What is TCM’s (TCM includes the practice of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine) take on the Swine Flu? Does it work? Now that summer is approaching we aren’t hearing much about this disease. It was more prominent during the cold weather and winter months. Let’ not forget it can be deadly and many have suffered at its hands. TCM treats swine flu, but also effectively treats other colds and flu bugs that occur and hamper our state of health. Summer colds and flu still abound. Learn how heal avoid or heal quickly from the “bug.”

Three Reasons to Consider Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to prevent or treat the flu virus!

# 1. IMMUNE SUPPORT- Acupuncture and herbal medicine have strong properties to support and keep your immune system strong.

If you invest time in yourself and your family now, you will be less vulnerable to any cold or flu bacteria or virus. Stress, fatigue, insomnia, or work environments make you more susceptible. Take good care of yourself so you are not run down. Acupuncture and/or an herbal formula made specifically for you are amazingly effective. Acupuncture opens up the pathways carrying Qi and blood to all parts of your body, organ systems, and brain. There is a Chinese saying that “When Qi and blood flow, there is no disease.”

This means that your immune system is functioning properly, ridding you of any overgrowth of bacteria or virus.

TCM treats all ages! Children are more often given a gentle herbal formula rather than acupuncture. Treatment is based on their age and temperament. If you are already running ragged… an appointment for an “acupuncture tune-up” will improve your energy levels.” It will be well worth it.

#2. SAFETY! TCM treatment has little or no side effects in comparison with Western pharmaceuticals that have major side effects and are hard on your liver and kidneys. If you get a cold or flu, generally you get well SOONER!! No need to be sick for weeks on end…no need.

Chinese herbal formulas are made specifically for your pattern of disease and symptoms. Be sure your practitioner uses herbs from FDA compliant herbal companies, and are of the highest grade, quality and consistency. Herbs are used to reduce fever, strengthen your lungs, resolve sinus infections and head congestion, are anti -bacterial, but more important ANTI-VIRAL. Western medicine lacks a solid antidote to virus. We have you covered!

#3. EARLY DETECTION SYSTEM- TCM treats what is perceived, felt or seen.

Western medicine needs a specific, identifiable diagnosis before treatment begins. Often a patient is sick or given ineffective drugs. The patient fails to improve, so a second round of the same drugs are given. The overuse of antibiotics is one problem, and not properly identifying the “bug” is a second problem.

This loss of time means that your body weakens, spiraling downward into more disease.

If you feel sick, weak or tired use TCM to turn that spiral around, to create stronger health and a bullet-proof immune shield. You will avoid sickness, minimize it if you do get sick, or move through it quickly if you are already infected. Bottom line— minimizes your risk!

Bridging the gap between Western and Eastern medicine improves patient care! Use all the tools in your health toolbox regardless of the season.

Everybody knows what migraine headaches are, or know someone that suffers from them. The fact is that while we may have a general idea on just how debilitating this condition can be, we don’t know the actual facts. Would you believe that one in four Americans, mostly women, are suffering from a migraine headache right now? The effects of migraines are not just seen in your quality of life, the entire country is feeling it. Migraines cost this country 112 million work days a year, and employers over $13 billion dollars annually in sick days and work health care costs. This is because the average migraine sufferer experiences 35 attacks annually, and it just knocks them right out. So if you can’t afford to miss any more work because of those nasty headaches, read on to find out more about your headache, and how to treat it effectively.

Most migraine sufferers know of what they refer to as a “trigger”. This could be anything from an extreme weather change, to red wine, chocolate, fatigue, stress, or any number of factors. What happens when you come across one of your headache triggers is a change in circulation in your brain. A migraine is caused by the enlarging of the blood vessels in your head whenever you have one of those trigger moments. When your blood vessels enlarge, your brain will release neurochemicals that will then coil around the larger arteries in your brain. The end result is inflammation, pain, increased artery size, and a big ol’ headache. If you are a migraine sufferer, staying away from your trigger points will be a key element in prevention. But if one of those trigger points is extreme weather or a lifestyle factor, more often than not you just won’t be able to avoid it.

Typically migraine headaches last up to 72 hours, and even longer for some people. Typically treatment involves with migraine medication that will target those blood vessels and allow for constriction to relieve the pressure in your head. Unfortunately some meds will work and some won’t, and they can be very expensive. Very often the treatment of choice for migraine sufferers is pain management medication with over the counter migraine medication, narcotic pain medication, or treatments such as Ultram. Those that don’t find too much disruption in life with their headaches will be able to use over the counter analgesics and anti-inflammatories to target the blood vessels in their brain. When quality of life is impacted severely, the stronger prescriptions are recommended in order to get you back to work and life as soon as possible.

