Dry eye syndrome, also called Keratoconjunctivitis sicca or xerophthalmia, refers to a lack of lubrication and moisture in the eye. This is mainly due to a decrease in the tear production or an increase in the tear film evaporation. The typical symptoms of dry eye syndrome are burning and a subtle but constant eye irritation. The condition may also lead to inflammation of the frontal eye tissue.

There are several factors that may bring about dry eye syndrome. The condition is more common with older age, since tear production decreases with age. Dry eye as a syndrome may occur as a side effect of many medications. Harsh environmental conditions, such as a dusty or windy climate, may worsen the condition. Even your workplace environment, comprising of air conditioning or a dry heating system, may easily dry out your eyes. Insufficient blinking, such as, when constantly staring at a monitor screen, is another significant cause of dry eye syndrome.

The basic treatment for dry eye syndrome is to replenish the moisture content of the eye surface. To accomplish this, the ophthalmologist typically prescribes artificial tears, which are lubricating eye drops that aid in alleviating the symptoms of irritation and burning sensation in the eyes. Another treatment that goes one step further involves the application of Restasis (cyclosporine) eye drops, which effectively enhance tear production. A healthy diet, comprising of a sufficient amount of omega-3 fatty acids, lowers the chances of contracting dry eye syndrome. Salmon, sardine, herring, and cod liver oils are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

Patients wearing contact lenses need to take an extra precaution prior to the application of artificial tears. Specifically, it is necessary that the patient removes the contact lenses before using the eye drops. Moreover, the patient needs to wait 15 minutes or longer for the medicinal drops to take effect, and only after that can the contact lenses be worn again.

Dry eye syndrome is slightly more common in women than in men. A shocking 10-14 million people in the United States suffer from dry eye syndrome. The condition is more prevalent among those older than 40 years. An estimated 75% of the old-aged population shows signs of dry eye syndrome.

If you suffer from any of the above explained symptoms that depict the dry eye syndrome, please visit your doctor as soon as possible to avoid any complications.

About The Author

Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news, information and views about Lasik Eye Surgery and examines the problems of dry eye after LASIK surgery at Your Lasik Information. http://www.Your-LASIK.info.

Copyright Your-LASIK.info. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

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There are three main kinds of root end tooth infections, but in most instances they are simply referred to as “abscessed teeth.” The three main root end tooth infections are called granulomas,cysts and condensing osteitis. Granulomas and cysts, though they appear to be quite similar, have distinctly different characteristics.

Fistulas are channels that carry pus from the infection area to the outside of the face or mouth. They help the body drain away excessive amounts of pus.

Condensing osteitis is rarely mentioned as a root end infection process, but Dr. Price found its presense to be accompanied by some very specific infection related reactions.

Dr. Price made bacteriologic examinations of three different dental infection areas. To his surprise, he found, for the most part that no matter how large an involved area or how much pus was flowing, comparatively few bacteria were present. He interpreted this to mean the body’s white blood cells and other defense mechanisms had good control of the infection process present.

Furthermore, in such cases he found patients to be in relatively good overall health and that they did not exhibit the expected signs and symptoms of systemic illness.

Dr. Price reasoned that the large areas of bone destruction and pus about these infected areas were not a measure of the severity of infection, so commonly believed, but were in actuality expressing the goodness of the involved patient’s immune defense capability.

He (Dr. Price) further found that though the organisms spread locally, they did not spread to other parts of the body until the infection had persisted for a prolonged period of time.

Condensing osteitis cases proved to be quite different. This condition exhibits a very dense area of bone, sometimes with very little loss of bone at the tooth’s root end.

Patient histories and in-depth studies revealed that people exhibiting condensing osteitis suffered more serious consequences from their infections. Price surmised that in such a case the patient’s defense system was poor and the body was trying to wall off the infected area with dense bone in order to contain its effects.

However, the tissue as the root end was incapable of controlling the bacterial growth in these cases and consequently some bacteria escaped through the bloodstream and set up diseases in other areas.

