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You're pregnant and one day you sit down and feel a slight wetness in your underwear? Then it happens again and you become alarmed. Stop worrying! It's common to have slight bladder weakness during pregnancy and even after it. There are other reasons for bladder leakage but it doesn't mean that it permanent, and if it is, it doesn't have to get in the way of your active lifestyle.

Everyday, millions of men and women deal with incontinence. Most commonly associated with women, males also experience incontinence issues. It is important to know that adult incontinence is not a disease, but rather a disorder that can be helped even though it may be embarrassing at first. Yes, it's inconvenient but don't let it get to your basic self esteem. There are many symptoms that trigger leaks. For instance, laughing, coughing and sneezing can produce accidental leaks, as well as frequent urination and overflow from an irritable bladder. And, incontinence also can be related to or a result of complications due to prostate surgery, nerve damage and yes, even pressure on the bladder during pregnancy. Whatever the cause, find protection both internally and externally from todays newest developments in washable and reusable incontinence garments. Technology is a wonderful thing.

These garments are not anything like diapers or plastic covered pants that make a lot of noise and feel like a wad is in your crotch. Well get ready to feel a natural pair of underwear, just like your regular ones. If surgery is not an option or you are not ready for it and you are tired of wearing a diaper, try the newest garments from manufacturers like Wearever. You will find that there are ways to help you feel more confident and secure without the discomfort. You can stay active, you can wear whatever you want without worry. The science of absorbency and the awareness of the industry has finally understood that active over 50 people want something better, pregnant woman don't want to wear "granny panties" and men want to wear something that looks like a regular jockey. These people all want to know that odor is not going to be a problem too. Now they have it all. Feel better, be active!

If you are at all familiar or have done any investigating of health and fitness of dieting or just general health, you have no doubt heard of Cardiovascular Exercise. This article will examine the basics of what cardio exercise is and how you can put it to use. Future articles will look at the types of cardio available and specific health benefits of this type of exercise.

Cardiovascular exercise (some people refer to it as "cardio") is an exercise involving the large muscles of the body such as the legs and is meant to improve and maintain the health of your heart and lungs. Cardio exercise has many benefits including the lowering of blood pressure and burning calories.

The word aerobic is closely associated with cardiovascular exercise in that "aerobic" refers to something that needs oxygen. During cardiovascular activity, oxygen is continuously delivered to your muscles.

To make beneficial use of cardiovascular or aerobic exercise, you need to perform your chosen activity with the proper level of intensity. You want to get your heart rate up, but not over do it. One way to measure the amount of intensity you are putting into your cardio exercise is by monitoring your heart rate. You can measure your heart rate either using a heart monitor or manually. Your heart rate is simply the number of times your heart beats per minute.

To understand the importance of the heart rate, you need to understand your "resting heart rate," your "maximum heart rate" and your "target heart rate." Your resting heart rate is simply the number of time your heart beats per minute while you are resting.

A person's maximum heart rate is just the maximum number of times your heart can beat in one minute. The target heart rate is actually a range of beats per minute that is considered to give your heart its best workout.

The target range is considered to be between 50% and 85% of your maximum heart rate.

Your maximum heart rate is best determined by a doctor, particularly if you have physical limitations or have been inactive for a while. However, you can use the following formula to calculate a rough estimate as follows:

For men simply subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate. For example, a 45 year old man would subtract 45 from 220 to arrive at a maximum heart rate of 175. Women should subtract your age from 226 to get their maximum normal heart rate. Then multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.50 to calculate the low end of your target heart rate. Multiply your maximum rate by 0.85 to get the high end of your target heart rate.

For example, the 45-year old man mentioned above would multiply 175 by 0.50 to get his lower end target heart rate of 87 and would multiply 175 by 0.85 to get his upper end target rate of 148.

