%26lt;title%26gt;Untitled Document Everyone experiences trouble sleeping once in a while. While this may be inconvenient, it’s often temporary. When occasional sleepless nights turn into a regular occurrence of many nights in a row with interrupted sleep, you might have a sleeping problem. When you doesn’t get enough sleep for an extended period of time your tiredness impacts every part of your life. Physically, you might notice a decrease in your productivity and daily activities. Emotionally, you may experience relationship problems or a change in your personality. Mentally, a chronicsleep problem can create stress and anxiety. There are three categories of sleep deprivation and insomnia. The first stage, called “initial”? insomnia, is when you first realize you’re having difficulty achieving a sleep state and occurs when it takes longer than a half an hour to fall asleep. “Middle”? insomnia is when you have difficulty staying asleep. Once awakened, you stay awake through the wee hours of the morning. The most sever level of insomnia is “late”? or “terminal”? insomnia. This is when you wake up early in the morning and stay awake after sleeping less than 6 hours. There are a variety of reasons that you may be having trouble sleeping. If your insomnia is due to a medical condition, your doctor will be able to provide you with suggestions and appropriate medical attention. If it determined that your sleep problem is due to a medical condition, the condition will be treated with the intention that this will in turn treat the insomnia. On the other hand, if your sleep difficulties are occurring because you are stuck in a cycle of sleepless nights, or your insomnia is due to your inability to reach a state of inner peace needed to achieve sleep, this book is for you. Here you ll find healthy options to try before taking potentially harmful and habit forming prescription sleep aids. In my book “SLEEP WELL available at a discount price at www.unwindsleep.com You’ll learn about: *· Preparing the perfect sleep environment *· Relaxation techniques *· The role of exercise and diet in your sleep health *· How to quiet your mind to promote good sleep *· Beneficial natural supplements When following the tips in this book, you will have all of the tools needed to stop tossing and turning at night and start enjoying a full night’s sleep, naturally. You will wake up feeling rejuvenated and attentive, instead of exhausted and restless. Prepare yourself drift off to dreamland naturally! Behavioral Changes for Healthy Sleep Habits 1· A regular bedtime 2 consistent wake time 3 record of any natural supplements you have tried Routine activities that are not stimulating such as brushing your teeth or reading. Moving through a regular bedtime process will signal to your brain that its time to go to sleep. The desired end result of having a sleep strategy is regular sleep that is restful and refreshing. Plan to get 7-8 hours of sleep nightly, and doesnot allow yourself to oversleep. If you wake up the same time every day you’ll establish a routine. Avoid naps during the day because your body will be confused, and it will interrupt your sleep pattern. You can’t bank extra hours of sleep, and trying to sleep later in the morning to make up for sleep lost overnight will leave you feeling tired. Every person has different sleep habits, so be patient while you work through the process of finding the sleep plan that works best for you.

Platelet gel is made up by two moieties: a suspension of concentrated platelets and a gel-like material allowing the manipulation and the clinical application. Platelets are cellular blood components participating in blood coagulation. Embedded into the clot, plaletets are releasing various kinds of molecules stimulating several biologic functions related to tissue repair and regeneration. Some of these molecules, generally named growth factors, stimulate the attraction into the lesion site of several kinds of cells: immune cells, tissue-regenerating stem or mature cells, cells regenerating the blood vessel-regenerating cells. The gel-like material is a fibrin clot identical to that formed after a lesion or a wound has occurred. The use of topical platelets medication started in the eighties following the principle that the same action exerted from platelets within a wound could be exerted carrying platelets in a lesion site without optimal blood inflow. The group leaded by Knigton have published several reports of successful treatments with the autologous platelet-derived wound healing