Mattresses and Sleep Systems

Have you ever thought how much effect mattresses can have on our lives? If you don't suffer from back pain or anysleep problems

, you probably never even give it a thought. But if you are suffering, you're probably doing a little research to try to solve your problems!

It's a fact that we spend almost a third of our lives in bed. So you'd think we'd all be well aware of how important it is that our beds and mattresses are healthy, comfortable places to support our bodies for this extended period of time. Yet when it comes to choosing mattress, most of us give it far less time than buying a lawnmower! When you think about it, mattresses can literally have a profound effect on our lives, so it makes sense that we should give them at least the same level of consideration that we happily give the purchase of a car!

Give a Little Thought to Mattresses

Far too many of us are sleeping on bagging, sagging mattresses that not only don't support us, but that may even be harboring bugs that could be affecting our health too. How many of us suffer allergies, and never stop to think that the cause, or at least part of it, could be the mattresses we are sleeping on!

Although traditionally made coil spring and horsehair mattresses are still the #1 type of mattresses sold anywhere, modern technology has given us some very interesting options. You can now get mattresses made of memory foam. This has some rather remarkable health properties. Sometimes also called visco-elastic foam, memory foam automatically adjusts itself to your body weight and temperature.

Memory Foam is a Great Alternative

This means that memory foam can offer everyone complete, luxurious rest because it supports the body the way it needs to be supported. The worst thing you can do to your back is sleep on a mattress that is too soft and dipping in the middle. Over time, it will almost certainly cause back problems. If you already suffer from back problems, you can expect them to worsen unless you do something drastic like buying new mattresses.

Latex foam mattresses are another option. This is another first choice for back pain sufferers because it offers a little more support than most conventional mattresses. The latest kind of latex foam mattresses are made from a special kind of latex that has unique channels in it for improved comfort and a healthier sleeping environment.

Taking Care of Mattresses

Your mattress is an investment, and you should learn to take care of it properly so that it serves you well. There is a way of caring for mattresses, once we've taken the correct amount of time to pick the right one for us, that will help keep them a healthy, sanitary place to get our daily rest, and will also help to ensure that they last for as long as they're supposed to. You should never sleep on your new mattress without first covering it with a sheet and at least one other layer to protect it from dust and spills.

A proper mattress protector is ideal, because it will prevent dust from getting a foothold. Apart from the fact that it feeds dust mites and even bed bugs, dust can actually start to cause wear on your foam mattress over time, so beware. In addition, we are all guilty of drinking tea or coffee in bed at some time or another, and it's all too easy to have an accident! It's far easier to protect your expensive mattress than try to clean it later.

Taking Care of the Details

Then there are the accessories that together with good mattresses can help to create the comfortable, welcoming atmosphere that can make the bedroom a place where we can get regular, deep satisfying sleep. The first step in this process is to learn to leave your cares at the bedroom door. Of course, it's a lot easier said than done. But routine is key to this trick.

In addition, make sure that you don't take work to bed. If you have difficulty sleeping, think about keeping the TV out of your bedroom. There should be nothing but cozy, comfortable soft furnishings, and your chosen bed. Make sure that the room is well aired, and neither too hot nor too cold. Ambient temperature is very important to us when we're settling down to sleep.

Herbal Candida Treatment

Candida is a health issues that causes discomfort and concern, and many people are seeking an herbal candida treatment that can really help. Herbs have been known for thousands of years to have powerful healing properties. Also, herbs are natural, and work to boost the body's own immune functions.

Candida is meant to exist in small amounts in healthy bodies, where it helps maintain healthy levels of intestinal flora. However, when it gets out of hand, and grows to levels that are no longer supporting the body's health, problems erupt. People who suffer from candida know that sustaining this ailment takes a lot of the body's energy, which is where an herbal candida treatment can help.

Herbal Candida Treatment Helps with Fatigue

This ailment is characterized by fatigue, rashes, yeast infections, and other uncomfortable symptoms. Fortunately, there are remedies out there that pack a powerful punch. The right herbal candida treatment will help to rebalance the levels of healthy flora in the body.

Our bodies get out of whack due to all of the stress factors in the environment, and an herbal candida treatment can help realign our bodies with health. Toxins, food that has been altered, environmental pollutants--all of these can lead our bodies away from health and well-being. It's important to keep a close eye on our health, and to gauge the effect that our lifestyles are having on our bodies.

Knowing that there are natural ways to combat this ailment should provide a sense of relief. Since we are experiencing this illness because of the effect of stresses that are tampering with our natural health, it makes sense that we don't want to take any more unnatural elements into our bodies. Herbs behave in strong, focused ways to support health and energy.

Get Information on Candida

There is all sorts of good information out there for people who are suffering from candida, as well as on how well an herbal candida treatment can work. Information on food allergies, chronic fatigue, brain fog, and adrenal insufficiency is now fairly easy to get hold of. Any immune deficiency need to be attended to, and it is becoming easier and easier to take care of our needs for balancing candida.

We know that any illness we have takes a lot of energy to sustain. People with candida can feel especially fatigued, but an herbal candida treatment can begin the turnaround toward more robust health. Good candida remedies can help people regain the energy that they so sorely need.

Herbs are used around the world as powerful healers. Herbs have concentrated nutrients, power, and energy, and are highly effective in fighting a number of diseases. An herbal candida treatment has every chance of success, and can boost a body's natural ability to get and stay healthy.

Chocolate And Sex

I have heard many women joke about chocolate being the next best thing to sex. Some people think it a better alternative to sex. Since nobody I know or have read about engages in any kind of sexual activity with the chocolate itself, what is it about chocolate that causes such a response in people?

Is it the smell and taste of chocolate that sends our senses into a fiery frenzy, thereby recreating the sensory stimulation achieved during sex? Maybe it's the sugar rush attained after eating chocolate. Or maybe it's a combination of the sensual delight of chocolate combined with a chemical response in the body.

Obviously the latter reason is correct. When one eats chocolate, the body releases an amino acid that stimulates the brain to make phenyl ethylamine: the same chemical released when we fall in love. If one is looking for an endorphin rush, chocolate is the ticket. One can obviously enjoy this kind of rush without any societal stigmas, any commitment, and one can roll over and go to sleep immediately without fear of hurting a partner's feelings!

Chocolate as an Aphrodisiac

Have you ever stayed in a nice hotel and experienced a turn-down service? In the evening, the maids go around the rooms, they close the curtains, and they remove the main cover on the bed and turn down the sheets. In some hotels, they place a small flower on the pillow, or better yet, a fine piece of chocolate. Not only will the recipients enjoy a delicious chocolate kiss, they will experience falling in love all over again.

I know of some couples who use the discovery of chocolate on their pillows at home as a sign of readiness for sex. I suppose one could take that concept a stage further and give a partner additional signals. If there is a lot of chocolate on the pillow, one has a significant need for sex. Perhaps different chocolate types could stand for different types of sexual experience. Maybe Godiva could stand for a slow, quality experience, while a Hershey bar might suggest the need for a quick romp in the hay!

Many "sexperts" write about the placebo effect of aphrodisiacs. In other words if the brain believes a substance will act as an aphrodisiac, it will release the appropriate chemicals and create the desired result. I must admit I have eaten many an oyster, and never felt particularly aroused. Although the experience of eating oysters may be one of the more sensual eating experiences.

