Diabetes Symptom

Normal hair loss is a common occurrence. At any given time,
approximately 10% of your hair is dormant and susceptible to
normal shedding. The problem is when the shedding is excessive.
It is when thinning hair becomes obvious that most people become
concerned with hair restoration options.

Some of the reasons of abnormal hair loss may include:

+ Health concerns such as major illness, fungal infections, hypo
or hyper thyroidism, and hormone imbalances;

+ Reaction to medications used to treat cancer, diabetes, lupus,
gout, birth control, and anti-depressants;

+ Improper hair care, including excessive use of chemicals and
blow-drying;

+ Genetics;

+ Poor diet, including too much fried and fatty foods, a lack of
fruits or green vegetables, and dehydration.

What are the options?

While an estimated 95% of all excessive hair loss is generic,
there is a chance a family doctor or a professional hairstylist
can provide the quickest and least expense answer to hair
restoration. A medical doctor can do a full physical, do the
appropriate blood work, and review medications and diet. He can
recommend changes that may help with hair regrowth. The
hairstylist can look at the condition of the hair and work up a
hair care routine that may correct the damage. This routine may
include hot oil treatments, scalp massage, and a change of
conditioner and shampoo. The stylist may also recommend a
haircut to reduce the appearance of thinning hair.

In the event the doctor or hairstylist is unable to assist in
reducing the hair loss back to normal levels, topical minoxidil,
marketed as Rogaine, was the first FDA approved method of
regrowing hair. To be effective, minoxidil is applied to the
scalp twice a day. It works best for those who are young and
have only recently begun to experience abnormal hair loss,
according to Pharmacia & Upjohn. Skeptics question whether the
product actually promotes as much new growth as it does reduce
the amount of loss.

Also available to sufferers of hair loss is the FDA-approved
finasteride, which is marketed as Propecia. Propecia works best
on male pattern baldness. Not only has it been proven to restore
hair growth, it also improves the thickness and strength of each
hair strand.

Often, Propecia, Rogaine, or a combination of both is used in
conjunction with hair transplants to optimize the hair
restoration process. The process of hair transplants involves
removing hair from the densely covered areas of the head and,
using a needle, implant those hairs to the thinning section of
the head.

Those suffering from male-pattern baldness may also choose a
scalp reduction. A scalp reduction is the surgical process of
removing large sections of the bald scalp, then the skin from
the densely haired sections of the head are stretched to replace
the area of scalp that is removed.

If medications and surgery seem too extreme, those suffering
from abnormal hair loss still have the option of wearing a
hairpiece. While no two toupees, or hairpieces, are created
equally, a toupee can look natural. Many who opt for the
hairpiece option join a “hair club,” which offer members service
that will keep their hairpieces cleaned, colored, and offering
the optimal fit.

Remember, all medications and surgical procedures involve a
certain amount of risk, and no hair restoration solution is
guaranteed to work. Before agreeing to a hair restoration
regime, consult with a doctor and know your risks.

Making the right hair restoration decision

Deciding whether hair restoration is right for you is a personal
decision. Some people are more concerned than others with hair
loss. Deciding which hair restoration method will work best for
you is something to discuss with a doctor who specializes in
treating hair loss. Many issues such as health, habits, budget,
and tolerance to pain will need to be considered before creating
a plan of action.

About the author:
Jerry Blackburn distributed a lot of articles for
http://www.hair-loss-tips.com an online source of information.
Robert is particularly focusing on Hair Restoration
http://www.hair-loss-tips.com/hair-restoration.html and Hair
Replacemnt. You may use this article online and in your email
newsletters as long as you leave all links intact.

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Whether you’re concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, or simply losing weight, you want to eat a healthy
diet and focus on foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, and
phytonutrients, and balanced in fats, carbs, proteins.

There is only one way to incorporate healthy foods into our diet
and that is to make the decision to do it! Practical information
about the nutrition and safety of the foods we consume is
absolutely vital in making this decision.

One way to learn more about what we eat, is to snoop around the
supermarket. Check-out package labels to see what manufactures
are adding (or removing) from the foods we eat. Read the
information on the package and start making comparisons to
determine which foods are the best for YOU. Know about
nutritional labeling and the sometimes sneaky ways that
manufacturers have of hiding what is in the food. Know and
understand ingredient declarations, how they are used, and what
a few of the “technical” terms mean. Are the unfamiliar
ingredients good or bad for your health?