factors (platelet releasate, PDWHF). After that, reports have been published on the use of PRP-gel in oral surgery. Since 1999 the platelet gel was used to enhance the repair and the regeneration of almost all tissue (skin, epithelia, muscle, tendon, bone, cartliage, etc) in a significant array of clinical conditions, both in humans and in veterinary medicine. Platelet gel has been successfully used in many medical fields: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (dental implants); Chronic and Acute Wounds (diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers); Orthopedics (fractures, non-union/bony defects, hip and knee replacement); General Surgery, Major Vascular Surgery, Cardio-thoracic Surgery, Urology (sternal repairs, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aneurysms, splenectomy, gastrectomy, pancreatic surgery, liver resection, hernia repair, fistula, mastectomy, hepatic lobectomy, prostatectomy, nephrectomy); Ophthalmology and Eye Surgery (corneal ulcers, keratocongiuntivitis, cornea sicca, macular hole repair); Ear, Nose and Throat (rhinoplasty, cleft lip repair, skin graft fixation); Sports Medicine (tendinosis, tendinopathy, tendon %26 muscle injury); Plastic, Cosmetic and Reconstructive surgery (laser resurfacing, face, neck, brow lifts, blephroplasty, mammoplasty, abdominoplasty, non-healing wounds, fat transfers); Neurosurgery (CSF leak, dural repair, cranioplasty), and Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (bone, tendon, ligament injuries; Skin and mammary gland lesions in horses, canines, and other domestic animals). Platelet gel preparation is almost always autologous; it is produced through use of the blood of the patient who will receive it. The patient’s blood is centrifuged for platelets being separated from red cells and plasma. Concentrated platelets in a small aliquot of plasma resulting from this process phase are clotted stimulating the physiologic coagulation process. A platelet-embedding gel-like material is formed within few minutes. This platelet gel is used as a medication. Obviously, application protocols vary according to tissue and lesion to be cared for. In some cases a single medication is performed (e.g., dental implant, bone fracture, surgery). In some other cases medication is to be performed once or twice a week (e.g., diabetic ulcer, chronic or traumatic wound). According to the treated condition, efficacy of platelet gel is 80-99%. Besides enhanced regeneration, platelet gel has said antibacterial effect to several bacterial strains. Platelet gel is autologous and safe. Its effectiveness is associated to reduced recovery time, shortened rehabilitation course, reduced lesion-related complications, reduced treatment-associated costs.

gDiapers are a revolutionary breakthrough in diaper technology. They are the world’s first flushable diaper that is good for babies as well as the Earth. This is great news seeing that disposable diapers account for up to 20 billion, yes billion, thrown away annually. Worse yet, the plastic found in most baby diapers takes up to five hundred years to decompose. gDiapers understands that the baby diaper is a pivotal part of a babies wardrobe, most often being the only item that they will wear. Although young infants cannot articulate their disapproval with the practice of disposing of diapers and the amount it contributes to the landfill, they enjoy a strong interest group fighting on their behalf: loving and environmentally concerned parents. gDiapers understands and has heard this calling by developing a diaper brand centered around this problem. The gDiaper consists of only two elements. A chlorine-free farmed tree fluff pulp and a super absorber. That’s it! The super absorber holds 100 times its weight in fluid, providing added comfort and dryness for your baby. The whole gDiapers Starter Kit consists of a washable outer pant and the inner pad. Like I stated earlier, the inner pad is flushable. All you will have to do when ready to dispose of the flushable is to tear along the perforation, stir it in the toilet with the included swish stick, and then flush away. It’s that easy. No smell, no garbage, and no guilt. gDiapers are a great alternative to other disposable diapers. They are an excellent solution to the large environmental burden placed on our landfills. Plus, for those already environmentally conscious, gDiaper products offer a lot more convenience versus the use of cloth diapers. You now have an option to be environmentally friendly with your diaper choice.