Chocolate and Dieting

Of course the two are incompatible. Although eating chocolate may quell an appetite for food, and stimulate an appetite for sex, typically we want to have more sex when we're feeling good about ourselves physically! If you're making an effort to get in shape, chocolate is one stimulant you can do without.

On a positive note, having sex burns up lots of calories. I wouldn't compare the calorie burning benefit to that of running five miles . . . However, some exercise is better than no exercise, wouldn't you agree?

Virility Enhancer

Many men would like to find a virility enhancer that is both safe and effective. When it comes to enhancement, there is something for everyone, from those who want a remedy for erectile dysfunction to those who would like to increase their libido and improve their stamina.

Navigating the sea of claims made by so many male enhancement manufacturers can be a difficult task. By doing your research, you will find information and tips on how to find the best products and how to tell the scams from the real things. Even the most intelligent of men can be fooled by some virility enhancer products that make their money by feeding on the deepest insecurities of men.

Finding a Virility Enhancer to Cure Erectile Dysfunction

If you suffer from erectile dysfunction, you will find that there are many options for you. Your treatment will depend on the cause of your erectile dysfunction. As is often recommended, you should always see a doctor for your ED so that he or she can determine if it is caused by an underlying medical condition like heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

Perhaps your erectile dysfunction is psychological in nature, caused by stress, depression, or anxiety. Whether or not you decide to see a counselor to help you deal with these issues, a virility enhancer might give you an extra boost to help you work through your problem. The herbs they contain have been shown to have positive effects on every aspect of the male sexual experience.

Boredom is another common cause of erectile dysfunction. Sometimes a relationship can become stale and uninspired. The excitement that was once there has seemed to disappear. By adding variety to your sexual routine as well as using a virility enhancer to work as a natural aphrodisiac and libido stimulator, you can not only get your sex life back to where it was, but it can be better than ever.

A Virility Enhancer for Every Need

Of course, you do not need to have erectile dysfunction in order to want a virility enhancer. You might want to enhance an already satisfactory sex life. While these enhancers do have physical effects on your body

, the best reason to use them is for the great boost in confidence they will give you.

When you are more confident in the bedroom, your partner will find you more attractive no matter what your size or how much stamina you have. A virility enhancer can give you more stamina, a better libido, and even give you better orgasms. All of these things contribute to your confidence and in turn, your sex appeal.

No matter what your male enhancement needs, there are products today that can help. You should always choose a 100% natural product and read the ingredient list before purchasing. You don't want to put strange products in your body. Remember, if your overall health is in jeopardy, your sexual life will suffer, too. Taking safe, natural products will ensure that you keep both your body and your sex life in top shape.

Sex Pill

I'm getting up there in age--just last week I celebrated my 55th birthday. Unfortunately, with middle age comes problems. For one, I can't seem to remember things as well as I used to. Yesterday I put some food in the oven and forgot about it until the house began to fill up with smoke and the smoke detectors went off.

Another one of the problems has to be the sexual side effects. I can't seem to get my penis hard for long periods of time, if at all. I still have the desire to have sex, but my body just won't cooperate sometimes. So I started to see if maybe there was a drug that could help me with my problem.

Asking the Doctor for Help

A sex pill is not an easy thing to bring up to your doctors. I'm a shy person by nature, so going to the doctor to ask about this was very difficult for me. So difficult in fact that when it was time to bring it up to him, I couldn't even do it. I made something up, he checked, said it was OK and sent me on my way.

I drove home that day kicking myself for not asking him about it. I'm sure he has hundreds of guys who ask him about it, so he wouldn't have laughed at me at all, but I couldn't ask him. I don't think I could bring it up with anyone aside from my wife, to be honest with you.

It's a Natural Thing

I don't know why I'm getting so weird about asking about a loss of sex drive--lots of guys go through it. You can find infomercials on TV for buying a sex pill from the privacy of your own home which goes to show you how common and talked about thing problem is these days.

But still, I didn't have anyone to ask about this. For a while, I just forgot about it and wouldn't engage in any sexual activities. It was becoming difficult for me to function daily without thinking about my problem. Then I had a great idea: check on the Internet.

Using the Internet for Information on Sexual Aids

The Internet was the greatest thing for me when it came to this. I could privately read what doctors have to say, what other people like me are doing to help with this problem, and where I can find some information on getting myself a sex pill to see if that could help. I found myself a ton of information and decided to place an order and give the pill a try.

I pulled out my credit card and discreetly ordered a bottle. The pills were shipped to me quickly and I began taking them. Soon after I began to notice my increasing sex drive. It was like my wife and I were just married again. We had lots of fun! I'm very glad that I decided to use the Internet to help me out with my problem.

Drug Companies Pay "Opinion Leaders" to Push Pills During Influential Meetings, Seminars

An article published in the British Medical Journal, also known as BMJ, has revealed the extent to which pharmaceutical companies go to turn influential senior doctors into undercover salespeople for their drugs.

"Key opinion leaders were salespeople for us, and we would routinely measure the return on our investment, by tracking prescriptions before and after their presentations," said Kimberly Elliot, who worked for 18 years as a sales representative for major drug companies. "If that speaker didn't make the impact the company was looking for, then you wouldn't invite them back."

Elliot worked for companies including Novartis, SmithKline Beecham and Westwood Squibb from the age of 23, until deciding that she was disillusioned with the business in 2007. A major source of her dissatisfaction was the industry's increasingly aggressive marketing practices.

Richard Tines, the medical director for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, also admitted to BMJ that so-called "key opinion leaders" (KOLs) are a major part of drug companies' marketing strategy.

"Companies will employ consultants to help advise on marketing strategies ... and present and speak at conferences," he said.

But the drug industry's strategy involves significantly more than the payment of consulting fees. There is an entire practice built up around cultivating KOLs and using them to greatest effectiveness.

An article published in the industry magazine Pharmaceutical Marketing promises to reveal the "tricks of the trade" for making KOLs into "product champions." The first step is to "evaluate [the] views and influence potential" of doctors who might make good KOLs. The article stresses that companies should not target just senior doctors who are already influential, but also doctors "who may be further down the influence ladder." In the latter case, the company should then work to "raise their profile, and so develop them into opinion leaders."

After developing relationships with current or potential KOLs, drug companies are advised to supply them with "appropriate communications platforms" to "communicate on your behalf" with patients, doctors and the public in general.

As part of this practice, KOLs may be paid up to $400 per hour for giving presentations at conferences - presentations that have often been prepared ahead of time by the drug companies and take place at company or industry-sponsored "educational" events. A single "scientific speech" may net a doctor over $3,000, and some popular KOLs may make more than $25,000 per year from advisory fees alone.

Elliot emphasized the importance of these practices to maintaining company profits.

"There are a lot of physicians who don't believe what we as drug representatives say," she explained. "If we have a KOL stand in front of them and say the same thing, they believe it."

Elliot regularly paid KOLs $2,500 per lecture. These payments were sometimes concealed by having the drug company pay an academic center, which would then make a separate payment to the doctor.

Another key component of the drug industry's strategy is keeping track of KOLs and evaluating their performance. Failing to do so, the Pharmaceutical Marketing article warns, can lead the company to "[waste] money on the wrong people."

