Women Health Issues

Bulimia food addiction: what part of the brain is responsible and how

2008-08-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

Bulimia (bulimia nervosa) is an addictive eating disorder which begins
with physical cravings then evolves into a mental obsession and finally
turns into a spiritual illness. It usually comes from an unresolved
trauma (emotional, psychological or even physical) earlier in life.

The question is what is the mechanism of developing a bulimic food
addiction? What happens in a bulimic brain when she/he develops bulimia?

Here is the short and simple explanation. Our brain consists of two
halves (called hemispheres). Both hemispheres are covered by a thick
layer called the cortex. The cortex is the conscious part of the brain,
the part we think with (just logic thinking). But this part of the
brain is not responsible for our feelings.

We have another small part of our brain, which lies between the two
hemispheres and connects them. This little part is called the limbic
system. The limbic system as discussed in the next section, is involved
in regulating emotions and motivations. In addition, parts of the
limbic system, the amygdala and hippocampus, are important for memory.

The limbic system does not have a conscious thoughts it has only feelings.
In other words, the limbic system is what we call our subconscious
or subconscious mind.

It has been found that people with emotional problems have an imbalance
of the limbic system or subconscious. This includes problems like anxiety,
depression, eating disorders, alcoholism and other addictions.

In the period of acute stress, we also have an imbalance in the limbic
system (or subconscious) - that is why stress affects us, not only
emotionally, but mentally and physically as well.

After stress, some people recover quickly - and we call them "strong people."
What "strong" actually means is that they know how to affect their limbic
system (subconscious) and put it in balance.

The question is: how to influence the limbic system and put it in the
right balance?

The answer is: the cortex, which is the conscious part of the brain
and through this we have influence over the limbic system the non-conscious
part. The cortex, which makes decisions for us, learns new things, and
understands things for us, should influence the non-conscious part of
the brain by giving signals to the limbic system to work differently.

Most eating disorders are a learned behavior. Initially you taught
yourself to diet, or to become slim. Initially it was your own conscious
decision to lose weight because you wanted to look better. This conscious
decision was made by your cortex and sent to your limbic system, which
then gave you feelings (like feeling good about yourself when you
become slim).

So, what you need to do is reverse this faulty teaching; you (or your cortex)
should make another decision (about changing your own image and feelings
that you have now, like starving yourself or purging, back to a normal
response) and send a signal to your limbic system to foster good
feelings about yourself and make new decision about your life.

How do you do this? There are lots of examples how this works. There
are special new programs that can automatically affect the limbic
system of your brain (the part of the brain where the eating disorder lives).
These programs can identify and eliminate your subconscious blockages
that created your eating disorder in the first place.

To conclude, bulimia food addiction develops as a result of subconscious
processes due to unresolved trauma or strong dissatisfaction with one's
body image. The limbic system is responsible for developing the problem
but the conscious part of the brain (cortex) can affect it and reverse
the abnormal mental process.

To learn more how to do this read http://www.bulimia-cure.com

Anorexia Side Effects

2008-06-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

Anorexia is not just about weight loss and refusing to eat. Anorexia has major side effects on the mental, physical and emotional state of a person.

Contracting anorexia means getting a new life style, new coping strategies, new relationships, new thought pattern and a whole new way of living and none of it is good.

You can say that a new sufferer becomes like a completely new person, different from what she/he used to be.

One of the very distinctive side effects of anorexia is a distorted perception about themselves. It is related to their own body image, their self being and also how they perceive other people as well.

The main measurement of all becomes how skinny they are. Anorexics perceive that their worth is directly related to their weight. They feel and think the same way about other people also.

For example a 19 year old anorexic girl I was talking to said once:" I know that the more weight I lose the better and stronger person I become. I understand that all overweight people are lazy, fat and no good".

But the meaning of being overweight for her is far away from reality. She perceives even normal weight people as overweight, including herself. She was already only 49 kg (height 164cm) but she still saw herself like a fat and overweigh person.

She sees this picture because of the other major side effect of anorexia called "broken eye syndrome". And because anorexics see a wrong picture of themselves and others they want to loose more and more weight and can't stop starving themselves and over exercising.

Their relationships with other people change a lot since they contracted their anorexia because they need to spend all their time counting calories, exercising and thinking over a new strategy to lose more weight. Plus anorexics become very judgmental and picky and loose interest in others and everything they did before. All these prevent them from having a normal relationship with others.

And the other side effect of anorexia is their changing respond to everyday stress. This encompasses everything that happens to them, anorexics respond by increasing their exercising time, cutting down on calories and withdrawing further away from other people.

To conclude, anorexia has many side effects on a person. And to stop these negative side effects it is important to change the sufferer's perception back to what it was before the anorexia.
If their perception is returned back to normal a person will be able to lead a good and healthy life again. How to do it go to http://www.mom-please-help.com for more in-depth information.

How to get pregnant after 40.