Dr. Price also noted the teeth of such patients became more tender and painful than those cases that appeared to be more seriously involved.

These observations by Price are so diametrically opposite to the average dentist’s view and comprehension of what is occurring that many will have difficulty accepting these findings, in spite of the fact they were derived from studies of 1400 patients.

Numbers of case history examples were mentioned in this chapter to lend insight into these different infections and their effects. Included was a picture of cancer of the lower jaw below the roots of three lower front teeth which appear to be a typical dental infection.

Such examples were shown to emphasize there are other dental disease conditions than those mentioned, but they represent a much smaller proportion of cases and are not indicative of the average person’s experience.

Cysts are quite a different form of infection, which occur at the root ends of teeth, although in their early stages they look like granulomas. Usually they cause no apparent symptoms or pain until they are quite large. They may be the result of tooth infections and are quite often caused by injuries.

Copyright 2006 SSLI Health Group

About The Author

Dr. George Meinig,D.D.S.,F.A.C.D. is a Founder of the Association of Root Canal Specialists Discovers Evidence That Root Canals Damage Your Health Learn What to Do.

Learn how Dr. George Meinig discovered that a meticulous 25 year research program, conducted by Weston A. Price, DDS, under the auspices of the American Dental Association’s Research Institute was buried.

To subscribe newsletter: Visit: www.1stultimategumsolution.com

Edited and prepared by Sung Lee, alternate author.

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If you are looking for fitness personal trainers on the net, you will come across many many health and fitness websites extolling the virtues of why you should hire a personal trainer to achieve your fitness and health goals didn’t you? If you are reading this article of which you are doing now, you are probably surprised to find why a fitness personal trainer like me is telling you why you don’t need one. You will probably think that I am crazy. Perhaps I am. Well, read on and you may discover that I am not as crazy as you think after all.

• You don’t need a fitness personal trainer because you hated the commitment that entails once you hire a personal trainer. Anyway, you have been working out for many years without any commitment to anyone, even to yourself and that is why, you only workout as and when you are pleased. Well, you do concede that the results you get are never satisfactory and of course you are frustrated with your results. But what the heck, you prefer to waste time, waste gym membership fees and enjoy getting frustrated. You are entitled to your liberty.

• You don’t need a fitness personal trainer because you hated someone to push and encourage you so that you can achieve your health and fitness goals much faster. Your idea of going to the gym is to socialize and to chat up girls. So why should you subject yourself to a regimen planned by a personal trainer who can sculpt your body to be more attractive and desirable to the girls you wanted to chat up? Your beer belly will do just fine. Girls just love big beer bellies you justify to yourself. So who needs a flat tummy with those ugly six pack abs? You certainly don’t.

• You don’t need a fitness personal trainer because you believe in the precept of “no pain no gain.” So if you exercise using the wrong form and techniques resulting in painful or even worse, permanent injuries, well, that is pain isn’t it? So therefore with pain, there will be gains. Hmmm, such profound reasoning that even the great philosopher Confucius will be confused if he is still alive eh?

• You don’t need a fitness personal trainer because you pay your income taxes. So without someone to guide and train you scientifically, you will not lose much body and visceral fat, so you will still have that high blood pressure, that potential stroke and heart attack, so that you will eventually land in a government subsidized hospital and so that some of the taxes which you have paid will be utilized by yourself. That is great clever thinking eh? You are glad that even without a PHD in business studies, you can figure out how to get a wonderful return of investments from your taxes paid

• You don’t need a fitness personal trainer because you believe in conforming to the society. After all, most people in your country are overweight and not exactly glowing with good health, then why should you be otherwise? You are delighted to be like most people, obese and unhealthy. Hey, you are a good citizen aren’t you?

