Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

The Secret To Permanent Weight Loss

AND SAVE MONEY IN THE PROCESS. The secret is simple and basic. Just three little words --- DON'T BUY IT! If you don't buy it, you won't eat it. If you don't eat it, you won't get fat. So your problem starts at the store or restaurant. Since your diet starts at the store, were you ever taught how to shop for food? Probably not. The grocery store can destroy your diet and get into your pocketbook. . .

To Give or Not to Give

(NC)-Donating one's own blood before an operation can provide peace of mind - but patients who donate their own blood also tend to require more blood in total than those who do not pre-donate, and the pre-donation can be both time- consuming and inconvenient. Andreas Laupacis, of the Loeb Research Institute in Ottawa, has designed an audiobooklet to help patients decide whether they want to pre. . .

How You Can Look Good And Feel Better During Cancer Treat...

(NC)-Tips:Use warm (not hot) water and a mild facial soap or creamy cleanser that tissues off. A non-stimulating alcohol-free freshener will remove all traces of cleanser.Apply moisturizer to protect against dryness and relieve irritation, and create a smooth surface for your makeup. A moisturizer containing sunscreen with a SPF of 15 or higher, is a good way to protect your skin from the sun's. . .

How To Keep Your Kid'S Brain Healthy

(NC)-According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, approximately one in five children between the ages of four and 16 have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder. If untreated, such conditions can lead to drug addiction, dropping out of school and, in more severe cases, criminal behavior.Until recently, doctors and researchers rarely considered that children could suffer from mental diso. . .

Feeding The Brain

(NC)-Infants need high levels of DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, for brain development and function. But Sheila Innis, of the University of British Columbia, believes that they may not be able to produce sufficient DHA on their own, and may need a dietary supplement to avoid deficits in brain function. She is testing her belief by feeding piglets diets with and without DHA. DHA is a polyunsaturat. . .

FAT LOSS: The Truth on Fat Loss and how to Achieve it!

Fat Loss in General This morning I conducted a search engine "search" on the word fat loss. "Fat Loss" and "Fat Loss Supplements", being the most popular keywords, came up with a combined 1800 links, in one search engine. I went to the next search engine I ran a word count on "fat loss" rather than a link count. The results came up as 46106! WOW! Why is it that fat loss / losing body fat relat. . .

Food Poisoning Can Spoil Your Day

(NC)-Eating outdoors in summer can be an appetizing experience. Fresh air, combined with healthy activity, can tantalize the taste buds. Picnics and camping often focus on the enjoyment of food. However, there can be hidden hazards lurking in the cooler or picnic basket.Canada's leader in safety-oriented™ first aid training, St. John Ambulance, suggests you take simple precautions to ensu. . .

Finding The Help You Need - Close To Home

(NC)-No matter where you live, trying to find out about cancer support and treatment services can feel like navigating a foreign city with a crummy map.But at the Canadian Cancer Society's information service, information specialists rely on a unique tool to make the search easier - a computerized database listing approximately 7,000 community services Canadians can turn to for help close to ho. . .

Back to School : What is a food allergy? What can you do?

(NC)-Food allergies are becoming more prevalent every day. Severe reactions can be life threatening if not treated immediately. In many cases, a dangerous breathing condition called anaphylaxis (an-a-fi-lak-sis) can result when a substance to which the casualty is very sensitive enters the body.Anaphylaxis can happen within seconds, minutes or even hours of a substance entering the body. As a r. . .

Zen Mind: A Personal View

Zen mind is the “Natural” state of our beings: No self, no identity, no memes, no beliefs.Any idea of “what is” takes us away from what is – to be in the moment, all ideas need to be gone. There’s not even an “I” to have the ideas. The natural being acts as an outcome of the movement of the universe, in the same way that an artist’s brush is moved by its “universe”.All “teachings”, “spiritual” . . .

West Nile Virus

West Nile virus is a strain of encephalitis similar to Saint Louis encephalitis, which reached epidemic proportions in the 1950's and 60's. West Nile virus, like encephalitis, is transmitted by mosquitos. There are several species of mosquitos that have been identified as vectors for West Nile, and more species are constantly being identified. One of the most common species, Culex pipiens or ho. . .

Don't Fool With A Seizure

(NC)-You and a friend are enjoying an outing when -suddenly-your companion appears to lose consciousness, falls to the ground and starts to shake uncontrollably. The person is having a seizure. How can you help?St. John Ambulance, Canada's leader in first aid training and products, offers these tips.1. Make the area safe for the casualty. Keep onlookers away.2. Don't try to restrict the perso. . .

