Archive for February, 2010
February 28th, 2010 at 07:22pm
Under Pets
Before getting a dog, you will need to make a number of decisions, including selecting the breed and type of dog you would like. You may have in mind the ideal appearance, color, type and temperament, but would the type of dog you have in mind fit without any problems into your family’s lifestyle and fulfill your expectations?
What’s the difference?
Picking a pedigree or non-pedigree dog is your decision. However, armed with a fair amount of knowledge you are in the best position to make an informed choice and, therefore, end up with a pet that fulfils all your basic requirements.
Some pedigree dogs are known for certain character traits, such as a laid-back attitude, tolerance and a strong affection for humans, and this can make the job of choosing a dog easier if you do your homework well.
The options
Dogs are available in three varieties:
- pure-bred (pedigree).
- cross-bred (pedigree parents of different breeds).
- mongrel (a dog with one or both parents cross-breds or mongrels).
Cost may influence your choice, but bear in mind that pure-breds are not necessarily superior to cross-breds or mongrels - indeed in terms of health the reverse is generally true, as many pure-bred dogs are prone to physical and psychological problems caused by inbreeding.
What’s in a name?
Pedigree dog breeds are categorized into named groups to differentiate their particular uses, that is, what they were originally bred to do.
Longhaired breeds need correct grooming on a daily basis to remain matt-free, healthy and looking good.
Your lifestyle
This determines, to a great extent, what sort of pet you should be looking for/In the dog’s lifetime, you are responsible for his health and well-being.
Some breeds, compared with others, are high-maintenance, so only consider these types of dogs if you are able to provide daily care and attention for them for the next 15 years or so. If you get a dog with a coat that needs a lot of grooming, or requires clipping on a regular basis, you must be prepared to learn how to care for his coat properly
If you choose an extrovert, energetic type with high exercise needs, then you must have the time to cater for him. Such considerations may seem obvious, but animal welfare organizations still have to cope with thousands of unwanted animals that their owners felt unable to care for.
The right dog for you
Pedigree dogs are not necessarily more loving, clever or naughty than other dogs, and each breed’s appearance is a matter of taste. Working dogs tend to be more demanding of their owners, companion dogs tend to be more laid-back and cross-breeds tend to be generally thought of as being ‘hardy’.
Whatever the type or breeding, an animal’s character is also determined by the way it is reared and its handling by humans. Whether you get a pedigree or non-pedigree dog, the costs of neutering, vaccinating, feeding and caring for him will be just the same. The only difference will be in the initial cost of acquiring him.
Whatever type of dog you get, you will need to learn how to train a puppy to make sure you build a strong and loving relationship between the two of you. One of the first things you will need to learn is how to house train a puppy, so check out these puppy training tips and get started right away.
By Kym
February 26th, 2010 at 02:26pm
Under Health and Fitness
Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between OCD and a phobia. There is a sense in which most Anxiety sufferers have an obsession - if you spend all your time worrying about having a panic attack, or finding a spider, or meeting someone in the street, then you are obsessed to a certain extent. And you could say that behaviors such as constantly checking a room for spiders, or crossing the road to avoid a meeting, have an element of compulsion to them.
But there is an extra dimension to OCD, which is the link between the obsessions and the compulsions. A person with OCD usually has a strong feeling that they need to carry out their compulsions or else some dreadful consequence will ensue, and almost always they also feel that they must do their compulsions in a certain way, like a ritual.
So, if you are afraid of spiders and you need to check each room for them, then you have a phobia. If you feel that letting a spider be in the room is likely to bring bad luck, or harm to yourself or your family, and if you also check the room in the same way each time, then you have OCD. Similarly, someone who is anxious about the security of their home might double check that they have locked the door, whereas someone with OCD might check repeatedly, locking and unlocking.
OCD can exist alongside other Anxiety disorders, for example social and health phobias, and also depression.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
This is caused by exposure to danger or abuse. It is classified as an Anxiety disorder although it relates to events that have happened in the past rather than fears about what may happen in the future. Most people who experience traumatic events such as road/rail/air accidents or incidents involving violence can expect to have at least some disturbing physical and emotional reactions associated with shock and horror.
Usually these are short-lived. Support from family and friends, with possible short-term professional help is usually enough to help them through it. A very few people go on to develop PTSD, where they continue to have strong reactions over a long period, usually feeling that they are re-living the trauma and unable to resume their normal lives.
PTSD needs professional treatment so we don’t recommend attempting self-help.
Children and young people
This site is intended for use by adults dealing with their own Anxiety. Where children are concerned, although they may be having problems which show many of the same features as adult Anxiety disorders, we do not recommend trying to adapt a self-help approach without getting advice.
