Treating Herpes Safely, Naturally, Effectively

Part One:
A New Holistic Approach to the Treatment of Herpes and Cold Sores


800,000 people or more will contract Genital and Oral Herpes (Herpes 1 and 2) this year in North America alone. It's estimated that 60% of the population has Herpes. A majority of the people with the disease are unaware that they carry the virus- making them much more likely to pass it on to others. With so many people affected by this epidemic, it's a wonder that Herpes doesn't get more media attention. It's been labeled an incurable disease which left untreated can have serious consequences such as the death of a infant born to a mother having an outbreak during delivery and vastly increasing one's chances of getting AIDS and other opportunistic infections.



The sad fact is that there's still a pervasive wall of shame and silence over this disease. People are much more likely to publicly declare their HIV positive status than admit to having Herpes. There are numerous charities and foundations with their high-profile celebrity spokespersons leading the very public campaign of AIDS awareness and research. There's an ever-increasing amount of sympathy and support for AIDS victims from the general public. But I challenge you to name a public spokesperson for Herpes? Better yet, can anyone even name one single Herpes charity? I'm sure they exist, but their public profiles are next to nonexistent. Have you ever seen a telethon to raise money for Herpes research? It's inconceivable to me why Herpes is treated as such a "dirty" disease. Is it the modern leprosy? I have worked with many Herpes sufferers who do not tell their lovers of their status for fear of being rejected. I'm not sure what the answer would be to gaining more support and sympathy for the sufferers of Herpes, but it's something we could all work on.



The Acyclovir family of drugs-including Valtrex and Famvir, has been the long standing therapy prescribed by doctors for the treatment of Herpes 1 and 2. Although the drug has proven itself to be somewhat effective in the reduction of the duration and severity of outbreaks when used topically and in the suppression of some outbreaks when taken orally, this effectiveness can come with a steep price.



Acyclovir does not cure Herpes, and must be taken indefinitely. Like many other drugs there are serious possible side-effects, including kidney dysfunction, toxicity in the nervous system, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea seizures, confusion and tremors, severe headaches. Beyond these perhaps the biggest problem with taking these drugs for Herpes is the creation of drug-resistant strains of the virus that will make treating people in the future much more difficult.



I have been using natural remedies to help people suffering with Herpes for fourteen years now. One of the principle natural tools used in controlling Herpes has been L-lysine-an amino acid that has been proven to reduce the frequency of outbreak in some people. Unfortunately L-lysine has now been shown to have it's own serious side-effect. Since it's main action is to inhibit arginine in the cellular environment, the long term effect of taking L-lysine is the lowering of the body's immune function. Which is a less than a desirable outcome.



Part Two:
A Comprehensive Programme for Managing Herpes Safely and Effectively



Fifteen years ago I contracted Herpes myself in the context of a monogamous relationship. Being open-minded and desperate I tried drug therapy and immediately got migraine headaches for the first time in my life. It was clear that I had to find a natural way of managing the disease for myself since I was going to have it for the rest of my life and I needed a way of being able to resume my sex life without the dread of the likelihood of passing it on to others. In the next two years I tried every natural therapy available at the time. Frustrated from the lack of consistent and lasting results from most of the touted natural remedies for Herpes I started developing my own treatment programme based on my family’s multi-generational background as herbalists.



What I found through my experience is that Herpes needs to be addressed on many levels- obviously nutrition and lifestyle changes/adjustments but that also the deep shame and many psychological effects of the disease are equally if not more important to treat than outbreaks. Herpes also can change quite significantly during the course of someone's history with the disease so any protocol would have to be flexible enough to deal with the evolutionary nature of the presenting symptoms.



I also don't believe in the validity of suppressive therapy for Herpes. I think suppression inevitably leads to the disease expressing itself in other ways-ways that may be more devastating than conventional outbreaks- so the protocol is not designed to suppress outbreaks altogether but rather to lengthen the period of time between outbreaks and to shorten their duration and greatly lessen their severity. Some people have had their average duration of outbreaks reduced from 12-16 days to 1 to 2 days. Some people have been able to prevent most outbreaks from re-occouring

The protocol does not cure the disease and does not stop all symptoms from appearing. Even those who have been able to stop most of their outbreaks have experienced some mild infrequent outbreaks. many less than one per year. Some far less than that.