Since 1994 food manufacturers have been required by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) to include food labels (or Nutrition
Facts labels) on product packaging so that consumers have
accurate nutritional information about the food they purchase.
But food labels are more than just a federal requirement – once
you understand the information they provide, you can use food
labels as a guide to planning healthier meals and snacks.

Food labels are required on almost all foods, except those that
don’t provide many nutrients such as coffee, alcohol and spices.
Although some restaurants provide information about the food
they serve, they aren’t required to have labels. The FDA
recommends that sellers provide nutritional information on
produce, meat, poultry and seafood, but it’s strictly voluntary.

What Is a Serving?

At the top of a food label under Nutrition Facts, you’ll see the
serving size and the number of servings in the package. The rest
of the nutrition information in the label is based on one
serving.

Calories, Calories From Fat and Percent Daily Values

This part of a food label provides the calories per serving and
the calories that come from fat. If you need to know the total
number of calories you eat every day or the number of calories
that come from fat, this section provides that information.
Remember that this part of the label doesn’t tell you whether
you are eating saturated or unsaturated fat.

On the right side of a food label, you’ll see a column that
lists percentages. These percentages refer to the percent daily
values (%DV). Percent daily values tell you how much of
something, whether it’s fat, sugar or vitamin A, one serving
will give you compared to how much you need for the entire day.
It will help you gauge the percentage of a nutrient requirement
met by one serving of the product. One way to use this section
of the label is when you comparison shop. For example, if you’re
concerned with sodium, you can look at two foods and choose the
food with the lower % DV. Are you trying to eat a low-fat diet?
Look for foods that have a lower percent daily value of fat.

The %DV is based on how much or how little of the key nutrients
you should eat whether you eat 2,000 or 2,500 calories a day. So
if you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, you should eat less than 65
grams of fat in all the foods you eat for the day. If you’re
eating 12 grams of fat in your one serving of macaroni and
cheese (remember that’s one cup), you can calculate how much fat
you have left for the day. You can use the bottom part of the
food label in white to compare what you are eating to the % DV
you’re allowed for that nutrient, whether it’s fat, sodium or
fiber. If you need more or less than 2,000 or 2,500 calories,
you’ll need to adjust this accordingly.

Nutrients

Fat, Sugar, Sodium and Carbohydrate

The sections on a food label shows the name of a nutrient and
the amount of that nutrient provided by one serving of food. You
may need to know this information, especially if you have high
blood pressure, diabetes or are eating a diet that restricts
certain nutrients such as sodium or carbohydrates.

Food labels also include information about how much sugar and
protein is in the food. If you are following a low-sugar diet or
you’re monitoring your protein intake, it’s easy to spot how
much of those nutrients are contained in one serving.

Vitamins, Minerals and Other Information

The light purple part of the label lists nutrients, vitamins and
minerals in the food and their percent daily values. Try to
average 100% DV every day for vitamins A and C, calcium, iron
and fiber. Do the opposite with fat, saturated fat, sodium and
cholesterol. Try to eat less than 100% DV of these.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Reading a Food Label

Until you become accustomed to reading food labels, it’s easy to
become confused. Avoid these common mistakes when reading labels:

-A label may say that the food is reduced fat or reduced sodium.
That means that the amount of fat or sodium has been reduced by
25% from the original product. It doesn’t mean, however, that
the food is low in fat or sodium. For example, if a can of soup
originally had 1,000 milligrams of sodium, the reduced sodium
product would still be a high-sodium food.

-Don’t confuse the % DV for fat with the percentage of calories
from fat. If the % DV is 15% that doesn’t mean that 15% of the
calories comes from fat. Rather, it means that you’re using up
15% of all the fat you need for a day with one serving (based on
a meal plan of 2,000 calories per day).

-Don’t make the mistake of assuming that the amount of sugar on
a label means that the sugar has been added. For example, milk
naturally has sugar, which is called lactose. But that doesn’t
mean you should stop drinking milk because milk is full of other
important nutrients including calcium.

Reading Label Lingo

In addition to requiring that packaged foods contain a Nutrition
Facts label, the FDA also regulates the use of phrases and terms
used on the product packaging. Here’s a list of common phrases
you may see on your food packaging and what they actually mean.

No fat or fat free – Contains less than 1/2 gram of fat per
serving Lower or reduced fat: Contains at least 25 percent less
per serving than the reference food. (An example might be
reduced fat cream cheese, which would have at least 25 percent
less fat than original cream cheese.)

Low fat – Contains less than 3 grams of fat per serving.

Lite – Contains 1/3 the calories or 1/2 the fat per serving of
the original version or a similar product.

