News and Articles on Health. Medical research topics.

Before getting into some of the remedies that you can try at home, it is important that you should avoid things that most likely lead to rapid hairfall.

Women should take special care of their hair and should avoid extra processing. This means that they shouldn’t be doing highlighting coloring, straightening and other styling techniques on their hair on a frequent basis. Processing usually involves lots of chemicals which damage hair
Coconut oil is one of the best things for hair. It simulates hair growth and provides nutrition and shine to your hair. You can gently massage your scalp with coconut oil and leave it on for some time before finally rinsing your hair. To get the best possible results, apply the oil and night time and then sleep with the oil on. Rinse your hair in the morning. By letting the oil stay in your hair for the whole night, you are ensuring that the oil reaches the roots of the hair. Hair growth remedies also include taking a proper diet with enough nutrients for your hair. For people who are suffering from baldness, an iron rich diet is the perfect solution. They can eat red meat, eggs, fish and a few other things that will provide their hair with nutrition and simulate new air growth.

Alma oil is a natural oil that has a proven track record of simulating hair growth. You should mix Alma oil with a few drops of vinegar and then apply this solution gently on your scalp. In order for the mixture to have maximum effect, it is necessary that it reaches the roots of the hair. A suitable way to do this is to apply the Alma oil mixture before sleeping during night and then letting it stay on for the complete night. Rinse your head the next day and you will see for yourself how effective is Alma oil. Hair growth remedies definitely work and don’t have any side effects at all in contrast to chemical based products which end up damaging your hair anr resulting in more hair loss.

One type of panic disorder treatment that more patients with panic disorders are more comfortable with are talking therapies. Obviously, the primary mechanism of this type of treatment does not involve any chemicals or medicine that should be ingested by the patient. Thus, more patients would rather have this type of therapy to alleviate their disorder. Furthermore, this type of therapy can assist patients in overcoming various issues, from stress to depression, and not just pans disorders. In this type of treatment, the aim is to decrease the number of panic attacks the patient has, and to ease the level of the patient’s symptoms.

Psychological therapy is known to give patients a number of benefits in the long term. This therapy is highly recommended as a treatment for patients with panic disorder. If a patient agrees to undergo psychological therapy for panic disorder, it will normally come in the form of CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT is thought to be one of the most effective panic disorder treatments and will require the patient to have weekly sessions where he or she will be talking to a therapist. The therapist can ask the patient questions regarding his or her reaction when having panic attacks, or what he or she is thinking about at the exact time he or she is experiencing an attack. Mexican pharmacy viagra

This panic disorder treatment involves the therapist and patient sorting out thoughts and beliefs that are negative and working to replace them with more balanced and realistic thoughts. The therapist will teach the patient of ways to change his or her behavior, which in turn will allow him or her to effectively deal with panic attacks in the future. An example of these coping mechanisms would be proper techniques in breathing that will be a huge help for patients when they calm down during a stress-filled panic attack. For these sessions to be maximized in its effectiveness, a total of fourteen hours of CT sessions are recommended, to be spread out within four months. Treatment of the patient should involve at least one session lasting for two hours, to be done once per week.

In some cases of panic disorder, a shorter program of cognitive behavioral therapy is recommended. The shorter program may involve a decreased number of hours of CBT with an addition of “homework” being given to patients within sessions so that they can perfect what was learned after each session. It is imperative that the patient visits his or her physician regularly during his or her CBT course, so that progress can be monitored and the general disposition of the patient can be assessed.

It is also important that a patient should always consult his or her physician before undergoing any panic disorder treatment, especially if it involves medication. These articles are only for information purposes, so that a patient can know of the different options and allow for a more informed discussion with his or her physician. Professional help is necessary to obtain successful results.

Refractive surgery is an operation that is performed on the eye and it is mostly done to correct the refractive defect. It can also be done to ensure that people get over their reliance on contact lenses and glasses. Some of the common refractive eye conditions that most people suffer from include myopia, which refers to nearsightedness. This condition is caused by a long eyeball that makes the eye to have too much focusing power. Another cause of myopia is an excessive curvature in the cornea and this ends up creating a steep surface. People with myopia will experience blurred images when focusing on objects that are at a distance. They can however see closer objects clearly.