A company called KOL actually specializes in helping drug companies with this function, even offering software custom-made for the purpose. The company's Web site highlights the degree of influence wielded by KOLs: although "thought leaders ... may not write many prescriptions, [they can] influence thousands of prescribers and hence prescriptions through their research, lectures, publications and their participation on advisory boards, committees, editorial boards, professional societies and guideline/consensus document development."

According to Elliot, such doctors forfeit their independence when they agree to take money to promote a corporate message.

"These people are paid a lot of money to say what they say," she said. "I'm not saying the key opinion leaders are bad, but they are salespeople just like the sales representatives are."

Tiner agreed with this appraisal.

"When these people are receiving a fee, they are in one sense in the employment of the company," he said.

At the end of the day, however, Tiner sees nothing wrong with the practice. He rejects the accusation made by many pharmaceutical industry critics that drug companies are bribing doctors to push their products.

"I don't think they are bribes," he said. "It's payment for work done, rather than a bribe."

He did agree that practices such as paying doctors to give presentations at conferences "might help to promote a particular medicine." The way to avoid letting paid KOLs have undue influence, he said, is more transparency. Companies should make it a regular practice to disclose any fees they have paid to speakers or other presenters at conferences or medical meetings.

David Blumenthal of Harvard University, who specializes in studying the connection between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry, agreed that there is nothing illegal or even necessarily crooked about the practice of cultivating company KOLs. But he disagreed with Tiner's assessment that the practice is harmless. While paying KOLs is not necessarily corrupt, he said, it does run contrary to the public interest.

"I think these are legal relationships between consenting adults who have overlapping interests that are not consistent with the interests of the larger society," Blumenthal said,
"or necessarily with the patients served by these physicians."

Elliot advises doctors to remain skeptical of presentations that they see at conferences and educational events, especially those related to drugs or medical devices.

"Take them with a grain of salt," she said, "and go back and do your own research."

Male Sexual Enhancement Supplement

The best male sexual enhancement supplement will be natural, derived from herbs, and powerfully effective. There are one or two products on the market that have a spotless pedigree; derived from Chinese herbal knowledge, these age-old formulations have proven their worth time and again. Sexual enhancement products have been around for eons, but now we have access to the best of modern technology, combined with ancient wisdom.

Everyone deserves the pleasures of intimacy. The sex act is a powerful way to relieve stress , connect with a partner, and have fun! In our stress-filled world, however, becoming aroused and staying hard can be a challenge, which is why finding a quality male sexual enhancement supplement that works is so exciting.

Encourage Intimacy, with a Male Sexual Enhancement Supplement

Today's male enhancement drugs are natural, effective, and affordable. The Internet has vastly improved the way we are able to find and order products, and male enhancement products are no exception. Ordering online makes getting sexual performance supplements fast and easy.

A male sexual enhancement supplement that uses herbs and vitamins in its formulation will be well-accepted by the body for maximum strength and absorption. A quality supplement distributor will provide pills that are made of top-quality herbal components, and will gladly provide the user with the ingredient list. Our sexual performance affects every aspect of our lives, and when we can really enjoy making love, we bring energy and fulfillment to everything we do.

There are a variety of male sexual enhancement supplement products on the market. It's no wonder; it's such an important issue. The best sexual enhancement products and testosterone supplements will make a man feel great, confident, and full of vigor.

The right male sexual enhancement supplement will bring a new appeal to lovemaking. There is nothing like renewed confidence to bring energy and action to what was before a sense of worry and frustration. Everyone deserves to feel pleasure, and todays male sexual enhancement supplement products are here to make this a reality.

A Quality Male Sexual Enhancement Supplement Adds Confidence!

We live in a fast-paced, high-stress world. It's no wonder that sometimes we simply cannot experience life's activities and pleasures to the fullest. Many of the factors that affect sexual activity (anxiety, tiredness, work stress , illness, etc.) are common to everyone who lives in the modern world.

Male sexual enhancement supplement products that really work bring some of the pleasure back into our lives. It's a great way to remember just what we are all working so hard for! Making a connection and enjoying the company of our partner is now something we can look forward to whenever, wherever we want!

Powerful Pheromones

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you had access to a powerful pheromone that made you irresistible to the opposite sex? Imagine being able to sit down at on a park bench, and know that men or women would instantly approach you? Picture yourself letting others down gently, as you find yourself overbooked with dates--all because of the powerful pheromone you've found. At Powerful Pheromone Ideas, we want to show you what a low-cost and powerful pheromone that's effective and scientifically tested can do for your romantic life.

How many times have you found yourself attracted to someone of the opposite sex, and not been entirely sure why? Perhaps you felt some animal magnetism that went beyond explanation. Perhaps it felt like you succumbed to a powerful pheromone that just made your chemistry heighten.

Science has shown that certain scents can cause this high level of attraction between people. There are even scientifically tested scents that have been extracted in their most powerful form and bottled. You can now use these highly potent pheromones every day, to attract members of the opposite sex like never before.

A Powerful Pheromone Recharges Your Marriage

It's no secret that after a while, marital relations can grow stale. While so many couples resign themselves to a hum-drum love life, you don't have to settle for less. With the help of a powerful pheromone, you can rev up your love life once again.

Does it seem that your husband or wife isn't as interested in sex as they used to be? These are most likely due to changes in the body's chemistry. Help jump start their chemical

attraction to you by using a powerful pheromone.

Low-Cost Pheromones

How much would you pay for something that could turn the heat up on your love life? Perhaps you've spent a ton of money before on male enhancement drugs or plastic surgery, only to find you still can't have the romantic luck you'd like. The good news is that a powerful pheromone doesn't have to cost you a lot.

You want your love life to be white hot, and it's easy to do with a single powerful pheromone. Pheromones are historically and scientifically proven to increase sex drive in humans. Certain scents attract men, and certain scents attract women, and concentrated doses of these chemicals can cause intense reactions of attraction.

Best of all, these pheromones cause you yourself to have a heightened sexual experience. Rediscover sensuality and reclaim your own sexual prowess. Look online for a powerful pheromone that can revolutionize your love life today.

Peruvian Maca Root

The maintenance of good health is one of those universal issues that everyone can relate to. Staying fit, happy and active in every aspect of life is an automatic goal for most people. Experts and doctors are now saying that the Peruvian Maca Root may be able to help the majority of people achieve a desired mental, sexual and physical balance.

What Is Peruvian Maca Root?

Lepidium Peruvianum Chacon, or Maca Root, is a tuber that has been growing at extremely high altitudes for centuries. It resembles a radish or turnip, but has a very distinct flavor that some characterize as sweet. Pastoral ancestors first started ingesting the root after they witnessed the positive effects it produced in herd animals.

You are probably wondering why anyone would bother with Maca powder if it is just another supplement-but it's not! One of, and arguably the most notable of its benefits, is of a sexual nature. Everything from a lagging libido, impotency and menopause are greatly mitigated by the substance.

What Can Peruvian Maca Root Do for You?

Everyone has encountered ads for products that make fantastic claims as miracle cures. No reputable company would ever guarantee standard results for every person, no matter how reliable the effects are. Maca root has been clinically tested and its use has resulted in dramatic improvements in health and well being after regular doses.