• You don’t need a fitness personal trainer because you can spy on people who hired personal trainers in your gym. You eavesdrop on their trainers giving instructions and then you secretly work out according to what you have overheard not realizing that each and everyone is different and workout plans are to be tailored to each individual condition factoring in other issues like lifestyle, dietary habits and even the choice of exercises. You prefer to “monkey see, monkey do” and eventually falling painfully off the tree. Or should I say falling off the Empire State Building where the mighty King Kong fell?

• The most compelling reason why you don’t need a fitness personal trainer is because you have downloaded my “Burn Fat Build Muscles Fast” e-books and now you have a personal trainer in your hands. By following the instructions in the books you have transformed your body tremendously and are now the proud owner of an attractive and desirable body not to say you are also glowing with excellent health and fitness. Whoever said that you need to hire fitness personal trainers in order to own a lean mean attractive muscular body that only others can dream of must be crazy, don’t you agree?

About The Author

Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer of fashion models, actors and male pageant titleholders.

More free tips at his his websites http://www.sgfitness.com and http://www.sgfitnessonline.com.

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What are trans-fats?

Trans fats are fats that have had hydrogen added to them in order to make them solid at room temperature and last longer. Many packaged foods, margarines, and vegetable shortenings contain trans fat. If you read the label and see "partially hydrogenated oil" you can be sure that you are eating these unhealthy fats.

Why are they bad?

Trans-fat has come under scrutiny lately because of its harmful effects on our health. These fats can raise your LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, raising the risk of coronary heart disease. In some studies, trans fats have been shown to have an effect on learning and concentration in laboratory animals, as opposed to animals who were given foods containing other types of fat. Trans fat are as bad for you, if not worse than, the saturated variety and should be avoided at all costs. According to the Food and Drug Administration, as of 2006, all food manufacturers will be required to list "trans fat" on their nutrition labels.

How can I avoid them?

The best way to avoid trans fat is to eat whole, fresh, unprocessed foods. Fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains are your healthiest choices. If the ingredients on a package list "partial hydrogenation", avoid consuming them.

Stacy Tabb is an author and publisher of many successful informational websites, including an antiaging website aimed at the prevention of age-related conditions.

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When we think of nutmeg, we probably bring to mind a glass of egg nog or fragrant holiday cookies. Yet the nutmeg has a fascinating history, and the oil of nutmeg can be used for medicinal purposes. It comes from a tree in Asia that grows to about fifteen feet tall. It has historically been used for medicinal purposes in China, and its use dates back as far as the fifth century. The Caribbean Island of Grenada has taken nutmeg under its wing, producing nearly a third of the supply of the world’s nutmeg.

The nutmeg seed, however, is what gives us the spice of nutmeg. The seed is made up in part by oils and cellulose like material that is sometimes used to make nutmeg butter. Nutmeg oil comes from the seeds. Nutmeg oil is used in some surprising places. Coca Cola uses it as a flavoring for the famous and very popular drink Coke. It is also found in many baked goods, and is a required ingredient in many baking recipes. It is used to flavor candies, certain kinds of syrups, and also some meats. Check the label on any of these products in the grocery store, and you are likely to find nutmeg oil listed.

Would you believe that the cosmetic industry also uses nutmeg? It can be found in many products to provide a better or longer lasting scent to products. It is often used in conjunction with other aromatic spices to further enhance a product’s scent. You’ll even find it in use when you visit the dentist, as it is combined with salicylate and clove to make a flavorful dental cream.

Nutmeg’s best kept secret is its use in the pharmaceutical industry. It has been known for its health benefits and works well on illnesses that affect the liver and the central nervous system, and the digestive system.

Nutmeg has been a useful ingredient in many different aspects of our lives. We might not realize it, but nutmeg is something we come into contact with nearly every day, and we are better for it.

About The Author

Chuck Mason is a successful publisher and researcher of natural and organic methods to relieve pain. He provides more information on the many benefits of nutmeg oil that you can research on his website at http://www.gno-us.com.

chumason@gno-us.com

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Sesame seeds for constipation

Using sesame and sunflower seeds for constipation make a lot of sense. If you like to eat seeds then this is once way you can add more fiber, vitamins and minerals to your diet and at the same time reduce your constipation.