Using the same formula a 35 year old woman would end up with a target range of 95 to 162 calculated as follows: 226 minus her age (35) = 191 multiplied by 0.50 for her lower end number of 95 and multiplied by 0.85 for her upper end number of 162 beats per minute.

The benefits of cardiovascular exercise are undisputed and can be easily incorporated into your life as will be discussed in future articles. However, as with any exercise regimen, you may want to consult a doctor if you have any doubts or concerns about your body's ability to undergo such a workout.

There are many ways to fight cellulite problems, and a cellulite body wrap is just one of them. Many generations of women all around the world have been fighting this cosmetic problem for decades. That unhealthy looking, "dimply" appearance of skin can be really embarrassing for women of all age groups. And it isn't that only overweight women suffer from this problem. The truth is that even some of the top models, who seem to have the most perfect bodies, complain of cellulite formation under their skin because of genetic defects in their skin structure or due to excessively thin skin.

What Are Cellulite Wraps?

A cellulite body wrap is one of the more recent developments for combating cellulite. The main purpose of such wraps is to detoxify your body by stimulating the metabolism and circulation, with the use of ingredients like seaweed and algae extracts in the wrap. With the help of such wraps, you can sometimes see immediate "inch loss" taking place, while at other times it may take 2-3 sessions to see any noticeable effects. However, it should be noted that this particular cellulite treatment method is not a long lasting solution for this problem. It provides only a temporary fix that can be used to feel a little extra beautiful for that "special" night out!

How Does It Work?

There are 2 stages involved in a cellulite body wrap.

1. You are, first of all, required to remove your clothes, depending upon the area where the body wrap is to be applied. Then the practitioner exfoliates your skin with a sea salt scrub of your preference. After that, a cream made with mud, algae and seaweed is applied. Some hydrating lotions are also mixed in this cream sometimes. Generally this kit uses special mud from the Dead Sea, which is very effective in toning and smoothing the human skin, by drawing out all impurities from the pores of the skin. For its therapeutic effects, it is even used by many high-end spas and salons all over the world.

2. Once the application of the nourishing mud is complete, your body is wrapped in warm clothes or seaweed. The warmth generated thus helps to open your pores from which that "special mud" is able to draw out all toxins and impurities, acting like a sponge! The empty areas created under your skin by the removal of these toxins are immediately "firmed" with a "tight" wrap.

This cellulite body wrap is generally left on for about 20-45 minutes, and feels really refreshing and relaxing. Once the outer wrap is removed, the mud pack is thoroughly rinsed off. After that, some moisturizing lotion is generally applied on your skin as this wrap tends to dehydrate your body. You are also advised to drink plenty of water after this treatment. The entire process generally takes an hour to an hour and a half.

Worth Remembering

As mentioned before, this method of cellulite treatment cannot be used as a substitute for other longer-lasting methods, like diet, exercise and regular massage. A body wrap provides only a temporary immediate fix. It can be used as a supplement to other regular cellulite control methods, but not as a replacement for them. Moreover, if you are one of those people who suffer from claustrophobia, then you will probably not feel comfortable at all in a cellulite body wrap, and hence it will be better for you to stick to other treatment options.

The health care industry has undergone a lot of changes over the past year, and one trend that is becoming disturbingly popular is that of the prescribing pharmacist. Normally, physicians write the prescription and pharmacists dispense the medication. However, recent legislation in Florida allows pharmacists to independently prescribe medications from an approved list.

The industry is embracing the concept of the prescribing pharmacist on the belief that it will lower health care costs and free up the physician's time for other issues.

There is also the convenience aspect. Many people already turn to mega retail chains for a one-stop place where they can get groceries, get their oil changed, get their hair cut, and pick up their prescription. The idea of adding one more item to that "to-do" list, like getting treatment for an earache or a cold, is a tantalizing option for our convenience-centered society.