After taking someone's case the protocol is adjusted depending on many factors including the strain of the virus, the frequency, location and duration of outbreaks. The relative health of the client’s self-esteem and the relative level of stressors. Whether the client is male or female,

length of time with the disease , etc , etc, etc. For most the protocol involves both internal and topical remedies. For all it involves combination therapy- I learned a great deal from studying how other natual practitioners were treating HIV , especially people who had both HIV and Herpes or who had drug-resistant HIV. In North American many people with HIV also have Herpes. Many of the same substances that are effective for HIV are also effective for Herpes.



All of the substances in the protocol are from botanical sources. Many of the substances I grow or wildcraft myself. Most of the substances I tincture or homeopathically prepare myself. Melissa Officinalis is the cornerstone of the protocol. Lomatium Dissectum and Olive Leaf and Prunella Vulgaris are part of the remedy for everyone. There are also two patented substances- one from a Marine Biologist and Bio-Chemist and one from a MD that are frequently prescribed herbally as part of the protocol. The most common homeopathic remedies prescribed in the protocol are Rhus-tox, Mezereum and Rananuculus, but there are over two dozen homeopathic remedies that I use depending on the symptom picture and another dozen or so herbal substances. Again the protocol is a combination therapy. Some of these substances are used internally , some externally.



I am not big on the use of L-lysine. I never found it particularly effective and now research is showing the long term use of L-lysine can actually lower your immune function. L-lysine is not part of the

protocol.



For the most severe cases, A referral to a Hypnotherapist is part of the protocol. Hypnosis has been clinically proven to be very effective in the treatment of Herpes particularly when combined with other therapies.



Lastly, I counsel people to make peace with the disease. To not treat the virus as some ghastly invader. But to somehow dialogue with the virus and reach some kind of accommodation. The virus is an intelligent, motivated organism quite capable of surviving. The virus is just one of many many micro organisms homesteading in our bodies. I encourage people whenever possible to make an agreement with the virus to allow the virus to stay if the virus agrees to cause as little disruption of the host's life as possible. And above all else to not be ashamed of having Herpes. To have the courage to speak about the disease and not feel like a leper.

reating Herpes Safely, Naturally, Effectively

A New Holistic Approach to the Treatment of Herpes and Cold Sores


800,000 people or more will contract Genital and Oral Herpes (Herpes 1 and 2) this year in North America alone. It's estimated that 60% of the population has Herpes. A majority of the people with the disease are unaware that they carry the virus- making them much more likely to pass it on to others. With so many people affected by this epidemic, it's a wonder that Herpes doesn't get more media attention. It's been labeled an incurable disease which left untreated can have serious consequences such as the death of a infant born to a mother having an outbreak during delivery and vastly increasing one's chances of getting AIDS and other opportunistic infections.



The sad fact is that there's still a pervasive wall of shame and silence over this disease. People are much more likely to publicly declare their HIV positive status than admit to having Herpes. There are numerous charities and foundations with their high-profile celebrity spokespersons leading the very public campaign of AIDS awareness and research. There's an ever-increasing amount of sympathy and support for AIDS victims from the general public. But I challenge you to name a public spokesperson for Herpes? Better yet, can anyone even name one single Herpes charity? I'm sure they exist, but their public profiles are next to nonexistent. Have you ever seen a telethon to raise money for Herpes research? It's inconceivable to me why Herpes is treated as such a "dirty" disease. Is it the modern leprosy? I have worked with many Herpes sufferers who do not tell their lovers of their status for fear of being rejected. I'm not sure what the answer would be to gaining more support and sympathy for the sufferers of Herpes, but it's something we could all work on.



The Acyclovir family of drugs-including Valtrex and Famvir, has been the long standing therapy prescribed by doctors for the treatment of Herpes 1 and 2. Although the drug has proven itself to be somewhat effective in the reduction of the duration and severity of outbreaks when used topically and in the suppression of some outbreaks when taken orally, this effectiveness can come with a steep price.



Acyclovir does not cure Herpes, and must be taken indefinitely. Like many other drugs there are serious possible side-effects, including kidney dysfunction, toxicity in the nervous system, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea seizures, confusion and tremors, severe headaches. Beyond these perhaps the biggest problem with taking these drugs for Herpes is the creation of drug-resistant strains of the virus that will make treating people in the future much more difficult.