The need for diapers has been around since the beginning of time. Throughout history, parents have created various versions of diapers using a wide range of materials, depending on the natural resources available. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that the disposable diaper came into being as we know it today. Today there are several diaper brands available that have taken great strides since the diapers beginning. Technological advances in materials used have taken the disposable diaper to a whole new level. In this article, I’ll give an overview of the best brands of diapers available. Pampers is one of the best diaper brands that is the most widely known. It was introduced by Procter %26 Gamble back in 1961 and paved the way for a whole new category of baby products. Pampers has steadily maintained its leadership role in the diaper industry by providing several innovations including a lotion top sheet that protects a baby’s skin and a rash guard diaper which is designed to help treat and prevent diaper rash. Pampers product line includes Pampers Swaddlers, Custom_Fit Cruisers and Baby-Dry with Quick-Grips. Huggies is the second leading diaper brand and is a market innovator as well. Over the years, they have continuously evolved with new diaper products to meet the changing needs. This brand of diaper has made several innovative improvements to provide extra comfort, a more natural fit, reduced diaper rash and improved overall skin wellness. These innovations and benefits can be found in their wide product array including the Huggies Supreme diapers, OverNites, Supreme Gentle Care and Natural Fit. Luvs diapers are another superb quality brand of diapers offering great leakage protection that they back with a satisfaction guarantee. Their diapers feel soft and smell fresh, are very absorbent without a lot of bulk, and added elastic features to make it fit nicely to your baby. Seventh Generation is an alternative diaper brand that has recently gained popularity by the environmentally conscious. This diaper product is chlorine free. They are also non-toxic and not irritating to a baby’s skin. Not only are these chlorine free diapers less harmful to the environment, but they are also gentler to a baby’s sensitive skin. gDiapers are the last diaper brand I’d like to highlight. This baby product is very Earth friendly in that it is a flushable diaper. This is possible because they are made up of biodegradable ingredients that break down in years, not centuries. This alternative disposable diaper brand offers a lot of convenience, less smell, less garbage and no guilt. To find out which brand of diaper is best for your baby, I recommend you try samples of each. There is also a wealth of information and parent groups on the Internet that discuss all the brands above. Keep in mind, a diaper that is suitable for others might not fit your baby’s requirements.

This has been an amazing journey, and I thank all who have joined me in it! The feedback has been great, and I’m so glad to have you share this amazing adventure. This past month has proven to be a time of even more milestones in my infant son’s development. How is it that infants can grow so much in such little time? You continue to grow so quickly. The thing that amazes me most about your last month of development is your ability to notice everything around you, and then grab for any and everything! What once used to be an easy trip to a restaurant now proves to be much more of a challenge. Your ability to seek something out and then grab it in an instant is amazing! My beverage, plate of food etc. must be on the other side of the table, or you are diving forward to grab it. You are much more intrigued by things now, and are beginning to explore more. For instance, my earrings and grandma’s glasses are easily captured, and must be removed before holding on to you. If you do get a hold of them, they go instantly to your mouth. Rolling over has become much easier, and you’ve almost reached the goal of rolling from your back to your front. Several times now, I’ve seen you roll to the side to grab something. If it weren’t for your arm getting in the way, you would have found your way over to your stomach by now. It won’t be long! I thought that feeding you last month was difficult, but has it ever become more of a challenge now. Both your grandma and aunt made note of that as well when they were taking care of you and trying to give you a bottle. They both asked me, “How on earth do you feed this boy? He is so nosey!” I just simply agree, and say that I do the best I can. It’s quite a trick to hold the bottle and move it along with your constantly moving head. You are beginning to pick up on social routines now. When you are holding on to something, you like to put both hands up over your head. When you do that, we say “So big!” You then smile, and put your hands back down. Seconds later those little arms are stretching up high again. I haven’t yet seen you put your arms up because we say “So big,” but that should come soon as well. Another little game you like to play is “peek-a-boo.” We are at a very early stage of it, but you think you are hilarious. When you are under a blanket and I pull it off, you look around like “Here I am world” with a glowing face, making sure that everybody is watching. The mornings are much better now. When you wake up, you lay in bed and practice talking. This happens after your naps now, too. It’s so nice to be at the stage where you don’t need to eat the second you get up. You have eaten your first solids. That process is so amazing to me as well. The first spoonful that went into your mouth immediately came out, as you had no idea how to use your tongue for swallowing. You pulled the funniest face, and your sisters got a big