When an earache's not just an earache

Many common ailments could also be symptoms of a larger, more insidious problem, and while pharmacists may be able to prescribe certain medications, they aren't able to diagnose, and certainly not with the knowledge, experience and training that a physician has. With "retail health care," will there be somebody to follow up on unresolved problems? Will they arrange diagnostic lab testing or imaging? Or will they simply just hand the patient a prescription and send them on down the aisle?

Is this true patient health care?

This scenario may offer patients convenience, but does it offer them true health care? There are too many unanswered questions, and pharmacists don't possess the same medical training primary physicians do. The best way for patients to get true health care and convenience would be physician medication dispensing.

Instead of having to get a prescription from the doctor and drive to the pharmacy to have it filled, the patient can have their prescription filled at the point of care. The patient is already there, so why have them drive somewhere else? Not only is it convenient, but in many cases, physician dispensing is less costly for patients. Plus, patients will have the peace of mind of knowing that even if there are unresolved health problems, they can return to their physician to have them addressed.

Physician dispensing is also beneficial for physicians as well. When physicians dispense medications at the point of care, they cut down on the time spent fielding pharmacy callbacks, which can cost clinics an average of $30,000 a year. In addition, they add an extra revenue source by selling the prescriptions.

Prescribing pharmacists or dispensing physicians

The once-separate roles of the pharmacist and the physician are becoming more and more blurred as states grant autonomy to pharmacists and more physicians discover the benefits of physician dispensing. Although prescribing pharmacists offer quite a bit of convenience, they don't have the training and knowledge of the physician for follow-up care. When it comes down to it, dispensing physicians are more likely the ones who will be able to offer better patient care, both in terms of convenience and cost.

Physicians must take the time now to learn about dispensing the medications they prescribe. Point-of-care dispensing is an option for almost any physician, and it provides a competitive response to the threats posed by retail-based health care. Do yourself a favor and make 2008 the year you provide point-of-care dispensing.

Have you ever been to a doctor and been given free samples of drugs? You might feel grateful: there's something you don't have to pay for. But those free samples are actually not just given to you out of the goodness of anyone's heart - although the doctor may feel he's doing you a favor - they're part of a vast marketing ploy by drug companies to get doctors to prescribe their products. In fact, drug companies spend $18 billion a year on free samples. All with the hope of getting you on the drugs and with no regard to whether you'll become dependent or addicted, or whether you'll need drug detox to get off them.

Drug salespeople represent themselves as experts; someone a family doctor can trust to tell the truth about the drugs they sell. As we witnessed with OxyContin - whose manufacturer was fined $634.5 million for misleading doctors and the public - "trustworthy" is not an adjective we can use to describe drug companies or drug salespeople.

In fact, drug research is often financed by the drug company. Sometimes several trials are done on a drug - some with positive results, some with negative results, and some that show the drug works no better than a placebo. Drug companies just out to make a buck - actually, billions of bucks - don't ensure all those negative and neutral results get to doctors or the public: they push the positive tests that will support their claims about the drug's benefits.

It's difficult for doctors to know the truth. They'd have to spend huge amounts of time doing their own research and finding research that was not funded by the drug company - something that may be difficult because the information on funding is not always obvious. So, unfortunately, they tend to rely on what they can get their hands on. Which is often given to them by a drug rep. Is that drug rep going to tell the doctor that their patients might end up in drug detox, drug rehab or in the morgue? He's not likely to get a sale out of that, which is his job, so you do the math.

How does this affect you? You or someone you know could be one of millions of people who've been harmed by prescription drugs. You may know someone who's had to go to drug detox or rehab to get off them. You may even know someone who's died from OxyContin or some other dangerous prescription drug.

Do you want to ensure your safety? I'm afraid it's going to take a little work - you're going to have to do the research yourself, or have a trusted friend help you. There's plenty of information about drugs available on the Internet. Even drug company websites list the side effects - you won't see them plastered all over the front page in bold letters, but they do have to disclose them. They won't go as far as saying you may need drug detox or rehab to get off them, but the side effects are generally horrendous enough in themselves to make it clear you're not doing yourself a favor by taking them.

