Lose Weight Through Dancing

If you have ever wanted to learn how to dance and lose weight at the same time then this is for you. Dancing regularly is one of the best ways of keeping fit and healthy while having fun at the same time. Louis Van Amstel from the program "Dancing with the stars", teaches you how to do all your favoriate dance routines that you may have seen on the show.

Dancing is a great way to lose weight as it is one of the best cardio workouts with the least amount of effort. Most people don't consider dancing as a way of losing weight, they just do it for fun. What people do not realise is by dancing regularly they are toning and sculpting their bodies at the same time. Within a few weeks you will see inches coming off your waistline without you realising because you are enjoying yourself.

Louis Van Amstel is one of the worlds best dance teachers, he has been training people for years and has further enhanced his reputation by being on the dance TV program. Even he used to get stuck dancing when he first started, but once you learn some basic steps you are away. From his video lessons you will be able to learn some steps in as little as 20 minutes. In his video you will learn;

The Cha Cha - Its fun, works on your body well and is easy to learn.

FoxTrot - You can incorporate this into a lot of dances and is very romantic.

Jive - Fast paced and very exciting, great cardio workout.

Rhumba - Very sexy dance, great for losing weight from your weist and hips.

Salsa - Very creative and easy moves, seductive dance.

Samba - Another high energy routine, excellent on the eye and the body.

Tango - Easy to learn, another sexy, seductive and thrilling dance.

Waltz - This is a more structured and softer dance, fantastic for the hips and thighs.

by: Ian Bennett
http://www.articlecity.com/

How Subliminal Messages help you to Lose Weight

Ever found yourself looking at the weighing scales and wishing you could lose weight? And yet, you scoff at diet pills and weight loss programs that have not worked for you. This is your conscious mind at work. Your conscious mind tells you that it is not possible to lose those pounds, and that subliminal CDs to lose weight are a hoax. However, this is not true!

All your previous weight loss attempts have failed because your conscious mind has already decided that they will fail. Hence, subliminal CDs provide you with the key to losing weight, by bypassing the conscious mind that forms judgments and negative thoughts. The subconscious mind is uncritical, and accepts the opinions and ideas that you embed into it, helping to dispel these negative thoughts. With the help of subliminal CDs to inject positive affirmations into your subconscious mind, you will be able to lose weight now.

That is not to say that just by listening to a subliminal CD over and over you will lose weight! The magic behind subliminal CDs goes beyond that. The message that the CD sends out to your subconscious consists of a few different but simple principles which you will find yourself practicing slowly as you listen to the CD as per the instructions on the packaging. This is how it works.

1) Confidence

The subliminal CDs will give you the confidence in yourself to lose weight. By going straight to your subconscious, you are able to eliminate the root of the weight loss problem: your conscious mind. The conscious mind tells you that it is impossible and that you will never lose weight, and hence you never lose those pounds.

2) Eat Right, Exercise More

The subliminal CD will encourage you to exercise more, and eat right. You will find yourself more motivated to visit the gym, instead of merely thinking about it. In other words, the subliminal CD contains positive messages that help you transform your ideas into actions. You will feel your subconscious telling you to get busy and cut down on snacking, and to eat right. All these are knowledge that you already have, but just never put into practice!

3) Drink Water

It is important to drink a lot of water when you’re trying to lose weight. Water acts as a natural cleansing and detox routine, as it flushes out the toxics, fats and calories in your body. This is also a part of the magic of the subliminal CD, which encourages you to drink a healthy amount of water everyday.

Before you know it, you will find yourself avoiding snacks and unhealthy food as your body adjusts to take in only the amount of food that is necessary. This is not magic, it is simply the power of your subconscious mind being harnessed to overcome the negative thoughts that your conscious mind produces!

by: Greg Frost
http://www.articlecity.com/

The Top Strategies For Losing Weight In This Lifetime...

Before you go on any diet you really need to ask yourself the following questions:

- do I really need to go on a diet, or do I just need to be a little more disciplined about my eating habits?
- would doing the minimum extra regular workouts make more sense than not working-out at all, but eating less?
- If I go on a diet, is my body going to be receiving sufficient minerals and vitamins to sustain itself?

Here's why all the questions.

Large numbers of people go on diets that don’t really need to do so, they are doing so simply to comply with some warped belief that the world expects everyone to look thin.

In fact, it could be quite counter-productive to go on a diet, if your body is not going to be receiving its required vitamins and mineral intake to replace those naturally lost during the day.

As a result of the above, before you decide to go on any diet, you might benefit from knowing that the most successful people at losing weight are not necessarily those who go on crash diets, but more likely those who increase (or start) their regular exercise program and eat more healthy meals a day.

However, if you are thinking of embarking on a diet, don’t risk doing so and risking further harm to your body without making sure you take vitamin and mineral supplements to replace those lost during a normal day.

So with that in mind, what diet plan you choose will ultimately end up either making or breaking your results...

So let's find out what kinds of diets MOST people are familiar with, and why the "MAINSTREAM" diets or fat loss diets aren't always the best choice.

What I mean by that is your typical dieting system or plan boils down to these three styles of diets:

-low fat diets
-low carbohydrate diets
-low calorie diets

Up first:

"Low Fat Diets"

Here's a good example of why low fat diets don't always forward you the results your hoping for and why you may need to consider an alternative dieting system.

Low fat diets have been in the mainstream for a really long time but if you look statistically speaking, more and more people in our society are getting more overweight year by year. With that fact alone it should tell you that just a low fat diet is not going to be the answer or end all be all to your weight loss issues. Why it's definitely not a bad start, consuming a purely low fat diet is not the answer to your weight loss concerns.

Up Second:

"Low Calorie Diets"

Trying to lose weight using a Low Calorie Diet STRUCTURED Plan is a sure fire way of failing even quicker than using a low fat diet plan. The problem with using a low calorie diet in and of itself is that you will do your body more harm than good. Simply stated, by using this type of method for weight loss all you’re doing is slowing down your body's fat burning capabilities which destroys all chances of losing weight. (You can lose weight using the low calorie method but all you'll lose is probably a few pounds of weight loss for the first few days, after that all weight loss stops --- this is known as a dieting plateau). You can never get slim by not eating and starving yourself.

