Archive for May, 2009

Does Traveling Make You Sick?

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Sometimes I call my wife and the first thing she asks me is: “Where in the world are you now?” This actually is not that strange. After all, I love traveling and often do it spontaneously.

My wife and daughter joined me in Perth, Australia over Easter. As I’ve mentioned before, Perth was amazing and we took in the beautiful beaches and great weather.

We then flew through Singapore on the lovely Singapore airline. The Singapore people are extremely beautiful. It’s like they actually float when walking down the aisle in the plane.

Following that trip, I spent a week in England. It was an amazing change coming from the warm fall of Perth into the brisk spring of England.

England has this intense green color wherever you go and has (I think) the richest dairy products you will ever find-especially the clotted cream in the Somerset area.

Now, why do I spend so much time describing these travels? Because these are things I would have missed out on or at least my enjoyment would have been drastically reduced if motion or travel sickness were part of the package.

This used to be a problem for me as it is for many people. I suffered from horrible headaches, extreme tiredness and nausea after flying.

People often have to either forgo travel plans or suffer through trying to get to their destination – and often the suffering doesn’t end upon arriving.

Motion sickness or kinetosis occurs as a result of the movement we see being out of sync with our sense of movement. The sense of balance or equilibrium is affected.

Our brain is accustomed to sensing movement when our bodies control it as in walking. The brain however does not necessarily coordinate our balance signals when we are being moved. This occurs when we are riding in a car or traveling by other means.

It is thought that this can also occur while watching a vivid movie or while playing certain video games. Visually we perceive movement, but our inner balance system says otherwise sending conflicting messages to the brain.

The result can then be the excruciating headaches I mentioned earlier, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and vertigo. Now that’s enough discomfort to spoil what could have been a perfectly pleasant trip across town or across the world.

Sometimes the symptoms of motion sickness will dissipate once the motion stops, but not always. It may continue for several days afterward in some cases.

A few things that can help with minor motion sickness are:

Sitting in the front seat while traveling by car to better coordinate visual motion and perceived motion.

Opting for a window seat when traveling by plan and watching the motion you are experiencing. Stay away from rear facing seats.

Abstain from reading or working on the computer while in motion.

Avoid rich, aromatic foods prior to travel.

Or, for a more permanent treatment that actually targets the root of the problem, I recommend my Dizziness and Vertigo Program. It is completely natural and has helped cure thousands of people of dizziness, vertigo and is also very effective for motion sickness. It can make all the difference in your travel plans.

EL331001

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Fibromyalgia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Is there a Link?

Monday, May 25th, 2009

So much of my programs’ successes are directly linked to feedback from my clients. Sometimes it’s the inadvertent question or comment but mostly it’s because based on very similar feedback from so many of you, I am able to connect this feedback and form new ideas.

One common theme of distress from many of my clients is that many of them, who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, also suffer from fibromyalgia.

In fact, recent studies have shown that up to 70 % of those who have fibromyalgia also suffer from IBS.

How can two diseases whose symptoms seem so different from each other be related?

Fibromyalgia is a disease which affects both the muscles and connective tissues. It’s main symptoms are chronic pain in these areas in addition to extreme pain when touched even gently.

Other symptoms include: extreme fatigue, sleep disturbances including bruxism (tooth grinding), difficulty breathing and difficulty swallowing.

IBS is actually a term to describe several diseases that affect the gastro-intestinal tract. Also known as “Spastic Colon,” IBS’ symptoms include: diarrhea, constipation, severe abdominal pain, bloating, changes in bowel function and feces color.

While it appears the two illnesses haven nothing in common, they actually do. For starters, there’s no known organic cause (although stress is thought to be the number one contributing factor for both).

Additionally, both diseases have had a long history of not being accepted as actual medical conditions by doctors. Sufferers of both illnesses have had to suffer the indignity of having a health care professional tell them, “It’s all in your head.”

Actually, studies suggest that this may not be that far off. Recent evidence supported by many in the health care profession believe that while an exact cause can’t be traced for either condition, experts believe that the conditions are both psychological in origin.

That’s not to say that these are imaginary symptoms of pain. In fact, this same research indicates that those who suffer from fibromyalgia and IBS also have a heightened sense of pain, meaning, those of us who normally don’t register stimuli as pain, will register it if we suffer from IBS or fibromyalgia.

To make matters worse, those who suffer from both conditions tend to have an over 30% increase in pain symptoms.

