Dealing With Diabetes

One of the most common and prevalent deseases in the world is suffering from diabetes issues, affecting nearly 26 million people in the United States alone. Living with this situation doesn't have to consume your life, though. By staying on top of your situation and tracking it through the use of newly developed suffering from diabetes resources, you can have satisfaction knowing that your glucose stages are safe and that this disease isn't going to take over your life.

The most significant part in keeping your suffering from diabetes issues in examine is to actively keep an eye on your glucose stages. You'll be able to determine when you need to take your next medication by regularly checking your stages, and if you want to make any changes to your dietary habits or exercise regiment. Most doctors and doctors suggest that people diagnosed with kind two suffering from diabetes issues who don't currently treat themselves with blood insulin examine their glucose stages at least once per day, while those who do use blood insulin treatment examine their glucose stages more frequently (up to 10 times per day). Seek advice from with your doctor to see how often your stages need to be checked.

If you aren't familiar with glucose measures, let me give you a brief rundown on what they are and how they work. A blood vessels glucose stages gauge is a relatively little device that  checks the glucose stages in your blood vessels. It works by having the user put a drop of blood vessels onto the gauge, then reading and displaying the stages of glucose in the blood vessels. In the past, the measures were in many cases bulky, inaccurate, and prone to malfunction. However, the medical supply field has come through with some remarkable technological advancements, enabling tracking systems to be plenty more accurate, reliable, and less painful.

In many cases of kind two suffering from diabetes issues, as well as even some kind 1, blood insulin injections may be mandatory to be able to transportation the blood vessels glucose stages throughout the body. The reason for this is because the pancreas is unable to secrete blood insulin, which is used to transportation blood vessels glucose stages. By using an blood insulin injection, though, the patient receives the blood insulin required to function.

In purchase to correctly keep an eye on your glucose stages, you'll need to be sure you have the required suffering from diabetes resources required. Testing strips are disposable pieces of paper that  are placed into some types of measures for the blood vessels to be tested on. Lancets are as the name suggests, lances used for drawing little blood vessels required for the test.

Don't let suffering from diabetes issues make you feel hopeless and out of answers. Seek advice from with your doctor on what you can do to help manage your suffering from diabetes issues and stay on top of your glucose tracking. Oftentimes, increasing your cardiovascular and work out can make a huge effect on your suffering from diabetes issues. Get into the routine of walking around the neighborhood in the afternoon if you don't believe you're being active enough. Eating plan is also a contributing factor in the severity of suffering from diabetes issues. Try cutting out all refined sugars along with processed food. It might sound easier said than done, but if you're diet consists primarily of this junk, it can lead to numerous illnesses, including the onset of suffering from diabetes issues.

How to Dilate the Cervix

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Cervical dilation is done for a number of reasons. A woman who is pregnant may undergo dilation and effacement of the cervix as a labor inducement. Women who require a procedure known as a dilation and curettage could also undergo a cervical dilation. There are a number of ways that doctors know how to dilate the cervix today, ensuring women can have this procedure done safely and effectively, no matter what the reason might be. From medication to natural methods like acupuncture, this process can be approached in a number of different ways.

Steps

1. Watch for signs of cervical dilation if you are near the end of your pregnancy. As the baby's head begins to press down on the opening of the uterus, the cervix will start to thin out and open. Your doctor can do a simple examination to determine whether dilation and effacement of the cervix has begun, indicating you may be in the very early stages of childbirth.
2. Try a natural method of cervical dilation during the later stages of pregnancy; sex with your partner. Sex starts a prostaglandin release in the body that may result in cervical stimulation and dilation. Before indulging in sex at this point in your pregnancy, consult with your physician. In most cases, sex at this stage of pregnancy is absolutely safe as long as your water has not broken. Although studies to support the connection between sex and cervical dilation are not entirely conclusive, many doctors continue to recommend this method to patients who are becoming impatient with their pregnant status.
3. Consider an appointment with the acupuncturist. A small study conducted at the University of North Carolina found that women who received acupuncture treatments in the later stages of pregnancy were more likely to go into labor without medical intervention. It is thought that certain trigger points on the body could promote labor, which would result in cervical dilation as well.
4. Talk to your doctor about medication. Many doctors know how to dilate the cervix by administering medication to their patients, either to stimulate labor or prepare the body for a dilation and curettage procedure. The most common medication used for this purpose is misoprostol, which is a synthetic prostaglandin. Another prostaglandin frequently used for dilation and effacement of the cervix is dinoprostone. Both of these medications are administered vaginally, although misoprostol is often the preferred option for physicians.
5. Find out if a laminaria will be used. Laminaria is a type of seaweed native to Japan that forms a thick, sticky gel when wet. The dried stems of the seaweed are formed into "tents" that will swell up gradually. A layer of this substance is placed just inside the cervix, around the neck of the uterus to promote cervical dilation. Although laminaria has been used both prior to dilation and curettage and to stimulate labor, the safety of its use during pregnancy has not been proven at this time.

Sources and Citations

• http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-center/cervical-effacement-and-dilatation-info.aspx
• http://women.webmd.com/guide/d-and-c-dilation-and-curettage
• http://www.drugs.com/npp/laminaria.html
• http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com/natural_labor_inducers.htm
• http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/535774_3
• http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-542-LAMINARIA.aspx?activeIngredientId=542&activeIngredientName=LAMINARIA
• http://www.webmd.com/baby/inducing-labor-naturally-can-it-be-done

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How to Decide Whether or Not to Get an Abortion

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
An abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. [1] The approximate number of induced abortions performed worldwide in 2003 was 42 million. [2] Deciding whether or not to get an abortion can be one of the toughest choices that a pregnant mother has to go through. Several things need to be factored in during the decision making process. This period can be very stressful and emotional.

Steps

1. Discuss with your close friends and family. Your close friends and family will be able to provide their opinions and thoughts that may help you in determining whether or not to complete an abortion.
2. Consider your morals and beliefs. Your morals and beliefs may or may not play a big part in your decision about whether or not to have an abortion. There are scriptures in the Bible that suggest God would not approve of abortions. [3] For many Christians, this is enough to discourage them from getting an abortion. However, you may also decide that you are not in a state where you could care for your child, in or out of the womb. Think about it; and make up your own mind and once you know what you want to do, tune out everyone else. A lot of people have a lot of very strong opinions about abortion, and most of them will want to give it to you, but you have to make YOUR decision.
3. Consider the costs of raising a child. "Children are priceless, but raising them is probably the most expensive thing you'll ever do." It is estimated that to raise a child from birth to age 17, a parent will spend nearly $269,520 to raise the child. Money may or may not play a role in making your decision about an abortion. Some believe that if they cannot afford to raise a baby, then it would be better for them to have an abortion. However, there is also the option of putting the baby up for adoption or giving him or her to a safe haven.
4. Consider both the medical side effects of having an abortion and the effects of going though with the pregnancy. After having an abortion, many mothers receive side effects such as sickness, varying degrees of bleeding, depression and, in some extreme cases, death.[4] Similarly, giving birth will carry some risk of sickness or death.[5]
5. Consider the costs of an abortion. Abortion costs differ from state to state, from abortion clinic to abortion clinic, and may vary depending on what stage of your pregnancy you are in. [6] You should expect to pay anywhere from $400-$7,000 to get an abortion.
6. Remember that in the end, the decision is yours to make. While it is good to listen to other people's opinions and advice about getting an abortion or keeping the baby, make sure that you (and the baby's father, if applicable) are the one that actually makes the choice.