Last but not least…

"Low Carbohydrate diets":

Although the popularity of the Low Carb diet has definitely hit the mainstream of dieting fads at super warp speed this is probably one of the HARDEST ways of trying to lose weight. The problem with Low Carb diets are that they are to regimented and tough to follow for the average dieter. As well they tend to deplete your system or body of too much energy (carbs) which in essence makes it almost impossible to stick with that type of plan for any length of time. Hence, another failed attempt.

So where do you go from here?

There's one system I have been fortunate enough to discover that has been working for me just fine.

It incorporates a structured balance between dieting and real world living.

In other words let’s face it, dieting is no easy chore. But if you want to get ahead of the curve (no pun intended) you need a system that you can incorporate into your everyday lifestyle and still be able to achieve the results you want. As well without wanting to strangle the poor bastard in the cubicle next to you for doing absolutely nothing just cause you’re so irritable because you’re STARVING TO DEATH!

And you definitely don’t need some fluffed up un-achievable, un-realistic diet plan system that has you starving all day long and is no way intended for you to succeed. In actuality the only thing it EVER succeeded in doing was costing you money and making you a complete train wreck for the short period of time (hopefully for everyone around you) that you were on it. (Oh yeah, it also makes the fat cat shareholders at these big dieting corporations a lot more richer too!)

If you want a personal recommendation for discovering a diet plan that works, that is TOTALLY REALISTIC and ACHEIVABLE and doesn’t make you the FBI’s most dangerous (for irritability) check out fat loss for idiots dieting system. I’ve personally tested this product and I can say that without a doubt it makes more sense to me than any other plan I’ve attempted or read about thus far to date.

What I liked the most about fat loss for idiots is it’s straight forward no B.S. style weight loss strategies about getting back to a healthier you and stop wasting time on every diet plan out there (not to mention your money) and to stay focused, take action and make it happen.

It’s a real world solution for a real world problem.

So if you're ready to discover The ”Ten Idiot Proof Rules” to Dieting and Fat Loss, and you’re ready to find a perfect Dieting Method for losing 9lbs. every 11 days. Then you need to unveil a True Powerful System that will change the way you think about eating. I recommend and encourage you to visit this webpage and learn everything you’ll ever need to know about losing weight and keeping it off once and for all!

Quite honestly, if you’ve ever even considered wanting to lose weight in this Lifetime than you need to go here now and see for yourself what Fat Loss For Idiots can do for your life and you’re health.

All The Best,
Mark Battalini

http://www.articlecity.com/

Laying a Good Foundation for Health

n the western medicine world, we have lost touch with the basic concept of true healing. We substitute a band-aid for a cure and wonder why we don't feel better. People get ill for many reasons. Each diseased state tells us that we are ignoring some part of self, and change is necessary. While many factors contribute to healing, and it happens on many levels, all require attention throughout the entire healing practice. Ignoring the body-mind (emotions and thoughts) would not provide adequate and long-term good health.

Physical symptoms like headaches, swollen glands, sneezing and colds, including more serious diseases like cancer, communicate that there is a disturbance in the emotional fabric of our being. Negative emotions like fear, doubt and worry stop the normal flow of energy. These emotions undermine us, and over the course of our lives cause unexplained and crippling diseases that end up controlling us.

The physical body falls apart because we fall apart emotionally. Recent scientific studies have shown that emotions sabotage everything—from simple success to kidney failure. When we don't care for the "whole self," the physical body simply mirrors those effects. Over the course of time, emotions like fear, anger and confusion take their toll. Repressed anger diminishes the functions of the liver. Hopelessness and despair play havoc with the gall bladder. Fear plays havoc with the kidneys, relationships and success. Confusion on the other hand, keeps whirling thoughts spinning, creating a cloud of chaos around us and we become imbalanced and ungrounded. Head colds for instance, are a direct result of emotional confusion. Long-standing negative emotional beliefs deteriorate the entire physical being. A constant string of repetitive negative words weaken and actually exhaust the physical body.

To heal we must feel. We must identify the root emotional cause of the disease. This process lays down a new foundation for good health and begins with a new attitude about being healthy. Any negative emotion causes us to stay stuck in a false perception about our self.

How do we identify negative emotions? The easiest way to identify negative patterns is to see them in family members and friends. Examine other people's behaviors. Notice all the things you like about them and all the things you don't like, especially the things that make you angry, envious or jealous. The people around you are actually reflections of you. What you see in another person that bothers you or angers you is a part of yourself that has not yet been loved and healed. Begin by criticizing your dearest friends. By doing this practice of looking at the faults of friends and family you get in touch with the parts of you that are out of balance and seek healing. This simple exercise offers you an opportunity to look deeply at your own emotional concerns and patterns. Once you locate personal limitation it's time for change.

Emotional patterns are created when you place a judgment upon an experience. To change, we must stay conscious of our feelings in situations. Stay calm, make no judgment—simply feel the energy. For example, let's take anger because anger is one of the most profound emotions and is easily felt. Imagine yourself in an angry situation; stay completely present and deeply feel the anger. Don't judge it—simply feel it. Now, love the feeling that anger produces. Anger can be motivation. It can be passionate. Change the negative charge that anger produces; begin to embrace and love the feeling of anger instead of repelling it.

Next begin to dialogue with the anger. Yes, that is correct, strike up a conversation with anger. Ask it questions like, "What are you teaching me?" or "Why am I so angry all the time?" Permit the answers to come into your conscious mind. As they do, you realize what the true issue is. Sometimes in that moment of realization the anger pattern can release. Other times it might take a few more conversations for the anger to release. This method allows the energy constriction caused by anger and other emotions to release. Any blocked energy begins to flow giving the physical body a chance to heal.

