, but they eventually have a healthy baby-often with the help of progesterone cream or suppositories. Some women find that losing weight, taking vitex or other herbs, or reducing stress cause them to begin ovulating (for me it was all three!). Some learn to detect ovulation through cervical mucus and basal body temperatures (BBT or temperature charting). Again, these women often have healthy babies without medical intervention.

It is hard to know how many women with PCOS become pregnant without help since many women are first diagnosed with PCOS because they are having trouble getting pregnant. Often metformin or other insulin-sensitizing drugs work wonders and they are able to get pregnant and carry a baby to term.

The fact is, only a small percentage of women with PCOS ever make it to the stage of trying fertility drugs. Clomid (clomiphene citrate) is often the first drug of choice since it is cheap and easy to take. I did find studies indicating that Clomid alone works for 70% of women with PCOS. Other women find that they need Clomid and metformin or stronger fertility drugs. The success rate tends to drop a bit as time passes and stronger methods are tried, but the bottom line is that most women who have PCOS and want children have them.

Even for those who are told they will never succeed at getting and staying pregnant, there is much reason to hope. Several close friends of mine have surprised themselves and their doctors by getting pregnant after years of infertility. "Lisa" adopted three children and then found herself pregnant in her late 30’s. It seems that for many women their PCOS symptoms mellow out as they get older. "Anne" went to the doctor to find out why she was infertile after several years of marriage-she was 3 already months pregnant and boy number two followed just 15 months later. "Susan" had three miscarriages and was told she would never carry a baby to term. Four months later she was pregnant with her daughter and her son is two years younger. "Barb" got pregnant when she was not even thinking of fertility and now counts herself extremely blessed to have two healthy boys.

I know many women who have done everything possible to get pregnant, even IVF, and have not succeeded. But the majority of women with PCOS DO get pregnant. There is even more reason to hope for the young women who are just now learning they have PCOS. First, they are more likely to be diagnosed at all. This means many women will be diagnosed who would have been overlooked ten or fifteen years ago when my generation was first beginning the march from doctor to doctor looking for answers. We know so much more than we did then. Treatments, both natural and medical, are much, much better than ever. In addition, being diagnosed now means they have the chance to prevent much of the physical and emotional trauma older women have experienced because our doctors just didn’t know how to help us.

My advice to any particular woman is to do all you can to increase your fertility (see my other articles and my books for more information about this). Then do your best to relax and let your body work. The odds are with you in the long run.

Julie Renee Callaway is a life coach specializing in helping women cope with PCOS, infertility and other health issues. You can get a free newsletter about PCOS at http://www.pcoscoach.com

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And don’t follow your nose. Toucan Sam? He never knows.

The sugary cereal you pour into the bowl every morning before drowning it in an ocean of milk is hardly the ideal way to start the day. That’s right, no matter what that silly tiger says, those flakes are anything but GRRREAT!

Next time you’re in the aisle full of colorful logos and wacky cartoon characters, take a look at the nutritional menu and you’ll surely see that most cereals are high in sugars and sodium and will thus translate to excess fat storage.

But if your fitness goal is to throw the fats to the rats, then try starting your morning off with a bowl of oatmeal, the highly nutritious grain that is free of both sodium and cholesterol. Oatmeal is also very low in fats while providing a great source of water-soluble fibers, an integral part of dieting in that it makes you feel full over a long period of time.

Because oats contain these water-soluble fibers, it functions to lower your blood cholesterol levels.

And let’s not forget the taste. For you ladies who believe that you must sacrifice taste to maintain a healthy diet, think again. A great way to spruce up that bowl of oatmeal is to add various tasties to the mix; you can use strawberries, peaches, raspberries, apples . . . the list of fruity treats goes on.

Of course, the ideal way to conduct your diet is to indulge in smaller, frequent meals throughout the day instead of tackling a day of consumption in one sitting. In that sense, a bowl of oatmeal should fit into your eating regimen quite nicely. And oatmeal shouldn’t be restricted to just the bird-chirping hours; it is a healthy treat for any time of day.

Although late-night snacks are not often encouraged in the weight-loss circuit, a bowl of oatmeal before bedtime is a fairly safe proposition.

Oats can be served up in various ways, not just through the convenience of a packet and boiled water in a bowl.

They can be used as an ingredient to pancakes and muffins, while working well as a covering for chicken breasts and various turkey dishes. Oats are also an excellent mix for various stuffings and meat loafs.