Every person has unique biology that determines how their body reacts to herbs and supplements. The expected boosts in sexual energy and emotional wellness that Maca brings to most people occur in varying time frames. Some people feel completely transformed after just a few days, while others don't report remarkable changes until a few weeks into treatment.

Why Choose Peruvian Maca Root?

There are many pharmaceutical grade formulas that target the same problems that Peruvian Maca Root combats. Why would anyone choose an herbal remedy over medicine? Well, many chemical riddled medicines produce undesirable side effects that rival the original malady. Also, prescriptions on the whole cost significantly more than their herbal counterparts.

Besides, who wants to take a pill or serum for each concern when so many health issues can be addressed with Maca? It does more than restore sexual well being; it contributes to a greater sense of happiness and health. There is no limit to the enhancements that you can experience to your body, soul and mind from just taking the right supplement.

Does Peruvian Maca Root sound like something you would like to try? Join the millions of other takers who can already boast of its regenerating effects. Most people prefer the wide selection that they find online to the very limited inventory found in local stores. You can research various companies and their products using the Internet to find the formula that can yield the best results for you.

Pheromone

For years, corporations have sought a surefire way to provide their customers with the kind of sex appeal naturally produced by human pheromones. After all, only pheromones have been scientifically and universally proven to stimulate others' hard-wired mating instincts. Powerful stuff, to be sure. Ironically, however, many of the products that these corporations have brought to market have actually served to decrease an individual's natural sex appeal.

To understand why this is case, a rudimentary understanding of the means by which natural human pheromones work is in order. Simply put, the pheromones that all of us secrete via our sweat glands contain a chemical compound that is recognized by the V1RL1 gene that all of us share. When this compound is recognized, it automatically sets in motion our natural evolutionary mating instincts.

Recent Scientific Breakthroughs

Of course, the means by which pheromones work have not always been so well understood. In fact, the precise chemical composition of pheromones and the gene that they stimulate have only recently been identified. These discoveries have had two important consequences.

First, this new knowledge allows scientists the unprecedented ability to reproduce human pheromones in a controlled laboratory environment. And second, it explains why colognes and perfumes designed to completely mask our sexual essence have ultimately decreased our natural ability to attract others. The combination of these two breakthroughs has allowed a handful of innovative companies to create a new solution that finally allows anyone to increase their natural attractiveness in a synthetic way.

The Benefits of Synthetic Pheromones

For the first time, if you know where to turn, you can reliably and secretly supplement the pheromones that your body already secretes. The key to the most effective synthetics is a precise attention to their level of concentration. After all, if the concentration is too weak, it is unlikely to have any significant effect on others, whereas if it is too strong, it is likely to be perceived as overly aggressive or offensive.

Worse still, imprecisely manufactured pheromones can call attention to themselves. If you are seeking an artificial means of enhancing your natural attractiveness, the last thing you want is for others to know that you are doing so. That's why the most reliable synthetic pheromones are created with both an attention to balance and a minimal additive scent that overlays--rather than masking or mixing with--the underlying sexual fragrance.

Attract Others the Natural Way

Over the course of human history, evolution has gradually robbed us of a certain measure of our natural sexual essence. In a sense, then, synthetic pheromones are simply a means of regaining the natural advantage that we all once enjoyed. In a modern world where most people are either unaware of their capability to enhance their sex appeal, or actively masking it, the ability to subtly increase your physical attractiveness to others can have a dramatic impact.

With a time-tested means of increasing sex appeal so close at hand, there is no reason to settle for anything less. We encourage you to explore our educational links, and to learn as much as you can about this remarkable solution. And then we encourage you to make a decision to boost your sex appeal and confidence in a way that you might not have imagined possible.

Male Enhancement Products

Today any number of things can cause a man's libido and sexual confidence to take a nose dive. Every day men are bombarded with images of the ideal male with his chiseled features and zero percent body fat. The average-looking man is often relegated to roles on television as the uninteresting sidekick or that man who never gets the girl he wants.

Even watching adult movies, which many men used to depend on for arousal, can make a man feel inferior. If the man on the screen does not have a huge penis, he has the body of a Gladiator or body builder. When the leading actor achieves orgasm, we don't see a few drops of semen, we see puddles of ejaculate all over the set. It's no wonder men are having so many sexual problems. Many of these problems are left untreated because men feel too ashamed to talk to their doctors about this very personal problem.

Dysfunction Caused by Medication

More and more men are taking antidepressant medications today. While these drugs are very effective at improving mood and confidence, they can have the opposite effect on a man's sex life. Virtually every antidepressant drug has side effects such as erectile difficulty and anorgasmia, or lack of ability to achieve orgasm. Wives report that their husbands are now more pleasant and easier to get along with but they now have no desire to be intimate.

Despite all of the different mood-killers when it comes to sex, there are many products available today that can enhance a man's sexual appetite and increase his pleasure during sex. These products are available at many health food stores, drugstores and supermarkets. Regular use of these products can make a man feel healthier and more virile.

Natural Enhancement for Men

Natural plant-based products have been used for years to treat many different causes of male sexual dysfunction. Some of these products have been used in Asia for thousands of years, their formulations only recently being rediscovered by modern science. These supplements are used mainly to increase a man's desire and have been credited with rekindling the flames of passion between many longtime couples.

These natural enhancing products aren't used only by older men. Younger men in their 20s and 30s are taking these supplements to maintain their overall sexual health and make sex more fun and exciting. Women are buying these supplements for their partners so that they both can take part in the many benefits these products provide.

Flower Power in the Bedroom

Male enhancement products containing ingredients derived from flowers are taking the supplement world by storm. These products have been used for years by farmers and breeders to increase livestock productivity. These fertility benefits are now available to men and women and may help couples who are struggling to successfully conceive.

Flower-based supplements do much more than increase a man's fertility. The men who have been taking these supplements for a few months say their orgasms have become more intense and pleasurable. Scientific research conducted using these Swedish flower supplements has revealed that not only is the sexual experience enhanced for a man, but prostate health is greatly increased as well.

Pharmacy Products

Pharmacy products are not only easily bought online, they are better bought online. Brick and mortar drugstores simply cannot compete with online pharmacies in terms of selection, variety, and quite often, price. Plus, with shipping available directly to your door, and often as soon as the very next day, buying pharmacy products online is also considerably more convenient.

For helpful but ideally private products, trusted online pharmacies are much more discreet. While we are all grateful that we can walk in and just grab incontinence products, appetite suppressants, feminine hygiene products and the like, they're still not purchases most of us want to advertise. Buying pharmacy products online allows us all to mind our business with a little more privacy.

When you're having to deal with a serious home-health care situation, like taking care of a loved one who is ill, or when you're ill yourself, not having to leave the house to buy much needed pharmacy products like urinary catheters, bedside commodes, air filtration systems or patient gowns can actually translate into genuine peace of mind.

Pharmacy Products for Beauty and Health

Pharmacy products for health and beauty are also easily purchased through trusted online pharmacies. Beyond just lipstick and mascara, every "beauty" product you can think of can be found from trusted online pharmacies. This includes everything from eucalyptus oil for a refreshing spa bath at home, to scented candles that create the aromatherapy environment you find most relaxing.