2008-05-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

By Dr Irina Webster

You can overcome infertility after 40 by applying certain natural fertility methods correctly. Many older women failed to get pregnant just simply because they can't find the right time when they can fall pregnant.

And there is a biological basis for it. The ability of women to fall pregnant decreases with age. That means the older you are there are fewer days in a month you can fall pregnant. And after 35 – 40 you may only have 1-2 days in a few months you are able to conceive.

So what time of the month are you fertile?

You are most fertile 12 to 14 days before the beginning of your next period. But this time can vary depending on many factors: stress level, illness, changing your environment and the like.

If your ovulation does not come every month (like for many women after 35-40), it is very difficult to pinpoint the time when you are fertile. So, checking on your ovulation time gets more important the older you get.

Secondly, a healthy baby doesn’t result just because ‘egg meets sperm’. It is necessary to have a freshly released egg and new sperm to conceive at an older age. To avoid old sperm you should stop having intercourse a couple of days before ovulation, as sperm can last up to 3 days inside the body.

To avoid old eggs you should not have intercourse just after your peak ovulation day. Although the egg is still viable (up to 24 hours after release), the problem is ageing and potential defects that can occur to the egg especially in older women. Remember that a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, so an egg when you are 40 has been around as long as you have.

The right time to conceive would be at the peak day of ovulation. It is the time when you should have frequent intercourse and when a fresh released egg can meet fresh released sperm.

Thirdly, it is important to build up the sperm count prior to intercourse. There are techniques that men can use to build up their sperm count, so that the day before you ovulate they are able to deliver the maximum number of healthy sperm.

One of the simple strategies to build up sperm account is abstain from sex 3-4 days before the woman’s ovulation time. But no longer, because any longer than this you will risk sperm ageing prior to ejaculation.

To conclude, these simple strategies (pinpointing your ovulation, avoiding old eggs and sperm and building up sperm prior to conception) can be a number one strategy you can use to fall pregnant at an older age. These techniques are natural, non-invasive, harmless and very effective. Applying them correctly may save you from having to have IVF or other surgical procedures to get pregnant.

To know about the natural methods to get pregnant read www.youcanovercomeinfertility.com

What can you do if you are a parent who suspects their child has Bulimia how do you know for sure?

2008-04-18T08:42:00.001-07:00

I have been ask this question so many times by lots of worried parents who think their child may have bulimia but don’t know any of the warning signs.

If you are one of these parents then here is a list of things to look out for, I will start with simple things first:

1: Look for an excessive amount of food that is missing. Things like packets of biscuits you have just bought and they have disappeared overnight. Packets of sweets gone without you even having one yourself. Look for easy accessible foods that seem to be gone faster than what is normal for your family use.

2: The child is starting to act unusual around meal times. Being a bit anxious and not wanting to eat certain food groups, or may play with their food. They may say they have eaten at a friends place but then start to raid the food cupboard for easy food soon after dinner.

3: You notice that the child may have lots of food rappers in their bedroom hidden under the bed or in their trash basket. Half eaten candy bars or potato crisp packets hidden in places that are unusual.

4: The child may start to miss family gatherings or not want to go out to events where they normally would have, like picnics or parties preferring to stay home. Even making excuses they feel ill or have a headache.

5: The child may start to do more exercise that they use to do. Go for long runs or bike rides and start to really push themselves to the extreme.

These are all little things but point to a change in the Childs habits although you can’t come to the conclusion that your Child has Bulimia from these alone. You need more concrete evidence to go with these before you can be sure.

Bulimics normally become very good at hiding their condition from family and friends. Bulimia has been described as secretive and sneaky and it most certainly is.
So you as a parent have to become just as sneaky if you suspect your child of this disorder.

Here are some more concrete things to look out for.

1: The child after finishing their meal disappears to the bathroom for a long time. This starts to become a habit and is a surefire clue to the child being bulimic.

2: You notice the smell of toothpaste on their breath when they come from the bathroom, or a sour smell on their breath.

3: You start to find laxatives in their bedroom or empty packets in their trash bin.

4: They start to become really edgy and anxious for no apparent reason and may start telling you to mind your own business if you say anything to them. They act out of character towards you.

5: They start to look sickly and feel the cold more that was normal for them. They may start having problems with their teeth or complain of a sore throat all the time.

6: They start to become obsessed with there weight and are looking at the bathroom scales all the time, or asking you if they look fat or looking in the mirror more that they use to do.

If you noticed a number of these symptoms together then there is a good chance your child may have Bulimia. But do not simply confront them as this can drive the child away or warn them you are on to them, so they may become even sneakier.

You should educate yourself first from people who have faced what you are facing now. One of the best educational information around on this subject is at www.mom-please-help.com written by a mother whose daughter nearly died from bulimia anorexia. She was able to save her daughter herself when all else had failed.

Yoga promotes and improves fertility.

2008-03-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a few specific yoga practices that can be use for increasing fertility. They have been in use for a long time and there is recollection of these special yoga practices in the ancient papers.