kick out of that. Now you are able to get about half the food down while the rest goes all over your bib, which you like to pick up and smear all over your face. It’s quite a messy process. You have no idea how to drink from a sippy cup yet, but we occasionally put one in front of you just to keep trying. I continue to look at the gains my little boy is making each month, and am blown away by how quickly this stuff really develops. As an RDI® consultant, I have come to understand and cherish each one of these foundational gains in his development. Has your baby missed any of these critical steps in development? Does your child with autism lack any of these abilities? RDI® is a development-based program that evaluates these early foundations in development, and fills any missed ones through age appropriate approaches. The gains we have seen children make have been fascinating. If you see these as gaps in the development of your child(ren), I hope you come to join us as we revisit this journey through remedial development with our RDI® families. About the Author: Autism specialist Michelle VanderHeide, of the Horizons Developmental Remediation Center, provides practical information and advice for families living with autism and other developmental disabilities. If you are ready to reduce your stress level, enrich your child’s development, and improve your family’s quality of life, get your FREE reports now at ==> www.HorizonsDRC.com

Ask first time parents-to-be what baby shower gifts they would like to receive. Watch their response — you’ll quite likely see a look of real confusion on their faces! Or maybe they’ll come up with a stock answer like “diapers” or something similar. Exactly what a new arrival needs is not obvious to someone who’s never had a baby before. And many times, guests are in no better position either, when it comes to deciding on baby shower gifts. Of course, there’s a lot more to baby showers than just gifts. But helping parents to stock up for the new arrival is an important part of these celebrations. That’s why the following list of top five baby shower gifts can be quite useful. Top gift #1: Monitors Monitors are excellent anxiety-busters, especially for first-time parents. That’s why they hold the No.1 position on this list. Once they can listen to the baby from anywhere in the house, parents find their confidence levels zooming. The latest monitors are very sensitive and can pick up the slightest sound from baby, even her breathing. If your budget allows for it, take it one step further and buy a video monitor. That’ll really ease anxiety. However, they are much more expensive, so perhaps this can be a joint baby shower gift from two or more guests. Top Gift #2: Playtime mate for baby Babies love to play. Anything that helps them play and be active not only keeps them engaged, but also stimulates all round development. One of the best products for them is an activity gym or playpen. This is a soft cloth mat surrounded by a baby-friendly structure of bars and arches with many different toys suspended from various points or go on www.create-super-baby.com. Baby gets to play in a safe environment. Basic activity gyms are excellent baby shower gifts. There are also more advanced ones that include noisemakers and a variety of toys. The suspended objects have different colors and textures to help develop baby’s cognitive abilities. There are also excellent portable gyms and playpens available to help parents move around with baby. These are lightweight and designed to be easy to carry around. Top Gift #3: Baby sling most babies love being carried around in a sling. It’s the next best thing to being cuddled in mom’s arms. Many parents have had the experience where babies get restless and cry while they use other types of carriers, but immediately calm down when put into a sling. Baby slings are believed to foster a closer parent-child bond. Whether that’s true or not, slings do have another great advantage — they leave your hands free to do other things. That’s definitely a big plus and is a reason why this baby shower gift is highly appreciated. Top Gift #4: The baby travel pack moving around with baby can be a chore — you have to pack a seemingly endless array of baby stuff even for short outings. One way to ease this problem is to have one or more baby travel packs handy. What’s a travel pack? Essentially, a diaper bag filled with baby necessities. It can include disposable diapers, a small toy or two, bib, complete change of clothes for baby, safety pins, and other supplies. It’s a great advantage if the parents receive more than one travel pack. Then one pack can always be kept ready whenever they want to go. No need to mess around with picking up and stuffing items into a diaper bag at the last minute. Top gift #5: Car seat Lots of parents say that a well-designed car seat is a wonderfully useful baby shower gift to receive. In fact, it’s useful from the moment they leave hospital with the baby. There are infant car seats available as well as infant-toddler convertible seats. The former can be used only till the baby is up to 22 pounds or so (typically). While the latter can usually be used till the first birthday. Both are great baby shower gifts specially designed for the baby on the move! Make sure these top five baby shower gifts are part of the event you’re hosting. The guest of honor will end up thanking you long after the party gets over! www.baby-care-book.com www.babies-tips.com

