The Truth About Hair Loss

It is normal to shed hair every day and the truth is we loose between 100-125 hairs on any given day. Hair that is shed falls out at the end of growth cycle. At any given time 10% of our hair is in what is called a “resting phase” and after 2-3 months resting, hair falls out and new hair grows in its place. Some people, however, experience more hair loss than is normal.
As we get older, both men and women experience some hair loss. It’s a normal part of the aging process. Called Androgenetic Alopecia, it accounts for 95% of all hair loss. Androgentic Alopecia often runs in families and affects some people more than others. In men it is often referred to as Male Pattern Baldness. It is characterized by a receding hair line and baldness on the top of head. Women, on the other hand, don’t go entirely bald even if their hair loss is severe. Instead, hair loss is spread out evenly over their entire scalp.
Hormones play the dominant role when talking about Androgenetic Alopecia. Simple put, both men and women produce testosterone. Testosterone can be converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) with the aid of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. DHT shrinks hair follicles causing the membranes in the scalp to thicken, become inelastic and restrict blood flow. This causes the hair follicles to atrophy. As a result, when a hair does fall out, it is not replaced.
Needless to say, men produce more testosterone than women and experience more hair loss.
While Androgenetic Alopecia is the number one reason why individuals experience hair loss, it is not the only one. Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, ringworm and fungal infections can cause hair loss. Certain medications such as blood thinners, gout medication, birth control pills and too much vitamin A can cause sudden or abnormal hair loss as can following a crash diet, sudden hormonal changes, chemotherapy and radiation.
Emotional stress, pregnancy, or surgery can also cause our hair to fall out and is usually not noticed until 3-4 months after the stressful event has taken place. Stress can cause a slowing of new hair growth because a larger number of hair follicles enter into the resting phase and no new hair growth is experienced.
Another way in which individuals experience hair loss is due to mechanical stressors on the hair and scalp. Wearing pigtails, cornrows or tight rollers that end up pull on the hair can scar the scalp and cause permanent hair loss. Hair products such as hot oil treatments and chemicals used for permanents can cause inflammation to the hair follicles which can also result in scarring and hair loss.
Note: Hair loss may be the early warning sign of a more serious disorder such as lupus or diabetes, so it is important to talk to your doctor.
Recommendations For Wellness
If you are taking prescription medications, talk to your doctor and find out if your medication is contributing to your hair loss.
Avoid mega-doses of vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can cause your hair to fall out.
Exercise, do yoga, meditate or find some other practice that will help to reduce your anxiety and stress levels.
If you are a women, have your female hormones tested. If they are imbalanced, talk to your health care provider about bio-identical hormone replacements.
If you wear pigtails, cornrows, use a curling iron, hair dryer or hot rollers, try changing your hair style to one that puts less pressure and stress on your hair and scalp.
If hot oil treatments or chemicals such as those used in permanents are causing inflammation to the scalp, discontinue their use, or reduce the number of times you are using them.
Use gentle shampoos and conditioners to avoid any unnecessary damage to your hair.
In men, herbs such as saw palmetto and licorice root help block the formation of DHT. The same holds true for supplementation with zinc. As an added benefit, studies show that these supplements can also help prevent prostate enlargement.
Massage your scalp with rosemary oil in an olive oil base. Both rosemary oil and massaging the scalp can stimulate the circulation in the scalp and promote hair growth.
Again, if you are experiencing hair loss, check with your doctor to ensure that a more serious disorder isn’t the cause.

Freedom and Independence with Your Wheelchairs

Many people think that one is totally worthless when he becomes disabled. Disability always brings this notion but I strongly disagree with it. I’ve seen lots of disabled persons who have become large icons in their chosen genres. Come to think of it, some of them are even more valuable than other “more normal” creatures. The best examples are the people in wheelchairs.
Have you seen the news about the Olympics for persons with disability? If you did, you’ll certainly be amazed by them because their condition never hinders them from achieving their dreams and trying to put their own marks in this cruel world. Cruel, in the sense, that some people experience something that can be considered unbearable but this something actually makes this world a more exciting place to live in. And it showed with these “wheel-chaired” people, isn’t it?
Wheelchairs, I must say, have become these people’s best friends. They have become more independent and confident about themselves because of this truly helpful equipment. If not for these chairs, they might have been still experiencing the pain and confusion brought about by the incident that has caused them to be disabled. These chairs have become their powerful companions! And, it also goes with the fast-paced world it also continues to revolutionize and get modernized.
Imagine if not for Harry Jennings who created the first wheelchair, life for persons with disabilities will never be easy. It has truly made them feel that their existence must not be put to waste because of their condition. A good thing they did not let themselves to be confined solely on their wheelchairs. Furthermore, they have realized that it’s always good to feel free and do what they really want whatever it will take. Most of them have become these stronger and firmer persons and they are so sure that nothing’s impossible if they’ll push themselves to do what they need to do.
Being free is independence. Being independent is freedom. We might differ in terms of physical state and we may not be using wheelchairs unlike the disabled ones yet we all have the same worth in this existence. For persons with disabilities, know your strengths and weaknesses, and free yourselves to survive fairly. In fact, whether disabled or not, all of us have our own places in this world everybody has a dream to achieve and a purpose to serve.