The practices include specific postures, mantras and breathing techniques. These exercises enhance fertility by stimulating the hormone levels and improving blood and nutrients supply to the reproductive organs like ovaries, eggs, tubes, uterus, testes and prostate.

In doing this they maximize the vitality of the organs. For older mums and dads yoga exercises can slow down the aging of organs and tissues like eggs and sperm which is detrimental to falling pregnant.

Here are a few yoga postures you can use in the comfort of your own home.
1. Supported Bridge Pose:
- Lie on the back and bent your knee with feet flat on the floor
- Move your feet to your bottom as much as possible,
- Inhale and exhale deeply 4 times, then slowly lift your pelvis and buttocks off the floor while keeping feet flat on the floor,
-Clasp your hands behind your back,
-Stay in this pose for a minute or two while breathing deeply.

2.Legs up on the wall pose:
-Lie on your side with your buttocks close to wall.
-Slowly inhale and exhale, then when you are exhaling turn your body but move your legs up to the wall at the same time so that you create a 90-degree angle at your pelvis between your legs and body,
-Stay in this pose for a few minutes inhaling and exhaling slowly.

3.Cobbler's pose:
-Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out,
-Inhale and exhale then while exhaling bring your feet close to your groin and push the sole of your feet against each other,
-Hold to your toes and when exhaling try to lower your knees to the ground as much as you can,
-Hold this pose for about 3-5 minutes while slowly inhaling and exhaling.

These postures, mantras and breathing techniques can be mastered by most women and no one can come to any harm using them.

Yoga is a practical commonsense system that gives us the tools to be healthy and fertile. It is like a health maintenance system. It minimizes the wear and tear of all body organs, including egg, uterus, and ovaries.

So, yoga used holistically can increase the fertile time in your life. And that is especially beneficial for older women and men who are trying to conceive at an older age.

These yoga techniques will also balance the production of hormones in the body and stimulate ripening and releasing the egg. It has been proven that women who have been doing yoga for at least 3-4 months ovulate more often and more regular compare to women who have never done yoga before.

If you are older than 35 and have a dream of having a baby, start with yoga first before you rush to have invasive treatments and tests regarding your fertility.

According to the last research a general improvement in health before pregnancy helps nearly 50% of people to conceive despite many failures to get pregnant in the past.

That means that their infertility was only due to unbalanced organ functions which could have been due to everyday stress, wrong diet or lack of physical activity. And yoga could be the right tool to balance all these and achieve the desirable result, a baby.

Dr Irina Webster.

More information. http://www.youcanovercomeinfertility.com

Bulimia Symptoms That You Can Observe.

2008-03-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Dr Irina Webster

People with bulimia are very secretive about their disorder. For this reason it is very difficult to notice anything as an observer. Bulimics look normal to other people. Even close family members initially have difficulty seeing what is going on with the person.

But you can observe some specific bulimic features if you know what to look for. These features are very subtle but are visible once you realize they are there.

Surprisingly, being extremely thin and underweight is not common for bulimia sufferers, even though people with bulimia are concerned about being fat.

Bulimics usually are about normal weight or even can be slightly overweight; some can be thin too.

But when you closely observe their behavior and know what to look for you can notice increased anxiety close to meal times. Some sufferers can be reluctant to share their meal times with others. They will do things like refusing to go out to a restaurant or a family dinner. Some may refuse to sit at the table to eat while munching something on the run.

If they do go out for a meal, they may disappear to the bathroom straight after eating and stay away for a long period of time.

Sometimes when they eat with others they only eat very small amounts of food, drink lots of water, separate the food on their plate and make strange choices and combinations of food.

Looking at their hands you may notice damaged knuckles from inducing vomiting, although this sign can take some time to develop. Discoloration of the skin on the outer surface of hands can also be noticed on bulimics.

Their face may appear to be puffy with small broken blood vessels under the skin. This is because the salivary glands increase in size making their cheeks look bigger especially below the area of the ears.

Dry lips and small ulcers on the lips or around the mouth are common in periods of extreme vomiting and look like cold sores.

People who use laxatives and diuretics will have extremely frequent visits to the bathroom. In these cases signs of dehydration can be noticed, like dark circles around the eyes, dizziness, nausea, dry skin and low blood pressure are common in sufferers.

There are bulimics who exercise excessively. They follow a strong exercise regiment and become fanatical about their running, jumping, cycling etc.

Many bulimics have what is called 'broken eye" syndrome. This is when they perceive themselves as fat, non-attractive and think that others are better then them. They look in a mirror and see a big fat person standing there even if they are not. These individuals have low self esteem and look very shy and non-confident among others.

Bulimics often complain of stomachaches that occur around meal times. Diarrhea or constipation can bother them as well.

Their teeth can become discolored and decayed fast. Bad breath is one of the common bulimics symptoms especially for those who are less hygienic.