Vitamin and mineral supplements, as well, are great to purchase from online pharmacies. Most online pharmacies have much wider, deeper, bigger "aisles", if you will, than typical brick and mortar drugstores. Most drugstores will feature one or two varieties of, say, gingko biloba. Online pharmacies may feature 20 or more varieties, allowing you to purchase from the nutritional company you like best, or perhaps find the product that's mixed with redclover or black cohosh, just the way you like it. Similarly, many "real" drugstores will try to meet consumer demand for saw palmetto, for example, by choosing one multi-vitamin product that contains the ingredient. Really good online pharmacies will carry not only that product, but also multiple bottles of the individual herb, so you can choose quantity and product strength.

Orthopedic devices, too, like knee braces or surgical stockings are typically made by multiple manufacturers with widely varying product lines. Few, if any, regular drugstores could possibly carry even a fraction of the wide variety available. But many online pharmacies actually carry entire product lines of multiple manufacturers affording you the opportunity to find the perfect product that meets your specific need.

How to Know Where to Buy Pharmacy Products Online

The most important thing to look for in an online pharmacy is a proven track record. The best case scenario is an actual pharmacy that's been in business for decades that has added an online division to its many services. This means, for medical purchases specifically, that there's an informed voice on the other end of the email or phone line that can answer your questions about which product type or product manufacturer is best for you. Plus, if they're smart, they'll know that you'll want to read labels online just like you can in the store. Really good online pharmacies will have taken the time to enter the information found on the back of the labels so you can read it as easily at home as you could standing there with your shopping cart.

The next thing to look for is a broad category base of products. In a perfect world, your online pharmacy would carry not only beauty products, baby products, and pretty little things like candles and such, but also hard medical products. Nothing can soften the arrival of menopausal supplements, bed safety rails and a bath and shower seat like getting a new face mask you've been reading about and that nice bubble bath all in the same package. Plus, really great online sources will make you feel like you've walked in to a real old-fashioned apothecary shop, with cool, hard to find pharmacy products. It's this combination of true modern convenience, good old-fashioned service, exotic and unusual remedies side by side with the latest medical breakthroughs, that makes buying pharmacy products online both practical and fun. All you'll miss is the soda fountain.

Prescription Services

In order to ensure the health and safety of patients, prescription services should be oriented toward comprehensive patient education. Building on each person's medical history, such education should cover a broad range of topics, including proper drug titration and storage, as well as common side effects and interactions. Thorough discussion of these topics on a case-by-case basis is the only way to ensure that patients benefit from their medications and are not, in fact, harmed by them.

Every year, hundreds of new drugs gain approval from the FDA and are allowed into widespread use. Although the screening process required to obtain this approval is quite involved, many people--including doctors--remain poorly informed or misinformed about these new drugs. This, in turn, undermines their ability to administer proper prescription services.

Prescription Services 101: Know How a Drug Works
A primary source of difficulty stems from understanding the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics that produce a given drug's effects. Clearly, all doctors master these topics as part of a basic pharmacology course during med school. However, many fail to brush up on them throughout the course of their practice, or to examine them in the context of newly emerging medications. What this means is that doctors may be aware that a new drug is on the market, but have only a very general sense of how it works. One can only imagine where this leaves the patient.

This practice is understandable given the difficult hours that doctors keep and the complicated caseloads they manage. Indeed, most doctors leave thorough drug investigation to the major drug companies, allowing private businesses to conduct the necessary clinical research trials. At the same time, understanding both the methodology and the results of these clinical trials is critical to providing informed prescription services. Whether through grand rounds or morning conferences, it is imperative that doctors stay abreast of clinical research published in major medical journals.

Recently, controversy has swirled around this very topic, as it has become evident that drug companies are selective with regard to the results they choose to disseminate. Specifically, these companies have been accused of publishing only the results that are favorable to their drugs. Clearly, this deceptive practice undermines the scientific integrity of the medical field and hinders doctors' ability to provide safe, effective prescription services.

What to Look for in Prescription Services
Complications such as these underscore the fact that the current landscape of medicine is not especially patient-friendly. The bureaucracy of HMO networks coupled with delayed and inadequate health care reform continues to complicate the matter of even the most basic prescription services. This leaves the burden of proper education to individual doctors and patients.

What should you look for in comprehensive prescription services? There are a few basic topics that should always be covered. First, all proper services begin with a thorough medical history that includes discussion of prior hospitalizations, major illnesses, known drug allergies, and current medications. This history provides the foundation for informed medical decisions.

Once a drug is chosen, patients should be informed of proper dosage, storage procedures, how the drug is stored and what it is used for. They should also be given information on common side effects so that they know what to expect while taking the medicine. Finally, effective prescription services require this information to be conveyed both verbally and via pamphlets that patients can consult at home.

Information On Zyprexa

Approved by the FDA in 1996, Zyprexa is the brand name for Olanzapine, an antipsychotic drug used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Developed by Eli Lilly and Company, it is only the second drug to ever gain the favor of the FDA in treating atypical psychoses. The first such pharmaceutical was Clozapine which was approved in 1989.

Zyprexa primarily functions by inhibiting access to the nerve receptors of several neurotransmitters within the brain. This inhibiting behavior is accomplished by binding to the receptors of the neurotransmitters, effectively blocking their access. The receptors in question include dopamine, histamine H-1, alpha-1, muscarinic, and serotonin type two. Put simply,chemicals within the brain that would typically utilize these receptors as pathways have a more difficult time of freely flowing throughout the brain.

Although the exact method by which Zyprexa achieves its usefulness is currently unknown and often hotly debated, the concept behind its development is simple enough to understand. It is believed that an excess, and thereby an imbalance, of the chemicals which would normally bind with the aforementioned receptors gives way to schizophrenic and bipolar behaviors. In order to relieve these symptoms, the presence of these chemicals and their movement throughout the brain must be controlled. Thus, simply blocking any chemical's path through the brain, by blocking that chemical's receptor, will lessen its movement and in turn decrease any atypical behaviors associated with it.

Facts about Zyprexa

Since its approval by the FDA in 1996, Zyprexa has been prescribed to over 16 million people worldwide. The documented benefits of Zyprexa over other antipsychotics include less nervousness, increased concentration, and fewer hallucinations. However, in comparison to older drugs such as Haldol, there are no great benefits in terms of the reduction of bipolar or schizophrenic episodes outside of those stated. At the same time, Zyprexa is four times more expensive than other drugs.

Of course, the pitfalls of Zyprexa have to be taken with a grain of salt. Most of the negative information available today comes from a single study published in the July 2002 issue of Pharmacotherapy and mainly covers the appearance of diabetes in patients taking the drug. In the study, researchers found that nearly 300 patients taking Zyprexa developed, or were found to have, type two diabetes. In reality, the report failed to make clear that the "nearly 300 patients" were actually the monitored group of 288 individuals with symptoms of bipolar disorder participating over a period of eight years. What the study also failed to mention was that diabetes is extremely prevalent in individuals suffering from any bipolar disorder in the first place. Further, the study did not take into account the diet , lifestyles, and medical histories of those participants. Thus, no clear conclusion can be drawn that taking Zyprexa results in the development of diabetes.

