Hemorrhoids are not any fun for anyone that has them. They are not something that you can easily get rid of, and can flare up with no notice at all. However, you can try home hemorrhoids treatments that may help ease the discomfort that they are causing you. There are several over the counter home treatments that can work wonders for you and help you get out of that miserable pain that hemorrhoids cause.

Over the Counter Treatments
If you give your local drug store a visit, you will find that there are several hemorrhoids treatment products that are available over the counter that you can try. There are creams, wipes, and even suppositories that will work wonders on your hemorrhoids and give you the relief that you need. However, many of them require that you use more than once, and continue to use them until the pain is gone. You should still check with your doctor before treat your hemorrhoid to make sure that is what your problem is, and there is no bleeding.

Home treatments
If you are not able to get to the drug store to find some relief from your hemorrhoids and are looking for something that you may have around the house that could ease the pain, you are in luck. There are a few different things that you can try that you may all ready have on hand. You can try an ice pack as your hemorrhoids treatment. The ice pack is especially handy if you are experiencing swelling. The ice should numb them and help the swelling go down. You can also try Witch hazel on your hemorrhoids as a form of relief from the pain. One more thing that may ease your discomfort a little is aloe Vera. Most every household has these few things on hand, and you can benefit from the relief that they will provide you.

hemorrhoids treatment at home and with over the counter medications are all good if you know that you have hemorrhoids and that the medications you are using are ok for you to use. However, if your hemorrhoids persist to give you problems, get to your doctor and have them looked at. You may have had one rupture or you may have a bleeding hemorrhoid as well. These are both things that need medical attention and you should stop your over the counter medication use at once if you think you have either.

By:Dane Bergen 

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is a technique in which mild electric currents are applied to areas of the skin by a small power pack connected to two electrodes. It is also known as TENS and sometimes denoted as TNS. A passive, non-invasive, non-addictive modality with few side effects, TENS works to improve mobility, decrease pain perception and may be used to control acute and chronic pain.

The method involves passage of a low-voltage electric current to electrodes pasted on the skin. The current may be delivered intermittently. The mild electric current generates heat that serves to relieve stiffness, improve mobility and relieve pain. The treatment stimulates the body’s production of endorphins or natural painkillers. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation can be of three types namely Conventional TENS, acupuncture-like TENS and auricular TENS.

Frequency, intensity and site of application depend on the specific condition and treatment goals. TENS can be used to treat a number of disorders like acute and chronic pain associated with cancer, joint disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, back pain, dysmenorrhea, nerve disorders, labor pain, nausea, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, postoperative recovery, gastroparesis, cognitive impairment and much more.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is used in a variety of different clinical settings and has become popular with both patients and health professionals. It may be prescribed in combination with other treatments, primarily to provide relief from acute forms of nerve pain. TENS should not be used in people with implanted medical devices such as cardiac defibrillators, pacemakers, intravenous infusion pumps or hepatic artery infusion pumps. Portable TENS equipments are available for use which can be worn around the waist.

TENS, might in some cases, have side effects such as skin irritation and redness, hives, welts, allergic skin reactions, and burns. A number of isolated side effects such as nausea, muscle ache, headache, increased hair growth, dizziness, and loss of sensation have also been reported. So this technique should be used only under the strict supervision of an experienced licensed healthcare practitioner.

By:Igor Stiler

Genetically targeted health supplements are the new kids on the block, and it all started with skin care products. Genetics have been very much in the news over the past three or four years due to the Human Genome Project ending in 2003, a couple of years sooner than anticipated - does that mean we are not as complex as we thought?

I doubt it: women are complex enough to men without us worrying about their genetics, and it doesn’t take a genome to prove that. However, what genome mapping did was to simplify the work needed to develop health products designed specifically to the genetic needs of individuals, as opposed to those whereby everybody uses the same products. Since people are individuals, it figures that their biochemistry differs, and hence the health care products they use should also differ.

Sure, the fundamental biochemical processes of the chemical plant we call the liver, and those of the other organs, are the same for every human being, but there are differences in detail which is why some people process fats better than others, and yet others have a faster metabolic rate than average, seeming to maintain the same weight no matter what they eat.

These differences have been believed for a long time to be related to the genetic make-up of individuals, and the same is true of the way in which supplements and health care products are used by the body. Once the Human Genome Project was completed, many molecular biologists and genetic engineers started to look at the results and work out how that information could be used practically.

A group of scientists got together over an extended period, to determine how the information could be used to genetically engineer health care products so that they would be specific to the genetic architecture of individual people, and so provide a bespoke nutritional service. The term ‘health care products’ here is intended to encompass skin care products, vitamin and mineral supplements, natural herbal supplements and also pharmaceuticals.

These scientists were eminent in their own fields of molecular biology, chemistry, nutrition, biochemistry, medicine and genetics, with many published works, patents and awards in their own specific fields of science, and their initial task was to determine how genetically tailored skin care products could be used to hold back the effects of aging.

That group eventually set up the company known as GeneLink, with a view to developing such a skin care product. Their success is measured by the fact they received the first patent ever granted for a skin care program based on genetic principles.

Note that the product is a program, rather than an individual treatment. What such a program involves is a DNA sample being provided by the patient by means of an inner cheek swab, and the DNA analysis of that being used as the basis of a treatment based upon the genetic make-up of the patient.

After that success, the project continued to examine health problems such as high cholesterol levels leading to atherosclerosis due to the free radical oxidation of low density lipids, oxidative stress in general, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular problems in general caused by a lack of energy-creating substances such as CoQ10 and some other enzymes and phytochemicals. Work is continuing in the investigation of the genetic responsibility for these conditions, but general health supplements have now been developed that use the principles that permitted the successful development of the skin care products.