While over the counter drugs are available for IBS, the effects are temporary at best and have very serious side effects.

I highly recommend my fibromyalgia program if you suffer from this disease. It’s all natural and easy to get started. Results can be seen immediately. I also welcome your feedback as to how my program has helped with your IBS symptoms, if you suffer from both.

EL331002

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Oxygen – The Free Health Food

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Perth, Australia has the most intense white sunlight compared to anywhere I’ve ever been. It lightens up your heart and soul. I spent good quality time with my family there recently. Lying on the beach and body surfing in the ocean was amazing.

It was while lying on the beach and breathing in the beautiful fresh air, that my thoughts led back to the importance of oxygen for our minds and bodies. It is absolutely vital for good health. And the lack of it can create many health issues.

I am sharing a rather simplistic description of this process and why it is so important.

We are all aware that we need food for survival. However, food without oxygen will not do us much good.

Our bodies require energy sources to survive. We do obtain part of that energy from the food we eat. Oxygen, though, is the component that makes it possible for our bodies to turn the raw materials (food) into the energy source.

The oxygen is transported throughout our bodies through hemoglobin to various cells. These cells then turn oxygen into water. Usable energy is then created for our bodies.

The process is kicked off by breathing. We are obtaining oxygen about 20 times a minute through our noses by inhaling. In short, oxygen has to take a rather long and winding journey in order to reach the lungs.

Oxygen passes through the nasal passages, throat, windpipe, chest and eventually the lungs. The process is actually more complicated than this as there are various tubes and so forth that splinter off to deliver oxygen to appropriate destination.

Carbon dioxide is then exhaled more or less in reverse.

When this process is disrupted, problems (often times serious) occur.

Headaches including migraines can occur. The brain is starved for oxygen and eventually the veins and cells around the brain swell up and horrible headache pain results.

You may also experience dizziness or vertigo due in part to the lack of necessary oxygen.

I’ve also dedicated specific articles to the importance of oxygen to weight gain or rather weight loss. In order for anything to burn (including fat), three things are necessary; material to burn, heat to burn it with, and you guessed it - oxygen.

Shallow breathing means we’re not getting enough oxygen supply to adequately equip our bodies to burn the excess fat and we gain weight.

Deep breathing on the other hand allows us to intake necessary oxygen as well as relax our bodies. Relaxing results in stress reduction, which can also help result in normalized blood pressure.

Arming ourselves with improved oxygen flow is something we have to practice. Breathing itself is something that just occurs. But breathing “just enough” to maintain consciousness is not sufficient to ward off health problems.

But think about improving your health as a trip (often times a short one.) Summer is never more than 24 hours traveling time away. The same is true about health and happiness. It’s often much closer than we think. It’s just hard to imagine when all we see is rain.

All of my programs address the importance of oxygen to our bodies and maximizing this process through all natural exercises. In addition, I am elated to share with you that I am currently working on an Alzheimer’s program related to oxygen deprivation to the brain. You can find more information on all of my programs through the links on the right hand side of my blog.

EL331001

Posted in High Blood Pressure, Migraine / Headaches, Sleep Disorders, Snoring / Sleep Apnea, Vertigo / Dizziness, Weight Loss | No Comments »

TMJ and Hearing Loss – Say What?

Monday, May 18th, 2009

A couple my wife and I enjoy spending time with were recently discussing her bad (unconscious) habit of grinding her teeth (also called bruxing) in her sleep. He said he sometimes couldn’t sleep for the sound of it.

She purchased a “bite guard” for several hundred dollars from her dentist which helped reduce wear and tear on her teeth and relieve her headache she usually woke with but it did not stop her from bruxing.

Because she had been a “grinder” for several years, she also developed TMJ.

For those who suffer from Temporomandibular Joint Disorder or TMJ, life is no picnic. This is a disorder which affects the temporomandibular joint.

This joint is what connects the mandible (jawbone) to the skull.

TMJ actually involves several components around the joint – teeth, muscles, tendons, nerves, bones, connective tissue, and ligaments. Symptoms can involve pain and/or dysfunction in any of these areas and likely more than one.

Causes of TMJ are as varied as who one should see to treat it since it affects so many areas of the head neck and face. Common causes include:

Excessive gum chewing, the aforementioned bruxing, trauma or injury to the joint, misalignment of the teeth (“off bite”), nail biting, and degenerative diseases of the joint.