Hyperopia is another refractive eye condition that refers to farsightedness. This means that the person lacks enough power to focus and therefore needs glasses or contact lenses to permit them see close range objects. This condition is caused by a short eyeball, which alters their power to focus. Another cause of hyperopia is less curvature in the cornea thus prompting images to fall behind the retina. Therefore, people with this condition will be able to focus clearly on distant objects while those closer to them will appear blurred.

The other refractive condition is astigmatism, which means that a person will not be able to have full focus on an object. This is brought about by the fact that the corneaS surface takes up an oval shape when ideally it is supposed to be spherical.

Presbyopia is yet another refractive condition that makes it hard for people to read. This condition mostly comes with advancement in age the cited ages being between 45 and 50. This is occasioned by the stiffness of the crystalline lens and this makes it hard to change shape. Refractive surgery is done to correct these conditions but one must meet the following qualifications. First, one must be 18 years or older and must have experienced stable vision before opting for refractive surgery. A personS eyes must be healthy meaning that they are free from corneal scars, retinal detachment, and other diseases that affect the eyes. Another qualification that a person must meet to undergo refractive surgery is to have a treatable eye problem.

Since refractive surgery is considered elective, a person must be willing to bear the cost that comes with it since many health insurances do not cater for it. Some of the refractive surgery options available include the photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), the LASIK (Laser in situ keratomileusis), the Excimer LASIK and the Radial Keratotomy. Refractive surgery is very beneficial to those who undergo it as it rules out the use of visual aids that are at times cumbersome. People in jobs such as firefighting, flying, and police departments are best suited for this procedure since they require visual acuity that discourages the use of visual aids. People with cosmetic reasons are also well covered by refractive surgery, as they may not want to wear glasses. Refractive surgery offers psychological relieve for those who feel handicapped out of restrictions presented by the visual aids they use.

In recent years, yeast infections have become a common and sometimes debilitating scourge for many people. If you haven’t been afflicted by systematic Candida, you might be under the impression that it is a simple and easily treated vaginal infection. If this were the case it would be purely a female issue of minor consequences.

Although there is a higher rate of infection among women than men or children, everyone is at risk.

Candida is a microscopic fungus that is present in small quantities within every healthy human body. When kept in check by what are considered to be friendly bacteria, it does not pose a threat. It actually fights off harmful bacteria, thereby keeping the body functioning normally.

It is estimated that the bacteria count within the healthy body outnumbers human cells ten to one. Although they are typically called friendly and unfriendly, they all work together to keep the body functioning as intended, providing their numbers are in balance.

It is when Candida grows out of control that it can cause symptoms ranging from irritating and uncomfortable to life altering, and even fatal.

While there are many people who might not be alive today without the benefit of antibiotics, their overuse is one of the main reasons for the increase in yeast infections. Antibiotic can literally be translated to against life. Probiotic means pro-life, or for life.

When we look at these translations, it is easier to understand how they react in our bodies. The purpose of antibiotics is to kill harmful bacteria. This, they do very well, unless they are overused and lose their effectiveness.

Other than losing their ability to destroy the intended microorganisms, antibiotics can create another unintended issue. This occurs because of the antibiotic’s ability to kill microorganisms. Remember, anti-life, or against life. When the harmful bacteria are killed, so are the intestinal flora that keep the yeast in check.

This allows the Candida to grow out of control. Your system is no longer in balance. Hence, you develop a yeast infection. And, getting rid of it is not usually as easy as acquiring it in the first place.

Another reason for the overabundance of yeast infections is the way our diets have changed within the recent decades. Over the past twenty years, the average American has increased his or her sugar consumption from 26 pounds to a staggering 135 pounds a year.

Take a moment to let that register. Is it any wonder that, in spite of our improving ability to cure previously incurable diseases, the health of the nation is not where it should be?

Anyone who has ever baked bread knows a little about how yeast grows. It needs a warm moist environment. Changing out of wet swimwear and wearing well-ventilated clothing are effective preventative measures that should always be kept in mind.

And, what else does yeast need to grow? You guessed it. Sugar.

This brings us to another predisposition to obtaining a yeast infection, which is diabetes. If we continue eating a diet high in simple sugars, diabetes is a predictable outcome. Diabetics are more prone to yeast infections, as well as a host of frightening medical disasters.

While we’re on the subject of sugar, let’s look at another way it escalates the development of yeast infections.

Our bodies have the ability to fight enormous odds. Considering the threats we face every day, if our immune systems weren’t able to fight off the germs and parasites that we constantly encounter, we would not have survived as a species.

