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Tuesday 13 July 2010

A Diet Buddy Can Help You Lose Weight

By Allison Preston

Are you looking for a diet plan that helps you lose weight, then you should look for the help of a diet buddy. A diet buddy is a friend or co worker who your partner with to help each other lose weight. Many fitness experts know that if you have to account for your actions to a friend and yourself you are much more likely to stick to it and successfully lose weight.

Picking a diet buddy isn’t hard but it isn’t easy either. You need to find someone who you can trust and who is honest with you. You need someone who will tell you the two big Macs you had for dinner last night wasn’t a good choice, but won’t tear you apart either. You should find a person who has similar weight loss goals. If you want to lose 15 pounds and your buddy wants to lose 65 you aren’t that compatible. You should avoid choosing someone you live with if possible. The constant interaction and monitoring will make you feel like your every move is being watched. Instead try to choose a co worker or close friend to help you out.

You should also choose a diet buddy who you will see regularly. A really great strategy is to meet at the gym every morning and go for breakfast afterward. This way you can compare and talk about what’s going on and how you are progressing. If breakfast doesn’t work lunch is another good alternative. If you have a regular lunch date it will be much easier for you to say no when the office goes for Buffalo wings and nachos every Friday.

You and your diet buddy should set goals and rewards for each other. When you hit a weight goal go out and celebrate. Celebrate by shopping for a new outfit that shows off your weight loss, not by going out for a cheeseburger and milkshake. Remember you and your buddy are working together to help each other reach your goals you aren’t competing with each other. If you can shop for a new dress size or bathing suit don’t be smug about it to your diet buddy. Be supportive and help them, realize everyone’s body is different and some people take longer to lose weight.

Monday 12 July 2010

Acupuncture Eases Tension Headache Pain

By Rita Jenkins

Copyright 2005 Daily News Central

The ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture has proven to be an effective treatment for tension headache. It not only relieves pain, but also cuts rates of recurrence by almost half, a recent study indicates.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture therapy involves insertion of needles up to 3 inches deep into the body at prescribed acupuncture points, according to licensed acupuncturist Rong Zeng of the New York Good Health Clinic in Manhattan.

However, a new, randomized blind study in Germany involving 270 patients with a similar severity of tension headache has shown that a minimal course of acupuncture works almost as well as the traditional method.

Fewer Headaches After Treatment

Researchers divided the patients into three groups. Over an eight-week period, one group was treated with traditional acupuncture, another received minimal acupuncture (needles inserted only superficially into the skin at non-acupuncture points), and the control group had neither treatment.

The subjects were monitored for four weeks after their period of treatment. Those who had received traditional acupuncture care subsequently experienced seven fewer headaches. The group that had been given minimal acupuncture therapy had surprisingly similar results -- 6.6 fewer headaches.

The control group did not fare as well, with only 1.5 fewer headaches.

Improvements in headache rates continued for months after the acupuncture treatment, though they began to rise slightly as time went on.

Results Subject to Interpretation

Such a negligable difference in results between traditional and minimal acupuncture treatments possibly indicates that the location of acupuncture points and depth of needle insertion do not make a major difference for treatment of tension headache, the authors of the study suggest.

However, they caution that the possibility of placebo effects should not be overlooked.

"Placebo effect is a factor in all types of medicine," Dr. Zeng noted. In western medicine, for example, blind tests may reveal placebo effects that are similar to responses to trial drugs, she explained.

In any case, it is clear that the patients who received acupuncture treatment experienced fewer headaches. The possibility that placebo effect plays a role in acupuncture does not detract from its efficacy.

Sunday 11 July 2010

Acne Treatments For Black Skin

By Kirsten Hawkins

Your Guide to

Acne irritates and worries all kinds of people, especially the teens and young adults, all over the country. Acne actually does not choose a certain type of skin color to spread on. Thus, not only white American are prone to suffer this unbearable skin disorder. Black Americans are also at risk of having acne problems. And, this can be highly observable to many black skinned people, especially in the adolescence age. Thus, there is a need for acne treatments for black skin.

You should not however despair in anyway if you’re black skinned. There is always a cure to all your acne problems. There are actually so much acne treatments for black skin for you to choose from and fight that unwanted skin problem. In fact, there is almost no difference at all on acne treatments for black skin or white skin. You can even prepare one by yourself! Or, you can just buy a remedy right on the nearest store! In case you have an extreme acne problem, you are advised to consult your doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor should have one acne treatment for black skin that will truly exterminate that unwanted acne.

Black beauty maintenance
Sometimes the best way to cure something is to prevent it from coming in the first place. And, this actually holds true with curing acne. One of the good ways of acne treatment for black skin is to practice good hygiene. This comes with making it a habit to clean your face with a cleanser or a soap once or twice everyday to keep it clean and oil-free. However, you should not mistaken frequent washing as a good practice. This will actually expose your skin more with the harsh environment. In addition, you should choose carefully what things you'll apply on your skin. You should put down products that contain huge amount of isopropyl alcohol. This makes the skin dry and in turn will make your glands to produce more oil!

Let's Paste It!
Acne treatments for black skin can just be right at your home! Many fruits and vegetables are known for curing acne! Some of the most commonly used includes cucumber, lemon, lime, tea tree oil, honey, oats, tomatoes, orange and turmeric. All you have to do is to apply it as a paste or mask on your face and let it stay on for about 15-30 minutes then rinse. These will either help you take away excess oil or kill the bacteria that causes your acne. An enjoyable, light acne treatment for black skin!

It's all in the counter
You might be thinking that it is more safe and effective to just buy something as acne treatment for black skin. Like home-made remedies, there are so many non-prescription products that are out in the market. One of the most popular treatment is benzoyl peroxide that helps you kill that bacteria that gives you acne. It first dries the skin and then helps in shed to produce a new, healthier layer. Salicylic acid also helps you get rid of that unbearable skin problem. This time your pores are unclogged to encourage skin peeling.

Doctor, My doctor!
When it seems that all you’ve tried as acne treatment for black skin did not work, you should see and consult your doctor for some advice. This is especially advisable to those who had severe acne problems. Your doctor will surely give you more potent acne treatment for black skin! These maybe either topical or oral treatment. These will include azelaic acid, a good alternative to benzoyl peroxide, antibiotic lotions and oral antibiotics. He or she might also suggest LASER treatment as an effective acne treatment for black skin.