Other symptoms include a “popping” or “clicking” sound when moving the jaw, sensitive teeth (due to damage suffered due to an incorrect bite), facial pain, earache, tinnitus (ringing in the ear).

Another result of TMJ can be hearing loss due to how close the joint is to the ear. The pain causes the muscles inside the inner ear that hold the ear bones to contract.

This in turn forces the ear bones not to move. Hearing loss occurs because these bones have to move in order to hear sound well.

This, in fact, is what was happening to our friend. It was her husband that pointed out that she was forcing him to repeat everything he was saying to her.

Hearing can be restored if the pain from TMJ is relieved. Pain medications can help to temporarily relieve this pain, however, all medications (including over the counter medications) have unpleasant side effects.

If you are looking for a natural way to relieve your TMJ symptoms and curb the habit of bruxing, I recommend my TMJ No More program. My programs have helped thousands, as client feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive!

EL331002

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Is Image Really Everything?

Friday, May 15th, 2009

“Do these pants make me look fat?” Most men with a woman in their lives have heard this dangerous question before. For those who haven’t, the answer is always, “NO.” Even your response has to be given carefully – answer too quickly and you aren’t paying attention. If the answer is given too late – and she thinks you DO think those pants make her look fat.

Body image (how we see our outward selves), is everything. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say the most horrible things to themselves while looking in the mirror. Criticisms we should never give to a total stranger, let alone someone we apparently love.

Almost everyone has experienced some sort of dissatisfaction with their appearance. This becomes evident during puberty when our bodies are changing right before our eyes. Body image is not innate, it’s learned.

Problems start to occur when our body image is distorted. This is where one sees oneself as fat when he or she is not or thin when actually overweight. This can lead to low self esteem and even depression.

Sometimes people obsess about their appearances. They constantly have to check their appearance in the mirror and oftentimes see flaws that aren’t even there. This is called Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD.

BDD is an anxiety disorder which manifests itself as an obsession with one’s appearance. It involves persistent thoughts that one’s hair is too thin, nose is too big, thighs are too fat, etc. Disorders which hatch from BDD include anorexia (starving oneself to lose weight), bulimia (vomiting after eating) and even obesity (how ironic).

This is seen more in women (especially teen girls) but men can suffer from it as well. They tend not to share their feelings about their bodies for fear of seeming effeminate to their peers.

How do you know if you have a distorted body image? Ask yourself a few questions: Do I avoid the gym for fear of being seen in exercise clothes?
Do I avoid family or high school reunions because of the way I look? Do I criticize myself every time I look in the mirror?

Body image isn’t static – it can and does change. There are things you can do to change yours if it is negative.

Start simply – when looking at yourself in the mirror, only tell yourself things that you would tell your best friend, “Yes those are pimples but they are barely noticeable.” “Yes, you could lose some weight but you are a beautiful wonderful person I enjoy spending time with.”

Lie to myself? If your body image is negative or distorted, it may seem like that especially at first, but keep at it. Talk to someone about your feelings – someone who’s opinion you trust and respect and who has a positive self image his or herself.

If weight loss is your issue, get a friend to join you at the gym. Having someone who’s expecting you to show up is key. Having someone to “hang” with at the gym will also help you to feel less insecure and will allow you to focus on your workout.

If you need help getting started, I highly recommend my all natural Weight Loss Breeze program. It’s simple to do and results are seen immediately!

EL331002

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Snoring, Apnea and Headaches – Are They Connected?

Monday, May 11th, 2009

When researching and creating my programs, I often find that my original intention is expanded. What I mean is that because so many health problems are inter related (based on shared causes) that I may have intended to specifically address snoring but find that either research or client experiences will suggest that links to other conditions or better yet cures exist.

A good example is the connection between snoring and/or apnea to headaches and migraines. A client explained in this case (as with others) that “Your program was supposed to help me with my snoring, but also helped with my headaches.” Hence, in cases like this, a new program will be born based on the previous one.

Are the two related? Can a migraine headache, or headaches, period be caused by snoring?

One recent study found that those who suffered from chronic headaches (occurring daily or almost daily) as opposed to episodic headaches (coming and going without a pattern) also tended to suffer from chronic snoring.

Additionally, those who suffer from sleep apnea (sufferer actually stops breathing several times during sleep) also suffer from early AM headaches, including migraines. One reason for this is that the arteries in the neck harden over time, restricting blood flow (and the oxygen it carries) to the brain. And the next thing you know, you’ve also got a whopper of a headache.