Breast Cancer Education Gets Visual

(NC)-If a picture is worth a thousand words, how do you use pictures to help people understand and learn about a sensitive subject like breast cancer? Researchers from the division of biomedical communications in the department of surgery at the University of Toronto are exploring the use of images to study how best to teach women at risk about breast cancer.Text and images are used on the Brea. . .

Should Mom Move Closer?

Things to Think About Before You Relocate Your Elderly Parent Your home is now miles and hours away from your parent. The best thing would be to move Mom or Dad closer...or would it? There are a lot of reasons why it might make sense to relocate an aging parent closer to the rest of the family. But, before you suggest a move, give it some serious thought. Be sure that this move would rea. . .

Adult Attention Deficit Disorder

Attention Deficit Disorder tends to focus predominately on children, leaving the ADD adult largely under served. Most of the information presented about Attention Deficit Disorder focuses on children, parenting and school issues. All but one ADHD medication currently on the market achieved FDA approval for adult Attention Deficit Disorder treatment. Attention Deficit Disorder simply was not in . . .

Feng Shui for Your Health and Vitality

How many of us wake up in the morning feeling refreshed, happy and full of energy? How many of us, after a few hours in the office, still feel full of energy? Why certain environments uplift our spirits and make us breathe deeper, while others drain our energy? We seem to have forgotten how deeply connected we are with the space we live in and how important is for our well being to live in a ba. . .

Go Nuts!

Nuts of all kinds (I am talking peanuts, cashews etc) have a mixed reputation. They are high in fat, but have no carbohydrates. Many people I know will not eat any type of nut because of their high fat content. Nuts have a very important role in a healthy weight loss plan.First, the fat in nuts is 90% percent unsaturated, which means it helps keep your arteries clean of cholesterol. Remembe. . .

Healthy Aging - Surviving In Today's World

(NC)-The older we get, the faster life moves. Unfortunately, as our body ages, we take on the strain of our years. Keeping pace in a hectic world can take its toll. Elderly people need to use extra care to ensure their safety.When we're young, we can fall and almost bounce back up. Our bones and muscles are flexible enough to handle extreme sports. Then, age sets in. The warning signs come in b. . .

What Does It Mean To Be Fit?

(NC)-When we think of the word "fit," what comes to most people's minds is strength and flexibility. When exercise specialists describe fitness, however, they take five different categories into consideration: body composition, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and aerobic fitness. Body Composition refers to how your body is made up - your height relative to your weight, the p. . .

Pain In The Neck?

(NC)-Neck pain is less common than low back pain, which affects about 80 percent of us at some time in our lives. Nevertheless, a huge number of adults - between 38 and 50 percent - have to cope with a sore neck at some point. Until recently, the cervical spine was largely ignored by researchers. Why? Because neck pain caused far less disability and absenteeism from work than low back pain.Like. . .

Getting Tough On E. Coli Can Help Prevent Kidney Failure

(NC)-Despite the fact that Canada's food supply is among the safest in the world, sometimes the food we eat can make us sick. Foodborne illness, of which there are more than one million cases reported each year, results from the presence of a harmful strain of bacteria called E. coli, which is found in contaminated aliments. These bacteria produce toxins that cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, f. . .

Kidney Disease - Early Detection Thwarted By Silent Symptoms

(NC)-"The first clues started to appear about a year before I was diagnosed, but the signs were small and insignificant," said Carrie Donohue. "I was having intense headaches and muscle cramps in my hands and feet, and I was always thirsty. Looking back now, it seems obvious that these were signs of kidney disease, only my husband and I didn't know it then." Carrie's story is not unique. When a. . .

Wake Up To The Facts About A Good Night's Sleep

(NC)-Just about everyone has heard that sleep is important to health and well-being, but did you know just how important it really is? The fact is, the human body can survive without food and water longer than it can without adequate sleep. Assess your own sleep needs and test your Sleep IQ with the quiz below.1. Do you know the cause of your stuffy nose, puffy eyes, and sneezing when you wake. . .

Sleep Tip

(NC)-Just about everyone has heard that sleep is important to health and well-being, but did you know that… Wool Keeps Your Bedding Dust Mite FreeDid you know that beds are a prime habitat for allergens such as dust mites? A typical mattress may house anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million mites. Traditional bedding materials such as feathers and down trap moisture, creating a clammy environment t. . .

Back To Golf

(NC)-It's true that many golfers suffer from back pain. If you are one of them but love the game, you can have it both ways. It just takes some practice and patience. Trunk rotation - at least the lack of it - is the most common problem for golfers who are prone to back pain. The more skilled and flexible you are, the more you can rely on your hips and trunk to rotate when you swing. This is th. . .