Most children go through phases when they are frightened of particular things - these are part of their normal development and are usually outgrown. If problems do persist way beyond the expected age or cause severe disruption to the child’s everyday life and forming of relationships, some professional help and guidance may be needed.
It is advisable to get a proper assessment which takes into account the child’s general health, overall development and any factors within the family or environment which might be contributing.
Keeping an anxiety diary
It’s time to get out your notebook and start keeping a diary. An Anxiety diary is a simple record of your anxious feelings day by day. It’s important that you write down your Anxiety scores at least twice a day, but there is no need for you to try to account for every minute of the day. But don’t leave it till the end of the week and then try to remember everything, because you won’t remember accurately enough.
Even doing it every day you will find that you tend to record the bad times, and ignore the comparatively good times. The important thing is to learn to assess your Anxiety by scoring it. Be honest, only you will ever see the diary.
Get these free tips for overcoming anxiety attacks and finally learn how to conquer your anxiety symptoms once and for all.
By Kym
February 25th, 2010 at 05:51pm
Under Health and Fitness
It will take a very comprehensive article begin to show realistically the promise of laser eye surgery and other refractive surgery treatments - the power of these highly-technical, life-changing procedures to correct focusing errors such as common nearsightedness. Unfortunately, many people are learning about the popular state-of-the-art LASIK operation through mass advertising campaigns. Some marketing methods can be misleading. Although “sound-bite” commercials help make people aware of this innovative technology, they are unable to tell the whole story.
For example, TV and radio advertisements seldom explain refractive surgery’s effect on age-related presbyopia (a condition causing blurry near vision that affects middle-aged and older people). Nor can short commercials present details about potential complications.
Many LASIK eye surgery newspaper articles begin with a happy story about a thrilled patient praising their new miracle vision and end with a sad case about a different person with a poor result. While most people get excellent results, problems absolutely do occur.
Complication rates can vary considerably among doctors, depending upon their surgical skill, their training, and their understanding of their laser. A corneal surgeon - an ophthalmologist specially trained to operate within the cornea’s multiple layers - may have an advantage performing LASIK eye surgery. The newer flying-spot lasers may decrease the chance of problems.
Statistics can be confusing. You may wonder what is covered in the “complication rate.”
- Does it include “undercorrections” where the patient’s eyesight after surgery remains a little near- or far- sighted?
- What is the rate of rare serious infections that must be treated immediately with antibiotics?
- Are the complications temporary or permanent?
- Can they be surgically corrected?
Some complications can be managed immediately during the corrective eye surgery, some are temporary, and some can be permanent.
You need to be able to select a doctor with the lowest possible complication rates for the procedure that you are considering.
Keep in mind that a physician may have a distinguished career in general ophthalmology, yet still be inexperienced at performing LASIK. LASIK eye surgery looks deceptively easy to perform, but it requires great technical finesse. The surgeon’s learning-curve is steep and endless. LASIK has the potential to help millions of people, but the reputation of a procedure is only as good as its worst results. As much as humanly possible, doctors and their informed patients must reduce surgical risks to a minimum.
You may be fascinated with the idea of improving your vision, but you probably fear an operation on your eyes - especially after reading about a poor outcome in the popular press. Knowing the right questions to ask can help you achieve your goals and reduce your anxiety. Of course, caution is always prudent. But I believe that patient education is the key to managing the fear of refractive laser eye surgery.
Such knowledge should enable you to use this sophisticated medical technology to your benefit.
After researching your options you should begin to think more as an expert does. You will gain a better understanding of how your remarkable eyes work. You will have more insight into the benefits and risks of the operations mentioned above. You will know key questions to ask your doctor to see if you are a good candidate for refractive laser eye surgery. My goal is to help you make an informed decision about your eyes. Only then can you decide if the benefits are worth the risks, considering your lifestyle.
Do you want to have refractive surgery? Which kind? Are you a good candidate? If so, which procedure is right for you? And of paramount importance to your future vision, who should be your doctor?
By Kym
February 23rd, 2010 at 02:25pm
Under Health and Fitness
Starting a detox diet is in ideal time to get other areas of your life in order and under control again. A total body detox need not just be about changing the foods you eat - clearing your head and your life is a very cleansing experience in it’s own right.
We all have ghosts or skeletons in our minds. We are full of ‘what if, ‘I wonder’, ’should have’ and ‘if only. If we used this time more effectively, doing something about our worries instead of just worrying, then we would clear a lot more space and create a lot more peace in our minds.
Because we believe there is nothing we can do to sort out the situation, we keep going over and over it in our minds and using valuable space that would be better used for something positive and constructive.