Sugar not only causes inflammation, which in itself damages the immune system. The more sugar competing for entrance into our cells, the less vitamin c is able to enter. We all know how important vitamin c is in keeping our immune systems running smoothly.

These are some of the many reasons to cut down on sugar, as well as excessive intake of flour products and fruit juices, if we want to remain free of yeast infections. Take care of your immune system and it will take care of you.

Another diet tip to restoring your immune system and knocking out the Candida is to eat an alkaline diet full of dark leafy greens, raw vegetables, and most fresh fruit as opposed to juice. Some people will have problems with high glycemic fruit such as bananas, melons, and pineapple. You will have to experiment, bringing new fruit into your diet slowly and singly. Be sure to pay special attention to your carbohydrate consumption during an active infection.

Another factor that can encourage an infection is the hormonal changes that occur toward the end of each menstrual cycle and upon entering menopause.

In the past, douching was sometimes recommended. However, this also tends to wash away healthy secretions and normal protective bacteria. Good personal hygiene, without the use of perfumed soaps or feminine hygiene sprays, is a better way to go.

It may seem that there is no way of getting free of yeast infections. That’s not really accurate. Yet, if you have found yourself in a position of recurring or chronic bouts, your first step is to get at the root of what is causing the problem. There is a simple, natural way of doing this.

Remaining free of future outbreaks will require making a shift to a healthier lifestyle. You might look at it as a blessing that will reward you with greater health and a longer happier life.
Not only is this proven, natural and holistic, step-by-step system, the most comprehensive and effective cure for yeast infections.

As well as curing your infection permanently, you will be free of any future Candida yeast infections and its related symptoms forever.

Feelings of being anxious or afraid are definitely normal, but only to a certain extent. If you believe you may be undergoing emotional heights that are too much to handle, you may be suffering from anxiety and panic disorders. There are many variations of this condition. There are phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, and panic surges. People normally experience these only on rare occasions. But frequency and consistent occurrences are signs that you need to know more about stopping panic attacks and anxiety and their corresponding treatment procedures and methods.

It is always best to consult the experts for a proper diagnosis and medication advice. But since this condition tends to go unnoticed at some cases and worsens over time, people most likely ignore the symptoms and take them for granted. After all, the signs and symptoms do seem inclined to normal fear and distress triggered by everyday circumstances. The best way to pinpoint your exact health status is to know more.

Signs and Symptoms

Refer to this list of panic signs and symptoms to determine your current state of health:

• Very fast or “racing” heartbeat, palpitations

• Faintness, dizziness, nausea, weakness

• Numbness of the limbs or extremities (hands, feet, fingers)

• Sudden surges of terror or anticipation of doom

• Difficulty in breathing, hyperventilation

• Hot flashes or chills

• Sudden feelings of powerlessness and insistent feeling of a need to escape

• Trembling and shaking

• Distortions in visual perception or surreal sensations (like being in a trance or a dream)

All these symptoms show signs of panic attacks. These usually last for less than ten minutes, but the possibility of a longer effect is always present. The consequences of panic attacks vary in terms of extent. Some people only have rare and occasional attacks, while others live with extreme manifestations on a daily basis. In the end, they all have a common denominator: the condition brings about negative changes in lifestyle and general health, including social relations. This is why stopping panic attacks as early as they are detected serves as the best remedy. Remember that there are differences between anxiety disorders and panic disorders. Panic attacks are more sudden and short-lived. Because of the unexpectedness of these attacks, it is best to know common methods of aid you can try at once. These first aid and initial treatment tips can always alleviate the situation:

• Learn about the condition – cases vary from person to person, so determining the details of your case through research can lead you to discovering the exact identity of your condition, the right therapy and exact medication.

• Try out relaxation techniques – meditation, yoga, slow jogging, pilates, aromatherapy: these are just some of the techniques that will stimulate your mind and body while preventing stress triggers.

• Avoid the stimulants – indulgence in coffee (caffeine) and smoking can trigger panic attacks especially if you are susceptible.

Permanently stopping panic attacks can only be achieved through initial gathering of proper knowledge and treatment application techniques you can start on your own.