I have been using natural remedies to help people suffering with Herpes for fourteen years now. One of the principle natural tools used in controlling Herpes has been L-lysine-an amino acid that has been proven to reduce the frequency of outbreak in some people. Unfortunately L-lysine has now been shown to have it's own serious side-effect. Since it's main action is to inhibit arginine in the cellular environment, the long term effect of taking L-lysine is the lowering of the body's immune function. Which is a less than a desirable outcome.



Part Two:
A Comprehensive Programme for Managing Herpes Safely and Effectively



Fifteen years ago I contracted Herpes myself in the context of a monogamous relationship. Being open-minded and desperate I tried drug therapy and immediately got migraine headaches for the first time in my life. It was clear that I had to find a natural way of managing the disease for myself since I was going to have it for the rest of my life and I needed a way of being able to resume my sex life without the dread of the likelihood of passing it on to others. In the next two years I tried every natural therapy available at the time. Frustrated from the lack of consistent and lasting results from most of the touted natural remedies for Herpes I started developing my own treatment programme based on my family’s multi-generational background as herbalists.



What I found through my experience is that Herpes needs to be addressed on many levels- obviously nutrition and lifestyle changes/adjustments but that also the deep shame and many psychological effects of the disease are equally if not more important to treat than outbreaks. Herpes also can change quite significantly during the course of someone's history with the disease so any protocol would have to be flexible enough to deal with the evolutionary nature of the presenting symptoms.



I also don't believe in the validity of suppressive therapy for Herpes. I think suppression inevitably leads to the disease expressing itself in other ways-ways that may be more devastating than conventional outbreaks- so the protocol is not designed to suppress outbreaks altogether but rather to lengthen the period of time between outbreaks and to shorten their duration and greatly lessen their severity. Some people have had their average duration of outbreaks reduced from 12-16 days to 1 to 2 days. Some people have been able to prevent most outbreaks from re-occouring

The protocol does not cure the disease and does not stop all symptoms from appearing. Even those who have been able to stop most of their outbreaks have experienced some mild infrequent outbreaks. many less than one per year. Some far less than that.



After taking someone's case the protocol is adjusted depending on many factors including the strain of the virus, the frequency, location and duration of outbreaks. The relative health of the client’s self-esteem and the relative level of stressors. Whether the client is male or female,

length of time with the disease , etc , etc, etc. For most the protocol involves both internal and topical remedies. For all it involves combination therapy- I learned a great deal from studying how other natual practitioners were treating HIV , especially people who had both HIV and Herpes or who had drug-resistant HIV. In North American many people with HIV also have Herpes. Many of the same substances that are effective for HIV are also effective for Herpes.



All of the substances in the protocol are from botanical sources. Many of the substances I grow or wildcraft myself. Most of the substances I tincture or homeopathically prepare myself. Melissa Officinalis is the cornerstone of the protocol. Lomatium Dissectum and Olive Leaf and Prunella Vulgaris are part of the remedy for everyone. There are also two patented substances- one from a Marine Biologist and Bio-Chemist and one from a MD that are frequently prescribed herbally as part of the protocol. The most common homeopathic remedies prescribed in the protocol are Rhus-tox, Mezereum and Rananuculus, but there are over two dozen homeopathic remedies that I use depending on the symptom picture and another dozen or so herbal substances. Again the protocol is a combination therapy. Some of these substances are used internally , some externally.



I am not big on the use of L-lysine. I never found it particularly effective and now research is showing the long term use of L-lysine can actually lower your immune function. L-lysine is not part of the

protocol.

For the most severe cases, A referral to a Hypnotherapist is part of the protocol. Hypnosis has been clinically proven to be very effective in the treatment of Herpes particularly when combined with other therapies.

Lastly, I counsel people to make peace with the disease. To not treat the virus as some ghastly invader. But to somehow dialogue with the virus and reach some kind of accommodation. The virus is an intelligent, motivated organism quite capable of surviving. The virus is just one of many many micro organisms homesteading in our bodies. I encourage people whenever possible to make an agreement with the virus to allow the virus to stay if the virus agrees to cause as little disruption of the host's life as possible. And above all else to not be ashamed of having Herpes. To have the courage to speak about the disease and not feel like a leper.

What Makes Relaxing Music?