If you ask a bulimic girl about her periods she may say that it is irregular or even absent, it depends on how much she vomits per day.

To sum up, there are many bulimia symptoms but most of them are so subtle and difficult to notice it is hard for the average person to tell. If you suspect that someone has bulimia look for the signs described above.

And if the person has at least two or three of these symptoms especially disappearing to the bathroom after meals, she is likely to have the disease. This means she may be in danger of becoming very sick and she needs help. To learn how you can help go to http://www.mom-please-help.com

Long Term Effects of Bulimia Nervosa.

2008-03-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

Bulimia affects different organs. And the longer you have bulimia the more organs get affected and damaged.

The organs that suffer the most are: heart, kidney, brain, digestive system, bones, skin and endocrine glands.

The heart gets damaged from the constant electrolyte imbalances caused by continuous purging and becomes weaker the longer the bulimia continues. Some people even can die from this complication when a weak heart goes into a "heart block". This is when the heart suddenly stops beating due to extremely low potassium or other mineral deficiency induced by vomiting and laxatives abuse.

Kidney damage is very common among long term bulimics. The kidneys are organs that normally correct mineral abnormalities in the body. But when a person's mineral balance is constantly disturbed, like in case of bulimia, the kidneys are under enormous strain to correct it and eventually they get damaged.

The brain suffers also from the moment bulimia starts. People have distorted thought patterns like depression and anxiety. The longer bulimia goes on for the stronger the addiction to binging and purging becomes. The long time effects of brain damage from bulimia are: suicidal thoughts, self-cutting and other self-harm symptoms. Impulsive behavior can occur and people can become less responsible for their action.

The digestive system also gets affected badly. The stomach experience delays in empting its food content and people suffer from pains in the abdominal area, bloating, acid reflux, stomach ulcers and esophageal problems.

In long standing bulimia cases sufferers loose the feeling of being hungry or full. Sometimes their taste distorts which makes them eat strange combinations of food or experience cravings (for example craving to eat very salty or sour things).

The bones become weak due to the development of low bones density after many years of suffering from bulimia. People can and do complain about their bone's aching plus they have lots of pain and the bones can break from even minimal strain or pressure.

Skin looses its youthful look even at a relatively young age. Dry skin, inflammation of the skin, abnormal irritation and ongoing pimples are common problems for bulimics.
Hair loss due to mineral and protein depletion is inevitable in long term bulimia.

The endocrine glands eventually stop working properly and produce fewer hormones than the body needs: this makes a person age quickly and loose muscle tone.

Menstruation becomes irregular or stops and because of this a woman is unable to conceive and have a baby.

To sum up, the long term effects of bulimia nervosa can be extremely dangerous. And treatment for this disorder becomes more complicated the longer it goes on.
The best way is to prevent these dangerous effects from happening is to treat the disease sooner rather than later.

The best thing is to start educating yourself and your family about what to do and what to change at home to help the sufferer. Home and family support are proven to be the best way of treating this condition. But it has to be the right help and the right support. To learn more about it go to http://bulimia-cure.com

Herbal Birth Control.

2008-02-28T04:35:00.000-08:00

Herbs have been used to control fertility for as long as there have been women who desired to do so. Our desire is as great as ever, but our knowledge base is far from large or strong. This article is both a sharing of what I know, and an open ear to hear what you know. May we reweave the healing cloak of the Ancients?

Many herbs have been used to minimize fertility, and modern scientific research has proved contraception effects in at least some of the herbs tested. Herbal birth control methods may never reach the level of contraceptive protection as the pill, but it offers alternatives for women who have difficulty with modern contraceptive options or who just want to try a different way.

Herbal birth control is most effective when combined with knowledge of your fertility cycles, selective abstinence, mental control, and barriers to sperm. You may choose herbs to cause temporary or permanent sterility, to prevent implantation of a fertilized egg, to bring on a late menstrual flow, or to empty the uterus if you believe that conception has taken place.

Each herb has to be taken in its own way. Some herbs are taken daily, while others are used on as needed bases, after potential exposure to sperm during a fertile time. Normally, herbs that are taken daily need some time to take effect, an alternative method of birth control should be used during the waiting period to provide protection.

If you choose to use herbal contraceptives you do so at your own risk because generally herbs contraception has lower contraception power than pills. But for some people who can not take modern contraceptives it could be the only choice.

"Temporary Sterility" Herbs include: Alum Root, Antelope Sage, Blessed Thistle, Blue Cohosh, Deer's Tongue, Desert Mallow, Dogbane, Geranium Root, Groomwell, Holy Thistle, Indian Paintbrush, Indian Turnip, Juniper, Milkween, Poverty Weed, Ragleaf Bahia, Thistle, Wild Geranium, Wild Ginger, Wild Yam.

"Permanent Sterility" herbs include: False Hellebore, False Solomon's Seal, Indian Turnup, Piri Piri, Spotted Cowbane, Stoneseed.