Here Are Some Back Pain Solutions

In order to find back pain solutions, you need to understand what the possible causes are, and then try to eliminate them. Any number of reasons could be the cause to your suffering and you should try to find out at which point you started getting these pains. Do they normally feel more severe when you get up in the morning? If that is the case, perhaps the answer lies in your bed. A badly constructed bed or poor mattress can cause one’s back to suffer. This is because you will spend anywhere from 5 to 8 hours in the bed and you will be in a better posture during this time. If this is the reason, you should try to search for a new bed or mattress. There are many ergonomically designed mattresses that will maintain your spine’s correct posture while you sleep.

Smokers are more likely to run into problems with their backs than non-smokers. The simple reason for this is because smoking reduces the efficiency of the lungs. As a result, they are not able to take in as much oxygen as they should. This in turn means that oxygen is not getting to the rest of the body through the blood. Oxygen is extremely important as it helps our muscles and bones to repair themselves when they are damaged. In the case of disks in the spine, they are constantly being used and would have a lot of wear and tear. Due to the lack of oxygen, it will not be able to heal effectively. This inevitably will lead to back pains caused from dry or damaged discs. In this case, the best back pain solution will be to give up smoking and save your spine.

Exercises are extremely important and can be a great way to achieve back pain solutions. The muscles that surround the back need to be kept flexible and strong in order to help support your body’s weight. To keep these important groups of muscles in shape, we must perform regular exercises that are designed to achieve this. There are many stretching exercises that are very good for doing this and they can be done in the office or your home. All it takes is 15 to 20 minutes of your time to prevent any back problems from occurring, even if you already have problems, it can help relieve them. These are just a few examples of how you can find back pain solutions, once you know what the underlying cause is.

Exercises for sciatica doesn’t sound like such a great idea at first sight. You’re dealing with a lot of pain when suffering from an inflamed sciatic nerve and exercises for sciatica are normally what’s farthest from your mind. Well, you might actually want to rethink that position. Muscles and muscle strength play a key role in healing sciatica and preventing future flare ups.

Three different exercises for sciatica can go great lengths to relieve your sciatica. Some of us can’t even remember the last pain free day and what it meant to just move freely without having to think those moves through first. Sciatica is a royal pain in the behind, but help is on the way with these three exercises for sciatica.

Exercises For Sciatica: Relaxation Of The Hip Flexors

Start with the relaxation of your hip flexor muscles. When your hip flexors are too tight, they pull your lower back into an increased curve. Once that happens, pressure on your sciatic nerve grows and sooner or later the over-tightened hip flexors contribute to your sciatica.

To help your hip flexors to loosen up a bit you can do the following exercises for sciatica: Get down on one knee, the knee placed a bit further back than your buttocks. The other knee should be up in front of you and the foot flat on the ground. Place your hands on your hips for straight posture. Now gently bend the knee in front of you forward, until you can feel the pull in your hip of the leg with the knee on the ground. Repeat the movement slowly a couple of times, then switch legs and repeat. This type of exercises for sciatica helps loosen the hip flexors and thus relieves pressure on the sciatic nerve. It also increases blood flow in the muscles, which is always needed to reduce inflammation.

Exercises For Sciatica: Stretching Of The Piriformis Muscle

The Piriformis muscle is located on the very inside of your buttocks and has the sciatic nerve running right through it. Now if this muscle over-tightens you can imagine the pressure being put on the sciatic nerve; and we also know how well this nerve takes to being under pressure.

Simple stretching exercises for sciatica instantly relieve the pressure. Lie down flat on your back and pull up your legs in a 45 degree angle. Now place the right leg over the left as if crossing them. Fold your hands around both legs and gently pull them towards your chest until you feel the pull in your buttocks. Hold your position for a moment and release. Now switch the legs around and repeat the procedure. You will feel instant pain relief.

This isn’t a permanent sciatica cure, but will greatly relieve sciatica pain and tension in the Piriformis muscle right away. Once the Piriformis muscle loosens up it will stop aggravating the inflammation of your sciatic nerve. This is a great kind of exercises for sciatica when you feel that pain increasing and your muscles tensing up.

Exercises For Sciatica: Strengthening Your Abdominal and Core Muscles

Lower back and pelvis stability is provided largely by the abdominal muscles, along with other core muscles. When your abdominal and core muscles are weak, they fail to hold up your spine properly, thus pressure increases on the vertebrae and the disks, which in turn can put pressure on the sciatic nerve at its exit points from the lower spine.

So using exercises for sciatica to increase strength and flexibility in your core and abdominal muscles is an absolute must if you want to see long-term relief from your sciatica problems. Today’s life-styles are, for the most part, not very conductive to strong core and abdominal muscles. It is important to pay these muscles some attention and put them to work, so they can keep you spine healthy and protected.