When we start a body detox program we can take this opportunity to clean the thoughts away or file them so that they can be used when we choose to use them, rather than springing to mind when we least need them to.
The first step is to note down all the things that:
You truly believe you cannot do anything about but want to, in order to clear them out of your thoughts.
You constantly think about and want to do something about.
Now you can start to make amends and clear your mind. Taking the situations and individuals one at a time, write them a letter. Make sure that you cover every issue that concerns you and make sure that you put in the letter exactly how you feel about the situation. Include anything that has resulted from this situation or incident and any repercussions that have occurred since then. Take every thought that creeps into your mind and put it down on paper.
Whatever you decide to do with these letters (store them, burn them, read them or even send them), you can rest assured that all your unsettled business is now settled. All your thoughts have been faced - they won’t have gone away but they have now been managed and you should feel really positive that you have taken some action.
In future make sure you ’sort’ your thoughts before they get too disruptive. If you can say what you feel, say it right on the spot so that it doesn’t fester. If you don’t want to say it then write a letter immediately and send it. The sooner you write, the less you will have to say because you haven’t had time to dwell on it and make a mountain out of a molehill. But do think before you write as, once it has been sent, it has been said!
Writing your thoughts down in a letter enables you to say anything to anyone, any time. The sooner you get your thoughts down on paper, the sooner they stop spinning round in your head.
By Kym
February 22nd, 2010 at 07:02pm
Under Health and Fitness
Every day we hear about new man made chemicals, toxins and pollutants being released into the environment that are polluting the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. Although the toxicity of our environment sounds terribly alarming, the good news is that the human immune system (our main method of fighting off threats to the body) is incredibly robust and very good at dealing with many of these poisons. The body also has its complex excretory system whereby it can eliminate toxins - through breathing, sweating, urinating and defecating. It is only when these elimination processes are impaired or compromised that we accumulate toxins in the body and have to endure the resultant debilitating symptoms.
Problems arise when you are in contact with toxins all the time, ingesting them bit-by-bit, often in minute amounts. It is their cumulative effect over a long period of time that is dangerous and can eat away at the body’s strength and core stability. If combined with stress, irregular sleeping patterns and eating hollow foods, the toxin will start to weaken your body, thus making it more prone to disease.
Strong and efficient though your immune and excretory systems are, you probably have (most of us do) a body that is suffering from toxic overload and are desperately in need of a detox.
How often, then, should you detox? If you are constantly absorbing these toxins, you need to be getting rid of them just as frequently. Should detox be a way of life? Yes, it should. If you have thoroughly cleansed your body but you are still exposing it to the same pollutants as before then, every so often, you need to embark on an internal spring-clean to remove all the particularly stubborn toxins.
A concentrated, deep-cleansing detox once or twice a year will keep your body’s level of toxicity under control and ensure that the more intransigent toxins are eliminated. You’ll notice the difference: as your bodily functions improve, you will, for instance, suffer far less feeling bloated or tired and those headaches will most probably vanish. Your digestive process will improve, your liver and kidneys will function more effectively, your blood will purify itself more easily and your hormone levels will find their perfect balance.
The effect of a full body detox diet is to allow your body to cope with external evils more easily; but, to achieve that, you have to stop putting them into your body in the first place. Because you can do nothing about toxins such as traffic fumes, over which you have no control, the basis of a healthy detox is to eliminate most of the toxins you ingest for a minimum period of three weeks. This has the effect of giving your body a rest from struggling to digest and eliminate poisons and also helping it to remove those already stored.
A healthy detox diet is a twofold process. First: you are going to alter the habits (eating, drinking and smoking) through which we all abuse our bodies and thereby create those symptoms of sluggishness, tiredness, hormonal imbalances, aching joints, headaches etc. This means eliminating potentially harmful toxins from your diet.
Second: you are also going to ensure that you use fewer chemicals in your make-up, homes, workplace, car, etc. You know that CFCs (those chemicals containing atoms of carbon, fluoride and chlorine which are daily released by such objects as hairsprays) are doing untold damage to the ozone layer, so imagine what they must be doing to your liver!
There are plenty of simple steps to take to minimize the damage. One of the easiest ways of reducing toxins coming into the house is by taking your shoes off and leaving them at the door. Studies have shown that one of the main transporters of lead into the home is the shoe. It is extraordinary how seldom we think about the toxic-laden tarmac, dirt and other unknown substances found in the street that we pick up on the soles of our shoes and then cheerfully distribute through the home.
Discover the secrets the celebs use when it comes to healthy body detox diet programs that cleanse and detox your body and help burn fat at the same time. Learn how a simple milk thistle liver detox drink can rejuvenate your health and improve your complexion.
By Kym
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