Music is the key to a thousand emotions. We associate music with the places we have been, the times we have experienced and the people in our lives. Music is all around us. There is no denying the effectiveness of music, so why not use it to affect our own emotions and enhance our personal environment? Relaxing music, relaxation music, meditation music... call it what you will. There is no question that it can help us to shape our environment effectively and can be changed to suit or influence our mood.

In todays society, wherever there is radio, television, cinema or the internet, we will be exposed to music. Music is all around us and is a commodity so important that is used by virtually every company on the planet to sell us their products and services. Very often we are completely oblivious to the sounds drifting out of those in-store speakers or the impact and drama of an action-movie soundtrack placed in a car advert. Music is a complex language that can convey any emotion or conjure a response from any audience. At the same time music is simple and universally understandable.

We are used to others using music to influence our emotions and therefore decisions. However, we rarely use music's benefits to help ourselves. Relaxing music or relaxation music (also marketted as meditation music or yoga music) can be used to relieve stress, unwind after a hard day at work, promote good sleep or as a focus of concentration during yoga or meditation. As a composer, the idea of music for relaxation has fascinated me. For a long time, I have researched the benefits of music for health and wellbeing. Music is just a part of relaxation, but can be the key to calm and relax mind and body.

A good habit can be built; find a quite room, put work worries to one side and allow yourself time to unwind - dim the lights, light some candles or incense or whatever you find calming. Close your eyes and focus on the sound of your breath. Take in the same amount of air and breathe longer breaths but less often. Relaxing music is a great focus for an exercise like this or any relaxation technique. Listen to relaxation music at a volume level that is high enough to mask any background noise but not so high as to be overbearing. In a busy workplace or home, headphones are useful.

The music should not be too distracting and should be carefully composed to be easy to listen to. Music should be upbeat but also interesting and different enough to capture the imagination and become a suitable focus for relief. Nature sounds enhance the experience as this helps you to imagine a place of peace, calm, tranquility and serenity. It is best to use music written specifically for relaxation, although you could use any music that you find particularly relaxing. This technique is most useful if it can be practiced for a significant amount of time - more than half an hour. However, it can be effective if used for just a few minutes at break times.

Martin Mayer is a media composer and owner of Sounds That Soothe, producing music to calm and relax.

CAUSES OF STRESS

In order to eliminate or at least control stress, it is vital to know and understand the causes of stress. Of course, there are many causes of stress and they are as varied as the people who suffer from stress, but there are a few places to look first. And by learning about these causes of stress, you can figure out where stress is entering your life.

One of the most common, and most complained about, causes of stress is work. However, it is not only the day-to-day tasks and routine pressures of work that can lead to stress. In fact, the mere concern about keeping a job can be a source of stress. Unfortunately, the combined stress of both work itself and the possibility of losing it creates a sort of double-stress in which people feel they have to work even harder in order to keep their jobs, making the stress that much worse.

As well, for those who have not entered the working world yet, school can be a great source of stress. The constant pressure of schoolwork, friends, teachers, tests, quizzes, papers, and everything else can be enough to make anyone feel like they are in trapped in a vice. In addition, the deadlines are all immoveable, so students are constantly under time pressure. And, to make matters worse, there are often several deadlines overlapping each other, intensifying the demands on time. Then, once final exams arrive, there is a lot to re-learn and students need to spend so much time studying that they can barely sleep. Needless to say, losing sleep does not help people who are under stress. Thus, students need to manage stress just as much as people who work.

Another cause of stress is simple family life. Unfortunately, though we hope that our home lives can be sources of relief from daily stress, they can often be sources of stress all their own. For childen as well as parents and spouses, the home can often be its own source of pressure.

For parents, stress can often come from simply worrying about their children. After all, seeing a child grow up, make mistakes, go through school, go to college, play sports, and often learn things to hard way is enough to make a parent tear their hair out. Thus, despite the joy that children can bring, they can also be causes of stress and worry.

Unfortunately, parents can be causes of stress also. Though they often have their childrens' best interests in mind, they can also put a lot of pressure onto their children, causing them to worry not only about school or life, but also how their parents will react when they hear about some new event, success, or error. It is as though there is no place to turn when things go wrong, creating extra stress. No, it is not easy being a parent, but it isn't always easy being a child or a teenager either, since parents can often be causes of stress as much as sources of comfort from it.