So if you do these three exercises for sciatica, your condition should be easier to control and pain become manageable, so you can lay off the medication.

When it comes to loss of hair, everyone wants to know the most effective treatment to fixing this condition. Before finding a solution, it is important that you recognize the type of hair loss you are experiencing. Every type of condition has its own possible solution, so to effectively eliminate this problem, you need to discover the various types of hair loss. This way you can easily solve this condition without any difficulties.

The most common type of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, which is more known as male or female pattern baldness. When you are suffering from this type of hair loss, it is an indication that the cause of this condition is due to hereditary reasons. Since it is caused by genetics, meaning that it is a condition that runs in the family, it can happen to anyone at any age.

Telogen effluvium is also another kind of loss of hair, which is more temporary. If you are suffering from this, you need not worry because hair will grow back in just a couple of months. A common situation of this condition is a loss of small patches of hair. This type can be due to certain medication or medical treatments being taken such as chemotherapy. For this situation, you simply have to wait for hair to grow back.

When hair loss is damaged from the roots, this could lead to permanent loss of hair known as anagen effluvium. Usually this type is caused by a certain illness such as thyroid, diabetes, immune disorders, or even stress. Go seek medical assistance so a doctor can recommend the best solution possible for your particular situation. When treatment isn’t possible, many sufferers are left with wearing wigs or hats.

Surgery is also an available treatment possible for hair regrowth. Hair plugs are selected from a part of the body that has hair and transferred to the bald areas. Certainly this solution will take time and money, as it will require several sessions. If you are willing to go through this, make sure to get all the information necessary from your doctor prior to getting anything done.

With knowing the various types of hair loss, you are able to really understand what may have caused your condition, and learn about the proper solutions available for you. This way you can stop suffering from this problem and feel confident about yourself again.

Patients seeking immediate care for medical conditions in San Francisco have many options during normal weekday hours. There are several immediate care clinics located throughout the city, and hospitals usually have what is equivalent to an immediate care clinic attached to their emergency department. Once patients determine what options are available they can further narrow down the choices according to proximity, wait times and, of course insurances accepted.

While ER’s tend to accept many insurance plans, a co-payment is usually required and will depend upon the individual policy. Waiting times in emergency rooms are always unpredictable, however there are trends to be aware of for those requiring care in the ER. Mornings are variable, but typically see lower volumes than afternoons and evenings, although there is never a guarantee, and the number of patients presenting to an ER often changes moment to moment. Late evenings and nights until 2-3am are the prime time in many emergency departments and so waits can be prolonged.

During these times ER staff may be routinely increased to handle the extra volume. Some hospitals maintain functioning immediate care clinics only during these hours, in order to take the pressure off of the emergency room. This can speed patient throughput, however there is never a guarantee. An emergency department that appears slow, may become chaotic within minutes if several seriously I’ll patients arrive concurrently. Emergency departments sometimes go on”divert” status, which means that ambulances transporting new patients are diverted to other facilities because the ER is overwhelmed.

In some cases, it is possible to call ahead to a particular ER to determine if it is on “divert”. If so, this may be a good time to choose another hospital, however if the problem is serious or potentially life threatening, the closest hospital ER should always be the destination. To find an immediate care clinic, an online search via Google Maps is a quick way to note the options.

A revolutionary alternative to the immediate care clinic are urgent care doctor house calls. These services offer exceptional convenience by bringing the doctor, medications, procedures, instant tests, xrays and more directly to patients wherever they are. There are no public waiting rooms to endure, and fees are far less than those of most emergency rooms. Services offered are often insurance reimbursable to a significant degree.

Many patients are finding that the convenience offered by services of this nature is unsurpassed, so that finding an immediate care clinic is no longer necessary. They prefer to let the doctor find the patient instead.

Insomnia, being very prevalent and affecting our lives in many ways, has numerous promising treatments for those who suffer with this condition. There are pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for insomnia. We will explore three non-pharmacological treatments and discuss why these treatments might be more effective in the long-term. We will explain, in detail, these three different types of non-pharmacological treatments as we define or describe each of them. You do not have to suffer any longer with insomnia; there are treatments available to you without taking medications.