%26lt;title%26gt;   Binge Eating: Enough is Enough! Why do people desperately seek in food what is not there? Examine your life and think of the times you felt out of balance. What comes to mind? Not skinny enough? Not enough money? Spouse not nice enough? Have you noticed that it’s never enough?  It really seems that, aware of it or not, most of us feel compelled to always want more. We believe that more is better. But is it really? This belief is so anchored in our mind that we automatically and unconsciously perceive our life situations through it. From eating to binging. For instance, why do we eat? We eat to fuel our body. Logic would dictate that we select nutritious foods and eat them in the right amounts to feed our body appropriately, right? Then why do people binge eat on junk food? Would they get enough nutrients after a balanced dinner? Yes, they would! So, why welcome a second serving? Why spend the evening hugging a pint of ice cream staring at the TV? I guess dinner is, to some extent, not enough. What is beyond the immediate pleasure and relief found in food people can’t seem to get enough of? Clearly, their motivation to binge has nothing to do with the primary eating purpose we mentioned earlier.  Why do people binge? So, why isn’t just eating the “right” quantity of a nutrient-dense food enough? Many of my clients (I am a life coach specialized in ED) usually answer “because I am an emotional eater!”  Going deeper: what does it mean to be an emotional eater? “I eat to cope with my overwhelming emotions.”  And what are these? “I feel inadequate because I don’t have a good job.” “I feel ashamed because I am too heavy.”  “I don’t have love in my life or any fulfilling relationships.” These are the types of negative thoughts that generate negative feelings.  Negative feelings, in turn, are the source of cooping behaviors;  in this case: binge eating.  So they binge to escape their negative thoughts and feelings. But do they have to think and feel this way? It might appear like it. Societal common beliefs tend to persuade us that feeling good about ourselves requires a great job, many  friends and to look like a model and if somehow you don’t fit theses standards you are entitled to feel miserable and like an outsider. Is that really true?  Let’s find out: who thinks your thoughts? Do we agree that you do? Then, they must be your responsibility. This implies that they are not imposed on you because they would make you their victim. In other words you have the choice. Your thoughts are your very own choice. That comes as a surprise to many. What I mean by that is that the thoughts you hear in your head over and over again are the thoughts you choose to live by, consciously or not.. I hate myself, I am ugly, people don’t like me, I’ll never find true love, I am stupid, I am fat, I am so unlucky, my situation is so sad… I am not good enough; I don’t have enough! Do you realize how entertaining such negative thoughts do not help you? If you are not on your own side who will be? When you believe you are a victim, you actually become a victim. Therefore you create that experience. But, why on earth would you behave this way? Because you believe your thoughts are true! They reflect your values, your experiences and maybe most significantly what you have been taught. Remember you as a child. How did your parents treat you? Did you just have to do and be your best all the time? “Honey, I am just asking you to do your best!” Or, “You had a B. Well, I know you can do better than that and get an A if you work a little harder”. Your BEST would be enough! But nothing less! Can you always perform at your very best? Doesn’t it imply that who you are “normally” is not enough? And I have just presented the best case scenario. Now , what if you were a chubby kid; did your parents or family let you know that you were ”fat”? What if you were not a good listener and didn’t obey your parents all the time.  Did they tell you were “annoying”, should be more like your sibling who was perfect, of course, or things even more radical, like you were such a difficult child…After hearing and thinking of these critics many times you end up more or less believing them and identifying with them: you start considering that you are not enough or don’t have what it takes.  These little spears hurt you and leave you with emotional scars that you might not even be aware of.  Not clearly identified and taken care of, these painful feelings are likely to have led you to reaching for a tool to cope  such as binging. So you have been taught to think that you are not enough. Challenge this statement! Are you enough? Well, I am sure you that you will agree that you are enough to be who you are! Let’s go further and affirm that you are perfect to be who you are with your height and weight and everything else coming along. You might want to look like Angelina Jolie, but you are not Angelina Jolie! Instead of striving for depressing, unrealistic goals, why not to start acknowledging that being who you are and how you are today is perfect? You can try to refuse it, try to forget about it, but, who are you in the end? You. And nobody can do that any better than you. This realization is critical to releasing your identification with negative, depressive and judgmental visions which prompt you to cope with food. Remember, what you are searching for can never be found in food.  This is why you can never have enough. So when you intend to feel better with food, you know that no matter how much you eat, as soon as you are done the pleasure is gone. It is a crazy circle which triggers you to eat more and more so you gain more and more weight and feel more and more miserable.  