Tips

• When discussing whether or not to get an abortion and you are asking your close friends and family members, you may want to especially ask those who have either had an abortion, or have considered getting an abortion. You can learn from what they have already been through.
• Many people will try to sway you either one way or the other, however, remember that in the end you are the person that has to make the decision of whether or not to keep your child.

Warnings

• After receiving an abortion you should expect to have side effects. Minor side effects include: abdominal pain and cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, infection, spotting and bleeding. It is possible that you may experience these side effects for up to 2 to 4 weeks following the procedure. [7]
• After receiving an abortion you may also receive more serious complications such as: heavy or persistent bleeding, infection or sepsis, damage to the cervix, scarring of the uterine lining, perforation of the uterus, damage to other organs, and in extreme cases, death. Although serious complications only occur in less than 1 out of 100 first trimester abortions and approximately 1 out of every 50 late term abortions; it is important to know the possible risks. However, giving birth and complications with pregnancy also hold several of these risks.
• Some women who receive abortions have feelings of guilt afterwords. In more severe cases, they require therapy. You need to make sure that you are really okay with having the abortion and that it agrees with your conscience. Many who have abortions without having their conscience agree are the ones who end up depressed.

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ Abortion entry on Wikipedia
2. ↑ Guttmacher Institute
3. ↑ Frank A. Pavone, Priests for Life
4. ↑ California Right to Life
5. ↑ Pregnancy: Potential Complications
6. ↑ The Abortion Clinic Directory
7. ↑ American Pregnancy Association

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How to Cope With Female Pattern Hair Loss

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Every day, about 100-135 hairs are shed from the scalp and about the same number enter the growth cycle for most people. When the number of hairs lost exceeds the numbers of hairs growing, hair thinning occurs. Female hair loss can cause a feeling of self-consciousness. Here are some ways to cope.

Steps

1. Go online and locate a source for an anti sebolytic scalp cleanser and use it regularly.
2. Increase the circulation to your scalp. Use a soft, multi-tipped scalp massager daily. Scalp massagers are usually found in places that sell hair products. Use your hands to massage your scalp.
3. Try different shampoos. There are several shampoos specifically formulated for thinning hair. None of them are going to work miracles but some do promote follicular heath and therefore hair growth. Others contain protein and fibers to coat the hair shaft and thicken it.
   • A number of botanical/naturally derived treatments that employ agents and mechanisms similar to drug based offerings also exist. As with any treatment, do your research and be weary of "review sites" or other sales scams.
4. If it's thick enough in the front but thin at the crown, grow it longer in front and sweep it back. Sweep it up from the sides. Use headbands to cover areas, or mini-clips to arrange hair, or bows and wraps.
5. If you are really young (about 25 and under) and you feel adventurous, try doing something really crazy with your hair, like dyeing it an unnatural colour, spiking it, shaving part of it (but not too much), etc. Not only will this hide any noticeable thinning, people will be too focused on how crazy it is than if it's a little thin.
6. For mild to moderate thinning, try to decrease the shine of your scalp and your hair loss will be less noticeable. Use a hair powder on your scalp, or use shake-on hair building fibers. Yes, they really do work!
7. Experiment with caps, kerchiefs, and hats.
8. Look for OTC drugs. There are over-the-counter drugs for hair loss but before using any kind of drug, see a specialist.
   • The main treatment for female-pattern hair loss is Minoxilil. A 2% Minoxidil should be applied twice a day to dry hair. Follow package directions.
9. Before buying the product, check the packaging. If the packaging says that it will not be effective on certain hair loss patterns, and you have one of those hair loss patterns, save your money. Usually there is a drawing on the box.
10. If you do try the products, do not expect results for at least 6-8 weeks, and continued use of the product is required to maintain any new growth. Note: check the store brand for the percentage of active ingredients. If they are comparable to the name brand, go with the less-expensive brand as this is an expensive and long-term commitment.
11. Think positively about the situation; if you were always teased about your thick hair in grade school, have a laugh about the irony. Think about your new hair possibilities, also. For example, if you've always wanted to try a really short hairstyle but you thought it would look like an afro or a Jellicle Cat's hair, try it now and you might enjoy the results!
12. Lastly, try to keep your hair loss in perspective: you are the same person as you've always been. What's inside of your head is much more important than what's on top of it!

Video

Warnings

• Use only products specifically made for women. Finastride is not suitable for women because of the potential for the drug to cause abnormalities in the genitalia of male fetuses.
• Male Minoxidil has 5% active ingredient, but it is not any more effective for women than the 2%, but it has more side effects.
• If you go with crazy hair, keep in mind the rules of your school/job. While it may be fine if you go to an art school or work at Hot Topic, beware if you go to a private/religious/strict school or work somewhere that strives to be business-like.

Sources and Citations

• http://www.nioxin.com for examples of shampoos and scalp cleansers
• http://www.toppik.com for examples of hair fibers and hair thickeners
• http://www.bumbleandbumble.com for examples of scalp powders

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Cope With Female Pattern Hair Loss. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Control Vaginal Discharge

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Any bodily discharge can be embarrassing, but if you don't know how to control vaginal discharge, you may have issues with odor and/or staining that can lead to additional embarrassment. While many discharges are normal and help keep the pH balance of your vagina intact, other discharges can be the sign of real issues that need to be addressed either with over-the-counter medication or by seeing a qualified doctor.

Steps

1. Know what normal vaginal secretions look and smell like.
   • Normal vaginal secretions will be clear or milky in appearance. This natural lubricant helps clean your vagina, keeps it free from germs and also should be odor-free.
   • Normal vaginal discharge may also be thin, stringy or have white spots.
2. Understand the factors that affect what your normal vaginal secretions look and smell like.
   • Factors that affect vaginal discharge include what you eat, your ovulation, whether or not you're on the pill, if you are breast-feeding, what medications you are taking, whether or not you are pregnant, your menstrual cycle and whether or not you are under stress.
3. Be aware of what can disrupt normal vaginal secretions.
   • You can be at risk of throwing off your vagina's natural pH balance if you are on antibiotics or if you use vaginal douches, feminine hygiene products or perfumed soaps.
   • Other things that can put you at risk include pregnancy, diabetes or other infections that are near or around that area of the body.
4. Know the difference between colors and odors of vaginal discharge. Off-color or foul odors in the vaginal region can be the sign of a pelvic infection after you've had a surgery, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), vaginal atrophy during menopause, trichomoniasis or vaginitis, all of which should be diagnosed by a doctor and treated with prescription medication.
   • Vaginal discharge with bacterial vaginosis will be gray, white or yellow. It will also have a fishy odor.
   • If you have gonorrhea, you might have a cloudy or yellow discharge.
   • Yeast infections can be apparent if you have a thick, white discharge. This discharge is often described as being a cottage cheese consistency.
   • If you have an irregular period or endometrial or cervical cancer, you may notice a bloody or brown discharge.
   • If you have trichomoniasis, yellow/green frothy discharge that has a bad odor may affect you.
5. Know how to control your vaginal discharges.
   • Seek medical attention if this is the first time that you experience these symptoms. Some conditions, like yeast infections, can be self-diagnosed after subsequent infections, but if this is the first time you have a particular odor or color of discharge, see your doctor for a formal diagnosis.
   • Treat any abnormal discharge with the proper medication.
   • Use a panty liner pad to help soak up any discharge or odor.
   • Wear cotton underpants to help the area breathe.
   • Reduce the amount that you are douching as this can alter your vaginal pH.
   • Go for unscented bathroom tissue so that you can reduce irritation that can cause an increase in vaginal discharge.
   • Speak to your doctor about switching your oral contraceptive.