That's not to say there aren't problems with the medication. One of the most problematic areas that has yet to be addressed by pharmaceutical companies is that of weight gain. It is widely documented that the majority of medications prescribed for bipolar disorders can cause weight gain. The extent to which a person may be affected by this varies greatly from one person and prescription to the next. Unfortunately, Zyprexa has been demonstrated to be slightly more inclined to cause weight gain when compared to similar medications.

There are a couple of additional effects of Zyprexa that are worthy of note. Patients experiencing tremors or restlessness when taking other medications were reported to have fewer episodes of both while taking Zyprexa. Also, reported incidents of anorexia, nausea, and insomnia were fewer than those reported by people taking other similar drugs.

As the data on Zyprexa continues to become available, physicians are left with the routine conundrum of whether to prescribe the medication or not. However, since its approval in 1996 most physicians have reported prescribing the medication for people suffering from schizophrenic or bipolar disorders. According to several physicians, the benefits of Zyprexa outweigh any possible risks posed by the drug. When compared with older drugs used to treat such symptoms, even the patients have weighed in the on the side of Zyprexa.

Prescription Drugs

Prescription drugs seem to be a source of constant controversy. Consumer rights organizations decry the high price of prescription medicines. Politicians regularly promise to reduce the cost of prescriptions for Senior citizens.

Some political groups criticize the FDA for being too conservative and slow when approving prescription drugs, while other groups feel the FDA is far too lax and liberal with its approvals. In other words, everyone seems to have a strong opinion about prescription drug info, and the opinions are frequently extreme. However, most consumers really just wish they could find low cost prescription drugs from a provider they could trust.

What about Buying Prescription Drugs Online?

Perhaps the single most controversial issue concerning prescription medications and drug companies is the issue of online prescriptions. The premise behind offering drugs online is a smart one: online companies offer a larger variety of medications than traditional drug stores, are more convenient for shut ins and the elderly than traditional drug stores, and offer greater bargains than traditional drug stores. Unfortunately, a few unethical companies have abused this service, sending up a red flag to the FDA, and to smart consumers.

That's why smart consumers who choose to buy their prescription medications online know to look for "the warning signs." For instance, smart consumers avoid companies that sell drugs which have not yet been approved by the FDA. Wise consumers also avoid sites that boast about offering prescription drugs without a prescription.

The FDA also recommends buying prescription drugs only from those companies that offer an e mail as well as a telephone contact. Too many foreign companies sell drugs while offering no way for disgruntled or confused customers to get in touch with them. The FDA also recommends only buying from sites that use licensed physicians.

The Benefits of Buying Prescription Drugs Online

However, it's not all gloom and doom. Most companies that sell drugs online are just as reputable as the Mom and Pop pharmacy on the corner or the medical mega-store in your local shopping mall. In fact, there have been remarkably few instances of Americans being adversely effected, either financially or medically, by buying drugs online.

Buying prescription drugs online can actually be a wonderful service to many needy people. Shut ins, the elderly, and those in great pain (such as might result from a back surgery or an accident) are enormously grateful for the convenience of purchasing drugs from their homes. Those people who live in rural areas also benefit greatly from online stores.

Another marvelous thing about reputable online drug stores is that they usually sell their products at remarkably low cost. The absence of overhead allows them to sell at greatly reduced rates. Finally, online stores also offer the benefit of enormous variety, offering nearly every FDA approved drug a person might need, day in and day out.

Unanswered Questions Remain Regarding BTC Pharmaceuticals

Dr. Sidney Wolfe, Director of Health Research at Public Citizen, recently called for more time, research and input regarding the FDA proposal to create a third class of drugs to be sold behind the counter (BTC) by pharmacists. Public Citizen is a national nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to “represent consumer interests in Congress, the Executive Branch and in the courts”.

The website (www.worstpills.org) is a Public Citizen site devoted to providing unbiased, expert information on prescription drugs.

Dr. Wolfe says that questions remain about the safety, cost and need for a proposed third classification of drugs by the FDA and asks:

• Do pharmacists have the time and training to explain drug use and side effects to customers? If not, who will provide and pay for this training?

• Will pharmaceutical companies pressure the FDA to have some of their prescription drugs reclassified to BTC status to avoid regulation?

• Will lack of physician oversight in the prescribing process turn pharmacies into “drug vending machines” posing increased health risks to the public?

In a notice to its members, the American Pharmacists Association (APA) lists 25 questions that the organization would like input on regarding BTC availability of certain drugs prior to the FDA Public Comment on November 14, 2007. (A link to the full text is provided in the reference list below)

The role of the pharmacist is central to the BTC discussion. The APA list of questions is a thought provoking compilation of topics that need to be addressed if we are to thoroughly grasp the implications of such a ruling by the FDA.

For example, the APA asks “Would special training be needed for other pharmacy staff to aid in managing the work flow (storage, record keeping, distribution) and additional BTC responsibilities of the pharmacist(s) and the pharmacy? If so, what type of training or measures should be put in place? What impact would BTC availability of drugs have on the practice of medicine? ”

These are important questions that require well defined answers if we are to understand who will be accountable for safety issues related to BTC sales of certain drugs. The self prescribing customer may be the one ultimately accountable for requesting a BTC drug. What guidelines can the public look to when they are assessing a need for a drug and require a thorough understanding of both common and infrequent adverse side effects of potential BTC drugs like statins?

Anyone that saw the ABC News 20/20 Undercover Pharmacy investigation earlier this year will certainly want answers to all of the questions the APA poses. It is not unheard of that part time, untrained staff assists pharmacists; especially at busy pharmacy locations across the US.

Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand have already reclassified a number of drugs to BTC status. The APA notes that in these countries, “typically, the pharmacist is required to ensure the patient meets certain criteria prior to dispensing, to provide education on proper use, and to monitor”.

Educate, dispense and monitor. Is it realistic to think that these steps can be comprehensively carried out in already busy pharmacies across the US?

In-store pharmacy health clinics to expand presence, offering "drive-through" disease diagnosis, pharmaceutical sales

The number of walk-in health clinics inside retail stores such as CVS, Target, Walgreens and Wal-Mart is set to quadruple by the end of 2008, drawing controversy from physicians' groups. The retail clinics offer certain key advantages over visits to doctors' offices or emergency rooms, including lower and clearly posted prices, shorter wait times and longer hours than a normal doctor's office. However, most of them rely on family nurse practitioners and have no physician on site. In addition, the American Medical Association and other doctors' groups have accused the clinics of a conflict of interest, because they write prescriptions that can then be filled by the pharmacy in the hosting store.

Doctors have also warned that the relationship between physician and patient could be threatened as the retail clinics become more popular.

Big Pharma critic Mike Adams calls the practice, "Drive-By Medicine," and says that such clinics have a clear financial incentive to find something wrong with patients in order to sell them more drugs. "In-store clinics are customer recruitment stations, not health care centers. They exist solely for the purpose of boosting retail revenues by diagnosing more patients with yet more health conditions, then directing them to purchase high-profit prescription drugs all under the same roof," Adams said.

There are currently an estimated 500 walk-in health clinics in the United States. That number is expected to increase to 700 by the end of 2007 and 2,000 by the end of 2008. Approximately seven percent of U.S. residents have visited one of these clinics, according to retail clinics' group Convenient Care Association.