Even though healing begins with the emotions, the physical body must be strong enough to support the emotional body.

Supplements: Supplementation is important because food chemicals, pesticides and a hurried lifestyle play havoc on our systems. Take no more than five different supplements daily. I prefer liquids including Green-Magma and other green drinks. If you don't feel immediate results, they are not working.

Water: Only 5% of the American population gets sufficient water each day. Diet drinks, high corn-syrup drinks and coffee do not count towards proper hydration; in fact these drinks cause gastrointestinal inflammation, kidney and liver problems and an acidic environment. To properly hydrate drink at least half of your body weight in purified water by the ounce each day. For example if you weight 150 lbs. you need 75 ounces of purified water daily. Exercise: The number one killer today is a stagnant lymph system caused by a lack of exercise. Take a walk around the block or take a yoga, chi-kung or Pilate's class.

by: Paula Muran
http://www.articlecity.com/

How to Cure High Blood Pressure- 7 Blood Pressure Secrets Doctors Won’t Tell You

Do you know how to cure high blood pressure with no medication? Most people would probably say to eat healthy (lower your salt-intake) and make sure you exercise. Unfortunately, most doctors tell you this and forget to tell you the other treatments you can be doing to lower your score and eventually be med-free.

The truth is that doctors are educated in medical schools were natural health and simple 'common sense' secrets are not taught. Unfortunately, medicine and antibiotics are only being taught because our medical industry is completely reliant upon pharmaceutical companies.

But new research is now showing the sometimes medicines are not the only treatment. In fact, some natural treatments are just as effective as their medicine counterpart.

Which is making some think, "Is there something doctors are NOT telling us?"

Naturally Treat High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure Medications (Diuretics, Beta Blockers, Alpha Blockers, and Vasodilators) work because they lower your blood pressure. The problem is that they make it look that you are healthy but are your numbers showing the truth?

High Blood Pressure medications work because they synthetically alleviate the pressure of the arteries and blood. For instance, with diuretics the blood will become less salty (less thick) and your pressure with drop. Another example would be beta blockers which synthetically cause the heart to beat slower.

Though these medications look good on paper, they are NOT treating the disease known as the 'silent killer'. In fact, they could be prolonging your life but they will never fully treat the disease. And statistics show that users will eventually die from the high blood pressure.

But what if you could naturally treat high blood pressure.

7 Hypertension Tips Your Doctor Won't Share with You

So you want to know, 'how to cure high blood pressure'? First, you need to know how to prevent high blood pressure holistically. Because curing high blood pressure starts with a holistic treatment. Holistically treating hypertension simply means using the 'whole' body to cure the problem. This is completely different than taking a pill to synthetically thin out the blood.

1. Three Miracle Minerals- If you are suffering from high blood pressure, you should be supplementing your diet with 3 miracle minerals that lower high blood pressure. Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium have been shown to help lower blood pressure.

2. Garlic- Garlic has been shown to benefit the heart, lower cholesterol and lower high blood pressure naturally. The compound in garlic, allicin, is thought to naturally lower high blood pressure. Find a quality supplement today.

3. Folic Acid- Vitamin B which is found in green leafy vegetables reduces homocysteine levels in the blood. This vitamin will lower the risk of heart disease and alleviate the pressure naturally.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar- Many or my customers have found success with apple cider vinegar which contains vitamins C, A, E, B1, B2 and B6, in addition to potassium, magnesium, and copper.

5. Relieve Stress- Do you know there are numerous ways to relieve stress? Breathing exercises, exercising, or reading a book are simple ways to relieve stress and lower high blood pressure. And there are even more than this!

6. Your Diet! You know the major Do's and Don'ts about high blood pressure dieting. Just remember to be eating your water-soluble fibers (fruits and vegetables). Fibers, especially water-soluble, will flush your system and plaque. Also, switch to whole grains! With less plaque in the arteries you will eventually be hypertension-free! Our HBP report goes into great detail about how you can treat hypertension with your diet.

7. Green Tea! It is loaded with antioxidants and research shows it lowers high blood pressure. Whether it is the 'relaxing' factor or the natural herbs in green tea, 1 cup of green tea will be helpful for your health!

Normalize your High Blood Pressure in 3 Weeks or Less

What foods should you be eating? What other vitamins are a must? What exercises are an absolute do? What herbs are making doctors scratch their heads? Why is chocolate now good for you?

Are you interested in lowering blood pressure naturally, with out drugs? We offer a 100% guaranteed, medical doctor-approved HBP Remedy Report which shares numerous natural health tips and guarantees to normalize your pressure in 3 weeks or less. If you are serious about living young again, please visit our How to Cure High Blood Pressure Website.

by: Joe Barton
http://www.articlecity.com/

A 5 Step Killer DB Workout For Amazingly Fast and Effective Results

When you purchase the fitness equipment, you also get a sheet of paper with a list of exercises to do. No wonder you’re frustrated and no wonder your equipment turns into another expensive clothes hanger.
Here is a solution for you.
For those of you who can’t or don’t want to go to the gym but want a fast and effective workout, here are five steps that will get you to achieve the best results:

Step 1: Spend some cash on dumbbells and bench
If you have got a few bucks available, then go to a fitness equipment dealer and purchase some dumbbells and an adjustable bench. For a woman, start with 3’s, 5’s, 8’s, 10’s, 12’s, and 15 lb. db’s. For a man, go for 50’s with the increment of 5 lb. for each db.

Step 2: Set up your workout space
The most popular choice is the basement, while bedrooms are a distant second. Whatever you choose will do, but the one thing you need to make sure of is that you are doing the exercise correctly. Set a full length mirror in your workout room, it will help.

Step 3: Set aside 30 minutes at least four times a week for strength training
You can also do workouts for 6 days; just make sure that you are splitting up between your body elements for each day to work out. For example, one day, do chest, back, biceps and calves and on the next day, do legs, triceps, abs and shoulders. Use the same arrangements for the 4-day workout. You can also do them during daytime.