It is clear that this quest for more is highly unsatisfying and that you don’t find what you want since you keep on searching in food for what is not there. The Truth is that you are yearning for something that can last. Food is not It. Neither are any other ways to cope. Indeed, if you look outside of yourself for a way to feel better you give away your own power to feel better to whatever it is that becomes your coping tool. So how can you stop the madness of “I never have enough to eat”? I believe that your journey begins with acknowledging what has stood in your way for so long: this idea that you are not enough, that there is something you need to fix in you. It is only when you accept yourself exactly the way you are that you can start moving from that place towards a goal of a healthier and more balanced You. Remember that overeating and binging are the tools you have used to cope with your dissatisfaction of not being or having enough.  You are not happy with your life but you momentarily get over it by feeling better using food. You deny that part of your life. As you accept What Is in your life you move away from denial and from its coping mechanisms. Acceptance is The way. How does it translate in your Life? Let’s say someone tells you “you are a looser!” Well you don’t deny it and then eat to feel better… You accept it. Not because it is The truth - you are actually demonstrating the contrary - but because you show that you have finally realized the way: accept that their opinion is just that: their opinion.   This acceptance is your best choice. You understand that you don’t and will never control their mind or anybody else’s for that matter.   You realize that their thoughts are their private affair and that they are free to think whatever they want. So you accept it. As you accept, you don’t stress about it. It doesn’t generate any negative thoughts or feelings so almost miraculously you do not need to cope. No binging!  You accept what they say and if you think you can use some of their input to help you, go ahead! Critics are great mirrors to realize what area we can improve in. And it is much easier to do when you feel positive and good about yourself, isn’t it? So my advice, accept feedbacks about who you are today as well as your reality and then decide to change that reality for a better one! Accepting is the best tool to move your life forward. So you don’t need your old cooping tools.  Goodbye, binge eating! Allow the real you to surface  When you accept your life events as they occur, you naturally change your outlook on life itself. You start considering food for what it is: food and nothing more. So you spontaneously eat in a more balanced way. Your perception is no longer distorted by the qualms you refuse to deal with. You then start understanding that “not enough”,  whether we talk about food or other aspects of your life, was in fact the expression of a lack of something not identified. Sure it has been transmitted by your parents and cultural standards which became your beliefs, but there is a reality behind it. It is that feeling of incompleteness. As you develop your level of Acceptance in your life you’ll realized that this sensation subsides for more Trust and Peace in your life. You’ve just reached a new place in your life. Enough is enough! Think about it. You’ve done the merry-go-round, you went through the revolving doors. Living from that place of “never enough” and denial won’t get you anywhere you want to be. Accepting your reality is The Way. It is how you empower yourself to change. Do we have any other choice to free ourselves from the craziness of wanting always more? Enough is Enough! Isabelle Johansen is a life coach specialized in Eating Disorders. She is the founder of Binge-Eating-Solutions.com and Bellsai Mindful Weight Loss . She works with corporations, the YMCA, Adult Education and directly with private clients. She helps her clients eliminate their Eating Disorders by changing their mindset so they don’t have to force themselves to eat a certain diet, but instead feel naturally compelled to eat healthy and take care of their body.  

Often it happens late at night, just before you crawl into bed. You’re still feeling a little stuffed from – as usual – eating too much at dinner. You wince as you walk past the full-length mirror in your bedroom and see yourself in profile. You wince again as you look in the bathroom as you brush your teeth. That double chin you’re starting to form. Those cheeks that are starting to round themselves out. The conclusion is inescapable: “I’m getting fat. I have GOT to lose weight.” Of course, you’ve told yourself that a dozen times before, maybe a hundred times. But this time is going to be different, you insist, this time, in the name of all that is holy, you are going to make it work. Enough is enough! But the question remains: What is the best diet? What is the best way to lose weight? So over the course of the next few days or weeks you do the research. The diet and cook books pile up. You scour the Internet. You toss out all the cookies and ice cream in the house. Maybe you even buy a treadmill. You talk to friends, relatives and co-workers. “Oh, you should try X diet,” says one. “No, no, try XX diet,” says another. “Well, I lost 30 pounds in 30 days on the XXX diet,” says your chubby neighbor, failing to mention that he gained it all back and then some. Soon you discover what thousands and thousands of Americans also have discovered: That the answer to “What is the best diet?” can be very difficult to find. But, undaunted, you pick a diet plan and dive in. Before too long, however, the idea of eating another salad or drinking 8 glasses of water a day has made you suicidal. Meanwhile, the treadmill is collecting dust in the corner, half hidden by the potted ficus tree. You look in the mirror and see the same old fat face. What on earth happened? First off, don’t blame yourself. Failure to stick with a restrictive diet plan doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. Will power wasn’t the problem. After all, statistics show that nearly 98 percent of American women and more than 60 percent of American men are on a