Maoshing Ni, Ph.D., C.A. and Cathy McNease, B.S., M.H. in their book, The TAO of Nutrition,1987, recommends using black sesame seeds for chronic constipation. Here’s what he says,

“Grind black sesame seeds into a meal by using a small coffee grinder.

Mix with dark honey into a small ball.

Eat one three time a day dipped in rice wine.”

Black sesame seeds also provide nutrition and action on the liver, intestines, kidney, and blood.

You can also prepare a sesame seeds soup with brown rice.

Soak 10 parts of sesame seeds with 1 part brown rice in distilled water

After they are soft, about an hour, pour out the water grind them in a small food grinder to produce liquid. Strain the remaining liquid to remove coarse particles.

* Dilute liquid with distilled water and add some honey.

* Cook on low heat until liquid becomes syrupy

* Drink around two cups to relieve constipation with in hour or so.

And also, peas and brown sesame seeds - help to lubricate the intestinal walls. This makes it easier for fecal matter to move through your colon.

Sunflower seeds for constipation

Sunflower seeds promote regularity. Use them raw shelled and unsalted every day. They contain omega-6 fatty acid just like olive oil. You can use them grounded and add them to your morning smoothie, 1-2 teaspoons, or to your homemade salad dressing

* Add them to your salad

* Add them to your morning cereal

Here’s a sunflower drink you can make.

Take 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds. Grind them in a coffee grinder. Add them to a cup of boiling water. Sweeten this mixture with honey, maple syrup, or blackstrap molasses. Drink this combination morning and night to help you with you constipation.

When you use grounded sunflower seed to add to your salad dressing your can also use sesame seeds at the same time. Use both of these seeds and experiment and find out how you like preparing them and eating them.

About The Author

Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He is the author of Constipation, Acne, Hemorrhoid, and Fatty Acid e-books. He writes a newsletter called natural-remedies-thatwork.com and his information on other topics can be seen at http://www.stop-constipation.com or at http://www.constipation-remedies.for–you.info

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Thought you finally outgrew the days of bad skin and pimples? Well, think again! Many adults suffer from acne in their late twenties and thirties, even those that had never experienced the problem in adolescence. There are generally two types of adult acne - the more common form called Acne Vulgaris, and the more rare form called Acne Rosacea.

It is estimated that up to 85% of the American population between the ages of 12 to 24 years of age have suffered from some form of Acne Vulgaris. However, only about 5% of the population, or 13 million people, experience the aggravation and “rosy” cheeks of Acne Rosacea.

Acne Rosacea is a skin condition that is generally restricted to the face and eyes. It generally affects people between the ages of 30 to 60 years old. The condition is characterized by pimples, redness, and broken blood vessels.

At the onset, a person’s cheeks may tend to blush or flush very easily. However, as the rosacea develops further, redness will be noticeable around the nose area, and then extend over the remainder of the face. An extreme case might experience enlarged oil glands in the nose that can lead to an enlarged and bulbous red nose.

For those suffering from this condition, almost 50% will have issues extending to their eyes. Eye symptoms may include burning and tearing, redness, inflamed eyelids, or a scratchy feeling of something in the eyes.

Acne Rosacea is not medically dangerous, but is also incurable. The good news is that it can be controlled with treatment. The goal of the treatments is to minimize the symptoms and reduce sensitivity of the skin and eyes.

The first step in determining a treatment regimen is to identify possible “triggers”, which will be different for each individual. Acne Rosacea generally flares-up when an affected person is exposed to certain environmental or dietary conditions. Some common “triggers” may include hot baths, exercise, wind, cold weather, and certain skin products. This is by no means a comprehensive list.

The key to relief is to identify those conditions which tend to aggravate your Rosacea. Easier said then done, you say? Not really.