Once you know the cause of your insomnia, there are therapies available to you long before your insomnia progresses to the point it has a negative effect on your life. The main focal point in treating and curing insomnia is to find the cause of your insomnia. Once identified insomnia is often eliminated when those triggers, that keep you awake at night, are removed. The success rate of curing your insomnia increases when the source for your insomnia is addressed. Whether you cure your insomnia or not, you can treat your insomnia, with the methods explored in this article, before your insomnia gets out of hand.

Educating yourself is the key to a good night sleep. Knowing how your body responds to certain stimuli, such as a large meal just before bed, offers you information so you can adjust your behavior. Becoming aware of what your natural rhythms are and what sleeping habits work, or do not work, for you is valuable information which allows you to alter what you do? The more you know about what keeps you awake at night the better chance of curing your insomnia and getting that rest you need.

Although prescribed sleeping medications are available, non-pharmacological therapies have an advantage even though some might say both therapies are equally effective especially when used together. Often times, after taking a medication for a period of time, intolerance develops to that medication. That medication is no longer as effective as it was, and the condition will return without another medication being prescribed. Another disadvantage to prescribed medications is a person can become dependent on that medication and once discontinued they can have a withdrawal effect. Non-pharmacological treatments improve your insomnia, and have a longer lasting effect. It is for the above reasons that non-pharmacological therapies have the upper hand in curing insomnia.

Non-pharmacological therapies include a variety of effective methods to aid you in curing your insomnia. The treatments are forms of cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as cognitive therapy or behavioral therapy. The whole goal, of these types of treatments, are for you to become aware of what you are thinking and how you behave, as it relates to sleep, so you sleep well again. This effective form of treatment teaches you new ways of thinking and behaving, regarding your sleeping patterns, and has a longer lasting effect for insomnia than taking medication.

Included in the list of non-pharmacological therapies, for insomnia, are several effective modalities that we will investigate in detail. Three of these modalities, explored in this article, include muscle relaxation, stimulus control, and sleep restriction. There are other modalities for treating insomnia that will be explored in a later article. These three non-pharmacological therapies can be effective in treating your insomnia.

One such modality is using relaxation as a method to calm the body and quite the mind. One way to use the relaxation modality is through meditation. Meditation can be used in a variety of ways and one simple way to use meditation is to sit in a comfortable position and focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale. You can use imagery to help you achieve relaxation by imaging you are somewhere calming to you like a factitious place, a place you have been before or a place you would like to go provided you feel tranquil there. A second way to use meditation to relax is using a meditation tape/CD, with calming music that allows you to unwind and relax. If you have difficulty achieving relaxation on your own, a third method is a guided relaxation tape/CD where someone is taking you through a relaxation session. Whether you use a guided meditation tape or not, this relaxation technique suggests you relax one area of your body at a time. While in a comfortable position, gently tighten, without creating pain, the muscles in one area of your body and hold these tighten muscles for a few seconds and then relax the muscles. While maintaining relaxation to the original area, continue focusing on a new area until you have relaxed every part of your body. It does not matter what area of your body you begin with however, make sure you are able to go to the next part of your body without much thought. An example of moving to the next part of your body without much thought is to begin at the top of your head and go down to your toes or begin at your toes and go up to your head. You can also quite your mind, while using this form of relaxation, by not allowing your mind to focus on anything else while you relax your body. Relaxation therapy is useful in quieting the mind and relaxing the body in order to achieve sleep.

A second modality for achieving a better night sleep is stimulus control. Stimulus control has many facets, however, the theory of stimulus control is your bed is for sleeping and sex activity and nothing more. Watching TV, reading the newspaper or a book, doing any kind of work or eating, while in bed, is counterproductive to getting a good night sleep. Another facet of stimulus control is the idea that you go to bed only when you are tired and if you do not fall asleep within 20 minutes then get up and do something else until you are tired as long as what you are doing is calming. Avoiding taking long naps, during the day, is another facet to stimulus control. Naps that are 10 to 20 minutes long can be invigorating while longer naps during the day affect how much sleep you need at night. Still another aspect of stimulus control is to get up at the same time every day, including Saturday and Sunday, regardless of how many hours of sleep you had. To accomplish this goal, you might have to set an alarm clock to wake you up at the same time every day, provided you do not hit the snooze button. Sleeping longer then your usually time to get up will decrease the effectiveness of stimulus control. Stimulus control limits the time you are awake in bed and this method helps you relearn your bed is for sleep and sexual activity only.