Herbal Implantation Preventers

Herbs which prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg do so safely and relatively painlessly by making the endometrium unsuitable for the growth of the embryo. They are taken before or after the unprotected fertilizing intercourse. Positive results are indicated by a normal menstrual flow at the normal time. Women say that when they have used these herbs their flow has been somewhat heavier and has contained more clots than usual, circumstantial evidence of a pregnancy that didn't take. As there's been no controlled study of possible side effects from long and regular use of these herbs, they should be used on a monthly basis. No known side effects accompany occasional use.

Wild Carrot seed
Rutin
Smartweed leaves
Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota)
Rue (Ruta graveolens)
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)
Elder (several varietals of the elder tree)
Smartweed leaves (Polygonum hydropiper)

Uterine Contractors (oxytocin)
Birth root (Trillium pendulum); caution, do not use Aristolochia (birthwort)
• Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
• Cotton root bark (Gossypium)
• Dosages, cautions

I would recommend using this information for information purposes only because there is still no scientific data and /or research confirming these methods work.
If you want to try it, you do it on your own risk.

Dr Irina Webster

Effects of Bulimia Nervosa

2008-02-07T02:07:00.000-08:00

Effects of bulimia can be divided into long term and short term side effects. Also you can then subdivide the side effects of bulimia to correspond with the system or the organs bulimia affects: e.g. psychological problems, mental, gastro-intestinal, cardio-vascular system, kidney, skin, bones and hormonal problems.

Now, let’s look precisely at each of them separately.

First of all bulimia affects the sufferer psychologically. Some would say that psychological problems are the culprits that lead to bulimia and it is why people get bulimia in the first place.
So, what kind of psychological problems are common in most bulimia sufferers? Here the list of most common ones: poor body image, out of control feelings, depression, anxiety, unable to eat with others , constantly thinking about food (even dreaming about it), avoidance of other people, mood changes. It is also not uncommon for bulimics to have different kinds of addiction as well, like alcohol, drugs, smoking etc. Being prone to an addictive nature is one of psychological traits of bulimics.

Mental effects of bulimia can include poor concentration, loss of memory, irritability and luck of coping strength and strategies.
Gastro-intestinal tract can also be affected badly especially in long-standing bulimia cases. These include problems with food digestions, constant reflux, stomach ulcers, aches and pains in the abdominal area, bloating, and esophageal problems.
Teeth get damaged from the ongoing contact with stomach acid. Salivary glands get enlarged as they need to work hard to cope with regular vomiting.
Bulimia effects on cardio-vascular system are irregular heart beats, possible heart blocks, and broken small blood vessels. Long standing bulimia can cause weakening of the heart muscle and weakening of major blood vessels of the body.
Kidney’s can be damaged due to electrolytes deficiency caused by constant vomiting. In long standing cases of bulimia kidney disease is a high possibility.
Skin and bones get damaged mostly in long standing bulimia cases. Bulimics often have dry and cold to touch skin as body temperature decreases the longer one has bulimia. Osteoporosis can be a side effect of bulimia for those who have it for many years.
Hormonal irregularities appear to be obvious in long-standing and short-standing bulimia. People complain of menstrual problems due to estrogens insufficiency. Adrenal glands can slow down producing hormones causing sleepiness, weakness of the whole body, lethargy and inactivity. Ovaries start producing inadequate amount of sex hormones which can cause problems with conserving and carrying pregnancy full term. Infertility, miscarriages, and low sex drive – all these problems could be relevant to long term bulimics.
And another important bulimia effect is immune system damage: it can occur after a few years of bulimia. People’s reaction to a suppressed immune system can be having frequent colds, flu, tonsillitis or other infections anywhere in the body. Immune system damage could be a consequence of severe vitamins and mineral deficiency experienced by bulimics.
To sum it all up, bulimia has a number of dangerous side effects on the human body. Some of them appear sooner, some appear later as the disease progresses. It is important for anyone who has bulimia to stop the progression of their bulimia and don’t let the severe effects of bulimia appear in the first place. By educating yourself about the effects of bulimia you can avoid the dangerous long-term problems associated with this disease. For one of the best educational sources on how to avoid long-term bulimia effects you can go to:
Dr Irina Webster MD.
http://www.eatingdisorder-cure.com

Homeopathy for infertility in New York.

2007-11-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

Homeopathy is a growing field for infertility problems. More and more people everyday is looking for infertility help in homeopathy clinics. In New York the number of homeopathy clinics that work with infertile patients is increasing every month. And the reason for it is an increasing demand for homeopathic treatment among women looking to get pregnant.

According to the data from one survey in New York 64% of women prefer to see a homeopath or other natural health practitioner for their infertility problem first before they see a Gynecologist.

This data shows that women in New York have a lot of trust in homeopathic treatment regarding infertility concerns. They prefer to try alternative and natural treatment first and only if it does not work, they go for the more invasive treatment offered by modern medical practitioners.