On top of that, spouses can also be causes on stress. Let's face it, husbands and wives often have expectations of their significant others and it is not always easy to live up to those expectations. As well, spouses often spend a lot of time avoiding certain arguments simply because they are trying to avoid stress. However, leaving tension in the air while not resolving it can be a cause of stress.

Money is also a major cause of stress, simply for the fact that there never seems to be enough of it. Thus, as the money keeps going out but it never seems to come in enough, stress just keeps mounting. Unfortunately, spouses, children and sometimes parents can often remind us of our shortfalls and they will often increase the stress. Of course, that is to say nothing of the continual reminders from the mortgage or rent, car payments, credit cards and other bills. And, furthermore, it is rather difficult to be philosophical about money stress since attempting to put things into perspective only recalls thoughts about the money that always seems to be missing. Thus, money stress just keeps piling up higher and higher and there never seems to be a way out.

Though this is only a partial list of all the possible causes of stress, these are some of the most common sources. However, no matter where the problem is arising, stress will not make them better. Rather, stress will only make it harder for people to think about their problems and try to solve them. Thus, in order to solve the problems that lead to stress, the best place to start is by managing the stress, then working to solve the problems with a clear and uncluttered mind.

Burn Calories, Dump Stress, Boost Immune Function - Without Sweating?

Time Magazine wrote, ". . . Tai Chi is the perfect exercise . . ." While serving as the Tai Chi Expert at DrWeil.com, I learned that best selling author and acclaimed naturopathic physician, Andrew Weil, suggested that poor breathing habits are at the root of many of our health problems. This was exciting news to me, confirming what I'd spent a lifetime learning in my Qigong (Chi Kung) and Tai Chi education. Yet, Dr. Weil's insights helped me describe to people just why Tai Chi is the perfect exercise.



Qigong, pronounced chee-kung, literally means "breathing exercise." The more popular exercise of Tai Chi is a form of Qigong. Modern medical research is now revealing that Tai Chi & Qigong are powerful health sciences, as well as effective aerobic exercises.



Studies have shown that Tai Chi can lower high blood pressure, and profoundly boost aspects of the immune system, while improving balance and coordination far better than any other known exercise. Tai Chi can reduce or eliminate chronic pain or limited mobility, while lessening the incidence of anxiety, depression, or overall mood disturbance. Tai Chi is the lowest impact exercise there is, and has even been used by those with arthritis, yet as gentle as it is it burns about 280 calories per hour, and provides roughly the same cardiovascular benefits of moderate impact aerobics.



Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? But, it is true, and this is only scratching the surface of what Tai Chi offers our busy lives. Not only can Tai Chi do all these amazing things, but it is so multi-dimensional that it provides these healing results to all the systems of our mind, body, and spirit in a regimen that only takes less than 30 minutes a day, and can be done in office attire at work in an empty boardroom or stock room. Anywhere where you can have some time alone with a little space to be uninterrupted, making Tai Chi the exercise of the future.



A major fitness manufacturing association recently released a study that found Tai Chi was at the top of the growth charts for health & fitness exercises. For those who’ve learned to enjoy Tai Chi and Qigong’s gentle workouts, this is no surprise, as they’ve seen their outlook improve, and an increased sense of well-being in their lives. Many notice improved sleep, reduced allergy symptoms and lessened asthma symptoms over the years as they practice Tai Chi & Qigong as well.



How does Tai Chi do all of this? Tai Chi is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. TCM has evolved over thousands of years of medical research in China, and evolved a system to understand how the Qi, or life energy, moves through the mind and body to support all the health systems, mental, emotional, physical, and spritual. When energy is blocked, mainly by unmanaged stress, our health diminishes. What’s fascinating is that modern Western medicine is now beginning to validate the insights of TCM. Kaiser Permanente’s twenty-year study finding that 70 to 85% of their patient’s illnesses sending them to their doctors were caused by stress, absolutely validate TCM’s understanding of our health.



Tai Chi’s gentle movements, breathing techniques, and visualization techniques combine to massage the accumulated stress loads out of our 50 trillion cells in our body. The result is to cultivate a newness of being each time we “play” Tai Chi. The Chinese don’t speak of “work-outs,” but rather “play” Tai Chi. If you can play yourself into a whole new life, a healthy, and happy, and hopeful one . . . why wait?





Recognizing Acute Stress

For those who are familiar with stress, there is a distinct difference between regular stress and acute stress. While regular stress is a part of daily life in the hectic world of today, acute stress is an altogether different animal.