Why Daily Planning is So Important for Adults with ADD

For adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), details are a drag. We tend to see the big picture and want to jump straight to the finish line, wishing we could skip all the steps in between. Unfortunately, this perspective often causes us to become overwhelmed when it’s time to start a project. We know where we want to end up, but we don’t know where to start.
The same is true for day-to-day life. Adults with ADD often start the day knowing what should ideally get accomplished, but not sure where to begin or how to prioritize. This often leads to stress and guilt, which can spiral into more bad feelings, and less action.
In order to avoid this scenario, adults with ADD can learn to make daily planning a routine.
Here are 3 Easy Steps One Can Take to Develop a Daily Planning Routine
1. Plan the Time to Plan
Decide on a time of day when you can consistently take 15 minutes to plan. It can be a set time (8:00 PM) or simply “right before bed.”
Most adults with ADD find that the best time to plan is late in the day, when they are more alert. This works easily, as you can plan for the following day rather than stressing about it before you go to sleep!
2. Review Your To-Do List
If you don’t already use a to-do list, create one! Review it during each planning session so that you can see not only what you have to do, but also what you have actually accomplished during the day.
Re-write your to-do list, removing completed items and adding things that came up during the day. Move the most important and urgent tasks to the top of the list. Break large projects into 3-5 steps that all go on the list.
3. Review Your Calendar
Take a look at your daily planner (you are using one, I hope!) See what appointments you have scheduled the next day. Block off the times in your planner, along with your travel time. Then, begin to schedule in time for the tasks on your to-do list.
Taking just 15 minutes a day to plan alleviates much of the day-to-day stress of life with ADD, and helps adults move forward.

Skin Care for Men

Most men develop some kind of necessary skin care cleansing routine in the teenage years. Acne, blemishes, and the attentions of the opposite sex are usually the reason for such routines. However, many men ignore the toning and moisturizing steps that can improve both the appearance and feel of facial skin. Skin care products and routines may seem likely stuff for women only, but men have skin too. And just like women, men can do wonders for their skin by simply learning a few basic principles of skin care. For starters, men need to understand what type of skin they have, how to care for their skin, and how to develop a skin care routine they can live with.
Know Your Skin Type
Before you can select skin care products, you need to know what type of skin you have. Although women often learn these differences as soon as they can hold a bar of soap, many men find the question perplexing. Skin is skin, right? Wrong! Your skin can be normal, oily, dry, sensitive, or a combination. Here’s a primer for men on deciphering your skin type.
Normal Skin: If you’ve never had problems with oily skin or dry skin, it’s likely that you have “normal” skin. The pores of normal skin are small and the overall skin tone is even. If you’ve never given a second thought to your skin before, your skin type is probably normal.
Oily Skin: As its name implies, oily skin is slightly to moderately greasy. If you have oily skin, your pores are medium to large in size and prone to blockage. You probably have problems with pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and acne cysts. Oily skin is usually thicker and firmer than normal skin and it’s less sensitive to environmental damage.
Dry Skin: Dry skin characteristically feels tight and itchy. Winter is especially rough on this skin type. Dry skin is usually thinner than normal skin and may even be slightly rough to the touch. If you have dry skin, you may have noticed that your skin is also easily irritated.
Sensitive Skin: Men with sensitive skin are usually the ones who actually know their skin type. Sensitive skin is prone to rashes and breakouts from any kind of irritants such as sun, perfumes, shaving cream, temperature extremes, and even soap. Be very careful about the skin care products you choose if you have sensitive skin. Avoid products with dyes, perfumes, or unnecessary chemical ingredients that may irritate your skin.
Combination Skin: This skin type is used to specifically describe facial skin that has both dry and oily patches. Most commonly, combination skin exhibits an oily “T-Zone” (forehead, nose and chin) with dry skin on the cheeks and around the eyes. It is not uncommon for these oily zones to be reversed. If you have this skin type, you will need to purchase skin care products made especially for combination skin.
A Skin Care Routine For Men
Now that you know what kind of skin you have, and you’ve purchased skin care products to accommodate your skin type, how do you know what to do with them. Many men have a fitness regime, a financial plan, and a daily schedule. But mention a skin care routine and they run for the hills. Skin care is not just for women. In fact, men who exercise regularly are prone to having more skin problems than women who do the same. That’s because you’re stretching your skin, not cleansing it properly, and not protecting it from elements such as sweat, sun, and wind. But don’t worry; taking care of your skin doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the bathroom. It just means establishing a simple routine to keep your skin looking and feeling its best.

Wash: Sure you take a shower in the morning before work, but do you take time to wash your face as well? (with products made for your skin type?) Gently wash your face twice a day. In the morning, facial cleansing will remove any perspiration and debris from sleeping and at the end of the day it will get rid of sweat and pollutants that have accumulated on your face throughout the day. Use a all-natural herbal soap.
Tone: If you have dry or sensitive skin, skip this step. Toners are usually alcohol based and may irritate these skin types. But normal, oily, and combination skin can benefit from the extra cleansing and pH restoration of a alcohol free toning product.
Moisturize: Hydrate your face with a quality, skin-type appropriate moisturizer such as “Parfait Visage”. And if you spend any time in the sun at all, choose a moisturizer that includes a sun block of at least SPF 15. This will protect your skin from the sun and save you the hassle of remembering to apply another product.