Apollo Supplements.com - http://www.apollosupplements.com - Health & Fitness Supplements/Nutrition ? 40% to 70% off. Find a huge selection of Health & fitness supplements & nutritionals at Apollo Supplements. We carry all major name brands including AST, EAS, Optimum, Muscletech, and many more.

Copyright ApolloSupplements.com - MuscleMaster, Inc.

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Enzymes are the workers in our body that make everything function, by enabling chemical reactions. All living cells contain enzymes. They are hard to visualize, since they are not something tangible, but our lives depend on them.

There are many kinds of enzymes, and they do everything from helping us breath to our start of life at conception. Eighty percent of our DNA code relates to enzymes. But the kind of enzymes discussed here relate to our digestion and the food we eat.

In the process of digestion, the digestive enzymes in our bodies break down food into tiny particles that are easily assimilated by the body into the blood stream. These are compounds that the body can use for fuel, growth and repair. One food may take hundreds of different types of enzymes for the body to digest.

Food is naturally filled with enzymes, called “food enzymes”, that help us to digest that food. The problem is that when we cook or process it, we kill those enzymes. Temperatures over 118 degrees will destroy the enzymes. A good example of this is pineapple, which has some very powerful digestive enzymes in it. These enzymes work so well that when added to gelatin (like Jell-O), the enzymes won’t allow the gelatin to thicken. So, the only kind of pineapple you can add to gelatin is canned pineapple, which has been cooked and processed so that all the enzymes have been destroyed. It is now safe to add to gelatin, but not as good for your body.

Our body can manufacture enzymes, called “digestive enzymes”, in pancreas. But when we eat a diet that is filled with mostly cooked and processed foods, depleted of enzymes, the pancreas is forced to work much harder than it was meant to, manufacturing the enzymes the body needs to digest these foods. So the pancreas ends up overworking, and the body spends much needed energy and resources on digestion instead of important things like boosting the immune system, growth, repairs in the body and fighting disease. Even worse, if the pancreas becomes so overworked that it shuts down, then bits of undigested food start floating around the body in the bloodstream, causing all kinds of trouble and illnesses.

The pancreas can be healed in time, with a diet filled with an abundance of enzymes. A diet that includes raw fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, as well as fermented and marinated foods, will help keep the pancreas from getting that bad to begin with, and will enable the body to spend it’s energy on more important processes like boosting the immune system and fighting disease. If your pancreas is overworked, enzyme supplementation may be a healthy and safe addition. Check with your health care provider, or naturopathic physician to be sure.

Food enzymes not only help with digestion, but also cleanse the body, breaking down allergens and environmental products that can potentially be harmful. This is why it is so vital that we eat a diet containing lots of fresh enzyme filled foods. Especially in the world we live in today, where we are surrounded by poisons and cancer causing agents. We need these wholesome foods now more than humans ever have in the past, to help our bodies stay disease free and functioning properly.

A word of warning: some people advocate eating a diet of all raw foods, but this may not be the best diet for everyone. An all-raw diet is often good short term for healing and fasting purposes, but some people have encountered health problems when staying on a raw diet long term. Truthfully, not all foods should be eaten raw. Some foods are digested better when cooked, such as starches like potatoes and grains. In the end, the goal of the Enzyme Health Diet Plan is to be healthy, not to eat 100% raw food.

Because people are different, they need different foods to fuel their bodies. Just as an all-raw diet may not work for some, heavy complex carb diets are not for everyone. Some people need more carbohydrates, some need more proteins and fats and some just need an equal mix of both of these things. If you don’t know what metabolism type you are, you need to listen to your body. What foods does it thrive on? If, after time, you still are having problems figuring it out, check our recommended books and resources page on our website, http://Enzyme-Health.com. There are some good books offered there by experts on the subject, that can help your figure out what type you are.

About The Author

This is an excerpt from the ebook The Enzyme Health Diet Plan by Dianne Ronnow. Copyright © 2005 by Mohave Publishing. All rights reserved. The Enzyme Health Diet Plan is a FREE e-book that can be found on the Enzyme Health website at http://Enzyme-Health.com.

Dianne Ronnow’s best selling book, Coconut Oil Diet Secrets reveals how thousands of people are losing weight and getting healthier with coconut oil diets. To find out what the secrets of coconut oil dieting are, check out the web site at Coconut-Oil-Diet.com. Get the book now and start losing weight today!

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