Tips

• Don't let embarrassing vaginal discharge cause you to start using vaginal deodorants or sprays. These will only make the symptoms worse because you will continue to throw off the pH balance in that area.

Sources and Citations

• http://women.webmd.com/vaginal-discharge-whats-abnormal
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vaginal-discharge/MY00097
• http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/femalehealth/discharge.html

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How to Choose Between Silicone and Saline Breast Implants

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
In 2010, breast augmentation plastic surgery was the most popular surgery in the United States. If you're a candidate for receiving breast implants, there are many decisions to be made. One of the most important decisions you will have to make is deciding between silicone and saline breast implants. There are positive and negative aspects to both, so it's important to weigh all your options before making a final decision. To learn how to choose between silicone and saline breast implants, follow these steps.

Steps

1. Research the difference between silicone and saline breast implants.
   • Realize that saline breast implants are filled entirely of saline. Saline is a mixture of salt and water placed inside a silicone shell at the time of surgery. A saline implant requires a small incision because the shell is inserted into the breast area and then filled with saline once inside.
   • Understand that silicone breast implants are made with synthetic polymers. These polymers are thick and sticky, and placed in a silicone shell that closely resembles the feel of human fat. The incision for a silicone implant is larger than the incision for a saline implant because the silicone implant is filled before insertion into the body.
2. Asses the potential health risks if an implant breaks or ruptures. Saline is absorbed into your body with no health risks. Silicone is also absorbed into your body and won't cause long-term health risks like breast cancer or connective tissue diseases, but could cause short-term pain to the breast area. In either instance, if there is a leak, the implant will need to be removed and can be replaced with a new implant during surgery.
3. Decide how you want your breasts to look. Silicone implants have the look and feel of real breasts, and have a lower chance of creating ripples and/or wrinkles on the skin. Saline implants tend to look more stiff and unnatural than silicone implants, and have an increased tendency to create ripples and/or wrinkles on the skin.
4. Take your age into consideration. Saline breast implants are available to women over the age of 18, while silicone breast implants are available to women over the age of 22. The reason for this difference in age is women who choose breast augmentation should be ready both physically and emotionally. While there are 18-year-old women that are as informed as those who are older, the ruling is that from your 18th birthday until your 22nd birthday, you are only able to choose saline implants. Both saline and silicone are available for women of any age seeking breast reconstructive surgery.
5. Debate how much you want to spend. Silicone breast implants typically cost around $1,000 more than saline-filled implants.

Tips

• Many plastic surgeons offer free consultations for those interested in receiving breast implants. Discuss your concerns with the plastic surgeon, explain what you want to accomplish through the breast implants, and address potential health risks.
• Regardless of the type of implant you choose, be prepared to be swollen for 3 to 4 months after breast implant surgery.

Warnings

• Do not undergo surgery without first checking on the legitimacy of the doctor who's doing your surgery. Research the plastic surgeon you're interested in using. Ask to view some of their previous work and don't undergo surgery if you're not comfortable with him.
• A saline breast implant will noticeably deflate if it starts to leak, while a leak may not be noticeable with a silicone implant. This is a cause for concern with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). There is no evidence of long-term health issues because of silicone leaking into the body, but the FDA recommends you undergo an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) every 2 years to detect leaks.
• In most cases, saline and silicone breast implants don't last a lifetime. You will need to get them removed at some point to correct leaks or cosmetic issues. Typically, the time period is around 10 years before implants need to be replaced. There is potential for implants to last more than 30 years, but this isn't typical.
• During breast cancer screenings, implants may complicate the process of noticing cancers because they obscure views during mammographies.
• Breast implants can inhibit breast feeding.
• Breast implants aren't usually covered under insurance.

Sources and Citations

• http://www.infoplasticsurgery.com/breast/augmentation/implants/silicone-saline
• http://www.yourplasticsurgeryguide.com/breast-implants/implants-saline-vs-silicone.htm
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-implants/WO00052
• http://webplastics.com/silicone.htm

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How to Check Cervical Mucus

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Women who use natural family planning (NFP) as a birth control method often use the characteristics of their cervical mucus to indicate where they are in their menstrual cycle. Since the quantity and consistency of cervical mucus present at a given time provides significant clues to when a woman is ovulating, it is also monitored by women who are trying to become pregnant. Cervical mucus that is wet, slippery, clear and stretchy is a sign that ovulation is likely to occur (usually within 24 hours for most women). Here are some tips on how to check your cervical mucus.

Steps

1. Begin tracking the characteristics of your cervical mucus on the date your period stops. Check every day, at about the same time of day, and record the results so that you can see patterns of change over time.
2. Wipe your entire genital area, front to back, with toilet paper.
3. Write down the characteristics of the cervical mucus that is transferred to the toilet paper.
   • Record the color (white or yellow), and whether it is clear or cloudy.
   • Note the consistency. It may be thick, thin, sticky or stretchy.
   • Record whether your vulva feels wet, moist or dry.
4. Urinate, then repeat the process.
5. Evaluate the cervical mucus based on the observations you've made.
   • Look for periods during which your cervical mucus has been clear and white. This is an indication that ovulation is near.
   • Note the times when your mucus is stretchy and slippery, like an egg white. This is another indication that ovulation will occur within a day or so.
   • Look for times when your vulva felt wetter than normal. This also indicates that you are approaching ovulation.

Tips

• Check your cervical mucus after a bowel movement if possible. This will typically provide a greater quantity of mucus to analyze.
• Have sex on the days during and up to 4 days after ovulation if you are trying to become pregnant. If you are trying to avoid pregnancy, do not have sex on these dates.
• Be patient. Most women find that it takes a few cycles to become familiar with the unique characteristics of their own cervical secretions.
• Consider basal body temperature monitoring in conjunction with your cervical mucus tracking. This method, which involves taking your temperature every morning before you get up, can help provide additional insight into your fertility cycle, especially when used along with cervical mucus monitoring.

Warnings

• Contact your doctor if you notice a significant, unexpected change in the appearance, consistency or smell of your cervical mucus. These changes can be a sign of infection.
• Understand the risks related to using cervical mucus monitoring alone as a method of birth control. This method does not prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Approximately 22% of women who use this means of birth control alone become pregnant over the course of 1 year. Breastfeeding, recent childbirth and recent use of birth control pills also can affect the accuracy of cervical mucus monitoring as a method of predicting ovulation.
• Do not use douches or spermicide, and avoid intercourse on the days when you are evaluating your cervical mucus for signs of fertility. These activities will leave behind substances that will affect the characteristics of your cervical secretions, and may lead you to false conclusions about your state of fertility.