Step 4: The db strength training routine
Here are the db exercises that helps to get the most muscles worked in less time:

Chest – db flat bench press

Hold the db’s and lie down on the bench. Press your lower back into the cushion. Lower your db’s so that they are next to your chest, then push up and in an arc until they are above your chest. Feel the stretch at the bottom and also feel your chest muscles working as you go up. Then lower and repeat it again.

Back – db bent over row

Hold the pair of db’s at your side when you stand up straight. Pull your shoulders back, and stick your butt out as you bend forward. Your back should be nice and flat. When the upper body is parallel to the ground with your arms straight, then you are in the starting position. Now, imagine yourself rowing a boat. Make use of the action to drag your db’s up and back then towards the hips. Then lower and do it again.

Biceps – db standing curl

Keep your arms straight and hold the db’s with palms facing forward. Then place the arms at sides and raise the db by bending your elbows only. Don’t include your back and shoulder in it. Bend the elbow and keep the arms straight.

Calves – Standing calf rise on basement step

Put your both feet on the step so that you can situate yourself on the balls of your feet. In this position, maintain your legs straight, abs tight and butt tucked in. then lower your heels to the ground by maintaining the tight position with the rest of your body. Rise up as far as you can, up to the tippy toes. Then lower and do it again.

Legs – db squat for guys and lunge for women

For the squat position: keep your db’s at the sides. When you lower yourself, pretend you are sitting down on the chair. You must stay on your heels. Also, keep your torso tight for a great support to your spine. You can push back yourself, when you feel bending too far ahead as you go down.

For lunges: Keep the db’s at your sides. Keep your torso as stiff as a 2x4 then take big step forward with one leg. Once your foot are planted, lower your hips so that you are about to touch the ground with your tailing knee, but actually you are not touching. Move forward with your front leg. Repeat all the sets with one leg before switching to the other.

Triceps –db triceps kickback

Come to a position of bent over row. Keep the arms steady by raising them at your sides. Then straighten your arms until they are straight as an arrow. Slightly bend your elbows and then straighten your arms. This step is the reverse action of db standing curl.

Shoulders – Standing db shoulder press

Stand straight and be tight to support your spine and lift the dumbbell until they are even with your ears. The position must be in the straight line from your left elbow to your right elbow. Drive the db’s over your head in an arc and make sure that you keep the db’s moving above your head, but not in front.

Step 5: Keep your attention on what you do, instead of what you haven’t done
Don’t be discouraged when you can’t achieve your target workout. For instance, if you do three workouts this week then keep your target as four for next. Be honest with yourself, because it’s you that matters. Adjust your lifestyle so that you can achieve your goal.

by: Neelima Reddy
http://www.articlecity.com

How To Find The Best Arthritis Specialist

When you’re looking for a medical specialist, it’s sometimes really difficult because you don’t know who’s good and who isn’t. Sometimes you can rely on a friend or relative who’s seen somebody… or you can call the local hospital because sometimes they’ll give you the names of people who specialize.
Unfortunately, these methods are not necessarily the best ways to locate somebody who is really skilled.
I’ve written a previous article on how to find an arthritis expert… and that should be mandatory reading if you’re looking for a top-notch person. (The 12 Things You Must Look For In An Arthritis Expert)
This new article will add a few other things.
Do you know what training an arthritis specialist (rheumatologist) has gone through? Let me tell you… Four years of college, four years of medical school, three to four years of internal medicine residency, and three years of fellowship in arthritis training. And several board exams have to be passed along the way culminating in the internal medicine boards and the rheumatology boards. Many candidates don’t pass the first time around.
You should ask if they passed the first time or not. You can maybe excuse somebody for not passing once (although even that is a bit much) but if they have had to take the exams over and over, then you might want to be a bit leery. After all you don’t want to see a doctor who’s a few fries short of a Happy Meal!
This article will give you the essential things you need to look for in an arthritis specialist.

1. Graduate of an American medical school. American medical education is still the finest in the world.

2. Residency training at a University teaching hospital.

3. Fellowship training at a top university or better yet, a biomedical research center like the National Institutes of Health.

4. Reputation. What do you hear about the doctor from his or her patients?

5. Education. Is this specialist still doing research and continuing to publish papers… the best do.

6. How many papers published- 25-50 is a minimum.

7. How does their practice run? Is the staff courteous, efficient, and do they seem to know what they’re doing?

8. Do the employees appear to enjoy their work? There’s nothing worse than walking up to a receptionist or other staff person who treats you like a piece of chuck roast.

9. When you are in the office do the physician and the staff give you informational literature about your case? Do they answer your questions?

10. Do they return your calls the same day?

11. When you start a new medicine do they go over the things should look out for as far as side effects?

12. Do they refer tough cases out? Often, a doctor who has ego problems may not refer out a patient who should be referred out. An arthritis specialist can’t be a specialist in all types of arthritis- there are too many of them. For instance, I am an expert in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. While I can take care of patients with mild lupus, I refer out more serious cases because I don’t really feel I have the expertise or the energy any longer to take care of these complicated patients… so I refer them to a University hospital.

13. Are they careful about checking laboratory tests regularly?

14. Is research being done? The best arthritis specialists do research. They have their hand on the pulse of what is happening in the forefront of their specialty.

15. Are they invited to speak nationally? Obviously, a person who is a nationally recognized speaker has the knowledge and respect to have earned this right.

16. Do they care? You can tell by how the doctor talks to you and follows up with you. Do they stay in touch? For instance, we send out a monthly newsletter to keep patients informed, entertained, and in touch.

17. Are they trustworthy? In your heart of hearts, do you feel they have your best interest at heart?

18. Are they cheap or are they expensive? Doctors who sign up with insurance plans are weak and usually second rate. The best arthritis experts don’t sign insurance contracts because they don’t want to work for the insurance company. They want to work for the patient and do what’s right for them. Not surprisingly, they also are expensive because they are the best. Remember… in life you get what you pay for.