Back In The Garden

(NC)-For many Canadians, gardening is the most joyful activity of summer. But if you love to garden and you also suffer from back pain, you know that you can cause yourself a lot of grief unless you follow some basic ergonomic principles. Gardening, of course, is a seasonal activity here in Canada. During the winter, few of us make much use of the muscle groups we employ for typical gardening a. . .

5 Tips to Reduce Depression

While war and poor economic conditions begin to affect people all over the world, more and more people suffer with depression. The more we focus on news events and the business climate, the more we are depressed. Whatever the reason you feel is the cause of your depression, the following five simple tips guarantee you reduce it significantly.1. Do not read newspapers. Newspapers publish negativ. . .

Are Weight Loss Supplements Worth It?

What do you think of the hundreds of weight loss supplements out there on the shelves today? Are they worth the money? Will they actually help you lose weight? How do you know which ones are going to work for you? Is there any proof that these products work? I've taken some time and researched some of the most popular product to try to find the answers for you. The truth is, most products won't. . .

2 Exercises to Avoid

If you want a good night, then avoid two of these old school moves.Good Mornings:Although I can't say I've seen these moves done in quite some time, I know that growing up I saw plenty of pictures of how the move should be done. If I had more then 3 wishes left in this lamp, I wish that somebody would go find every book and every website with this exercise and cross it out with a Sharpie pen. I. . .

Little Tip On Premature Ejaculation

Curing premature ejaculation can cost some money. You will have to buy a exercising program, or hypnosis program, or psychologist sessions, or what ever you want to do. But here I have one tip that could work to night, absolutely free ;). This might not cure your premature ejaculation completely, but it might help you to last, and help your partner to come faster. So everybody should be happy ;. . .

New Health Miracle -- Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

“High-dose pharmaceutical-grade fish oil is as close to a medical miracle as we will see in the 21st century.” – Dr. Barry SearsDr. Barry Sears revolutionized nutritional thinking around the world with his 1995 landmark #1 New York Times best seller The Zone. With The Zone, and his subsequent bestselling Zone books, Dr. Sears describes how a scientifically proven plan of moderate carbohydrate . . .

Tendonitis and the Effects on Your Routine

What turns out to be a small, yet annoying pain in your joint, can quickly turn into something much more debilitating. At first, you just think it might be a pulled muscle. Maybe I did a bit too much weight? But the intermediate to advanced bodybuilder knows what muscle soreness feels like after a workout. This isn’t it. But there is a potential solution.My biceps routine, which was progressing. . .

How To Get Slim With Healthy Eating Habits

Many women want to be slim. Maybe you’re one of them. Perhaps you’re getting married soon and you want to fit into your wedding gown comfortably. Or perhaps you simply want to look (and feel) great in a swimsuit or bikini. Whatever your reason for wanting to be slim, there are some things you can do to become slim while staying healthy. If you are reading this article, chances are y. . .

How NOT to Return from an Exercise Break

Several sites, including this one, recommend that you take a break every 8 weeks after working out with weights. But how do you come back from that break and get back into your routine?Does anyone suggest you just jump back in and do the same intensity as when you last left off? Definitely not.This article will share a personal insight that I’m positive many people have faced when returning fro. . .

NO2 Muscle Enhancing Hemodialator

Whenever I go to the gym and tell a friend that I've recently started the supplement, NO2, nobody knows what I'm talking about but I even mention Creatine, and that is well known as a standard for building muscle.Could NO2 be the next Creatine? When Creatine was launched, it was expensive. But it worked. It was a huge craze at the gyms and most everybody wanted it. The reason they wanted it so . . .

What's with my Hair Falling Out !?

“Yeeee gads! My hair is falling out!” This is a cry that can affect your whole family for long, awkward moments. What is it with your hair? Is it gone forever?Let's clear up some confusion and try to notch down some panic about this kind of a look in the mirror.About HairHealthy hair simply looks good. The healthier your scalp and hair follicles, the better your hair will look. If you're . . .

5 Tips to Reduce Depression

While war and poor economic conditions begin to affect people all over the world, more and more people suffer with depression. The more we focus on news events and the business climate, the more we are depressed. Whatever the reason you feel is the cause of your depression, the following five simple tips guarantee you reduce it significantly.1. Do not read newspapers. Newspapers publish negativ. . .