Sources and Citations

• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cervical-mucus-method/MY01004/DSECTION=what-you-can-expect
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cervical-mucus-method/MY01004/DSECTION=why-its-done
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cervical-mucus-method/MY01004/DSECTION=risks
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cervical-mucus-method/MY01004/DSECTION=how-you-prepare

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How to Care for Yourself As a Woman

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
As women, we are always pressured to look our best. Well, this article is here not only for that, but to make you realize you're worth it all the way!

Steps

1. Make sure you shower everyday. A clean body makes for no odors and embarrassments later. Wash with a good smelling soap. Scrub all of the necessary areas that need it most(armpits, crotch, butt, and extremities. Exfoliate twice a week to wash away all of the dead skin and show off the beautiful skin underneath.
2. Groom yourself-always. Make sure you keep your eyebrows trimmed, nails neat, hair neat, clothes neat. Being presented this way lets people know you take very good care of yourself, and you have pride in your appearance.
3. Keep all of your things organized. Your house, your car, your workspace, your bedroom. Being organized helps to know where things are, and makes it easier to clean up when you make a mess.
4. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Being dehydrated slows you down, and busy women need their energy! Keep a water bottle by you filled up by all times.
5. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. If you get into the habit of doing it everyday, it will turn into a habit instead of a chore. Also, it has great benefits if done continuously.
6. Walk with your head held high, and know you are beautiful. A makeover may be only shown on the outside, but it starts on the inside. Having self confidence goes a long way, and it opens a lot of doors for you.

Tips

• Make sure your make up is light, not heavy. Keep it looking natural. It looks more multi-purpose.
• If you need to use tooth whiteners, try the whitening strips.

Warnings

• You may get a lot more guys hitting on you now that you take better care of yourself. Don't let it go to your head.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Care for Yourself As a Woman. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Calculate Your Ovulation

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Ovulation is when a female's ovary releases an egg ready to be fertilized by a man's sperm. A woman ovulates one time per month, and this is the only time when she can become pregnant if the egg is fertilized. If your period is regular, it can be easy to calculate when this ovulation takes place so as to plan pregnancy or avoid pregnancy.

Steps

1. Note the date that you start your period
2. Count 14 days from the first day of your period, this is the day that you will ovulate if your period is regular each month.
3. To avoid pregnancy, do not have sex around this date (+/- three or four days before and after ovulation.
4. To get pregnant, have sex as much as possible during the days surrounding your ovulation.

Tips

• This only works if your period is regular.

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How to Become a Power Woman

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Steps

1. Learn to be patient and take things lightly, yet be focused in what you do.
2. Avoid overreacting if someone hinders your progress or gives you trouble. Just ignore them!
3. Try to fix in your mind the belief that "You can't lose what you never had" when it comes to break-ups.
4. Learn to be organised and make small lists. You may not stick to all what you put down on the list but it will sure get you somewhere.
5. Be positive. Don't try the "tit for tat" approach nor the all merciful kind. Try to be neutral, although all situations won't allow you to be, but plant a thought that you should be neutral and you will eventually get there.
6. Don't keep worrying why bad luck favours you. Just think that God is just giving you more challenges to make you tougher for a much better future.
7. Always try to aim higher. Never forget that personal life is more important than professional life. Set in your mind that work is just livelihood and not life.
8. Don't ignore the loved ones. Trust your family.
9. Put up an image that you are strong enough to people who try to pull you down.
10. Follow the rule "If you can't control - then avoid" in tempting or tricky situations. This would save you a lot of peace of mind.
11. Aim to buy the most expensive thing you always wished for. You may not be able to buy it in a day...but you will eventually get there.
12. Say to yourself "All is well" if a situation doesn't work out how you planned it or expected.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become a Power Woman. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Prepare for Childbirth With Yoga

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
The practice of yoga is a valuable tool in childbirth preparation. Yoga offers guidance through the practice of breath awareness and physical practice. It can help you prepare for, endure and recover from childbirth.

Steps

1. Get to know your breath. Breath awareness is key to childbirth preparation. By fixing the awareness on something other than the intensity of a contraction, you can learn to lessen your reaction to the pain. Clenching an overly fatigued muscle only leads to more pain. By focusing on the breath, you encourage your body to relax as much as possible and promote a feeling of well-being in the face of adversity. Breath awareness can also help lower your blood pressure and your pulse.
   • Start by sitting comfortably, either in a chair or cross legged on the floor. Close your eyes. Feel the rise and fall of your chest and the openness of your belly. Allow the belly to feel full and round and soft. As the breath deepens, allow your shoulders and face to soften. Look for areas within the body that seem tense or fatigued and soften them with every exhalation. Let them go with the exhalation.
   • Learning deep breathing may help your body continue producing oxytocin, which helps your labor progress.[1]
2. Practice some poses. Choose poses that stretch and strengthen your legs, your hips and your side body. Do not twist or put weight on your abdomen. Yoga's use in childbirth is about body-awareness. If you can find a class to attend, you should. Not only will you find some relief physically, but you may also make some friends along the way, watching your bellies, and then your babies, grow together. If there is no class available, try some simple stretches that you may have learned, pick up a prenatal yoga book, or do an internet search. Find ways to move that feel good to you. Side stretches and squats should feel wonderful. Roll your shoulders back and forth and do some neck stretches to each side. Do some standing forward bends with wide legs: keep your knees soft and hang forward from the hips, rolling up to standing when finished.
   • For some women, lying flat on your back put pressure on your inferior vena cava, the vein that returns blood from the legs to the heart, causing dizziness, shortness of breath, and nausea. If you find this happening to you, avoid any position that involves lying flat on your back.[1]
   • As you get bigger, your sense of balance will be affected. Don't try to hold poses for a long time, and use support.[1]
3. Don't strain. In childbirth, it is important to learn how to relax as much as possible. Straining, even in exercise, is not helpful. Learn to relax with your breath awareness and your poses in order to remain relaxed during childbirth.
4. End with a 20 minute relaxation. This is the most important thing you can practice for optimal mind/body health. This practice helps lower blood pressure and pulse, and is beneficial for swollen legs and reducing stress. Lie down on your side, close your eyes and practice your breath awareness. If you fall asleep, that's okay! The key is to relax as much as possible and to get good at it so that you can stay relaxed during contractions. If you notice yourself becoming distracted by thoughts or noise, draw your awareness back to the breath. Stay here for 20 minutes or more.
5. Practice every day, even if you can only get in 5 minutes of quiet breath awareness at a time. Remember that a contraction only lasts a few minutes.
6. Stay positive. Women have been giving birth for thousands of years. They did it and so can you!