While stress is certainly a problem, considering that it can cause a weakening of the immune system, problems with memory, an inability to concentrate, and coronary disease, acute stress is something else. In fact, acute stress can actually cause a complete mental and physical breakdown.

Acute stress is caused by the most severe circumstances. It is often the result of threatened or actual death, serious injury, or some form of physical violation, such as rape. The person suffering from acute stress usually feels some sort of revulsion or horror at the sight of the event, or from the experience of the event. Then, after acute stress, the person is at serious risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, the experience of acute stress can have lasting, even permanent effects upon the person who suffered the acute stress and they may not be able to fully adjust to life after the event.

Acute stress is, at its core, a form of psychological trauma, not unlike physical trauma. The person is in such a form of mental distress that the brain is almost incapable of coping with the stress and shuts down. The person who suffers from acute stress feels a sense of numbness and they are unable to connect to the world outside. They cannot adjust to the reality that surrounds them and they are, in many ways, stuck in the moment when they suffered the acute stress.

The problem with acute stress is that it creates a sort of loop tape in the person's mind, in which they continually replay the event over and over again without being able to stop it. The event is so completely consuming and yet so terrible that the person who lived through it continues to think about it until they are almost incapable of moving beyond it.

Unfortunately, the results of acute stress are not merely limited to inward issues. If left unchecked, acute stress can result in anxiety, inability to concentrate, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even nervous breakdown. Thus, acute stress is no minor issue. In fact, it must be dealt with quickly in order to prevent serious repercussions upon the mind.

If the symptoms of acute stress, such as detachment, anxiety, or a general desire to avoid anything that may remind the person of the event that caused the acute stress, it is generally considered that the acute stress has transitioned into post-traumatic stress disorder. Thus, anyone who has suffered acute stress should seek some sort of treatment so that this does not happen.

The first form of treatment that comes to most peoples' minds is psychotherapy. The sessions with a psychiatrist or psychologist are at least familiar to people and they are very useful for treating acute stress. However, many people shy away from psychotherapy simply because of the stigma attached to it.

Another method of therapy for acute stress is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is designed to help people deal with their problems or fears through a combination of treatments all working toward the same goal. The cognitive portion of CBT treats the mind and helps it think differently about its memories. Then, the behavioral portion helps the person by exposing them to things that will force them to confront their fears or their problems. The behavioral method is already well known as a treatment for phobias and the cognitive treatment is familiar from psychotherapy. However, by combining these methods into one holistic treatment, CBT can bring about some very good results.

Another method for combating acute stress and its aftermath is through medication. Depending on the symptoms, a doctor might prescribe an antidepressant, an anti-anxiety drug, or perhaps some other form of medication. However, people must be very careful with these mood-altering medications, since they do tend to alter the way they think. Thus, people taking medications like these must monitor themselves and see how they react to their effects.

Overall, acute stress is manageable and it is treatable. And it should be treated, as it can lead to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even a complete mental breakdown.

Though people may think that they are handling it fine, acute stress is a form of mental trauma that is essentially comparable to physical trauma; the more severe the trauma, the more severe the results on the person. Thus, anyone who has suffered from some traumatic experience that doesn't seem to want to go away should seek treatment as soon as possible. Though people can't change what happened to them, they can do something to prevent the memories of it from taking over their lives.

Tips for Reducing Stress

With the hectic life that most people lead in today's world, reducing stress has become a vital skill. With work stress, school stress, family stress, teen stress, parent stress, and a whole host of other kinds of stress continually knocking on the door, it has become vital to manage stress in order to keep up with everything needs to be done. Though reducing stress is difficult, it can be done with a little effort and a little dedication to improving yourself.

The first thing to do when reducing stress is to get enough sleep at night. Yes, there is always something that needs to be done and there are projects that need to be taken care of and there is always something that should get done before you go to bed and there is still one more television show to watch, but that is exactly the problem. By spending too much of the evening worrying about everything that needs doing and trying too hard to get it all done right now, you are not helping yourself. Rather, you are increasing your stress to an alarming level. If you need to get things done, then do yourself a favor and just get them out of the way before you sit down in front of the television. When they are done, then you can relax and not worry about everything that needs to get done after the show is over.