Let’s face it… picking the right doctor isn’t like looking for laundry detergent. This is particularly true when it comes to arthritis, many forms of which can lead to crippling disability as well as early death.
The right arthritis expert can make the difference between your leading a long, productive, and enjoyable life… or dealing with a progressive, crippling, agonizingly painful existence.
Like Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it…”
It’s your life and your health that’s on the line.

by: Nathan Wei
http://www.articlecity.com/

Brainwave Entrainment” Can Help You Dramatically Improve Your Mental Abilities!

I am a great fan of Stephen Pierce and recently I came across his website in which he talked about Brainwave Entertainment. I think it will be worth while to disseminate such a crucial piece of information with people who are interested in good health.
I have just taken the few facts from this website in this article for everybody,s benefit:
Recently, professionals in the areas of psychology, neurology, medical health and self-help have begun utilizing the power of brainwave entrainment in their work with patients.
What is brainwave entrainment? It is a relatively young but rapidly growing field that involves the study of how altering brainwaves naturally can allow people to easily enter states of increased intelligence, creativity, relaxation, pure energy and more!
Here’s the science behind this incredible breakthrough: The brain is made up of billions of brain cells called neurons, which communicate with each other using electrical signals.
All of these neurons sending signals at once produce a large amount of electrical activity commonly called a Brainwave pattern, because of its “wave” or cyclic-like nature.
Researchers and scientists have found that different bands of brainwaves are associated with different mental states. For instance, the brainwaves of a sleeping person are much different than the brainwaves of an individual who is wide awake.
Years of research has shown that brainwaves not only provide insight into an individual’s mind and body, but they can be stimulated to actually change that person’s current state.
By causing the brain to produce or decrease specific types of brainwave frequencies, it is possible to bring about a large variety of mental states and emotional reactions.
How does this work? “Entrainment” is a principle in physics, where two cycles synchronize naturally with each other in order to work more efficiently. Entrainment is applied to chemistry, astronomy, electrical systems and much more – but can also be applied to the brain.
When the brain is provided with a stimulus, through the ears, eyes or other senses, it emits an electrical charge in response. This is called a Cortical Evoked Response. These electrical responses travel throughout the brain to become what an individual sees and hears.
When the brain is given a consistent, repeating stimulus, such as drum beats or flashes of light, the brain responds by synchronizing, or entraining, its electric cycles to the external rhythm. This is commonly called the Frequency Following Response (or FFR), and it can be used to effectively alter the brainwave pattern of the audience.
This I personally realised after listening to the scientifically proven Beta Brainwave Entertainment to understand that we have an all access pass to the high performance peak state that our world’s greatest achievers know intimately.
The EEG visual shown at the beginning of this article was taken while observing the effects of Beta Brainwave Entertainment on an independent listener. This visual reading not only proves that Beta Brainwave Entertainment works, but powerfully demonstrates how quickly your mind can be optimized and your cerebral functioning accelerated.
The Baseline (left-side) illustrates the listener’s brainwave activity prior to listening to Brainwaves. The Beta Increase (right-side) shows the considerable increase in beta activity after just 20 minutes of listening to Beta waves.
Brainwave research on cognitive performance has pointed to the mid Beta brainwave frequencies as the zone to create a super focus mental state, intellectual endurance, and optimize your brain to handle intensive task with high levels of mental stamina.
As you listen to your brainwaves will be entrained into the Beta brainwave zone and have you mentally fine tuned for success.
If you have ever dreamed of realizing your full potential and receiving all the benefits that will help you to quickly and easily unleash your mental powers and achieve your dreams. Listen to this audio and you will:
Sharpen your mental focus, attention, and concentration
Enhance your thinking speed and clarity
Improve your ability to remember and recall information
Increase your mental energy and alertness
And much, much more
you can be experiencing acute concentration, accelerated cognition and amazing mental states that the most focused and zoned achievers on the planet know.
Think of the tremendous impact this could have on your life! and improving your mental efficiency could:
Help you excel in your career
Improve the quality of your life
Improve your marriage
Make you more content
Make you more confident
And much, much more!

by: Sonika Gandotra
http://www.articlecity.com

Why Your Diet May Not Be As Rich In Iodine As You Assume

The trace mineral iodine is well known for its crucial role in enabling the body's manufacture of vital thyroid hormones, but it is also important for the health of the immune system and for optimal brain function. It is widely believed by many authorities that iodine deficiency should never be seen in the affluent West, although this problem affects millions throughout the developed world.

Some nutritionists argue, however, that this conventional view is too optimistic, because the content of all minerals in foods is heavily dependent on the mineral content of the soil from which those foods are derived. The assumption must therefore be that the continuing de-mineralisation of farm soils has led to a reduction in the amount of dietary iodine commonly consumed.

Fish and other seafood, however, remain a relatively rich source because these ocean creatures concentrate the sea's iodine in their flesh. Though not commonly eaten in the West, seaweed, or kelp, is also an excellent source of iodine for this reason, and is readily available in the form of a dietary supplements. Dairy products and certain meats may also be a good source, particularly where iodine is routinely added to farm animal feed. But in countries, including most of Western Europe, where animals are grazing fields growing on iodine depleted soils, levels are likely to be much lower.

So even in the West, those not including fish or seafood in their diets, and not using iodised or sea salt, may be at real risk of deficiency. In an effort to compensate for low levels of dietary iodine, the mineral has been routinely added to ordinary table salt in the US for many years. But the practice is not as common in the UK and other European countries, where specially iodised or natural "sea-salt" has been marketed more as a luxury alternative. The problem of insufficient dietary iodine has been compounded on both sides of the Atlantic, however, by increasing concern about the possible adverse health consequences, particularly high blood pressure, of excessive salt intake. Many nutritionists, however, regard these fears as exaggerated, and believe that any such potential problems are far less serious than the consequences of an insufficiency of iodine, and may be easily resolved by the use of the low sodium salt alternatives available.