Although studies continue, health supplements have now been developed that can be formulated from a combination of over a hundred thousand individual products, determined to be most suitable for each individual by their genetic architecture. Such supplements are significantly more effective in maintaining health, and perhaps prolonging life, than the current situation whereby everybody chooses from exactly the same range as everybody else.

These new biochemical techniques would make health store shelves redundant were they universally applied, and rather than standing in front of dozens of shelves containing a bewildering array, not only of traditional vitamins and minerals, but also of phytochemicals such as those from cat’s claw, horny goatweed, pumpkin seeds, ginkgo biloba, ad nauseum, you would simply take a cotton bud or Q-tip, swab the inside of your cheek, and be provided with one supplement to take a week or so later that would work for you, but not your neighbor!

It makes more sense than the same for everybody. Just as people rarely choose the same foods from a restaurant menu, they rarely require the same remedies for their ills. Use genetics and modern science rather than old fashioned principles, and take those health products that are suited to you through the arrangement of your DNA and genetic architecture.

There are very few companies that provide health products tailored for those that use them, let alone genetic health supplements formulated according to your exact genetic needs.

By:Doug Lee

Today, we are fortunate to live in an amazing culture of abundance and wealth. Think about the possibilities around us: a Starbucks on every corner, yoga of every imaginable type, a free-flowing stream of information on the internet, and an endless variety of food.

While some of the abundances we experience can enhance our health, our fixation on food has led the United States into a crisis of obesity. Today, over 65% of America is overweight and approximately 25% is obese.

Think about some of the extremes we’re experiencing.

Sugar was once an expensive and hard-to-obtain commodity. It was reserved for feast days and very special occasions. After the scarcity of the Depression and World War II years, it became a staple on Sundays. By the 1950s, dessert every night was common. Today, according to the FDA, the average American consumes 126 lbs. of sugar and approximately 36 lbs. of high fructose corn syrup, a cheaper form of sugar used in soft drinks and commercially baked goods.

Exotic and rich food is readily available everywhere.

Billboards scream “eat me” with large seductive pictures. Even the simple ice cream shoppe has complicated their menus with add-ons, stir-ins and layers and layers of sugar in various forms.

Workplace cultures often feature a candy dish on every desk and donuts or bagels at every 10 a.m. meeting. This corporate attitude towards food has a big impact on everyone. After a while, no one questions popping mini candy bars throughout the day, or running the day with great quantities of simple carbs, which only briefly provide energy but pack on the pounds.

Changes to the corporate culture may be perceived negatively by the majority of employees but many companies like Coors, Johnson & Johnson, and McDonnell Douglas have found success with their Corporate Wellness Programs, which often feature educational presentations, health assessments, and even available personal trainers and health coaches.

According to Business & Health magazine, corporate wellness programs have had the following results:

• Coors reports that their special cardiac rehabilitation program has saved the company $1,390,661 over a six-year period.
• Johnson & Johnson claims that its Live for Life wellness program saved the company $378 per employee in one year by lowering absenteeism and slowing the rise in the company’s health care expenses.
• General Electric’s research shows that regular exercisers were absent from work 45 percent fewer days than nonparticipants.
• Scoular Grain Company in Omaha opened a fitness center for its 600 employees, and the company saved more than $1 million in health care costs in 1989, or about $1,500 per employee.
• McDonnell Douglas’ employee assistance program has returned more than $4 for every dollar spent helping employees recover from alcohol-related problems.
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana found that over a five-year period, benefit utilization savings of $519 per wellness program participant resulted in a benefit-to-cost ratio of 2.51 to 1.

Clearly, workplace culture has a tremendous impact on the weight of employees. Not only are employees spending more time at work, they are spending less time being active, due to the increased use of computers, email, fax and other general automation.Given these changes, and the resulting stress many workers report due to economic downturn, companies are turning from birthday cake as a reward to “de-stress” lounges stocked with herbal teas, mini massages, and mile-long hiking trails sculpted around their workplace.

By:Pat Barone

Almost everyone knows smoking is bad to our health, as we have been taught from as early as in our school-going years. In spite of this, and all health advertisements that condemned smoking, most of us still can’t help ourselves from smoking our life away.

It is a well-known fact that smoking lead to cancer, and to a lesser extent, emphysema. Cancers that have been linked with smoking are cancer of the oesophagus, pancreas, mouth, kidney and bladder. Smokers are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than non-smokers. Emphysema, on the other hand, is a chronic disease that damage part of the lungs resulting in breathing shortness, asthma-like attacks, and hyperventilation.

Smoking can also cause heart diseases and strokes; when you smoke, it will increase the risks of blood clotting and higher blood pressure, reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches the heart and decreases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or as we called it, ‘good’ cholesterol.

Other than damaging our health, smoking can also alter our appearances. Bad breath, yellow teeth and nails, and early wrinkles around the mouth are the effects of smoking. Smoking can also change the textures of the skin, and caused coloring which result in an ashy complexion. Rotten teeth are more likely to happen to smokers than non smokers.

Worse than affecting their own health, smokers also affects the health of others around them. Passive smoking or second hand smoke is particularly harmful to infants and children, pregnant women and non-smoking adults. Second hand smoke can cause life threatening illnesses and conditions in infants and babies which include sudden infant death syndrome, pneumonia, failure to thrive after birth, and low birth weight in babies. Pregnant smokers are also particularly at risk for miscarriages, premature labor, and ectopic pregnancy.

As a final point, smoking does not bring anything but harm. Giving up the habit is the best way to ensure a healthy life not only for yourself, but others as well.

By:Brenda Williams