diet for at least part of every single year. And yet Americans as a whole are getting fatter every year; obesity has reached epic proportions, bringing with it a host of diseases and medical issues. But if diets don’t work, and obesity is unhealthy as well as unattractive, what is the answer? What is a person to do? ** Well, to begin with, and this may be the most important step, you have to analyze why you want to go on a diet in the first place. If you want to lose weight because you are going to get married next June, a diet will be a temporary fix at best. Same thing if all you want to do is be able to wear that favorite pair of pants again. And don’t go on a diet to bolster your self-esteem or to improve your chances with the opposite sex. A diet won’t get you a pay raise or a better job. It won’t pay your bills or automatically make you healthy or attractive. Going on a diet for any of the above reasons likely will result in you going back to your previous bad habits sooner rather than later, and you ultimately will suffer the humiliation of another diet failure. A diet is not just a stopgap measure. It must be an entire lifestyle change or it will certainly fail. ** Second, you have to understand why most diets fail. Many diets read like the assembly instructions of a complex toy – it takes a rocket scientist to figure them out. Other diets require exotic, expensive foods. Still others want you to eat certain foods, but only on certain days. And some diets are so expensive only the very rich (and famous?) can afford them. ** Third, you have to understand what a huge change most diet plans ask you to make. In essence, they are asking you to overhaul your entire life, and to do it quickly. It’s similar to asking a heroin addict to kick the habit overnight. Can’t be done. Lifelong habits are hard to break. If you have tried a number of diet plans without success, you know how difficult dieting can be. There is a psychological aspect to dieting that has very deep emotional roots. Severing your emotional ties to eating and food can be painful, and no one should underestimate what it takes to go through that process. So … rather than a diet plan that tries to jerk you out by your roots and plop you down in the next county, what is needed are small, simple changes carried out over time. In other words, make a small change, stick with it until it becomes a new habit, then make another small change and turn it into another new habit, and so on. Soon you will have developed a new, healthy lifestyle, and the weight will start to peel away. So, what is the best diet? It’s one that allows for some flexibility and personalization. It’s one that’s easy to follow and understand, with easily obtained and prepared food. It is attainable and maintainable. Choose one that meets those criteria and, maybe for the first time ever, you will have a lot better chance at dieting success.

Is my child ready to start potty training? National Pediatrics Association recommends the child be two years of age before you start potty training. I am a mother of five, former teacher and now a stay-at-home mom and inventor of the WeeMinder Potty Training System. I have completed years of research on the study of potty training as well as hands-on-experience. Over the years, I have had the privilege of helping thousands of parents facing the struggles of potty training and I am standing for every family facing this problem to benefit from the tips and tricks I have discovered to not only eliminate stress, power struggles and long-term physical and behavior problems, but truly bring more love, joy and peace back into the family. Introduce Potty Early I think children should be introduced to the Potty Place early and if at all possible have their diaper changed in the bathroom. Talk about the potty process and begin using voice cues early on. This means, pick words you will use to always describe peeing and pooping. For example, pee-pee and poo-poo. If your child goes to daycare, ask them what word clues they use and it will help your child’s potty training success if you use the same voice cues. Begin showing the potty trainer the potty training book and DVD to get them thinking about potty training. If you start to see signs that your child is ready, make sure everything is going for you. I recommend you purchase a cushioned potty seat that attaches and stays right on the toilet, a step stool for climbing onto the toilet and reaching the sink for washing, the wee-Minder video, book and WeeMinder musical timer. There are numerous articles on the signs of readiness, but some broad signs to look for if your child is ready: 1. Independence 2. wanting to please parent 3. watching and mimicking others 4. uncomfortable when diaper is full I believe that early introduction of potty training is important, but the child must be physically and behaviorally ready. It is so important not to push, control, or discipline. Please wait until your child is ready and you are prepared to consistently train them. DO NOT begin training during a change in their life: 1. starting daycare 2. moving 3. divorce 4. new baby Good luck and don’t feel ashamed to seek help before you start potty training. You can do it! Heidi Santiago started her own business, Divine Innovations, Inc.; “Why didn’t I think of that?”, after inventing her first children’s product the WeeMinder Potty Training Musical Watch, Book, and DVD. She is a teacher and mother of five and is committed to helping families bring more peace and workability to their lives. Santiago’s products are of the highest quality and she is passionate about helping moms bring their product ideas to market. Visit http://www.weeminder.com for more helpful tips and tricks %26/or to contact her. Supported by http://viralmarketing4u.com.