Recommended Poses[1]

• Cobbler's or Tailor's pose (baddha konasana):
• Pelvic tilt or Cat-Cow - Helps relieve back pain.
• Warrior
• Downward-facing dog

Warnings

• Only embark on a physical fitness regimen with the consent of your physician.
• This is not a good time to try ambitious poses like a headstand or shoulder-stand for the first time.
• Positions that stretch the abdominal muscles (e.g. deep forward and back bends, deep twists) may tear and strain muscles because pregnancy hormones loosen other connective tissue in your abdominal area.[1]
• Hot or Bikram yoga classes are not recommended for pregnant women.[1]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 http://www.babycenter.com/0_great-pregnancy-exercise-prenatal-yoga_7862.bc

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Prepare for Childbirth With Yoga. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Treat Menopause Symptoms

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Coping with menopause can be tough, so a little bit of menopause relief can go a long way towards making this problematic phase of a woman's life a little more manageable. There are a number of symptoms of this discomfort that women seek relief from, including hot flashes and headaches. With the right outlook and a little bit of medical assistance, most women find that they can experience a great deal of relief.

Steps

1. Know the stages of menopause, so you know what to expect:[1]
   • Premenopause. Periods just start to get irregular, usually mid-to-late 40s. There are usually no classic menopausal symptoms but menopause-like symptoms may start to appear during this stage.
   • Perimenopause. Erratic cycles, hot flashes, vaginal dryness. On average, begins at age 47. Other symptoms that you may begin to see:
     • Mood swings
     • Decreased sex drive
     • Sweating
     • Racing heart (palpitations)
     • Headaches
     • Trouble sleeping
   • Menopause. The first year that you haven't had any periods. You won't know you're in this phase until you've completed it (when you have a year without periods behind you).
   • Postmenopausal. After the first period-free year (menopause) and for the rest of your life. If you have any vaginal bleeding in this phase, it's considered abnormal and should be discussed with a doctor.
2. Learn how to cope with hot flashes. Hot flashes are the body's response to lowered estrogen levels. It's a temporary dysfunction in the temperature regulating portion of the brain until the body gets used to the missed estrogen. A typical hot flash lasts about 2 - 3 minutes. During a hot flash, your face and upper body feel extremely hot. Your face reddens and you sweat heavily as your skin temperature suddenly rises 7-8 degrees. It usually returns to normal within 30 minutes.
   • Dress lightly and in layers. Wear natural fibres. Synthetic fibres trap heat and perspiration during a hot flash, making this symptom even more uncomfortable. Natural fibres such as cotton or wool will give your body more ventilation, and keep it cooler by wicking moisture away from your body and cooling you naturally. Another option is to wear one layer of a thick sweater that permits air flow yet keeps heat after the body temperature has gone back down. Try standing up, fluffing the bottom of the shirt discretely, or going for a slow gentle walk to circulate air around the body. Perhaps consider V- or scoop-neck tops which can be conducive to a chimney effect if you hold out the bottom of the shirt. Heat rises, bringing cool air up.
   • If you are having hot flashes, keep a diary to track when they happen. You may be able to use this information to help find out what triggers them.
   • Avoid triggers like caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods (excessive alcohol will also hasten bone loss[2]). For some women, emotional upset is a trigger; others may find a hot meal, a warm room, or a warm bed will trigger a flush.
   • Try slow, deep breathing to combat hot flashes (six breaths per minute)[3]
3. Take steps to combat osteoporosis. There will be a rapid loss of bone in first 3-5 years after menopause. If you don't take enough calcium through life, by midlife your bone store is already partly empty and much closer to osteoporosis.[2]
   • You need 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium daily if you're over age 50.
     • Dietary sources of calcium: low-fat and nonfat milk and yogurt, hard cheeses, collard greens, tofu, calcium-fortified orange juice and breakfast cereals, sardines, canned salmon with bones.
     • Supplemental calcium: calcium carbonate (e.g. Tums), least expensive; calcium citrate (e.g. Citracal with D), best absorbed and less constipating.
   • For vitamin D, you need 400 international units daily until age 70; 600 to 800 afterward.
     • Dietary sources: fortified milk and cereals, eggs, fish oil, salmon, herring, liver.
     • Your best source of vitamin D is the sun. Whenever possible, expose some skin (without sunscreen) to sunlight for 15 minutes a day.
   • Protein. Get 15-20% of your daily calories in animal protein sources (meat, poultry, eggs, and cheese) to foster bone mineral density - vegetable protein sources are not protective.[2]
4. Maintain vaginal health. With less estrogen in your system, you may find that the walls of your vagina become more dry and less elastic, which can make you feel sore and uncomfortable.
   • Be or remain sexually active. This may help to keep the vaginal walls from thinning[1] and preserve elasticity of vagina.[3]
   • For vaginal dryness, use moisturizers and nonestrogen, water-based lubricants.
   • Perform kegel exercises to strengthen muscles of vagina and pelvis.[3]
5. Maintain a healthy lifestyle overall. If there was ever a reason to finally get into shape, kick unhealthy habits, and clean up your diet, the symptoms of menopause might be it.
   • Stop smoking, it can cause early menopause[3] and hasten bone loss[2]
   • Control risk factors for heart disease - blood pressure, cholesterol
   • Eat a low-fat diet
   • Exercise regularly, especially resistance exercise to strengthen bones
6. Weigh the benefits and risks of prescription treatment.
   • Combination hormone therapy (HT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) (or estrogen alone if you no longer have a uterus) can reduce symptoms of menopause and help prevent osteoporosis, but long term HT may increase the risk of heart disease, breast cancer, blood clots, and stroke; estrogen-only therapy might increase the risk of blood clots and stroke.[1]
   • Antidepressants can be prescribed for mood swings and difficulty sleeping.
   • Clonidine and gabapentin may be prescribed to reduce hot flashes.
7. Consider alternative treatments.
   • acupuncture
   • relaxation techniques
   • herbal remedies (Remifemin [black cohosh], dong quai, chasteberry, flaxseed, vitamin E and ginseng)[1]
   • Soy protein found in soy-based food and soy milk can help reduce hot flashes.
   • meditation

Video

Tips

• Seek medical advice. Talk to your doctor for more information.
• Be positive. Today's women spend a third of their lives postmenopausal; consider menopause a step forward in life and make it a change for the better.
• Find support with other women who are going through the same changes. Support groups offer reassurance that menopause is a natural cycle. To find a group, call your local women's center. Or start one of your own; place an ad in the newspaper, tack a notice on a bulletin board in a place where women congregate, such as the YWCA or a beauty shop.
• If you frequently feel an urgent need to urinate, ask your doctor about techniques such as pelvic muscle exercises, biofeedback, and bladder training that can help you improve muscle control.

Warnings

• Estrogen supplementation can increase your chances of certain diseases (breast or uterine cancer, blood clots/heart attacks/strokes, etc.), and may decrease your chances of certain other diseases (osteoporosis, etc.). Dose is key. Take the smallest amount that handles your symptoms; have your doctor check for adequate levels.