For millions of Americans narcotic pain medication has become the treatment of choice for migraine headaches. This method is effectively treating the condition, but is not doing much for the work force statistics, and is also creating another epidemic – addiction. If you are looking for a well tolerated, non addictive medication for your migraines, you will find treatment such as Ultram extremely effective in maintaining the quality of life you need, that is pain free.

You may also want to examine alternative methods or non medicinal routes of treatment in conjunction with your migraine medication or Ultram treatment. Relaxation methods such as yoga or meditation are very effective while you are resting on medication, lighting a calming scented candle, and using hot or cold packs (depending on your preference) will also be an additional soothing resource when you are suffering from migraines. No matter what treatment method you choose, what you need to know is that your life does not need to be put on hold. Migraine relief is closer than you think!

The common male problem with erectile dysfunction (ED) tends to grab all the headlines when it comes to human sexual impediments. However, there is an even more common problem that we have known about for centuries. People have talked and joked about it in TV, movies, Jane Austen novels, and elsewhere. It’s a women thing. Did you guess it yet? It’s the female orgasm!

It has been said, sometimes seriously, that it is a mythical creature. Men have been called lazy because they could not reward their women so. However, it is indeed very real and very achievable. It just happens that a great deal of women have a hard time achieving orgasm. While there is no doubt that improved communication, excitement, and prowess in regards to the partner will benefit female sexual pleasure, for some women there is only so much you and your partner can do before seeking out external help.

It is well known that drugs are out there to help the men, which in turn helps some women, but isn’t there anything out there for women?

Actually, yes! Some will say that you can use the same drugs that the men use.

This was rumored true for a while, but there were no real facts on the matter. Until just recently, it was all anecdotes and hearsay. Well, recent testing has suggested that Viagra for one can be partly effective at making it easier for women to find that elusive ultimate sexual gratification.

So how does it work?

ED drugs tend to work for men by increasing blood flow to the penis to promote and sustain erection. Though women do not get erections, it is possible that ED drugs can increase the flow of blood to the female sexual organs as well, which would heighten the nerve reaction to vaginal stimulation and bring about orgasm more easily.

Sexual arousal is far more complicated for women than men. However, it is unlikely that ED medication will make women less aroused, and the odds seem to be in the favor of satisfaction.

But is ED medication safe for women?

It’s impossible to say for certain without thorough clinical testing and FDA approval, but there is no concrete evidence to the contrary. While the male and female anatomy is different in the sexual arena, there is very little difference elsewhere. Every body is different, but it is unlikely that ED medications would have any side effects or reactions different from those for men. To be safe, it is important to talk to your doctor before taking any of these medicines.

Which should you take?

The drug most tested for women that has proved affective is Levitra. A clinical trial in the UK found that the amount of women whose sexual satisfaction and performance improved was 56%–twice the number of the placebo. Furthermore, 64% of women reported feeling greater sexual confidence. From here on out, it is certain that more research will go into Levitra being used for women and many medical professionals theorize that, with a bit of tweaking, Levitra can be made even more effective to help women reach their own personal Eden.

You get in bed at 10, 11 o’clock. Anxious thoughts race through your head and you know you’re not getting to bed anytime soon. So you try a bit more and get up for a while, maybe have a snack, read a book, watch TV, or surf the web. Maybe you catch up on some more work. Then you’re feeling tired enough to give it another shot, so you get in bed and sleep for an hour or so. Over the course of the night, you might get a few hours on and off.

Throughout the day, you take a nap or two. You might crash when you get home from work. Or, on the weekend, you sit in bed all day, sleeping from time to time.

And after this, it still feels like you didn’t sleep a wink! You’re exhausted!

Does this sound familiar? If so, you’re an insomniac, and you might be getting too much sleep. Sounds like a heresy, but studies have shown it is true.

Insomniacs tend to underestimate the amount of sleep they get throughout the day. On average, oversleeping insomniacs get 9 hours of sleep per 24-hour cycle. In reality, many people need just 7 hours, some 8, and a few 9.

For these people, by the time they get into bed at 10 or 11, they have already gotten hours of sleep here and there, so they just don’t need sleep at that point. This makes them frustrated, and over the long term they can develop anxiety over sleep.

This means that the problem for insomniacs really isn’t falling asleep; it’s staying awake throughout the day!

The recommended way to normalize a sleep cycle is the same as it is for adjusting to a new time zone.