No calories or calorie free – Contains less than 5 calories per
serving.

Low calories – Contains 1/3 the calories of the original version
or a similar product.

Sugar free – Contains less than 1/2 gram of sugar per serving.

Reduced sugar – at least 25% less sugar per serving than the
reference food.

No preservatives – Contains no preservatives (chemical or
natural).

No preservatives added – Contains no added chemicals to preserve
the product. Some of these products may contain natural
preservatives.

Low sodium – Contains less than 140 mgs of sodium per serving.

No salt or salt free – Contains less than 5 mgs of sodium per
serving.

High fiber – 5 g or more per serving (Foods making high-fiber
claims must meet the definition for low fat, or the level of
total fat must appear next to the high-fiber claim).

Good source of fiber – 2.5 g to 4.9 g. per serving.

More or added fiber – Contains at least 2.5 g more per serving
than the reference food.

With a little practice, you will be able to put your new found
knowledge about food labeling to work. Reassess your diet and
decide what needs to be changed. Start by eliminating the foods
that don’t measure-up to your nutritional wants and needs, and
replacing them with more nutritional substitutes.

And while you’re at it, visit the FDA website and learn about
the new labeling requirements, including those for “trans” fat.
Like saturated fats, trans fats can raise levels of low-density
lipoproteins (LDL) and increase your risk of heart disease. The
“Nutrition Facts” panel on food packaging must provide this
information beginning January 1, 2006, but most manufacturers
will start providing it sooner.

About the author:
Sick and tired of being Sick and Tired, Nettie Mae quit her 3rd
shift factory job. To see what keeps her going, visit
http://www.frutavida4u.com/nettiemae/.

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As reported in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recently
published “Calories Count – Report of the Working Group on
Obesity”, people who are overweight is a serious public health
problem in the United States. Since the late 1980’s, adult
obesity has steadily and substantially increased in the United
States. Today, 64 percent of all Americans weigh too much and
over 30 percent are obese; in 1988 through 1992, fewer than 56
percent were overweight and fewer than 23 percent of American
adults were obese.

The trends for children are even more worrisome. Recent research
by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows
that 15 percent of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 are
overweight – double the rate of two decades ago. As Americans
get heavier, their health suffers. Overweight and obesity
increase the risk for coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes,
and certain cancers. According to some estimates, at least
400,000 deaths each year may be attributed to obesity.

What people must know is that you can improve your health
quickly with just a small amount of weight loss. “We know that
physical activity along with reduced calorie consumption can
lead to the 5 to 10 percent weight loss necessary to achieve
remission of the obesity-associated complications,” says William
Dietz, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Nutrition and
Physical Activity at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).

According to Ken Black, founder of www.weight-loss-disco
very.com, “losing one to two pounds a week is safe and
recommended by most doctors for most people. This breaks down to
250 to 1,000 calories per day. You can achieve this easily if
you follow some or all of the following guidelines” :

1. Use skim milk instead of whole milk or cream in your coffee.
2. Eat low fat yogurt instead of ice cream. 3. Eat more bright
colored (green, yellow, orange, red) fruits and vegetables. 4.
Eat more lean fish, chicken, or turkey, instead of red meats. 5.
Eat whole wheat or multigrain bread, instead of white bread. 6.
Use a sugar replacement instead of sugar (avoid Aspartame). 7.
Drink water instead of soft drinks. 8. When you eat out, avoid
fried foods. 9. Walk or do similar exercises (e.g. Golf, Tennis)
at least 20 minutes a day.

If you do even just a couple of these every day for the next
month, you’ll feel much better and you will lose weight (10 lbs.
or more in 6-8 weeks).

And if you are concerned about getting hungry all the time, or
losing your energy, try taking a safe appetite suppressant, like
Herbal Phentermine. This supplement is not to be confused with
the drug Phentermine, which has side effects like stomach upset,
dry mouth and sleeplessness. The herbal variety is a
non-prescription medication and has been tested for years to be
safe for most people. It contains ingredients like green tea,
acetyl L-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, biotin and others, that
control your appetite, yet increase your metabolism and energy.

However, do not take any herbal supplement without checking with
your Doctor first, if you are on any prescription medications,
due to possible interactions between the two, or if you have a
special medical condition.

If you follow these simple steps, you will surely reach your
weight loss goals and become a much happier, healthier, and oh
yes, lighter person.

About the author:
Ken Black is the Founder of
http://www.weight-loss-discovery.com, a website dedicated to
helping people lose weight.

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