According to Dr. Rick Kellerman, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the clinics are indeed a problem, but they are only one symptom of an inherently flawed national health-care system. "The clinics are one response. They are not an answer," he said, encouraging doctors to reevaluate their own practices.

According to Wal-Mart spokesperson Deisha Galberth, approximately 50 percent of those visiting Wal-Mart clinics are uninsured. According to Sandy Ryan, chief nurse practitioner for Take Care Health clinics, 30 percent of Take Care Health's patients are uninsured and 30 percent have no primary care physician.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, 20 percent of U.S. residents live in areas without good access to primary medical care. This shortage of doctors is expected to increase to 200,000 by 2020.

Walgreens Mistakenly Replaced Prenatal Vitamins with Chemotherapy Drugs, Lawsuit Alleges

A couple from St. Louis has filed a wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit against Walgreen Co. after Chanda Givens had her prescription for prenatal vitamins filled instead with a chemotherapy drug that caused her to miscarry.

Givens became pregnant in February and was given a prescription for prenatal vitamins under the brand name Materna in early March. According to the lawsuit, her prescription was instead filled with Matulane, a chemotherapy drug used to treat Hodgkin's disease. The drug functions by interfering with DNA development, cell growth and cell reproduction.

Soon after beginning the drug regimen, Givens began feeling nauseous and vomiting, but she assumed that she was just suffering from morning sickness. She miscarried in April. Because she hoped to become pregnant again, Givens continued taking the drug and phoned in for a refill when she ran out. At this point, the pharmacy discovered and informed her of the error.

The Givens' lawsuit accuses Wallgreens of failing to properly supervise pharmacy staff, failing to check the prescription with Givens' doctor and failure to follow proper protocol.

Walgreens has, to date, refused to admit even that the prescription error occurred.

"We're just very sorry this miscarriage occurred," company spokesperson Carol Hively said.

"I think it has really taken an emotional toll on Chanda especially," said Dawn Mefford, the Givens' attorney. "She describes it as a nightmare."

Mefford also expressed concern over the Matulane's long-term effects on not only Givens' ability to have another child in the future, but also on her own health. An oncologist warned Givens that having taken the chemotherapy drug inappropriately may increase her risk of developing solid tumors, such as lung cancer, in the future.

"If true, this demonstrates part of what's wrong with our pharmaceutical-based medical system today," said consumer health advocate Mike Adams, founder of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center . "The very fact that toxic poisons like chemotherapy drugs are even considered medicine is nothing short of astonishing," Adams said.

Walk-in health clinics at pharmacy retailers operate with conflict of interest, charges AMA

The American Medical Association (AMA) has passed a resolution asking federal and state agencies to investigate whether walk-in health clinics at retail stores are operating with a conflict of interest that may put patients at risk.

Retail, or store-based, clinics are walk-in offices inside large retail outlets, including pharmacies, supermarkets and mega-stores such as Wal-Mart. Customers can see a nurse practitioner or physician assistant without an appointment, and pay a relatively low price for basic medical procedures such as injections. A full physician must supervise the clinic, but is not required to be on site.

But the medical professionals at these clinics are also authorized to write prescription, which is where the alleged conflict of interest comes into play. Because the clinics are not totally independent of the pharmacies that house them, the AMA detects a conflict-of-interest in the writing of prescriptions.

The AMA says that it first became concerned about comments by retail stores that having walk-in clinics boosts sales, helping to "drive additional store traffic."

"There are clear incentives for retailers to participate in the implementation and operation of store-based health clinics ," said Peter Carmel, a member of the AMA board. "The nation's physicians want the AMA to ensure [that] these incentives do not compromise the basic obligation of store-based health clinics to provide patients with quality care."

The association has also expressed concern that the clinics disrupt the relationship between physician and patient, and complicate decisions about who is responsible for the patient's welfare.

The AMA also passed a resolution demanding that insurance companies apply the same rules to doctors and walk-in clinics; currently, insurers allow retail clinics to waive patients' co-payments but prohibit physicians from doing so. This creates a financial incentive for patients to visit clinics over doctors. But some newspaper editorials have accused the AMA of targeting the retail clinics less from concern for patients and more from fear of lost profits.

There were more than 200 store-based clinics in the United States in 2006, and the number is expected to reach 1,000 by the end of the year.

How do You Define Beauty?

Society today regards a beautiful woman as one with youthful, unlined skin accompanied by large breasts with curvy (but not too large) hips to match.

Yet it’s interesting to note that ‘beauty’ has changed over the ages, reflecting that perhaps the idea of what is beautiful today is just a trend that will change as time goes on.

Consider that in ancient China, a 4-inch “lotus foot” was considered a sign of perfect beauty. Achieved by foot-binding, it involved breaking the bones of the forefoot and folding them forward, then tying the misshapen appendage to prohibit growth. This practice resulted in severe pain, imbalance and falls to affected women. And in fact, osteoporosis eventually ensued because women were unable to bear weight and move properly. Hip and knee osteoarthritis, chronic pain, and even joint replacement surgery were also experienced.

The ancient Romans, Egyptians and Persians considered sparkling eyes to be beautiful and the heavy metal antimony was used to make their eyes sparkle. Antimony is a toxic chemical that has side effects similar to arsenic - headache, dizziness, and depression. Larger doses cause violent and frequent vomiting, leading to death in a few days.

During the Elizabethan era, women covered their skin with lead-based makeup, which caused peripheral neuropathy, gout, anemia, chronic renal failure, and disfiguring scarring, requiring the application of more lead-based makeup. In fact the use of lead-based makeup resulted in the misshapen appearance of Queen Elizabeth I, who banished all mirrors from her castle due to her upset over her appearance.

In France during the 16th and 17th centuries, wealthy women used belladonna to dilate their pupils. This gave users an “attractive” doe-like appearance. The unfortunate side effect was retinal damage, glaucoma, and blindness. Vermilion rouge, used during the 18th century, resulted in loss of teeth, gingivitis as well as kidney and nervous system damage from mercury.

During the Victorian era, a modest, natural beauty, restrained and without makeup was advocated. Cosmetics were used sparingly – colored makeup being reserved for prostitutes and actresses, who wore it only on stage. Hygiene and health were emphasized and women were warned against the toxic qualities of lead-based cosmetics.

The Roaring Twenties symbolized the growing freedom of women as they started taking beauty cues from film stars. Heavy makeup came back into vogue – rouge and painted lips were very much in style. And in the 60s there was only one makeup look: dark eyes paired with pale lips (or, by the late ’60s, no makeup at all).

Beauty is also cultural. Consider that in some cultures (Hawaiian royalty, for example) that women were force-fed excessive quantities of food to maintain their corpulence, a sign of fertility and power.

Conversely today in the Western world, many women diet, induce vomiting, abuse laxatives, and exercise excessively to lose weight. As well, we increasingly seek out cosmetic procedures to look more youthful. All in the name of beauty.

Consdering what we make of history, what will history make of us?

What Causes Wrinkles?

Many individuals have the wrong idea about what causes wrinkles. Most often, it’s believed that dry skin is responsible (though, in fact, dry skin does not cause wrinkles). The process through which wrinkles appear and deepen on your face is due to a complex blend of genetic and external factors. If you have wrinkles, is it possible to get rid of them magically by using one of the well-advertised solutions? Maybe not. But, if you’re willing to diligently care for your skin, wrinkles can be managed and improved. In this post, you’ll discover what truly causes wrinkles and how you can manage them.