Educate yourself - your life may be at stake, and certainly your health is.

Your best bet is to find a doctor who prefers to treat without drugs and takes the time to find independent research - not financed by drug companies. And if you or someone you know is already being harmed by unnecessary prescription drugs, help them find a medical drug detox program so they can get off the drugs and find other solutions to their health problems.

Countless things have been written on the subject of alcohol and drug treatment. But I desire to address the issue from another perspective. Countless people are quick to blame the addict. But these people are looking at the issue from a narrow perspective. Countless writers out there are inscribing about treatment and leaving out the source of the drawback.

Countless of the people that are addicted to alcohol and drug don't do so without a reason. Countless of these people have a drawback. And they erroneously think that it will provide them succor. They resort to this after failing to get solution to their drawback. Some of the predicaments include loss of job, loss of a loved one, failed marriage or relationship, etc. So, when they could not locate a solution, they take solace in alcohol and drugs. While taking these, they are given the impression that there is no drawback. Alcohol and drugs give them a distorted view of life. They think the world is not fair to them, that there is no helper anywhere and that drugs and alcohol offer the succor they're looking for.

So, what does the society do for these people? We recommend they should go to a good alcohol and drug treatment center. This is a good advice no doubt. But the drawback is that we are not addressing the source of their drawback. For instance, if a loved one resort to this because of a failed relationship, you don't only send such a person to a center. Have a discussion with the fellow. Let him realize that the world has not come to an end because of the failed relationship. Countless people have been given hope at this phase. Hence, they don't go for alcohol and drugs again.

What I am advocating in this article is that you should address the source of alcohol and drug addiction before proffering solution. If you are an addict going through this, I recommend you to sit down and look at life from a positive perspective. You can make a change if you will. It is when you can't that you need to explore for effective treatment that can support you out.

Yoga is less workout and more mind-body exploration. Yoga is not exactly about sweating as you push your body into exercise mode. However, the term "workout" will be used loosely for simplicity's sake.

Here is a good way to start your yoga plan. Begin with the "easy pose". Easy pose is a comfortable seated position for meditation. This pose opens the hips, lengthens the spine, and promotes grounding and inner calm. You will be sitting crossed legged like you did in school and as your teacher probably used to say "Criss cross apple sauce".

With the buttocks on the floor, cross your legs and place your feet directly below your knees. Rest your hands on your knees with the palms facing up. Press your hip bones down into the floor and reach the crown of the head up to lengthen the spine. Drop your shoulders down and back and press your chest towards the front of the room. Relax your face, jaw, and belly. Let your tongue rest on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth. Breathe deeply through the nose down into the belly and hold as long as is comfortable.

Downward-Facing Dog. After the easy pose, move into downward-facing dog. This is one of the most widely recognized yoga poses. Downward-Facing Dog is an all-over, rejuvenating stretch. This yoga pose is known to calm the brain and help relieve stress and mild depression, energize the body, stretch the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands, strengthen the arms and legs, relieve the symptoms of menopause and much more.

Use caution doing this pose if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, are in the late stages of pregnancy, or suffer from high blood pressure. Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms, index fingers parallel or slightly turned out, and turn your toes under. Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the pubis. Against this resistance, lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins.

Then with an exhalation, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor. Straighten your knees but be sure not to lock them. Firm the outer thighs and roll the upper thighs inward slightly. Narrow the front of the pelvis. Firm the outer arms and press the bases of the index fingers actively into the floor. From these two points, lift along your inner arms from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades against your back then widen them and draw them toward the tailbone. Keep the head between the upper arms; don't let it hang. Stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Then bend your knees to the floor with an exhalation and rest.

