November 7, 2009

How I Stopped Balding

I never considered that I would suffer from hair loss, even though my father had a receding hairline. I first discovered that my hairline was receding shortly before my thirtieth birthday. I couldn’t believe I was losing my hair. I was also starting to lose hair on the back of my head.

It was the first time in my life I felt that age has eventually caught up. I felt like the best years of my life were behind me. I even stopped seeing other people. My love life was non-existent. There was one girl I had been seeing casually and even though I liked her, I just stopped returning her calls. I figured that I hadn’t found the woman of my dreams with a full head of hair so there was no way I was going to find someone with my growing bald spot. I was too deflated to even try having a loving relationship.

Hair loss transformed me from a self-confident, extroverted guy into a depressed loner. I was assured to get the problem addressed and began looking for a resolution. I started exploring various hair loss treatments that are obtainable in the counter. Nothing I got from the drug store worked and trust me, I gave them all a go . After that, I just stopped trying for a while. It was a real low point in my life. I even stopped going out with my friends, I was so lonely.

As Luck Would Have It, one night a friend dragged me out of the house for a few drinks. The first thing he observed about me was my mood, he knew that the hair loss has affected how I felt. He told me about the hair loss studio in the city. My friend had gone there for hair loss treatments and had been impressed with the results. I was even more impressed. I wouldn’t have thought that he had endured from hair loss, he had a full head of hair. He made me promise to give them a try and I agreed.

I could not have been happier with the hair loss studio recommended to me. After just a few hair loss treatments, I had a full head of hair again. Hair Loss Studio did not just give me my hair back. They gave me my self-assurance back.

Comments Off

May 20, 2008

All About Laser Hair Removal, Permanent Hair Removal, and Electrolysis

As we get older, we tend to get more wrinkles, lines and
unwanted hair growing in places it shouldn’t. Our goal is to
provide you with some straight facts about laser hair removal.
The first question most people ask is will they make a good
candidate for this type of treatment. The number one requirement
is that one’s hair must be darker than the surrounding skin. So
if you are fair skinned and have dark, unwanted hair, you would
indeed be a good candidate. Dark skinned people tend to absorb
too much laser energy and therefore are not considered
candidates for this procedure. People also want to know about
permanent hair removal and the difference between laser hair
removal and electrolysis.

One thing to keep in mind is that laser hair removal or
electrolysis is not cheap. It can range in price from a few
hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars depending on the
size of area being treated. The average treatment cost is
approximately $500 and most people require about 4 treatments.
Your best bet is to go and speak with a consultant who will be
able to give your more specific pricing information. Shaving,
waxing and plucking are hair removal techniques used, however,
they are not effective at permanent hair removal. There is
better and better equipment entering the market with greater
results. Even though more treatments lead to longer lasting
results, there is no way to precisely predict for any given
person.

The most common areas people look to have hair removal take
place is the bikini line, legs, face, upper lip, chest,
underarms, back and abdomen. This can be done using the laser
hair removal or electrolysis procedure which claims to be a
permanent hair removal process. It does tend to be painful, but
most people consider it tolerable. There may be some temporary
post treatment swelling and redness but this will quickly
subside. Others have experienced permanent pitting or scarring
so before you begin any treatment you must gather as much
information as you can to make an informed decision. No matter
which hair removal process you choose, you will likely feel more
confident and happy with your appearance.

Comments Off

May 10, 2008

On the Home Front: Women’s Self Defense in the World War II Era

During the World War II era Rosie was not only learning
riveting, she was learning self defense. With men away at the
frontlines, and many nations the world over facing the real
specter of hostile invasion, women’s self defense became a
matter of common concern.

In this regard, for a host of societal and other reasons, women
shied away (or were enticed away) from using handguns as a means
of self defense. Rather, as the decade of the 1940s moved
onward, and as the Axis powers seemed perilously close to
victory, more and more women enrolled in women’s self defense
training programs. These programs focused on teaching women
martial arts styled self defense techniques.

With more and more interest in women’s self defense arising in
countries such as the United States and United Kingdom, a
growing number of females found themselves on tracks towards
becoming martial arts instructors. On some level, the martial
arts proved to be somewhat of a leveling influence between men
and women. Historically, when it came to various types of
physical activity, men had at least a perceived advantage over
their female counterparts. However, when it came to women’s self
defense involving martial arts training, a leveling effect
occurred.