Dispelling The Myth Of What Causes Wrinkles

First, it’s important to understand the layers of your skin. The top layer is your epidermis. Underneath the epidermis lies the dermis. Your epidermis is thicker than your dermis and offers an element of protection (similar to the soles of your feet). Your dermis is where the capillaries are located. It’s also where cells called fibroblasts produce collagen and elastin fibers. These fibers provide strength and elasticity to your skin.

As you grow older, collagen and elastin fibers deteriorate as fibroblasts reduce production of these fibers. Making matters worse is the fact that your skin slowly loses its ability to store moisture. As a result, it’s less efficient at repairing damage (including damage caused by the sun). The result is fine lines and wrinkles.

Deeply-set wrinkles are typically due to muscle usage. Throughout your life, your smiles, frowns and other expressions cause the musculature under your skin to build. Over time, these muscles begin to form wrinkles. When combined with sun damage, these deep wrinkles can often become etched permanently into your face.

Mother Nature delivers another cruel blow; the aging process also causes fat tissues to atrophy. As your skin becomes increasingly fragile and your collagen and elastin fibers begin to deteriorate, the fat tissues become thinner. This can intensify the appearance of visible wrinkles. So it’s not dry skin skin that causes wrinkles; they are caused by genetics, physiology and external stimuli.

How To Improve Wrinkles

In reality, you may have a difficult time in completely eliminating the wrinkles on your face. And the best solution is active prevention. There’s little you can do about growing older, of course. But, you should stay out of the sun whenever possible. When your skin becomes more fragile, it can sustain sun damage more easily. Always use a broad spectrum UVA/UVB blocking sunscreen like Anthelios year round.

You can also consider other ingredients that have been shown to improve the appearance of wrinkles by either boosting collagen production or exfoliating dry skin. You may want to consider ingredients including vitamin C, alpha hydroxy acids, retinol, soy and Matrixyl which have clinical studies demonstrating their effectiveness. Read about these ingredients along with specific recommendations at pharmacymix.com.

Wrinkles may be a fact of life for most people as they grow older. But, a few simple measures can help you manage them.

The Link Between Stress And Aging Skin

We already know about the impact of stress on our wellbeing. But stress can also have a significant effect on the appearance and health of your skin. Dermatologists have known for years that the level of stress experienced by a person can lead to a host of skin conditions. These can include episodic rashes, acne flare ups, or atopic eczema. Stress can have longer-lasting impacts, as well. Over time, perpetual stress can cause your skin to age prematurely.

Physiological Impacts Of Stress

Understanding how stress can age your skin requires an overview of what happens within your body when stress occurs. When you experience stress, your body responds by producing two hormones – adrenaline and cortisol – to help you cope with the stressful situation. Often known as the ‘fight or flight’ hormone, adrenaline helps you to deal with immediate danger. Once the perceived threat is over, adrenaline levels return to normal.

Cortisol, produced by the adrenal glands, also helps your body cope with stress. Cortisol levels increase to help you over a stressful patch and then return to normal levels. However, if you are under stress for long periods of time, cortisol levels remain high. Cortisol is essential for maintaining a healthy immune system amongst other physiologic processes. But if allowed to continue at high levels, cortisol has a negative impact.

The Production Of Cortisol

If stress keeps your cortisol levels high, your immune system may go into overdrive. The impact on your physical appearance and wellness is significant:

• Your skin can thin,
• Your bones may become weaker
• Your muscles and connective tissue can break down.
• You may retain fluid and bruise more easily
• You may be more prone to depression
• Hormone imbalance may result between estrogen, progesterone and testosterone

Cortisol is an essential hormone, but balance is critical. When excessive amounts are produced and sustained during stressful periods, thinning skin that looks prematurely aged is one of the side effects.

Relieve Stress And Slow The Aging Process

Because stress is a natural part of life today, it’s hard to completely avoid it. In fact, a little bit of stress keeps life interesting for most of us. The problem occurs when stress takes over your life. Aim to manage stress by incorporating the following practices to ensure your body and skin benefit:

1. Exercise – Studies have shown that exercise not only reduces stress, but it also encourages blood flow to your skin
2. Eat well - A healthy diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, good quality protein and healthy fats will provide you with the fuel to cope with stressful situations. To provide insurance for those days when you can’t, consider a well formulated multi-vitamin/mineral supplement like Daily Essentials.
3. Eat regularly – Keeping your blood sugar levels steady by eating more smaller meals throughout the day has been shown to help reduce cortisol levels
4. Get enough sleep – Aim for 8 hours; studies show that most of us need it.

Stress is a part of life today, but taking steps to manage it will help you look and feel better.

Cataracts: Protecting Your Eyes From UV Rays

Cataracts are more common than most people realize. While they can potentially affect people of any age, they’re most prevalent among those who are over 60, manifesting as a clouding of a person’s vision. This can have a dramatic impact on a person’s quality of life. For example, it can impair the ability to read, drive and even watch television. While cataracts are occasionally caused by genetics, most experts consider long-term exposure to UV radiation to be the primary cause. Today, I’ll explain how the sun’s UV rays can cause cataracts and how you can protect your eyes to avoid developing them.

How The Sun Can Cause Cataracts

Cataracts form as a result of a chemical change that occurs within the eye’s lens. When a person endures long-term exposure to sunlight, the UV radiation from the sun causes the formation of free radicals. These free radicals can disturb the fragile composition of the lens and result in cataracts. They can form so gradually that most people won’t realize it’s happening until their vision becomes significantly impaired. Because UV rays are considered the primary cause of cataracts, people who spend inordinate amounts of time in direct sunlight are most vulnerable to developing them.

How To Protect Your Eyes

While using a powerful sunscreen to protect your skin from UV rays is essential for your long-term health, you should take steps to ensure your eyes have adequate UV protection, too. The most effective way to shield your eyes from UV exposure is to wear protective sunglasses. They should be worn throughout the day whenever you go outside (even if you only plan to be outside for a brief time). UV rays are most intense (and are potentially the most damaging) during the early afternoon, the summer and at high altitudes. Also, keep in mind that UV rays can damage your eyes even when it’s cloudy outside. Most people neglect to wear protective eyewear on cloudy days, not realizing that the sun’s UV rays can still penetrate the eyes and form free radicals.

UV Protection For Your Eyes

Most sunglasses that offer protection from UV radiation will be labeled. Choose a pair that provides protection from 99-100% of both UVA and UVB rays. The sunglasses should also filter as much visible light as possible. For example, skiing and boating are conditions in which the sun’s glare can be particularly irritating. A good pair of sunglasses should block most of this visible light. Also, try to buy from a reputable manufacturer. Often, the labeling on unknown brands can be misleading and unreliable. Fortunately, large sunglasses are all the rage these days so you’ll look fashionable while looking after your health.

While cataracts can be resolved through surgery and other means, taking preventative measures can help to stop them from forming in the first place. By choosing a good pair of sunglasses that block most UV rays and filter the majority of visible light, you can protect your eyes when you’re exposed to the sun.