Now comes the classic “chicken vs. egg” scenario – experts don’t know if excessive snoring causes headaches or if chronic headaches cause snoring. Many believe it’s both.

If one takes into account other contributing factors to snoring – drinking alcohol to excess, obesity, smoking, all things which are known to raise blood pressure and lead to headache, it may not be snoring alone which causes the migraine or other types of headaches.

It is also known that chronic headaches disrupt sleep patterns, which can lead to snoring, as wells as taking pain medications which can also cause snoring.

If you are suffering from headaches, sleep apnea or snoring (probably all three if you’re like many), I highly recommend my Stop Snoring Program and/or my Migraine and Headache Relief Program. They are both all natural and easy to use. They often offer improvement to your condition immediately.

EL331002

Posted in Migraine / Headaches, Sleep Disorders, Snoring / Sleep Apnea | No Comments »

Tinnitus - Will the Noise EVER Stop?

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Vertigo and dizziness are conditions I’ve written about on numerous occasions, and will continue to do so. While for some, these are occasional discomforts, for some the problems are so severe that the overall quality of life is threatened.

Another related topic many clients have inquired about it tinnitus. This too while sometimes fleeting, can also create constant day to day issues that affect a person’s lifestyle.

The word tinnitus is Latin for “ringing.” Subjective tinnitus is not heard by others but the sufferer perceives it in their ears, or head. Objective tinnitus while rare can sometimes be heard during an examination normally as the result of problems with the bones in the inner ear or blood vessel problems.

While some people do in fact hear a nonexistent “ring”, there are number of other sounds people hear. It’s been described by my own clients as well as others as “locusts” that won’t stop “buzzing.” Some describe the noise as clicks, beeps or other high pitched tunes.

Like vertigo, tinnitus is actually a symptom rather than a disease. It may present itself as a result of ear infection, fluid drain, injury, extreme external noise exposure or due to causes that simply cannot be identified.

Some people are more likely than others to develop tinnitus. It (like many ailments) is more common among older adults. Those who spend a great deal of time exposed to loud noises or if you’ve suffered hearing loss.

Tinnitus is problematic due to stress, concentrations problems, disturbed sleep and even memory loss people suffer as a result of this distressing noise.

Tinnitus is also often accompanied with vertigo or Meniere’s disease. Some sufferers explain that tinnitus increases just prior to a vertigo attack (in which the person perceives movement or spinning.)

Since an actual cause cannot always be determined, treatment of the tinnitus is in order. Some people who suffer from mild forms of tinnitus obtain relief through removal of ear wax. Others find that decreasing certain medications help alleviate the problem.

Adding certain noises to one’s sleep environment can also help at least to help promote more restful sleep. These would be “white noises” such as a fan or sounds of the ocean to help drown out the stressful tinnitus noise.

Certain medications are also prescribed for those with severe tinnitus, but they too tend to bring on other side effects including blurry vision, dependence, nausea and constipation.

A treatment that has been extremely effective is my Dizziness and Vertigo Program. It is completely natural and has shown phenomenal results whether you suffer from one condition or tinnitus, dizziness and vertigo combined.

EL331001

Posted in Migraine / Headaches, Sleep Disorders, Vertigo / Dizziness | No Comments »

Is my Broken Heart Actually Hurting my Heart?

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Have you ever noticed that songs about relationship breakups, divorce etc., actually seem so much more insightful when you’re actually going through one yourself? Even if the artist gets nothing else in common about your doomed relationship and the one he or she is singing about, other than the fact that it’s “over,” you somehow feel connected.

The rest of us happy lot, however, while sympathizing, don’t really “feel” the pain. One would think we would since even though we may be in great relationships, nearly 40% of marriages in this country end in divorce. While studies aren’t provided about dating relationships, we can assume the rate is as high if not higher.

It’s as if divorces and breakups are almost common-place. We tend to forget that they (most of the time) cause sometimes irrevocable damage to people’s finances, friendships and most importantly, health.

These damages tend to work in conjunction with each other. Suddenly having to make two mortgage payments, two utility bills, etc. when a couple used to only pay one puts a financial stress on an already unhappy couple.

Also during this difficult time, we want to reach out to our best friends for support. Unfortunately for many, this best friend is the very one we are breaking up with. If not that, our close friends may feel they can’t be friends to both of the people in the broken relationship and must therefore choose one over the other.