Pregnancy cravings affect 90% of mums-to-be. Some are normal and some are a bit more unusual!Women usually crave these odd tastes and smells because they’re lacking, or trying to build up, vitamins in their blood in order to keep the baby safe in the womb. We’ve taken a look at the reasons why you might scoff jars of gherkins when you’re pregnant!The top 8 pregnancy cravings and why you’re getting them…The craving: Red meat and steak fatThe problem: Blood cell growthA lot of women have cravings for red meat while they’re pregnant. Red meat has high levels of the vitamin B6, which is important in the red blood cell formation of the baby. Homeopaths suggest eating three to four 2×2cm sized cubes of steak or pork every morning to speed up the level of blood cells being made. A great excuse for a bacon buttie!The craving: PicklesThe problem: Low salt levelsA craving for pickles is very normal in pregnant women so don’t worry if you’re reaching for the gherkins at 3 o’clock in the morning! This craving is usually because of low salt levels in the blood of the pregnant woman. Salt holds water in the body and is really important in keeping the fluids running from mother to the baby. Green Spanish olives are a particularly good way to satisfy your need for salt.The craving: Dairy (ice cream and yogurt)The problem: Low levels of calciumOne of the most common pregnancy cravings is ice cream - in fact 50% of women say this is their main craving! When the baby is growing inside you it needs high levels of calcium to stay healthy and a lot of women can’t stomach milk and cheese during pregnancy. As a result, ice cream becomes a great way of getting calcium into the body.Some women find foods containing calcium so hard to eat during pregnancy that they end up taking Vitamin D or calcium tablets.The craving: Coal, mud, matches, Guinness and dust!The problem: Lack of ironMost of you will have heard of craving coal and possibly the smell of matches, but it might surprise you that some women actually eat dust during pregnancy. This is because dust is full of iron-rich minerals.During pregnancy, high iron levels in your blood often drop. Guinness, mud, matches and even chalk are all high in iron. A strong craving for them is the body’s way of trying to get more iron into its system - don’t be afraid to give in!The craving: Broccoli, peaches and pearsThe problem: Low folic acid levelsDuring pregnancy, the desire for vegetables, particularly broccoli, and sugary fruit is often because of low folic acid levels. Folic acid can reduce the risk of having a baby with a serious birth defect of the brain and spinal cord, so the pregnant body needs to keep very well loaded up - lots of pregnant mums take a folic acid tablet every day. Many women claim to have intense cravings for broccoli, which makes sense, as it is packed with folic acid goodness!The craving: Toothpaste and spongesThe problem: Baby bluesWe all know that emotions and food are closely linked and this doesn’t change when you’re pregnant! A mum-to-be may crave a special food or object that reminds them of their childhood, for emotional reasons.Women who crave non-food items like coal during pregnancy could be suffering from a condition called Pica. This is the name used to describe cravings to eat household items such as toothpaste, laundry detergent, and even cigarette butts.The craving: ChocolateThe problem: Low vitamin B levelsSome experts believe that a craving for chocolate may be because of a shortage of B vitamins - these help control your metabolism. Chocolate is full of B vitamins and some women may need more essential fatty acids, like chocolate, in their diet.Sadly, this doesn’t mean you should splurge every day. Studies have shown that women get the same goodness that chocolate provides with flax seed oil, even though it isn’t as tasty!The craving: Baking Soda and laundry soapThe problem: digestive discomfortSome cravings come from the simple bodily instinct to fight off all pregnancy symptoms. Morning sickness may be the reason for Pica cravings such as the desire to eat baking soda and fabric detergent, because they are well known for being able to fight off dodgy tummy aches and pains.Be warned: pica isn’t good for you. As the American Pregnancy Association says: ‘Eating non-food substances is potentially harmful to both you and your baby… The most important thing is to inform your health care provider.’ So, basically, don’t give in and talk to your doctor or midwife as soon as possible.Grace BanksGood to knowA great online resource for Health Advice, Relationship Advice, Pregnancy and much much more.