So, what do women get when they go to homeopathic clinics? What kind of treatment do they offer? Is it helpful for specific forms of infertility only or many different causes?

After talking on the phone with one of a New York Homeopath I found out that homeopathy can be used for the treatment of a variety of infertility causes and it can be helpful for male and female types of infertility.

Homeopathy is an alternative form of infertility treatment and it is effective because it improves overall health, including reproductive health.

For female infertility, for example, the following remedies proved to be the most helpful:

Sepia 6c – this remedy is helpful to treat irregular or absent ovulation.

Aurum – this one is used when low sex drive and depression are the cause of infertility.

Sabina 6c –is helpful to treat recurrent miscarriage.

Phosphorus – for relieving anxiety and stress, which contribute to infertility problem.

Lycopodium - might be of help to women suffering from dry vagina or tenderness in their lower abdomen.

Silica – is good for improving overall health to increase your chances to get pregnant. Also it improves immune system for people who often get sick.

Viburnum opulus (30C) – can be very good for women with endometriosis to help them get pregnant.

Alternatively, you can use homeopathy for treatment of male infertility. The well known remedies are:

Medorrhinum – is used to treat impotence.

Sepia 6c – is used to improve low sex drive in men.

Agnus castus – is helpful if problems with impotence develop after a period of intense sexual activity for many years. Men who need agnus castus are normally very anxious about their health and loss of sexual abilities.

Calcarea 30c – helps to increase sperm count.

Lycopodium – helps with erection problems especially for men who worry a lot and have lack of self-confidence.

These are only a few homeopathic remedies which can be used for problems related to infertility. But it shows that homeopathy looks at the whole person and considers the cause of conception difficulties and treats that cause. It often removes the blocks to conception and leads the way to a healthy, natural pregnancy.

Homeopathic clinics in New York offer a great range of alternative treatments for infertility problems. Homeopathic remedies appeared to be very helpful and suit most people. The rule in homeopathy is to prescribe by symptoms rather than conditions, as each case of a particular illness can manifest differently in different people. This makes homeopathy stand out from all other infertility treatments and make it very popular amongst New York women.
For more information read http://www.youcanovercomeinfertility.com

Media and influence on women body image.

2007-10-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

It has become obvious now that the media advertises and promotes a very unhealthy trend of extreme dieting and other bad eating habits to women. Most of media sources put on their covers images of skinny emancipated females. Doing this they influence the subconscious mind of the masses. And women continue to spend their money trying to achieve this unattainable look they constantly see in media advertising.
To try and solve this problem let’s answer the next questions. 1. What is body image? 2. What kind of trends in the media industry are we noticing now? 3. How do the media influence our perception of body image? 4. What could be the reasons behind this? 5. What are the consequences of this kind of trend? 6. What are some real suggestions on how to improve your body image?
Your body image is how you perceive, think and feel about your body. This may have no bearing at all on your actual appearance. For instance, it is common in Western nations for women to believe they are larger and fatter than they really are. Only one in five women is satisfied with their body weight. Nearly half of all normal weight women overestimate their size and shape. A distorted body image can lead to self-destructive behavior, like dieting or eating disorders. Approximately nine out of 10 young Australian women have dieted at least once in their lives.
So, the basic trend in the media industry at the moment is to promote slim, even skinny unnatural looking women’s bodies as being beautiful.
Women of all ages but especially young women look at magazines, TV, movies and other media products full of images that show skinny women’s bodies. And these are perceived by the subconscious mind of young women as being a role model to follow and aspire to be like. Achieving this skinny look does not come naturally; it inevitably leads to practicing some kind of dieting, excessive exercising or abnormal eating behaviors.
Twenty years ago, the average model weighed 8 per cent less than the average woman—but today’s models weigh 23 per cent less. Advertisers believe that thin models sell products. When the Australian magazine New Woman recently included a picture of a heavy-set model on its cover, it received a truckload of letters from grateful readers praising the move. But its advertisers complained and the magazine returned to featuring bone-thin models.
What could be the reason behind all this? Why has this fashion trend occurred now? Why are standards of beauty being imposed on women, the majority of whom are naturally larger than any of the models?
The reasons for this according to some analysts, is an economic one. By presenting an ideal look which is difficult to achieve and maintain the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits. It is estimated that the diet industry alone is worth $100 billion (U.S.) a year. This is a lot of money and certainly worth their while to continue to foster emancipated women as being the norm.
And the consequences of this trend are huge. On the one hand, women who are insecure about their bodies are more likely to buy beauty products, new clothes, and diet pills or other diet supplies.
On the other hand, research indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls.
The level of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are increasing rapidly every year. It is estimated that around 5 per cent of women and 1 percent of men have an eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia or binge eating some time in their life.
And about 15 per cent of all young women have significantly distorted eating attitudes and behavior that can lead to developing anorexia or bulimia in the near future.
So, what would be some real suggestions on how to improve your body image without resorting to unhealthy eating habits?
The First one is to change your goal from weight loss to just improving your health. Second, is to focus more the internal beauty like improving your self-esteem, self-confidence and internal strengths of your character. Get informed by reading up on body image issues and self-improvement books. And give yourself a break from women’s magazines and the mass media advertising for a while if you feel you maybe prone to this kind of false perceptions.
To sum up, the media does impact on women’s body image significantly and it can affect women’s physical and mental health in a negative way. And the only way to stop these negative effects coming from the media is to teach women not to judge themselves by the beauty industry's standards and learn not to compare themselves to the cover girls. And also it is important to promote a healthy life style with emphasis on internal beauty like improving self-esteem and self-confidence. Not on being a stick like model.
http://www.eatingdisorder-cure.com