Sources and Citations

• Natural Remedies for Menopause - Natural Remedies Review by Pharmacists
• Pre Menopause Symptoms: They Can Happen At Any Age

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Treat Menopause Symptoms. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Remain Upbeat About Menopause

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
More than 40 million North American postmenopausal women can expect to live a third of their lives after menopause, up to 35 to 40 years.[1] Centuries of negativity about the "change of life" pervade our culture still, with today's medical profession viewing menopause as a point in time focused on estrogen deficiency rather than a holistic process.[2] Much misinformation exists about menopause, aided and abetted by the heavy focus on youth culture and the desire to push aside anything that suggests "aging". Yet, taking what is a natural occurrence in women's lives and turning it into a disease or a syndrome in need of treatment leaves many women feeling anxious, afraid, and ashamed of what is happening to them during menopause. It shouldn't be this way: menopause is a natural and inevitable part of the progression of every woman's life, and is to be celebrated and respected. Looking at menopause with a more positive attitude is something this article aims to help you to achieve. Happy journeying!

Steps

1. Become informed. If you don't know what to expect from menopause, you'll be more vulnerable to the horror stories, the pressure to undergo treatments that you might not necessarily want to have, and the worry that your changes are out of your control. Information is power; power to make informed choices, to understand what is truly involved in menopause and to realize that many women have undergone this passage of life and grown in strength and wisdom as a result.
   • Read books about menopause, especially those written by women who have experienced it, or who work with it. A good book to begin with is Dr Christiane Northrup's The Wisdom of Menopause: The Complete Guide to Physical and Emotional Health During the Change,[3]. Reading about other women's experiences will help you to understand the variety of possibilities during menopause, as well as reassuring you that you're not experiencing menopause alone.
   • Knowing what to expect will help when you're feeling irritable, dissatisfied, or impatient. Tracing these moods back to the reality of menopause will help you to work through them, rather than viewing yourself as suddenly ill-tempered.
   • There are plenty of stories about the dreadful journey women go through when experiencing menopause, often published in women's magazines. The reality is that these stories highlight the less usual experiences; the more sensational and unusual the experience, the more newsworthy but that doesn't mean it's a reflection of the average experience. Take heart that it's a minority of women who suffer discomfort,[4] and that there are plenty of good ways of minimizing discomforts associated with menopause.
2. Shape a positive attitude toward menopause. You have two choices – you can face menopause angrily or in denial (but it's still going to happen), or you can accept it and make the most of the transition period to set yourself up for the remainder of your life. In the first instance, you'll allow yourself to get bundled up in the negativity associated with menopause and potentially increase the unpleasant experiences through increased stress and unhappiness. In the latter instance, your proactive approach to menopause will help you to face the challenge with a positive mindset that lets you re-evaluate your life's purpose.
   • Keep in mind that you're still a woman. In a youth-prone society, it is very easy to fall into the trap of feeling that post-reproductive age, your womanhood is somehow reduced. The reality is that you're no less a woman than prior to menopause! You're simply a woman who has undergone reproductive changes, not changes to the essence of what makes you a woman.
   • For many women, menopause is a time of redefinition of roles, interests, and reawakening of purpose. Many women find that this is a time for reflection about where they have been and where they are headed. It can mean the end of some relationships, careers, lifestyles, and the start of completely new ones. It can mean that you finally do what it is you always wanted to do. Much of the reflection comes from the fact that menopause is a real mortality reminder that we're only here for so long, so we'd better make the most of it.
3. Take a proactive approach to medical interventions. If you're experiencing some of the unpleasant effects accompanying menopause and these are causing you to feel down, depressed, or in pain, discuss it with your doctor in an informed manner, with a view to asking hard questions and getting quality answers. Do your research on what you're experiencing beforehand so that you can raise possible solutions that you're comfortable with. This is better than feeling that you're being pitied as a victim or being railroaded into taking treatments that you don't wish to.
   • Avoid the temptation to take treatments at the first hot flash. See if you can find non-medical interventions to cope with the unpleasant side-effects of menopause before rushing in to take pharmaceutical solutions.
   • Look for alternative treatments. There are numerous plant-based remedies available for helping ease the symptoms of menopause. Research the options in constructive discussions with your doctor and alternative health therapist. (Avoid taking plant-based approaches without knowing what you're doing – plant remedies have their own potential for toxicity or causing other symptoms.)
   • Provided they're not health or life-threatening, consider doing nothing about the changes beyond talking with others, and just letting them happen. Radical, but it's what most women have done throughout history. The problem is often in our perception that menopause needs treatment. On the whole, for the majority of women, it simply doesn't. More likely it's the emotional symptoms that accompany it that are in need of treatment: the anxiety, the sense of purposelessness, the worry about self-esteem, etc. Reflect on this carefully and seek support through counseling if needed.
   • Dr Christiane Northrup thinks that some of the reactions women experience during the menopausal transition are the body's message about what most needs changing in your life, and she says that the "wisdom of this system is very precise" and leads women to discover their inner wisdom.[5]
4. Learn to use anti-stress techniques. If you feel stressed during menopause, the fluctuating hormones are probably going to simply add to these feelings. Rather than reaching for a pill, consider ways to reduce the stress. Can you handle your workload differently? Can you take up yoga, meditation, a gym class? Perhaps you might be in need of offloading a lot of negative self-talk that has built up all these years - getting counseling can be a good way out for someone in this position.
   • Deep breathing exercises can help with hot flashes. It takes practice but is very effective.
   • Use exercise as a way of maintaining a good mood and good physical health. Regular, moderate exercise can reduce your sensitivity to the impacts of menopause and will lift your mood. Exercise has also been proven to lower the intensity and frequency of hot flashes.
   • Use food as a way to improve your mood. Avoid food that makes you feel hot or irritable, such as spicy food and drinks, hot drinks, excess animal protein, etc. Turn to "menopause superfoods" such as unprocessed foods, fruit and vegetables, beans and pulses, fish, sugar-free foods, etc.[6] Basically, eat healthy and nutritiously! Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. The changing hormone levels affect how the cells in our body retain moisture.
   • Look into such treatments as acupuncture, aromatherapy, acupressure, and homeopathy as possible helping hands through the transition. Consider a combination of Oriental and Western medical approaches.
5. Embrace change. Many of us aren't that good at embracing change at any time of our life, struggling to deal with any transition period. That's only natural; change can be painful emotionally because it challenges us and presents us with the unknown, the new. This is why keeping informed is important. But it's also important to actively embrace change: this is the next important and valid stage in your life. It's also a time when more freedom comes for many women as families grow up, and a new independence can be one reward of life at this time.
   • Seek a place of acceptance. It will be harder to do some things, such as keeping off weight. But rather than complaining about this, accept the change and see it as an opportunity to reassess unhealthier or less productive aspects of your life prior to menopause. It's quite possible that changes to exercise, nutrition, and pampering yourself are well overdue anyway!
   • Love the clarity of vision that can arrive with menopause. Menopause is a crossroads, a time to rebirth yourself, change your focus, and start exploring your own needs more. It becomes a time when you stop stifling your own needs in favor of others and start making changes needed to forge on with a positive future.[7] With children grown sufficiently, or already having left the nest, time comes back to you and becomes yours again. Think back to the disparities you felt in household responsibilities 10 years before. You don't need to make those sacrifices now because the time and space become your own again.
   • Allow yourself to grieve the past. You are leaving behind parts of your life that were once integral to who you are. Find a ritual to farewell that part of your adulthood and to welcome in the next stage of adulthood.
   • Pick up where you left off before the juggling act of your earlier decades swamped you. Resurrect a rusty career, start a new one, go on a pilgrimage, or start a business.
   • Expect to flare up now and then. This is a time when many women learn to speak their mind, when old resentments bubble up and need to be confronted to allow you to transition to the next stage of life. For some women, this will result in the end of relationships, even marriages. For other women, it becomes a time of new relationships or growth within an existing one.
6. Find strength in friends. Look to friends who are experiencing the same as you, or have already gone through menopause. Share stories, support one another, and have frequent, good laughs together. Unburdening yourself in the company of trusted and understanding friends can relieve many concerns and reassure you that you're in good company.