A third modality for achieving a better night sleep is sleep restriction. This third method may sound similar to stimulus control however, sleep restriction limits the amount of time you are in bed down to 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night. The amount of time you are in bed is based on taking the average of the time you sleep, while in bed, and set the time you go to bed and the time you get up accordingly. Basically, sleep restriction deprives you of some sleep for one night so you are more tired the following night and the sleep you do get is more quality sleep. Sleep restriction needs to be used cautiously meaning sleep deprivation has a diminishing effect on a person and their ability to function during the day. The recommendation is for to you get at least 7 hours of sleep again before you engage in activities that require your full attention such as driving or operating machinery. You are the only person who can determine whether you feel safe enough to reintroduce these more demanding activities. Keeping this schedule of sleep and forcing yourself to get out of bed, at the designed time, even when you are still tired allows you the time you sleep is quality sleep. When your quality of sleep improves, you can slowly increase the time you are in bed actually sleeping. Sleep restriction, a method by which you restrict the amount of sleep you get a night, has helped some people who suffer from insomnia and needs to be used with awareness of what works best for you.

There are several avenues available to you to help you get a better night sleep and the three we explored in this article are relaxation, stimulus control and sleep restriction. These three methods of treating insomnia assist you in becoming more aware of what works and what does not work for you in relationship to getting quality sleep. The key to getting the sleep you need is to educate yourself about what is keeping you awake at night, what are the methods that are effective for you and how does your body respond to the stimuli in your life. Each of these non-pharmacological methods are more effective and longer lasting than medications. These three methods, of treating insomnia, only require you to learn the method and be willing to use that method in a way that benefits you. The main focal point to treating and curing insomnia, as discussed in the second paragraph, is to find the cause of your insomnia. Finally, you can treat your insomnia with these three methods however, curing your insomnia requires deeper personal work on the cause of your insomnia. It is possible to eliminate insomnia all together and sleep well again.

Insomnia’s effects are wide ranged. You can treat your insomnia with medications or with some of the treatments discussed in this article, but the most effective way to cure your insomnia is to deal with what is really keeping you awake at night. It requires more personal work on your part and can be very rewarding beyond curing your insomnia. In the book, Turmoil to Tranquility, this author offers ways to deal with those issues and much more. She, specifically, talks about trying to turn off your brain and get some real rest, relaxation, and get a good night’s sleep.

For whatever reason, fibromyalgia and “natural treatment” don’t seem to go hand-in-hand. The only thing which seems “natural” for a fibromyalgia patient is the expectation that their condition may not be properly treated. Fibromyalgia has become such a devastating and confusing condition, that many medical professionals often turn to drastic or extreme circumstances in order to give the patient “fibromyalgia pain relief.” Such is the case with Western Medicine; if you have a medical problem, it’s often going to require surgery or expensive medication…probably both.

But natural pain treatment for fibromyalgia doesn’t require a radical shift in the way we approach the world. Take a look at your feet. If you’ve read my previous articles, you’ll know that’s where chronic pain throughout the body originates. But, what do feet have to do with fibromyalgia pain in your back, thighs, or jaw areas? These are all energy zones in your body that are being “blocked” due to your foot being out of balance. The foot is the root cause of these devastating symptoms wrecking havoc all across your body.

But, what are energy zones? You promised I wouldn’t have to change my way of thinking…

Don’t change your way of thinking, just think harder about how your body works. Energy flows throughout your body in zones; we don’t particularly discuss it in this vein on our side of the globe, but the notion that energy is free flowing is quite common. What isn’t common is the knowledge of how conditions like fibromyalgia arise and how to stop the cause of such pain. This is because many experts look at the result of the condition (symptoms), opposed to stopping the cause of it. Fibromyalgia is the result of blocked energy fields throughout the body, thus the focus should be not on stopping the symptoms resulting from these blockages, but rather, on freeing these blocked energy zones. Typically acupuncture is the primary, natural treatment used to achieve this, however, even acupuncture doesn’t target the main source of fibromyalgia pain. An acupuncturist, even though they understand the nature of energy zones throughout the body, can still only be half right–they don’t correct the foot imbalance which eliminates the ability to stop the cause of the pain.

In order to correct the imbalance, the patient should use a micromanipulation technique, which corrects imbalances in the foot, freeing the energy zones throughout the body. It requires no medication, surgery and can be effective in as little as 10 to 15 minutes, when performed properly–with zero side effects.