How To Overcome Workout Plateaus

Humans are habitual. They strive on routine and rituals. While it’s true that routine can provide a sense of ease and security, I think we’d all agree that the same old, same old can also turn to boredom. And when it comes to working out, routine can be downright toxic. New exercisers often see quick fitness results such as weight loss and increased muscle strength while engaging in the same wo. . .

Diet and Eczema

Much controversy and argument surrounds the idea that food may play a role in triggering eczema. It has only been in recent years that doctors and health professionals have become aware of the significance of diet on eczema. It is now generally acknowledged that some 10 – 25 percent of people are affected by food sensitivity, and it has become much more widely accepted that food intolerance may. . .

The Secret Weapon To Beat SARS Is In Your Head

Just when you thought you had all the fun you could possibly handle with Saddam Hussein, North Korea, Al Quaeda and the winter that just won't die, along comes SARS – severe-acute respiratory syndrome.I recently fielded a call on this subject from one of my biggest fans: "You moron. What do you mean we can fight SARS with our heads? Can't you see? We are all going to die. Die. Die, I tell . . .

Time Out of Mind

Let us first consider the role of time in our lives, then let us consider that role in terms of mental illness. Buddhists and Hindus, among others, propose that time does not actually exist. The Western world, however, with its dependence on clocks and deadlines, scoffs at such a notion, relying upon sayings such as "Time is money" and "Time is of the essence."Time is of the essence. What an ex. . .

The Diagnosis Myth

Although I risk dissension by doing so, I must say something that I think many of us in the mental health community have acknowledged for quite some time: every single diagnosis of a mental disorder is fallible.Before I proceed, I should note the value of diagnoses. They are immensely useful categorical tools. The human being cannot productively navigate the uncertain tides of reality without t. . .

Milk Soy Protein Intolerance: A Mother's Perspective

I first learned of Milk Soy Protein Intolerance (MSPI) in the office of a pediatric gastroenterologist's office with my seven-week-old son, Max. After the first week of his life Max lost weight and was labeled "failure to thrive." As an educated mother and nurse I was devastated that this could happen. That day in the GI specialist's office, he performed a proctosigmoidoscopy and biopsy on Ma. . .

No Picnic In Sight

Upon being diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I saw the reality behind the greatest myth of mental illness, the myth that The Victim Is Unaware of His or Her Own Condition. A childhood flooded with media depictions of the mentally ill had lead me to believe that the afflicted had somehow been robbed of their objectivity, thrown into a dark hall-of-mirrors beyond the realm of rational. . .

The Number One Reason For Your Child'S Doctor Visit

(NC)-Infections caused by pneumococcal disease are a leading reason for many children's doctor visits in the first few years of life. What is Pneumococcal Disease? Pneumococcal disease is the result of a tiny bacterial organism. Children infected with this bacterium can develop serious illness, which can sometimes even be life threatening. These tiny bacteria cause diseases such as blood infect. . .

Lowering Your Risk Of Heart Disease

(NC)-If you have been deemed at risk by your doctor, there are steps you can take to help control risk factors.According to Statistics Canada, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death of Canadians, accounting for over 26% of all deaths.1 Despite this, there are a variety of ways Canadians can lower their risk of heart disease and ultimately heart attacks:Diet and Nutrition Get your b. . .

An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure

(NC)-When her twin daughters Lauren and Candace were born, Nicole Nayman wanted to give them the best start in life. Life revolved around caring for her girls and Nicole was eager to provide a healthy and stimulating environment. Maintaining their health was a major focus of her efforts. But the family was soon devastated when at nineteen months of age, Lauren developed symptoms of fever, vomit. . .

Send West Nile Virus Packing

(NC)-West Nile Virus is carried by mosquitoes and can be fatal for humans. There have been 20 presumed cases of the virus in Canada including one death. In the U.S., over 1000 people have been hospitalized with more than 40 deaths to date.Since its introduction in 1999, West Nile Virus has spread to Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. By next year, experts predict it will h. . .

Is There A Vaccine For Hepatitis C?

(NC)-No, not for hepatitis C. There are vaccines for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. To prevent further damage to your liver, your doctor may advise you to be vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B.Could I give hepatitis C to someone else? Yes, as far as we know, once you have hepatitis C, you can always transmit it to someone else if they come in contact with your blood. If you have hepat. . .

Fact Or Fiction - The Truth About Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal Cancer is a disease that only affects older men.FICTION: It can affect anyone, men or women equally. Men and women 50 years or older are at greater risk for the disease. Colorectal Cancer is usually curable.FACT: It is usually curable when detected early. More than 90 percent of patients with localized cancer confirmed to the colon or rectum are alive five years after initial diagnos. . .