1. Wake up at the time you plan to wake up everyday.
2. Do not take any naps during the day time. Do not drink any caffeine or have any stimulants 8 hours before bedtime.
3. Go to bed 7, 8, or 9 hours before you need to wake up-depending on what you think your body needs-and stay in bed until you fall asleep.
4. Wake up at the set time and do it all again.

The key to this plan is sticking to it. Eventually, you will be so exhausted that you will fall right asleep at 10 o’clock and you will get decent rest, so that you wake up at 6 am.

Now, for real insomniacs it isn’t this easy. You can control your environment-make it pitch black, super quiet, and relaxing-but that doesn’t guarantee you will sleep the night through. For these people, you can use medicine to help you get your sleep in one big chunk.

That’s what Ambien is great at. It puts you to sleep right when you need to be asleep and, with the extended release capsules, you can sleep uninterrupted, get all the necessary stages of sleep, and, once you wake up, not need so many naps throughout the day.

Ambien and Ambien CR have been tested and proven to help insomniacs gets the rest they desperately need. However, you have to know how to use it right.

Side effects caused by radiotherapy treatment vary greatly, depending on the area being treated, the number of treatments and the actual radiation dose your Oncologist has prescribed. In this article we have written about fatigue, a commonly experienced general radiotherapy side effects

Tiredness often occurs in patients who are having radiotherapy treatment and is caused by many factors. The 2 main ones seem to be from the treatment itself and also traveling back and forth to the hospital each day.

Tiredness caused by the radiotherapy treatment itself, is thought to be due in part to the type of toxins released during the breakdown of some of the cells within the treatment area. Drinking fluids to keep hydrated, appears to help flush these toxins out of your system. Eating regularly throughout the day, and not missing meals, will also help to maintain your energy levels.

The commute to the hospital is a necessary evil and mobile treatment machines are not possible because of the lead lined bunkers they need to be stored in. However, the radiographers should be able to alter your treatment times so they best suit your needs. It is important to listen to your body and rest when necessary.

Another thing to mention about tiredness, is that it’s not generally a problem that hits you out of the blue. Radiotherapy is accumulative and therefore if you are going to get tired it is likely to gradually build up and be at its most noticeable towards the end of your treatment and for a few weeks after your radiotherapy course has actually finished, as the radiation will still be working. Listen to your body and it will tell you when you need to slow down a little. Some people go through the whole radiotherapy treatment and get little or no fatigue – whereas others experience greater tiredness.

If you are struggling with being overweight or obesity, or if you even just want to lose some excess weight, the process can be very frustrating and stressful in itself. The last thing you want is to add more stress to your life, but yo yo dieting and following every weight loss fad out there will do just that. While there are many weight loss plans that are very effective for the short term, the frustration lies in the fact that they do not work for the long term. This article will help you step up your game plan a little and take weight loss seriously for the last time. Find out all you need to know in how to choose the best weight loss plan for your lifestyle right here.

No matter what you read or see on television, there is no magic pill that is going to burn away all of your fat. No magic pill, powder, or meal replacement that will do all the work for you. That’s the bad news. These types of programs are only considered band aid solutions when it comes to weight loss. Yes, they will help you in the short term, but when you want your weight gone for good, these will only burn your wallet, not your fat.

You may have also found that along with many long term programs such as Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, that the food servings are small and include a lot of pre-packaged food. You will not experience your long term weight goals by eating processed or packaged foods. Though these programs can be effective, you want to be sure that you are not engaging in any diet plan that eliminates an entire food group. Follow the national food guide regulations at every meal, and stay away from anything pre-packaged unless you are using this program in conjunction with another weight loss means.

We all hear about celebrities and stars cutting down on carbs to lose weight. Another popular weight loss trick is to cut out sugar, so which is it? The answer is that cutting out either carbohydrates (such as those breads, pastas, French fries, and other starches that you like) or sugars, WILL work towards your weight loss goals. But at the end of the day, your brain needs carbohydrate energy and energy from sugar in order to function correctly. If you are on a diet plan that eliminates these products, you may find yourself stressed and irritable by mid-afternoon, and decreased moods are not going to keep you on any weight loss plan.

Diet pills or prescription medication such as Phentermine have been found to be very effective in achieving long term weight loss goals when used in conjunction with a healthy eating plan. The key with these treatments is to increase your metabolism, and target those fat areas direction. Achieving fat loss is the only way to experience long term weight loss, and it’s not as tricky as you think. When it comes to true fat loss and long term weight maintenance, you really just need to get down to the basics with a sound food plan, with a few extra pushes from treatments such as Phentermine along the way.