Iodine, however, cannot in any case be regarded as a luxury. Its essential function lies in the production of the vital thyroid hormones; thyroxine, sometimes known as T4, and tri-iodothyronine, or T3. And as is well known, these hormones are crucially important in ensuring a healthy metabolic rate and the release of energy from food; so an underactive thyroid gland is commonly the villain in cases of excessive weight gain, particularly where this of sudden onset, and in cases of difficulty in losing weight even when following a sensible reducing programme. A healthy thyroid gland is also crucial for the optimal functioning of the immune system.

But perhaps even more importantly, iodine deficiency is also known as a major cause of avoidable brain damage; a problem which the World Health Organisation has estimated to affect an astonishing 50 million people worldwide. Sadly, many of these cases occur in children whose mothers were iodine deficient in pregnancy, resulting in a condition of severely retarded brain development known as congenital hypothyroidism, or "cretinism". Even where such catastrophic consequences are avoided, iodine deficiency in childhood may also have serious effects on the developing brain, leading to low energy and motivation for learning, and measurable impairment of IQ scores.

Since 2001 the Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute of Medicine (FNB) has prescribed a Recommended Dietary Allowance for iodine of 150 mcg for all individuals over 14, rising to 220 mcg for pregnant women and 290 mcg for those breastfeeding. Somewhat confusingly, however, an excessive consumption of iodine is also associated with a malfunctioning or enlargement of the thyroid gland, as well as mouth ulcers, headaches and gastric upsets, and the FNB therefore advises an upper safe limit for daily iodine consumption of 1,100 mcg for adults. Most people eating a conventional Western diet are unlikely to exceed this level.

With the possible exception of pregnant and breastfeeding women, people in the West who use liberal quantities of iodised salt as a regular seasoning are unlikely to need further supplements. But many commercial multi-mineral preparations contain iodine in reasonable quantities, usually in the form of potassium iodide, and whilst not perhaps strictly necessary, such supplementary doses will do no harm and may be regarded as a useful insurance policy given that, like all minerals needed by the body, iodine functions best in the presence of adequate supplies of all the others. And it should be particularly noted in this context that the effects of any deficiency of iodine may be intensified by any deficiency of selenium, iron or vitamin A.

BY : Steve Smith
http://www.articlecity.com/

Acne Fact and Fiction! Do Stress, Facials and Concealer's Help to Promote or Reduce Acne Breakouts?

What is Acne? People have differing opinions as to what acne really is. So, what exactly is acne? Do a couple of occasional but recurring zits qualify as a case of acne or do you have to have a lot of zits?

Believe it or not, the answer is that occasional pimples or zits do not constitute a true case of acne. Although zits do seem to have the ability to appear almost instantaneously and at the most inopportune times like picture day, prom night, spelling bees, sporting events, dates, and special award ceremonies, they are not a true acne outbreak.

The dictionary defines acne as "an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands, characterized by comedones and pimples, especially on the face, back, chest, and, in severe cases, by cysts and nodules resulting in scarring."

The anatomical definition of sebaceous glands is: "small subcutaneous glands usually connected with hair follicles. The follicles secrete an oily semi-fluid matter, composed in great part of fat, which softens and lubricates the hair and skin."

Real acne outbreaks are actually a disease of the skin. However, the great news is that acne is treatable. Although it can be very embarrassing, cause great emotional distress, and lower your personal self-esteem for a period of time, acne is not fatal.

There are new and effective treatments being sought by researchers and great advances have been made in the treatment of acne in the last few years. Years ago, when a person had acne, they were pretty much stuck with the problem. There were very few treatments available and the medical profession didn't even consider acne a disease.

It was long thought that acne was the direct result of a diet that was too high in fat and/or sweets. That is no longer the case. Acne is most often associated with puberty and the onset of pre-teen and teenage years but it can and does develop in adults as well. When acne does finally heal, there can be permanent scars left (from picking and popping) that are unsightly and cause patients to suffer long term emotional distress and low self- esteem.

New and very effective skin resurfacing treatments have been developed over the last several years that have, if not completely removed acne scars, at least diminished their appearance and severity.

Acne Fact or Fiction:

You can hear a lot of tall tales about acne today, so let's take a look at the fact or fiction of acne. It is always better to be well armed with factual information so that you don't get fooled by the fictional facts that surround acne.

Fictional Fact #1: Acne is caused by a lack of sexual activity.

Factual Fact: Acne and sexual activity are two entirely separate issues. One has no bearing on the other. Hormones secreted during puberty and young adulthood does have a bearing on acne. They also have a bearing on sexual arousal and activity. However, acne has no bearing on sexual activity nor does sexual activity have any bearing on acne.

Fictional Fact #2: People have acne because they are dirty.

Factual Fact: Dirt has no part in acne. Dirt is dirt. Acne is acne. One has nothing to do with the other. Acne is a build up of oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Dirt isn't involved. Keeping the face clean can and will help to prevent clogged pores but dirt does not cause acne.

Fictional Fact #3: Dermatologists can cure acne.

Factual Fact: Dermatologists can TREAT acne. They can help to alleviate the symptoms and help to clear up the pimples, black-heads, and white heads. They can prescribe antibiotics and topical ointments, lotions, and creams that will help but there is no cure at this time for acne.

Fictional Fact #4: Acne is simply a skin problem.

Factual Fact: It's true that acne affects the skin but it can also affect the way a person sees himself or herself. Acne and the scarring it can leave behind may cause a sufferer to become depressed and develop low self-esteem, both of which can lead to larger and more complex life socialization problems. Acne sufferers need the loving support and reassurance from their family and friends.

Acne and Stress:

Can stress actually cause acne? There is ample evidence available to suggest that stress can most assuredly cause an acne breakout or make an existing breakout worse. Our bodies are highly developed chemical laboratories that produce all sorts of stuff.