Martial arts vaporize the advantage enjoyed by men in other
physical and athletic arenas. Therefore, when it came to
developing meaningful and useful women’s self defense techniques
and practices, martial arts was a natural approach.

As has been mentioned, in rather short speed, women found
themselves in the position of teaching others martial arts
techniques. In reality, in no other sporting or arena of
physical activity have women risen from participants to
instructors so quickly as in martial arts during the 1940s. In
point of fact, as submission fighting and martial arts became
associated with basic training regimens in the United States and
the United Kingdom, women began to be called upon to serve as
qualified instructors.

As the war drew to an end in the 1945, the connection between
women and the martial arts continued. (Many people dismissed the
involvement of women in the martial arts during the war years as
just a passing fad. However, this conclusion proved to be wrong
as women maintained an interest in the martial arts long after
the war ended.)

Immediately following the end of World War II, the interest of
women in the martial arts was related to an ongoing desire to be
prepared to defend against the prospect of a hostile power
making a move against their homeland. Cold War fears were quick
to replace the battles of World War II.

Eventually, a dual set of interests developed for women
interested in the martial arts. On one hand, the martial arts
were extremely relevant to women’s self defense. On the other
hand, the martial arts rapidly became an effective means for
women’s exercise and physical fitness.

Comments Off

April 12, 2008

A Guide to Andropause Treatments

Andropause Treatment Options

Andropause treatment may include lifestyle and dietary changes, herbal supplements or hormone replacement therapy. Men choose different treatments depending on the severity of their symptoms, their overall health and the advice of their doctor. What follows is a brief description of treatment options.

Testosterone replacement therapy is an option that must be closely monitored by a physician. Blood tests determine the current testosterone levels and those are compared to “normal” levels.

The physician must then ensure that the patient only receives enough of the hormone to bring his levels back up to “normal”.

Too much testosterone can actually affect the body’s natural ability to produce the hormone on its own. Men selecting testosterone replacement therapy as an andropause treatment have reported positive results in as little as three weeks.

Andropause Treatments

Testosterone can be administered in several ways. Oral testosterone capsules and lozenges are synthetic testosterone and appear to be the least effective.

Testosterone injections, also synthetic, appear to be more effective, but may be painful, because the hormone must be injected directly into a muscle.

Transdermal patches are worn on the skin and many people find them uncomfortable. A natural testosterone gel which is applied directly to the skin was approved for use by the FDA in 2000 and appears to be very effective as an andropause treatment.

Men using the gel report increased energy levels, sex drive, endurance and overall muscle strength.

Lifestyle changes can alleviate some of the symptoms associated with andropause. One study of men who had been previously sedentary and began a regular exercise program reported increased energy levels, sex drive and an overall sense of well-being.

A good treatment program for andropause will include regular exercise and a healthy diet that comprised of foods that can naturally help boost testosterone levels.

There are several herbs on the market which have been reported in clinical studies in Europe to be effective andropause treatments.

These include avena sativa, eurycoma longifolia, nettle, saw palmetto, and perhaps most promising of all, tribulus terrestris. The names may seem long and unusual, but most are readily available at health food store and nutrition centers or can be purchased online.

When investigating any of the herbal treatments, you will see references to “bio-available” testosterone. The distinction is made between bio-available testosterone levels and overall testosterone levels, because as testosterone production is decreasing with age, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is increasing.

SHBG is a protein produced by the liver that attaches itself to testosterone causing it to be unable to affect the body’s tissues. So, treatment of andropause symptoms will include an effort to reduce the SHBG in the bloodstream, or at least keep the SHBG levels the same, while increasing the levels of testosterone.

The symptoms associated with andropause vary from male to male and some men experience no undesirable symptoms at all. If you are experiencing symptoms like fatigue and low sex drive, see your doctor. Andropause treatment is available.

Learn more about andropause treatments and testosterone boosting therapies at http://www.testosterone-booster-guide.com. Also covered are http://www.testosterone-booster-guide.com/Foods_that_boost_testosterone.html.

Comments Off