The National Rosacea Society recommends that you maintain a symptom diary. The purpose of your diary is to record what was eaten or the conditions immediately prior to the onset of a Rosacea flare-up. Over a few weeks time, you should start to see a pattern form that will give you insight into your own “triggers”. Of course, once you have these “triggers” identified, you can avoid these conditions by modifying your lifestyle or eating habits.

Other factors can also contribute to the exacerbation of Rosacea and should be avoided if at all possible. These factors include: avoiding direct sunlight, reducing stress, avoiding long workouts or exertion in hot weather, and limiting spicy foods and hot beverages.

Besides avoiding known “triggers”, symptoms can be treated with oral or topical antibiotics. Other medications similar to vitamin A are utilized in more extreme cases and are only available through your dermatologist. Also, laser surgery is available as a treatment alternative for reducing enlarged tissue on the nose and improving overall physical appearance.

About The Author

Bill Wilson is a Health and Beauty writer who focuses on treatment alternatives for skin and hair issues. For more info visit:

http://www.acne-support.com

http://www.affordable-hair-removal.net

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Your yoga practice and the way you breathe are intertwined. You won’t fully experience the benefits of yoga without first learning how to breathe properly.

Different types of yoga practice call for different types of breathing, so it is important to note from the beginning that there is no one right way to breathe in yoga. If, in your yoga practice, your goal is total relaxation then your breathing should reflect that. This means long deep breaths meant to slow your heart rate and allow you to fully relax into the yoga pose. Here are a few tips:

* The diaphragm is where the breath originates in yoga and in everyday life. When you breathe in, your stomach puffs slightly because your diaphragm is filling with air. When you breathe out, your stomach flattens as your diaphragm empties itself of air. When you breathe, be sure that your stomach is moving, that you aren’t restricting this movement in any way.

* It’s important to relax every muscle in your chest, your face, your neck, your shoulders - even your jaw - in order to benefit from a relaxing breath in yoga. One way to do this is to clench the body part in question and then let go entirely. You may not even realize that your muscles are locked until you try to contract them.

* Keep your breaths smooth and easy during your yoga practice. Everyone breathes at their own natural rate, but becoming conscious of your breath does not mean controlling it in any way. Notice your breath and relax into your own natural rhythm.

* Breathing faster, in and out, is a natural reaction to stress or excitement. It stands to reason then, that relaxing breath in yoga should accentuate the exhalation. Breathe in naturally and make sure that your exhalation is longer than your inhalation and fully empty your diaphragm and lungs of air.

* Pausing between breaths will allow you to relax even further in yoga. No need to rush through your relaxation.

* When you breathe, feel the oxygen in the lungs and visualize it reaching every extremity, every toe and finger. Let your whole body enjoy the relaxing breath in your yoga practice.

When you learn how to breathe, you will find that it comes naturally in your yoga practice and in time, will continue in your everyday life.

About The Author

Stephen Kreutzer is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides yoga tips on http://www.123-yoga.com.

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Speculating the wave of decrease in popularity of the low-carb diets, many hastened to say that Dr. Agatston’s recent statement is issued from his fear that the diet would fail altogether taken by this wave. The way I see it, the allegation was made not necessarily as a defense against the popularity fall, but as a reaction against frequent associations with low-carb diets, especially with Atkins diet, with which it shares slight resemblance but of which it fundamentally differs.

What is it that the two diets share? The common points of the diets lie in the carbohydrate restriction during the incipient phases, with the induction of ketosis. But, speaking of the following phases in the diet, unlike the unhealthy recommendations of strict reduction of carbohydrates and foods high in saturated fats that Atkins makes, the South Beach diet recommends replacement of all simple carbohydrates with complex, healthy ones. In fact, South Beach diet recommends consumption of lots of whole grains, brown rice and fruit. Also, it strongly advises against all saturated fat, recommending instead unsaturated fats consumption, stressing on the healthy properties of the olive oil and fish oil.