At puberty, our body begins to produce an abundance of male hormones and this happens in both boys and girls. This overproduction of male hormones can happen at other times in life besides puberty; for example, when a girl or woman starting or stops taking birth control pills.

These male hormones cause the bodies sebaceous glands to shift into overdrive and begin producing sebum. The sebum then travels up hair follicles, clogs the pores and begins the acne development cycle. However, male hormones are not the only cause for the sebaceous glands to begin producing an overabundance of sebum. When we become extremely stressed or overly emotional, our bodies react by causing the adrenal glands to produce a substance known as Cortisol, which is released directly into the bloodstream. Then the chemical chain reaction continues as the sebaceous glands release sebum, the sebum travels up the same hair follicles, clogs the pores and acne develops.

The physical changes in the body can cause exactly the same chemical chain reaction as the emotional changes in the mind. The mind/body connection is very real. Maybe some of it really IS in your head. If that's the case, there is help available to help people deal with the acne that is caused by stress. Reducing stress will just naturally reduce sebum production by the sebaceous glands and reducing sebum production will help to alleviate an acne breakout. Therefore, when you learn to reduce and control you stress levels, this part of the chemical chain reaction is minimized.

It really it isn't any different than restoring a hormonal balance to your body that reduces sebum production. So, in the final analysis, both factors that cause excessive sebum production should be addressed. Solving one problem might help; however, solving both problems could eliminate acne altogether.

Acne Facials:

If you are part of the 95 of the population who suffer from acne, you have more than likely seen TV or print media advertisements for acne facials. Have you ever wondered if there is anything to the claims that their manufacturers make?

In general, the answer is yes! Most acne facials are very effective, pretty much worth the price, and can be used in conjunction with your usual acne fighting regime. They won't necessarily replace any part of what you are already doing; but, rather enhance the overall effects.

You can find acne facials in most health stores, at many cosmetic counters, and online. As a matter of fact, you can probably complete a better comparison of available products online than you can anywhere else.

Most of these acne facial products provide for a three-step program. The first step is a complete facial cleansing. The next step is a steam massage. The final step is a facial mask. The first two steps are designed to prepare the face. The steam massage softens the black heads and the white heads to remove toxins from your skin. The facial mask serves to remove the dead skin cells from the face and to moisturize it as well. The overall effect of the acne facial is a very relaxing, calming, and cleansing experience. It just plain feels good. Anything that helps to calm and sooth your stress can't be bad because we all know that acne is aggravated by high stress levels. Acne facial masks can be used in addition to other parts of your acne prevention and treatment regime or you may find that the facial can, in fact, actually replace some things that you are currently doing.

Acne Concealer's:

One of Newton's laws of physics laws says that, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." That law of physics spills over into a lot of our life situations. For example: A young woman gets a zit and wants to cover it up. The cosmetics industry has a multitude of products designed to do just that. Okay, that's a little far out there but you get my point.

The acne pimples, whether they are white heads or black heads should never be picked at or popped. If they are popped or picked, it can and normally does result is a scar that is much harder to get rid of than the actual pimple, black head or white head. Popping a pimple is not going to make it go away. In fact, popping a pimple is only going to make the acne worse.

Still when you get a zit, you have to go out and face the world so you are looking for ways to make your skin look clear. You want to disguise the zit and make it as unnoticeable as possible. Here is where the cosmetic industry can help. There are a multitude of products designed to make a zit less noticeable. You don't want to use a product that just adds to the problem by adding additional oil to already oily skin. So, you do need to remember, that when you use a cover product to make the zit less noticeable, you need to totally clean the product from your skin immediately when you return home.

Some of the better known as well as more effective cosmetic concealer's on the market today are:

1. Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Concealer: This product produces a smooth matte appearance and was designed specifically for covering acne blemishes as well as for covering Rosacea and dark circles under the eyes.

2. Flawless Skin by Prescriptives: This product will not aggravate acne but will supply a medium to full coverage and it contains SPF 25 for protection from the sun.

Don't let acne control you; but rather, become smart and learn how to control the negative influences in your life that create a positive situation for acne to develop!

by: Stephen M. Seabrook

Benchmarking : How To Make The Best Decisions For Your Practice

Today more than ever before, medical practice management is not just about caring for your patients - it is also about running a successful business. If you lack efficiency, your quality of service will ultimately suffer. To thrive, you need to make informed decisions, but this can be a challenge. After all, as the saying goes, "You don't know what you don't know." Without a way to measure relevant financial and operational indicators, you might find yourself relying on educated guesswork. Thankfully, there is an alternative to good guessing: benchmarking - a strategic management tool that helps evaluate effectiveness and fosters goal-setting.

Essentially, benchmarking provides a snapshot of the performance of your business and helps you understand where you are in relation to a particular standard. If your accounts receivable are averaging a sluggish 54 days and you're wondering whether this is normal, benchmarking can show how you compare to your specialty's average at just 45 days, signifying not only that you're trailing behind your peers but that a reduction should be achievable. Or, if you find that your patient wait times have increased, benchmarking can help you find the optimal balance between same-day and future appointment openings. Benchmarking can even help effectively manage your successes. Suppose you know your practice is gaining new patients at an astonishing rate. Only by analyzing this growth will you be able to easily predict whether it is time to hire another full time employee, or if this is just a short-term spike in workload.

So, what exactly should you be benchmarking? In a nutshell, the statistics and trends you need to gather can be broken down into two categories; operational and revenue-related.

Operational benchmarking

Benchmarking your operations embraces everything from staffing and productivity to office flow and analysis of procedures performed. It will help you to uncover such details as:

* How many patients per month each provider is seeing,
* How many more procedures your practice is performing this quarter than last,
* Where the bottlenecks in office flow are
* What your patient retention rates are

All these factors impact the efficiency of your business. Once you know, say, the average number of statement reminders it takes before a patient pays their bill, you can work out when you should stop mailing reminders and turn the account over to collections. The savings in resources that these types of measures afford may seem slight, but added together over the course of several months it can transform your practice. Even managing relationships with referring providers, essentially a marketing exercise, can benefit from benchmarking - you will be able to give some impressive aggregate data to these providers that will help your practice stick in their minds.