Cause of Bulimia Nervosa.

2007-10-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

Cause of Bulimia Nervosa.

Bulimia is one of the most rapidly increasing psychological problems around nowadays. But what causes bulimia? Is it an extreme response to Western society’s pressure on young girls and women to be slim?
Or are there other factors contributing to the problem?
Can we influence these factors and change their effects on people?

Genetic, environmental, biological are all common factors that have to be looked at when we talk about the causes of any diseases or disorders.

Let’s look at these things in the case of Bulimia.

Scientific research recently has shown that people are born with an inherited predisposition towards developing bulimia, particularly where susceptibility to addiction is in the genes. It reveals that bulimics inherit a gene responsible for the addiction from their ancestors. This addiction can appear in different forms: alcohol addiction, drug addiction, food addiction, nicotine and the like. That’s why many bulimics also suffer from addictions to other substances also, making recovery difficult.

So a genetic predisposition to bulimia may be there but it is not a single bulimia gene itself that is the culprit but a general addiction gene. And in many bulimic families we can trace backwards to past members of the family who suffered from other kinds of addiction in their lives.

But on the other hand not all people who get an addiction gene suffer from bulimia or other addictions. So we have to look at other things like environmental factors.

Environmental factors can contribute to triggering the onset of bulimia. These include peer pressures, family attitudes, the influence of the media creating a need for thinness, poor self-esteem and a lack of acceptance of self and body shape.

Bulimia often begins with a dissatisfaction of the person's body. The individual may actually be underweight, but when that person looks in a mirror they see a distorted image and feel heavier than they really are. At first, this distorted body image leads to dieting. As the body image in the mirror continues to be seen as larger than it actually is, the dieting escalates and leads to bulimia. The bottom line however, is that bulimia is the misuse of food to try to resolve emotional problems. When a person is unable to face their feelings, define problems, and resolves them effectively, that person is more prone to become susceptible to the onset of bulimia.

A significant correlation between the development of clinical bulimia nervosa and sexual abuse has also been proven. Other forms of abuse (physical, emotional or combination of both of them) also link to developing of dissatisfaction with the person’s body that can lead to bulimia any time in the future.

Strict and cold parental attitude and luck of showing love to children from parents can become a trigger for developing a wrong body image in children that can turn into bulimia in susceptible people. That is why you should never tease your child if they are a little bit over weight as this could just be a normal growing process for that child’s body shape. But a wrong word from a parent or family member may inadvertently send that person down the track to bulimia.

The next factor which can cause bulimia is biological or biochemical factor. This happens when one or a few biological processes in the human body have gone off track. Some research has shown that an insufficiency of a special hormone in the brain called serotonin can cause depression and bulimia at the same time. This is probably why many bulimics also suffer from depression.
Some antidepressants that work on restoring the level of serotonin in the brain can help some sufferers stop their binges while taking them. This could also mean that many sufferers, who manage to stop their bulimia for a short while, go back to binging again when they stop the antidepressants.

Anyone who has been on antidepressants and has stopped should look for other supplements where they can substitute the loss of serotonin; I believe you can get serotonin in the health food stores in capsules form. Although taking serotonin on its own will not automatically stop your bulimia, as it is a much deeper psychological problem that a single chemical imbalance: but it would not hurt either.

As you can see, many factors can contribute to the development of bulimia. For some sufferers it is the environmental factors that come into play, like desire to be thin, peer pressure to be thin or influence from the media to be thin. Some people may have a strong genetic influence that can be traced to past relatives who may have suffered from bulimia or other addictions.

Depressed sufferers will blame their low serotonin level in the brain for their bulimia. But the majority of people probably have a combination of factors that has caused their bulimia.

In conclusion, the causes of bulimia could be many: genetic, biological and environmental. So far we can’t change the genes we are born with but we can manage to control certain behaviors brought on by defective genes, with the correct methods.

To change biological factors like low serotonin levels in the brain, it is possible with certain drugs or supplementation, but it does not work for everyone. The only bulimia factor we can change easily is the environmental factor. This includes changing our attitude to body image, our perception of real beauty and our eating habits.

By promoting a healthy environment we can eradicate or significantly diminish one of the main causes of bulimia - the environmental factor. The other causes can also be controlled if we are aware of their existence.