So, is Dr. Agatston’s claim that the South Beach diet is not a low-carb diet a response to the fading of the low-carb craze? In fact, with the allegation that “We are not low carb. We are good carb”, Dr. Agatston reestated part of what he declared in his book “South Beach Diet”, that the diet was neither low-carb nor low-fat. So, how Dr. Agatston could have known in 2003, when the book was published, of the dramatic drop in percentage of low-carb dieters - from 9% in January 2004 to 4.6% in September 2004?

Laura Ciocan writes for http://www.south-beach-diet-101.com where you can find more information about the South Beach Diet Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: mailto:lauracio@gmail.com

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“What you resist persists; what you accept disappears.”

I don’t know where I found this Buddhist concept because I memorized the thought instead of the source. I doubt that Buddha would mind.

I memorized it because I had to. You see, all addictions are responses to unresolved emotions, feelings long buried in the subconscious mind.

When we bring those feelings into conscious awareness, we can let go of them. Then the need for whatever we are addicted simply floats away.

The hard part is accessing the source of the need.

I used to be addicted to cigarettes. I started smoking when I was a sophomore in college, one cigarette a night so I could sleep. The feelings that kept me awake were fear that I couldn’t keep up, “cut the mustard,” plus the ever-present need for approval. I was not aware of them at the time.

After three months of smoking one cigarette a day I was hooked. I wanted to breathe deeply more often than that. Inhaling the nicotine deeply gave me freedom from anxiety. I believed that it cleared my head and enhanced by ability to comprehend and to write.

When I finally accepted the fact that smoking was harmful to my health, I tried several ways to quit, unsuccessfully. “What you resist persists; what you accept disappears.”

I didn’t know at the time what to accept, but I did go to a hypnotist for help. He asked me if I really wanted to quit smoking. I answered, “Yes.”

He said, “Then give me your cigarettes.”

I’ll never forget that moment. He had me lie on a table hooked up to a bio-feedback machine that would ring a bell when I relaxed. Do you think I could ring that bell? No way!

Nevertheless, he put me in a light trance and made a tape of the session.

He taught me how to breathe deeply and had me say, “Smoking is harmful to my body. I need my body to live. I want to live.”

He gave me the tape and told me to listen to it every night for 21 days.

I was amazed to discover that quitting was not horrible. Instead, I felt truly free. I’ve since learned that my freedom came from releasing my anxiety through deep breathing. Every time I felt the need for a cigarette, I inhaled and exhaled air. In doing so I accepted my anxiety, and pretended I’d just finished a cigarette.

There are other addictions I have fought, other needs that took years to discover that I could satisfy much more simply than by eating peanuts. Had I not resisted those needs, I would not have gone to doctors who happily prescribed medication to cut my appetite.

I did not tell the doctors what my appetite was for. They didn’t ask. My appetite for approval could not be satisfied by peanuts or anything else until I approved of myself.

“What resists persists; what I accept disappears.” I accepted my childish need and no longer crave peanuts. The funniest novel I wrote is about a woman addicted to catalog shopping. (Called “Gambling for Good Mail” it comes out early 2006)

If you feel addicted to anything and want to release it, write about it fast.

Write about it with your non-dominant hand, too. You may be surprised at what your subconscious mind delivers through that hand.

Here’s to a free life!

Evelyn Cole, The Whole-mind Writer

P.S. If you find yourself resisting to uncovering those old feelings, accept your resistance and then let it go.

Copyright 2006 Cole’s Poetic License

About The Author

© Evelyn Cole, MA, MFA, The Whole-mind Writer,

http://www.write-for-wealth.com evycole@direcway.com

Cole’s chief aim in life is to convince everyone to understand the power of the subconscious mind and synchronize it with goals of the conscious mind. Along with “Mind Nudges” and “Brainsweep”, she has published three novels and several poems that dramatize subconscious power.

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