The next things you need to do are to eat right and exercise. No, it doesn't seem like taking care of physical needs with help with a mental issue such as reducing stress, but there is a connection. After all, the brain is part of the body and when the body is working right, the brain will be more effective. By putting the right nutrients into your body, you will be feeding the brain as well as the muscles and you will be able to think clearly and concentrate more effectively. As well, when you are getting all your fruits and vegetables and whole grains, you will have more energy and be less susceptible to fatigue. After all, fatigue clouds the mind and a cloudy mind is a mind that tends to wander. And, when you mind wanders, you will not be getting things done. Thus, projects and tasks will pile up, giving you even more to be stressed about.

Additionally, exercising routinely will help you keep stress at bay. When you exercise routinely, you are more aware when you are awake and you sleep better at night, both of which are very good for reducing stress. This is because exercise helps you release hormones into your body that make you feel better, both mentally and physically. And this effect is not limited to the time when you are exercising. In fact, these hormones stay in your body even after you are done exercising, so that you will feel better all day. If you can, try to work out in the morning to get that hormonal burst before you begin your day. Or, if you cannot work out in the morning, at least exercise in the early evening so that you will at least have a body that will be ready for a good night's sleep and ready for the following day.

Another great technique for reducing stress is through proper time management. Let's face it, most people spend most of their day spinning their wheels as they move from one project or task to another, making them incapable of focusing on what they are doing. However, with a time management system in place, your day can be mapped out in the morning so that you are able to complete tasks one at a time. Then, with each little success, you will be able to feel the relief of knowing that there is one less thing to worry about.

Finally, you can help lower your stress levels by taking regular vacations. The best advice is to take one week off every year so that you can recharge your batteries and face the world again. By getting away and traveling, you can feel the relief of simply leaving it all behind. Getting out of the house, the city, or even the country is an excellent way of reducing stress and, when you get back, you will come back refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to get back to the tasks of daily life.

By reducing stress, you can feel better, work better, be more sociable, and improve your health. Stress is very hard on the body and the mind, so managing it should be a priority. Thus, with a little effort, a little time, and the dedication to do the right things for yourself, you can keep your mind clear and keep yourself moving forward. Then, once you have mastered the art of reducing stress, you will also have the pleasure of not having to worry about stress.

Diabetes Foods To Eat And Avoid

What one eats is very important from the point of view of his health. The chief concern while monitoring and controlling diabetes is to see that the sugar level does not cross the normal range. This means that one needs to cut down on certain types of food and consume regularly those foods, which are good at regulating diabetes.

People with diabetes should try to maintain a healthy weight and eat a diet that is:

« low in fat
« low in sugar
« low in salt
« high in fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day)
« high in starchy carbohydrate foods, such as bread, chapatti, rice.

There is no such food that people with diabetes should never eat. In addition, there is no need to cut out all sugar. But, people with diabetes should try and eat only small amounts of foods that are high in sugar, fat. So, if you have diabetes you can treat yourself to cakes and biscuits once a blue moon, as part of a balanced diet.

What foods to eat

« A diabetic patient must eat lots of fruits and vegetables in which fibre content is very high. Such type of food lowers the requirement for insulin, the reason being it releases energy into the body cells slowly. A high fibre diet means more chromium, which is very helpful in the treatment of diabetes.

« As for vegetables, onion, garlic, ginger, radish, spinach, kale, cucumber, carrot, tomato, cabbage and cucumber are excellent in the treatment of diabetes. Moong, kidney beans which have been sprouted, and unripe banana which is cooked, are also recommended.

« Fenugreek seeds which have been soaked in water are good for diabetic patients.

« For fruits, take guava, Indian blackberry (jamun), fig, kiwi fruit, apples, citrus fruits and pomegranate juice. Let these things be a part of your morning breakfast. Since, fruit juice is high in fructose (fruit sugar) and can cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly, its best for diabetics to drink fruit juice with a meal and avoid having more than one small glass a day.

« Replace white sugar with palm sugar, dates and honey, if you want to have something sweet.

« Unpolished rice, sprouted grain should be taken in moderate quantity.

« Fats like olive oil and peanut oil are good in diabetes.

« Drink plenty of water, at least 8 to 10 glasses per day.

« Single helping of fish or seafood, as it provides omega 3 fatty acids.

« Condiments such as pepper, chilli, mustard, herbs and spices.

