The Grapefruit Diet

One of the popular fad diets in Hollywood was the grapefruit diet. It dates back to the 1930s, and many Hollywood stars of the time swore by it. Then in the 70′s it became a piece of fax junk, sent from machine to machine, commonly known as xerox lore. The diet has been described as bad by the Mayo Clinic, often associated with the diet.

The grapefruit diet is a lot like Atkins, but with a grapefruit eaten with each meal. The diet only allows three meals each day, with no snacking in between meals. The diet claimed that people could lose 10 pounds in 10 days, or 5 pounds in five days. As wild as that sounds, this is wilder – the diet claimed someone might not lose weight for 9 days, but then suddenly drop 10 pounds in the last day. It was based on the claim that grapefruit contains fat burning enzymes, something that has never been proven.

In 2004 it was proven that the diet may work. Participants in the study lost 3.6 pounds on average in a 12 week span, eating one half grapefruit before each meal. Those who drank the serving of grapefruit juice at each meal lost just slightly less weight in the same period of time. Many of the participants lost more than 10 pounds in 12 weeks. Researchers attributed the weight loss to decreased insulin levels caused by eating grapefruit. However, all the participants slightly enhanced their exercise programs, which may account for the lost weight.

Here are the rules for the grapefruit diet:

- Drink eight servings of water a day.
- Eat until full.
- Eat everything listed for each meal, do not skip foods, they are specifically formulated to help burn fat.
- Grapefruit is a catalyst that starts fat burning. Do not change the amount of grapefruit.
- Drink only up to 1 cup of coffee at meals.
- Never eat between meals.
- Eat butter if you want.
- Avoid sweets and starches such as bread and potatoes.
- Meat and vegetables are fine.
- Eating more will actually result in more weight loss.
- Skip two days between each 12 day diet period.
- Eat one half grapefruit, or drink 18 ounce glass of grapefruit, with each meal.

Give the grapefruit diet a try.

External Hemroid Treatment

Many options are available when seeking hemroid treatment but we’ll take look at the most commonly effective ones only.

* It’s important to include extra fiber in your diet and to drink plenty of water every day as this will prevent constipation. Constipation can put stress your intestinal muscles, exacerbating any existing problems with your hemorrhoids.

* There are foods that tend to worsen hemroid symptoms, the most common being nuts, coffee, all alcohols and spicy foods. If you see harmful efects of some food in your hemriods, then try not to take it for few days and look out for any positive effect.

* Use ice on the area for 10 minutes, then follow with a warm, moist towel for 20 minutes to provide relief.

Using unscented baby wipes is a better way then wiping or rubbing after bowel movement.

This is one experience where it is better to keep physically active than sit still.

* If you have a particularly bad flare up of the piles, bed rest will take pressure off the sphincter muscles and allow the hemroids to time to subdue.

Some get relief by taking sitz bath several times a day ,for that soak the affected area in warm water for about 15 minutes..

* If you use soaps or body wash that contain dyes and perfumes, switch to less chemical versions.

Since sweating can aggravate hemroid symptoms, you should wear cotton undergarments to help your skin stay dry.

* Zinc is considered to be a skin protectant which is commonly found in the baby diaper rash creamand which could be applied even for both to protect the delicate anal skin and as well as to prevent the itching from it too.

* Suppositories like Tucks and Preparation H are a hemroid treatment to be used with serious caution since they can damage the anal area if you use it a long time, and they should not be used over 7 to 10 days.

Anti-inflamitories such as hydrocortisone creams that can help inflammation as well as itching are available at your drugstore. Your doctor can prescribe a higher concentration if the over the counter strengths don’t provide relief.

* You can find numbing sprays at drugstores to make it hurt less.

The downside is that not every sufferer will respond to the treatments. Many still suffer from the itching, burning, bleeding and pain of external and internal hemroids after trying traditional treatments. Even if the medications listed earlier do mask the symptoms, or offer short term relief, eventually the hemroids will return. There is a true hemroid treatment that exists, rather than masking the symptoms.Always to consult an MD before beginning any hemroid treatment.

5 Causes Of Thinning Hair

Causes of thinning hair can be wide and varied, but if you are losing hair it may not necessarily be a permanent thing. We are going to cover some of the different reasons behind hair loss today however before we do so lets make sure we are aware of hair cycles and also a quick test to see if you are potentially going bald.

At any one time approximately ninety percent of your hair is growing and the other ten is resting. It is when your hair is resting that it is likely to fall out so if all of a sudden you see a lot of hair in the plughole or on your comb then this may be the reason why.

There is a test you can do to give a further indication if you are going bald or not and that is to do a tug test. This is a lot less painful than it sounds, all it consists of is grabbing a few hairs between thumb and forefinger (you want at least 20 or so) and then pulling these strands slowly but firmly. If you lose more than half a dozen on this test then you may be going bald.

That said let us now look at five of the possible reasons behind hair loss :-

1 Ageing- unfortunately part of life is getting older, and one of the downsides of this is that when we age we start to lose our hair, for some hair loss can start as early as late teens but for a lot of people hair loss really happens between the ages of 20-50

Teeth Whitening Products

When toothpastes no longer give you that bright and shiny smile, teeth whitening is a viable alternative. Perfect white teeth are frequently advertised by various teeth whitening products.

It’s no wonder many people are looking for ways to whiten their teeth, what with all the television advertising for these products.

The obvious candidates for teeth whitening are people whose teeth have discolored because of age, possibly due to smoking or other factors.

When teeth whitening was proven to be effective, more people were curious and wanted to try it. There are now various ways for people to have their teeth whitened.

Teeth whitening systems are methods you can do yourself at home. These are made up of a whitening gel that is placed in a mouthpiece for a specific number of times. Before buying a teeth whitening system, it is a good idea to read the labels first to make certain that they are approved by the American Dental Association. It is very important that you only do as instructed and don’t overdo it.

Professional teeth whitening is the most effective method for teeth whitening. Before being treated for teeth whitening, your dental professional will make sure you have healthy teeth and decide which whitening method is best for you. Any issues such as cavities or gum issues need to be dealth with first. A good teeth cleaning should also be done by your dental hygenist. Your dentist will let you know what to expect from the procedure.

Teeth whitening does not last forever. The process will need to be repeated from time to time to maintain your whitened teeth.