Eating Disorders and Prozac

2007-09-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

Eating Disorders and Prozac.

Prozac is the most common prescribed medication for eating disorders.
There are many opinions about the treatment of eating disorders with Prozac.

Some people say that Prozac was useful for them to fight their eating disorders. But many people report it didn’t make any difference in how they felt and even created more health problems than they had before taking it.

Why is it that some people get benefits from this medication and some do not? And should Prozac really be a first line medication for eating disorders?

First, let’s look at the reasons why Prozac as an eating disorder treatment could be effective.
Prozac is an antidepressant. And since up to half of eating disorders sufferers have an additional psychological disorder such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder, Prozac can help a sufferer by treating these disorders.

Also, Prozac is designed to restore and maintain healthy levels of a brain chemical called serotonin, which controls mood, feelings and appetite. So, by controlling mood, feelings and appetite Prozac makes a sufferer feel better and more in control.

So what is the other side to the use of this drug?

Not all people who have an eating disorder suffer from depression or have other emotional problems. So, if people take Prozac just to restore and maintain their serotonin level in their brain they develop resistance to the drug and need a higher and higher dose of Prozac as time goes by.

Then if they stop the medication or decrease the dose they simply slip back to their old eating habits straight away and can also suffer debilitating withdrawal symptoms.

The question arises: how can we make the use of this medication more effective for more people?

Most conventional health care professionals believe that the most effective approach is an integrated treatment strategy: one that uses a combination of Prozac treatment with active counseling to treat an eating disorder. But any counseling treatment should include active self-help, self-education and family therapy.

The problem is many people although on Prozac, fail to control their eating disorder while on their own after returning from the therapist or the clinic, so slip backwards.

People should not think that they can simply walk into a doctor's office and be given a pill and that is the end of it; where suddenly the eating disorder disappears overnight.
This is a sure fire remedy for failure.

If you have been prescribed a pill (like Prozac); you should immediately seek out more education and psychological help regarding your disorder. You have to develop good strategies of self-control, self-evaluation and self-presentation. Without mastering all of these strategies you will always slip back to old eating habits despite the help of Prozac.

Self-help and self-education are important as they teach the sufferer to act while on their own at home, as the eating disorder lives with you at home and not in the doctor’s office.

I suggest you start your self-education and self-help by reading books. One of the best books about eating disorder management and treatment is at www.mom-please-help.com

To conclude, it is fair to say that Prozac can be very helpful for some eating disorder sufferers, especially for those who combine it with an active behavioral treatment.

But there are many others who will not benefit from it at all: due to individual specifics, wrong consumption or other reasons.

So learning more about the disorder and seeking other ways to improve yourself could be the right way to win against your eating disorder.

Dr Irina Webster MD.

Home Treatment for Eating Disorders.

2007-09-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

As a doctor I have worked with many women struggling with eating disorders. I also a former suffer of anorexia and bulimia myself (this was a main reason why I decided to learn everything I can about these conditions and help other people to recover from it).

I believe that most eating disorders are learned behavior. It can therefore be unlearned. By behavior I mean not only actions but thought process and attitudes as well. As with many behavioral problems, early detection often speeds up the recovery.

Those who admit their eating problem in the early stage and are frightened that they might continue – often are able to change their destructive eating habits with relative ease.

Many of the sufferers I see have already had years of individual psychotherapy. Often their therapists have focused on deep-seated underlying causes, which did not help the women with the here and now. Some sufferers have continued to feel bizarre and alone, even though they were told that their behavior was not uncommon. And there are some who never admitted to their secret eating behavior.

Some therapists favor group therapy but I have found that group therapy are good and helpful until only the certain stage of recovery – the stage of admitting that “Yes, I do have a problem and I do need help.” Than, to continue with treatment people should come to group therapy again and again. And here is what happens – they all become friends and get close to each other and understand each other. But to continue with the group you have be a member of it , to say another words you have to stay the same. Other ways if you recover you have to leave, but it is difficult for most of them and they prefer just stay the same.

While it is generally true that women in the early stages of eating disorder recover faster, two factors seem far more relevant. The first involves the level of commitment to change. Second, but of equal importance, are the strategies she employs to overcome eating disorder. What can she do in the face of anxiety?
What can she substitute for binge eating? If the woman can call upon more productive strategies to cope with the stresses of daily life, she is on her way to recovery. The commitment to initiate and maintain personal growth through alternative behaviors is therefore crucial.

The best treatment strategy, in my opinion, is when a person has a special recovery program to follow at home. But this is important to be very persistent and consistent with this kind of program so the role of therapist is actually to make sure that the patient is doing it every day and everything is clear regarding the program.

The best program I recommend my patients is made by Karen Phillips (the lady who treated her daughter from terrible anorexia and bulimia by herself). She wrote a book about the method “Mom Please Help.” www.mom-please-help.com
It is very interesting method which helped many people to recover.