Video

An important part of remaining upbeat about menopause is to see the funnier side of things, even more so when you're feeling frazzled and down. This video sums up the challenges in a humorous way.

Tips

• Menopause is the cessation of menstruation. It is often termed "the change", or "the change of life". As well as the end of periods, hormone levels change and there may be mood swings.
• Know your facts. Most women tend to go through menopause in their forties, with the last period happening around 49–51 years of age. Smokers tend to have earlier final periods and lower bone density as a result of the smoking.[8] These are only averages; a number of women experience their periods finishing a lot earlier. The important thing is to not listen to Great Aunt Agatha without doing your research. Family experiences are not necessarily yours.
• Know your symptoms. All women are different – some women experience few or no symptoms, other women experience many, and others are in between. Typical symptoms include:
  • Hot flashes (approximately 40 percent of women do not have this experience)
  • Night sweats
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Periods can vary all over the place: lighter, heavier, flooding, erratic, regular, more frequent, total disappearance.
• The completion of menopause is said to be when you have not had a period for 12 months.
• You still have estrogen after menopause. It is just not being produced by your ovaries anymore, in anywhere the quantities prior to menopause. The hormone androgen (produced by the ovaries and the adrenal gland) gets converted into estrogen still. As this conversion occurs in body fat, women with higher body fat ratios tend to produce more estrogen post menopause.
• The history of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) presents a good example for the need to do your own research and ask deep questions. At one stage HRT was considered safe as a one-size-fits-all treatment for menopause. However, studies in the early 2000s revealed increased risks from HRT for certain diseases, including breast cancer, heart disease, and gallbladder disease.[9] While the medical and legal arguments still rage about HRT, the number of women taking the treatment dropped dramatically, as did rates of breast cancer. This caused Barbara Ehrenreich, who suffered breast cancer following HRT, to note that "bad science may have produced the cancer in the first place".[10] If you strike the tendency of the medical profession to medicalize menopause rather than to treat it as a natural process, learn as much as you can and always ask questions.

Warnings

• Don't rely on not getting pregnant during menopause. While it is highly unlikely, it does happen and ignoring the possibility is not a great form of contraception. Increased likelihood of birth defects occur in older mothers (and fathers), let alone the fact that raising a young one at a time of life when you hope to be freed up after years of childraising can be very distressing for some women.
• There are plenty of things that might or might not be caused by menopause. For example, night sweats can be a sign of an illness such as cancer. If you're not sure and are worried, seek medical advice. You might need to be very assertive though if your doctor tries to pinpoint the problems on menopause when your hunch is that it is something else. Ask for second opinions, specialist advice, tests, etc.
• Don't confuse menopause with stress or aging. Stress and aging carry their own bundle of challenges, which include irritability, forgetfulness, depression, anxiety, disinterest in sex etc. While studies have tried to pinpoint these feelings on menopause, there is no absolute causal link (for example, refer to the 1987 study performed by Sonja and John McKinlay in Massachusetts).[11] The reality is that it's a complex bundle of all of these issues – menopause causes you to reflect about aging which in turn adds to existing stress. And if you were stressed easily prior to menopause, that won't change; your perspective can, however, provided you want to work on it.
• Toss the things that don't work for you; just because your equally menopausal friend likes a certain menopausal remedy doesn't mean it's right for you. By all means try it if you're convinced but be ready to ditch it if it doesn't improve things or even makes things worse for you!

Things You'll Need

• Reliable reading material on menopause; books written by women with medical, therapy, and personal experience in the field make an excellent start

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ Lillian Chan, The Wellness Options Guide to Health, p. 82, (2003), ISBN 0-14-301376-9
2. ↑ Lillian Chan, The Wellness Options Guide to Health, p. 82, (2003), ISBN 0-14-301376-9
3. ↑ Dr Christiane Northrup, The Wisdom of Menopause: The Complete Guide to Physical and Emotional Health During the Change, (2006), ISBN 978-0-7499-2737-0
4. ↑ Rosamond Richardson, The Survival Guide to Growing Older, p. 150, (2001), ISBN 1-85626-405-X
5. ↑ Dr Christiane Northrup, The Wisdom of Menopause: The Complete Guide to Physical and Emotional Health During the Change, p. 12, (2006), ISBN 978-0-7499-2737-0 - if you have the opportunity to obtain this book, you can read of Dr Northrup's inspiring personal experience of going through menopause.
6. ↑ Rosamond Richardson, The Survival Guide to Growing Older, p. 165, (2001), ISBN 1-85626-405-X
7. ↑ Dr Christiane Northrup, The Wisdom of Menopause: The Complete Guide to Physical and Emotional Health During the Change, p. 11, (2006), ISBN 978-0-7499-2737-0
8. ↑ Rosamond Richardson, The Survival Guide to Growing Older, p. 151, (2001), ISBN 1-85626-405-X
9. ↑ Medline Plus, Hormone Therapy, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007111.htm
10. ↑ Barbara Ehrenreich, Bright-Sided, p. 43, (2009), ISBN 978-0-8050-8749-9
11. ↑ McKinlay, John, McKinlay, Sonja, and Brambilla, Donald, The relative contributions of endocrine changes and social circumstances to depression in mid-aged women, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 1987; 28 (4): 345-63

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Remain Upbeat About Menopause. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Cope With Frustration

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Frustration is a form of poorly expressed anger. Frustration is about expecting the world and its inhabitants to be a certain way. In reality, things are as they are and no amount of ranting and steaming is going to change that. What you do need to change is your perspective.