One of the largest expenses in a practice comes in the form of payroll. Are you paying too much overtime or do you have too many employees to perform office operations that could be automated or even eliminated. I've seen many practices that are performing certain functions (i.e. logging patients manually) just because it has always been done that way. If it doesn't serve a purpose, it should be eliminated.

Revenue benchmarking

Similarly, revenue-related trends and statistics - whether concerning reimbursement, claim rejections and denials, the collections process or payer trends - can reveal the financial health of your practice and what steps you need to take to control it. Monitoring payer contracts, specifically, the contracted reimbursement rates for each procedure, may seem like a lot of extra work, but is a vital part of maximizing your revenue. A 2004 survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) found that practices that don't keep track of their payer contracts are reimbursed on average four percent less per evaluation and management (E/M) code billed. Thinking that a payer will always stick to the rate quoted in your contract without any input from your practice can be a costly mistake to make.

More general payer trends are also important to monitor because they are likely to indicate a parallel trend in your revenue. Armed with this knowledge, you can negotiate more skillfully when your payer contracts are up for renewal. The composition of payers is also an important factor, albeit one that is more difficult to influence. Consider a practice that has a stable number of patient visits per month. If the composition of payers shifts from a majority of commercial to a majority of government and self-payers, accounts receivable days are likely to increase and total revenue is likely to decrease. If you are proactively keeping track of these changes rather than just waiting until it is reflected in your cash flow, you can implement reimbursement policies to safeguard your practice.

Set goals

For benchmarking to be effective, however, it can't just be about measuring â€" it also should involve active goal-setting. To be able to set realistic goals, you need to evaluate:

* How efficient your practice is currently
* How much you have improved over time (compared to your own past data)
* How far you still have to go

Your own practice is the first best reference point - compare this month to last month as well as the same time last year. What has changed? In particular, focus on a workflow audit and an analysis of how much you are putting in compared to how much you are getting out. How quickly can you process payments and charges? What percentage of the amount you bill is never reimbursed? Which payers are rejecting the most claims?

Secondly, look outside your practice if you can. Be as diligent as possible about finding data that is specifically relevant to your specialty and type of practice. For example, a drop-in women's health clinic will not provide the best comparable data to an appointment-only OB/Gyn practice, even if the provider and staff numbers are similar.

Use analysis provided by associations such as:

* The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)
* The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
* Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA)
* The National Association of Healthcare Consultants.

In addition, look for information about best practices within your specialty. Subscribe to peer-reviewed trade journals and network as much as possible through local peer organizations, trade associations, software user meetings and opportunities within your specialty societies.

Be Compliant

In an increasingly regulated industry, benchmarking also has the added benefit of helping practices comply with the guidelines issued by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). These guidelines were issued to assist physician practices and third party medical billing companies to file claims more accurately, prevent fraud, and avoid conflicts with federal health care law. The seven steps that the OIG lists as integral to creating a compliance program are:

1. Conducting internal monitoring and auditing
2. Implementing compliance and practice standards
3. Designating a compliance officer or contact
4. Conducting appropriate training and education
5. Responding appropriately to detected offenses and developing corrective action
6. Developing open lines of communication
7. Enforcing disciplinary standards through well-publicized guidelines

Benchmarking takes care of steps one and two; because it provides more structure, benchmarking also lays a solid foundation for establishing procedures, highlighting required action steps, and other elements that are in line with the guidelines. By following the guidelines, your internal controls not only help you stay in compliance with applicable statutes and regulations, they also benefit your practice by increasing efficiencies and reducing errors and optimizing employee performance.

Let technology do the hard work

Of course, it is one thing to know what you should be doing and quite another to implement it. I still talk to physicians who insist that they just haven't enough time to benchmark with this level of detail. There is one straightforward solution to this problem: automate your practice. The right practice management software will not only make benchmarking much easier (running reports takes seconds rather than hours), but it will also streamline your workflow and maximize your revenue so that the goals that you've set become much more attainable. Generally, the cost of automating your practice is quickly recouped. One option would be to choose a lower-cost Internet-based solution that doesn't require purchasing expensive servers or hiring IT support.

The most important aspect of your business that a good practice management system can help with is the claims process. Choose a software solution that has claims scrubbing ability. This way, any errors on a completed CMS 1500 form will be detected before the claim is submitted, meaning that you won't have to deal with re-submitting returned forms several weeks later and the billing black hole that this sometimes can lead to. A practice management system should have all the different requirements of each payer stored and be dynamic so that as requirements change, so does the software. For instance, as of this writing, if you submit a claim for a patient over the age of 100 to Medicaid of California, the software needs to know that currently, the payer will only accept the claim if all dates are in six digit format (mmddyy) except in box 19, where an eight digit date is required. Being able to track how actual reimbursement compares to the contracted amount for each payer also simplifies this important aspect of benchmarking.

People power

Finally, the one thing that single-minded physicians occasionally forget when implementing a benchmarking system: the success of a practice can depend on its staff. You can't single-handedly be effective at benchmarking without the buy-in of your employees. Sharing the benchmarks of your organization with your employees is also vital to their performance! If they are unclear about what is expected of them, how will they know whether they are doing a good job? Drawing up job descriptions for your seasoned employees may seem unnecessary, but clarifying responsibilities can help tremendously. Explain what you are trying to achieve with benchmarking and how they can help. Share your goals!

Knowledge, no matter what your profession, is power, and keeping your finger on the pulse of your practice is an obvious first step in keeping it healthy both financially and operationally. Being a physician in the twenty-first century may involve some juggling of roles, but benchmarking and setting sensible business goals will ultimately reduce the challenges that it presents.

by: Sherri Dumford
http://www.articlecity.com/