These two stressors alone can adversely affect one’s health, not to mention the mental and emotional strain that a breakup, even one considered “amicable” can produce.

As far as the impact on health is concerned, there are facts and figures to support this.

One recent study reports that women who have been divorced or widowed are more likely to develop heart disease than their married counterparts. Another study states that divorced men have a higher rate of certain cancers than married men. Of those married people who do get cancer, they are more likely to survive than divorcees.

Early deaths (between ages 15 – 64) are higher among both men and women divorcees than married people. Various accidental injuries are more frequent among those suffering emotionally.

Does all of this mean that those who end up single (by choice or not) are doomed to just suffer? I think absolutely not. Much can be done in terms of improving and safe guarding your emotional and physical health. Fortunately it does not mean a series of doctor’s visits in all cases either.

Follow the same tips for good health (or rather initiate them if you have been neglectful of your well being) that you probably already know.

Get some physical exercise. Our bodies are designed to move and we need to keep up our stamina especially during stressful times. It also helps with any undesirable weight gain.

Practice good nutrition. Stressful times tend to affect our eating habits. Some almost stop eating; others turn to “comfort foods.”

Give yourself a break – a real break. Our minds and bodies deserve to relax and this can be done through healthy deep breathing. Increasing your oxygen supply will do wonders for your health.

Do not underestimate the value to voicing your turmoil. Sometimes just sharing these hard feelings out loud with a trusted friend or counselor diffuses the “head noise” significantly.

I also suggest any of my all natural programs to help with a number of health problems from high blood pressure to TMJ. Check out the right hand side of my blog page for more information on these effective programs.

EL331002

Posted in High Blood Pressure | No Comments »

Vertigo as a Side Effect of Medication – My Medicine’s Making Me Sick?

Friday, May 1st, 2009

“It felt like an earthquake, but one only I was suffering. Everyone around me was moving and shaking, yet was seemingly unaffected. I on the other hand ended up on the floor, nauseated and exhausted.”

This is what one client recently wrote about her vertigo symptoms. She had never experienced anything like it before six months ago, yet these “episodes” were becoming alarmingly familiar.

Her doctor told her she was suffering from vertigo. While the dictionary definition goes something like this, “A feeling in which the external world seems to revolve around the individual or in which the individual seems to revolve in space,” put simply, vertigo is dizziness.

Vertigo itself is not a disease but rather a symptom of another disorder. The most common type of vertigo is a disorder of the structures of the ear, also known as the peripheral vestibular system.

The most common type of peripheral disorder is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. Symptoms include: dizziness (naturally), nausea, vomiting, perspiration, hearing loss, impaired cognitive ability, and weakness in the muscles in the face. The symptoms come on without warning but generally last less than a minute.

Ménière’s syndrome is a less common but equally incapacitating form of peripheral disorder. While some symptoms are the same (hearing loss, vomiting, dizziness and nausea), symptoms tend to come on more gradually, starting with a “fullness” in the ear, followed ringing and oftentimes culminating in complete deafness in the ear.

Vertigo and hearing loss build and then wane over the course of many hours, but like BPPV, the sufferer usually requires several hours of rest in order to feel better.

My client was treated for both of the above disorders, involving several side effects, carrying their own set of nasty side effects, only to have her symptoms linger and even get worse.

During her third visit to the doctor while she was having her blood pressure checked, her nurse mentioned that certain medications, including the high blood pressure she started taking six months ago can cause vertigo.

“What?!?” This is all she could think, considering it was her doctor who prescribed the blood pressure medication to begin with. Why would he have not mentioned this as a very real side effect?

In fact, it’s more than just high blood pressure medications which can cause temporary and sometimes permanent vertigo. These include both prescription and over the counter cold and flu drugs, certain antibiotics, anticonvulsants and depressants.

While it’s easy to blame this doctor, one must understand that traditional treatments for high blood pressure (a very serious illness which should be treated with respect) generally involve medication.

For my client, her goal had been to find an alternative high blood pressure treatment program which didn’t involve medicine. She tried my High Blood Pressure program and it worked! For her friend (whom she met in an online vertigo sufferers chat group) she was able to recommend my all natural Vertigo and Dizziness program. Regardless of your reason for dizziness, I hope my program can help you.

EL331002

Posted in High Blood Pressure, Vertigo / Dizziness | No Comments »

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