Steps

1. Look for the triggers that cause you to feel frustration. Common ones include:
   • Impatience at the speed of people, systems, or results (See How to Be Patient)
   • Slow comprehension of facts or a situation by another person
   • Lack of reliability of a person, item, or system (See How to Stop Dealing With Someone Else's Lateness)
   • General sense of unfairness or injustice about things that are occurring in your life (See How to Be Optimistic)
   • Poor communications resulting in something not being done at all, or on time
   • Wanting things your own way without compromise
2. Think through your answers. Do any of the above situations apply to you? If so, note down why. Draw another column and suggest ways that you might address each frustration in a fruitful manner instead. For example:
   • "I get frustrated when the traffic crawls to halt and I am sitting in it, sweating. Counter thought: "I do hate the traffic being slow but I can avoid it by leaving earlier or later; or I can ride a bike instead."
   • "I cannot stand the way George is so slow at understanding the point of every exercise! I'm tearing out my hair!" Counter thought: "I know that George is a slow learner but my goodness, when he grasps the concepts finally, there is no stopping him and he is often the person who points out errors as we go along, helping us to avoid greater problems at the end of the project. I need to be patient with him and remember that he has this latent skill."
   • "Jenny never turns up on time. It's as if she is deliberately trying to ruin every occasion I spend with her!" Counter-thought: "Jenny has a problem with punctuality. It's not my problem unless I make it one. Instead, I need to either make her arrive on time by suggesting she arrive at a time half an hour earlier than the real time set, or I just need to get on with enjoying myself until she does arrive, in the full knowledge that that is her way."
   • "Everything is so unfair! Even the weather is against me making my hair all lank and horrible. The people on the street are deliberately bumping into me. The taxi was late and I was late going into the meeting as a result. The whole world is against me!" Counter thought: "It's just one of those days where things happen over which I have little control. All the same, next time I will book my taxi for half an hour earlier to make time for possible delays. And as for my hair, it is probably time to see the hair stylist anyway!"
3. Breathe deeply and count when you feel a bout of frustration coming on. This is a good opportunity to create your reaction rather than to react and create your frustration. One deep breath, followed by a slow count to ten, during which time you let your thoughts go. Return to reality and consider the situation before you carefully and with a reality check. Ask yourself:
   • Are things really as I perceive them?
   • What sort of reaction can I give that will properly express my concern, my annoyance, my wishes?
   • What good and positive words can I use to express the need for seeing things my way too?
   • Am I seeing things in other people's way too?
4. Remember that frustration is born of wanting things or people to be a certain way that is fixed in your head. Your expectations of others and of how the world works is formed over many years of experiences and sometimes your personal overlay is defective; it might have been a source of self-protection once but when it continues to advise you poorly for future experiences, then it is stuck in time, and generally plain wrong. When you cease to expect other people to act in a certain way, when you start to look at the world with fresh eyes again and expect nothing apart from the fact that you are a member of a community of individuals and a world of many happenings, then you start to realize that things happen, people are the way that they are, and most importantly of all, how you react matters. For example:
   • Let's say that somebody yells at you for accidentally standing on the street, as you intend to cross the road at the same time that they're coming around. There is no real fault here. You thought the road was clear, the driver did too. Neither of you had malicious intent. To take offense at the driver's fear of running you over is to place an interpretation on this event that isn't there; instead, accept that the driver was scared they'd hurt you (and that's a good intent) and that your piece in the action was equal. Simply apologize, acknowledge your own scare in the situation, and move on.
5. Practice talking back to yourself every time that frustration arises. It takes a long time to overcome what has become essentially a very comforting but demoralizing habit. While it might feel justified to feel a sense of outrage, persecution, and insult, where do those types of self-pitying feelings ultimately lead you? They lead to personal stagnation and a victimhood type mentality that prevents you from growing as a human being and from experiencing what the whole world truly has to offer. Don't give up on letting go the grip of frustration; it will take time but it will happen if you put in a concerted effort to change your perspective.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Cope With Frustration. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Improve Your Sense of Smell

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
There are many reasons you may wish to improve your sense of smell. For one thing, it's closely linked to your sense of taste. Try tasting food with your nose pinched! It is also a required skill to describe aromas in wine, coffee and beer, even tea. And in general, being able to smell the subtleties in the scent of a flower, or someone's skin, or autumn leaves, can offer a deeper dimension of enjoyment. Also, did you know that the average human nose can detect nearly 10,000 distinct scents?[1]

Steps

1. Pay more attention to what you already smell. People often say "use it or lose it" about muscles, but the same can be applied towards senses. The more you use your senses, the better you get! Learn how to describe smells. You might even want to keep an olfactory journal! For extra practice, have someone hold various things to your nose while you're blindfolded and see if you can identify the smells.
2. Note how certain smells make you feel. The nerves that sense smell are directly connected to the emotional part of your brain, leaving your rationality out of the equation. Studies found, for example, that the smell of fast food wrappers, fresh bread or pastry increase the likelihood of road rage; peppermint and cinnamon improve concentration and decrease irritability in drivers; and lemon and coffee promote clear thinking and high concentration levels in general.[1]
3. Avoid foods that cause excess mucus production. Have you ever noticed that your sense of smell fades, or perhaps completely disappears, when you have a cold? Congestion in the membranes in the nose that contain the smell-sensitive nerve endings can dull your ability to smell, and avoiding foods that promote stuffiness (milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream) might help.[2]
   • The way this affects taste is that there is a channel from the back of your throat to the sensory cells in your nose. If this channel is blocked by any kind of congestion, your ability to taste food will be affected.[3]
4. Avoid substances that can impair your sense of smell. Some cold remedies can make you lose your sense of smell, such as a few Zicam intranasal products warned against by the FDA.[4] Smoking can also interfere with your sense of smell.[3] Keep alcohol to a minimum, as your sense of smell is impaired as your blood alcohol levels rise.[5]
5. Get more zinc in your diet. Hyposmia (the medical term for an impaired sense of smell) is often linked with a deficiency in the mineral zinc. To boost your sense of smell, try eating zinc-rich foods, such as (oysters, lentils, sunflower seeds, pecans) and consider take a multivitamin supplement that contains at least 7 mg of zinc each day.[2]
6. Exercise. Studies suggest that our sense of smell is sharper after exercise[5] so here's yet another reason to stay fit!
7. Use a humidifier. Increased moisture in the air leads to increased moisture in your nose, which improves the sense of smell.[5]
8. Stay away from stink. Prolonged exposure to bad smells tends to numb your ability to smell.[5]
9. When trying to identify a smell, take short, shallow sniffs rather than one long one. You will notice cats and dogs do this when they are initially smelling something. It increases your ability to pick up a scent.
10. When shopping for foods, note that the best smelling items are, for the most part, what your body is craving. When purchasing food items, start selecting items that smell the best to you. Selecting a rye bread, for instance, and deciding on a cheese to go with it, can best be done by sniffing the aromas of the bread and the cheese and determining which combination has the optimal scent. Of course, what smells the best will be a reflection of what your body needs the most. Even smelling medicine or vitamin bottles can help you determine which scent is the best, and therefore, which medicine or vitamin your body needs the most. (However, please consult a doctor before taking any medicine or new vitamin regiment.) When considering shopping for the family, there will be a tendency for family members to crave the same food items when they are all doing similar exercises and eating similarly (i.e., a cardio family will have different taste preferences compared to a weight lifting family).

Warnings

• Sudden loss of the sense of smell is most commonly due to upper respiratory tract infection, such as sinusitis and the common cold. Less commonly, the inability to smell may be due to disease, such as damage to cranial nerve I (the olfactory nerve), cystic fibrosis causing nasal polyps, hypothyroidism, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Kallman's syndrome. Please seek medical advice if you have unexplained loss of sense of smell.

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Smell-of-fresh-bread-and-fast-food-influences-behaviour
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2005/05/15/natural-remedies-for-a-lack-of-sense-of-smell
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/smelltaste/smell.asp
4. ↑ http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm166931.htm
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/sharpen-your-sense-of-smell-and-taste/article16097.html

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