Sun Salutations. On days when you think you have no time for yoga, try and do at least one or two rounds of the Sun Salutation. You'll feel the difference. After downward-facing dog, move into 3 rounds of sun salutations. Stand facing the direction of the sun with both feet touching. Bring the hands together, palm-to-palm, at the heart. Inhale and raise the arms upward. Slowly bend backward, stretching arms above the head. Exhale slowly bending forward, touching the earth with respect until the hands are in line with the feet, head touching knees. Inhale and move the right leg back away from the body in a wide backward step. Keep the hands and feet firmly on the ground, with the left foot between the hands. Raise the head.

While exhaling, bring the left foot together with the right. Keep arms straight, raise the hips and align the head with the arms, forming an upward arch. Exhale and lower the body to the floor until the feet, knees, hands, chest, and forehead are touching the ground. Inhale and slowly raise the head and bend backward as much as possible, bending the spine to the maximum. While exhaling, bring the left foot together with the right. Keep arms straight, raise the hips and align the head with the arms, forming an upward arch. Inhale and move the right leg back away from the body in a wide backward step. Keep the hands and feet firmly on the ground, with the left foot between the hands. Raise the head.

Exhale slowly bending forward, touching the earth with respect until the hands are in line with the feet, head touching knees. Inhale and raise the arms upward. Slowly bend backward, stretching arms above the head. Stand facing the direction of the sun with both feet touching. Bring the hands together, palm-to-palm, at the heart.

One type of yoga that is very popular today is Ashtanga yoga and you can easily take a closer look so you understand what this sort of yoga is all about.

Sri Krishnamacharya at Mysore Palace was the initial creator of Ashtanga yoga. He was also the person responsible for influencing the different modern forms of yoga that we have today. The Ashtanga Yoga taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India, is that yoga which is truest to the teachings of the creator. The yoga is an aerobic type of yoga and it is physically demanding too. The main focus of the Ashtanga is the vinyasa which is the series of movements which are combined with certain specific breathing patterns. One breath is required for each type of movement. What this breathing and movement tries to do is that it tries to make the blood hot. Hot blood is thin and it aids in purifying the body which in turn creates better blood flow. It also ends up producing sweat and this sweat gets rid of the harmful toxins and leaves the body free from disease.

Ashtanga yoga aims to purify the body through the eight limbs or steps of yoga. It starts out with the Yama which is the control and Niyana which are the rules of conduct. These are ways which we deal and with which we can interact with the entire world and ourselves at the same time. These steps can't be practiced but they are ethical issues. This way you can create an environment that promotes positive growth.

The third and fourth steps are the steps that have to do with the asanas which are the poses and postures. Pranayama the fourth step deals with breath control. The Ashtanga yoga focuses on the belief that breathing is essential to life. Breathing should always be even, smooth and have a natural rhythm. Most people who aren't able to breathe properly only use about half of their complete lung capacity. Correct breathing will also help bring your mind to the heart's center and provide inner peace too. What asanas help you do is that they help you gain a better sitting position that aids your meditation. Asanas also help you reduce your lower blood pressure and cholesterol and have a healthy heart and remain fit. In terms of mental fitness they lower stress and tension in our lives.

The other four steps can't be practiced. These steps are about creating optimal conditions that provide you with true meditation. The fifth step is known as the pratyahara or a withdrawal of your senses. What this step helps us do is maintain attention and prevent us from being distracted from our essential senses. The next three steps are focused on the meditative aspects of yoga. Dhara is focused on helping you concentrate in a single direction. Dhayna is an uninterrupted meditation and Samadhi is about being completely with self and experiencing full absorption.

Three main sequence groups are involved in the practice of Ashtanga yoga. The first of these is the Primary Series, what this is about is the perfect alignment of the body and getting it rid of the toxins. After this you have the intermediate series which is about opening and clearing channels and ultimately purifying the nervous system. The final step is the Advanced Series and what this step entails is higher levels of flexibility as well as strength and grace. Advancement in each stage can only be gained after you have successfully mastered the previous step.