« Raw vegetables need to be taken in large quantity, as cooked food raises the level of blood sugar fast.

« Eat non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese, plain yoghurt, avoid cottage cheese a sit is high in carbohydrates.

« Some herbs and vegetables are specifically prescribed for diabetes, like Bitter Gourd and bitter melon juice. What to avoid

« Processed foods, white sugar, white flour and junk food, must be totally given up. Avoid sweets, glucose, fruit sugar, cakes, ice cream, chocolates, soft drinks, cream and fried foods.

« Anything that contains harmful preservatives and too much salt should be avoided.

« Avoid smoking and alcohol.

« Try and abstain from sweets, ice-creams and chocolates, including the so-called sugar-free types.

« Foods made from white flour, rye, corn, polished rice, bread, pasta, pastry, cakes, biscuits, pies.

« Starchy vegetables such as potatoes in particular; and go easy with beet, carrots, peas, beans.

« Avoid concentrated dairy products, such as khoya, kheer, cheese, cottage cheese.

« Fruits such as bananas, mango, grapes, strawberry, custard apple, date.

« Cottage cheese (except in small amounts)

« Avoid commercially packaged foods such as fast foods, chips, ready-to-eat foods, snack foods and "health foods."

« Fruit juices, as these are much higher in carbohydrates than fresh fruit. Moreover, they also lack in dietary fibre.

A few helpful tips if eating out -

· Avoid items called jumbo, combo, giant, deluxe, as they tend to have more calories.

· Choose grilled, baked roasted or steamed food.

· Choose water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit mock tails, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks

· Avoid creamy toppings, like mayonnaise. Add flavour with pepper, tomato, and onion.

· Watch out for high-fat topping salads, dressings, cheeses, and croutons.

· Choose a thin-crust pizza with extra vegetable toppings. Limit yourself to one or two slices. Keep off the extra cheese, which add calories, fat, and sodium.

· End your meal with sugar-free, fat-free frozen simple yogurt or a small cone of fat-free yogurt. Better still, go for a platter of fresh fruit salad.

· Check out on your portion size.

SO, EAT WELL AND BE WELL.

For diabetes information, diabetes diet, Diabetes Testing, diabetes causes visit http://www.diabetesmellitus-informa

Affordable internet marketing with articles



Anyone with the time, will and determination can succeed in internet marketing without great financial expense and I'll tell you how in this article.

Using free keyword suggestion tools like Overture keyword suggestion tool or Google keyword suggestion tool and a host of others, you will see the millions of searches done to a certain keyword. When these keywords are typed on search boxes of search engines, indexed websites containing articles with those keywords will be displayed. And this is what leads traffic to websites with keyword-rich articles. Yes, the magic word is articles, especially well written articles.

Content is king and this will never change. That is why writing good articles and making them available freely online by posting them on article directories is one of the most utilized Internet marketing method today. Internet surfers just cannott get enough of information on various fields. Providing information through these articles is a most certain way to drive hot traffic to your web site.

Why is this so Here are the benefits that writing articles can give your website or web business.

1. Your website or internet business will be noticed in a short period of time.

Submit that article of yours to article directories that get the most web traffic and in no time your web site will be crawled. That is if you don't forget including your resource box or byline.

2. Obtain back links automatically to your website.

When you submit your articles to directories, surely, other websites will make use of your article too. With the copyright terms of your articles, the URL of your website will still be in tact and will subsequently direct more traffic to your website. Effectively you will gets links back to your site.

3. Improve your reputation.

As an Internet marketer, if you plainly display your products on your website, you will not gain much conversion rate. Conversion is when your traffic converts to sales. You have to show that you are knowledgeable on your field. And what better way to show that than by writing good, quality articles that will allow you some bragging rights, right

4. It's absolutely free.

Too good to be true Not. Okay, you have to pay for your Internet Service Provider. That's it. All you need is your thoughts, your computer, and your hands. If you have those, nothing will stop you from typing words that will make you produce that article for your website. On which aspect of that process did you really shell out any cent Maybe later when your electric bills come.

Just make your creative juices flow and jot down or key in those ideas quickly to jumpstart your article writing momentum. With those benefits listed above, a writer's block is the last problem you will ever be able to surmount.

John Mendel is the owner of Melbal Web Directory which is a search engine friendly links directory were website owners submit their link for popularity and greater exposure online.