Lately I have been studying the media, reading articles, watching news, and looking for anything that I can find to make me feel that there is still hope for our world. If you have read any of my past blogs, then you will already know where my concerns lie.

For those of you that are just reading me for the first time, my concerns are strong regarding women of today and their search for the true identity of themselves.

Women today have fierce competition. I have spoken to many men also and they have strongly let me know that they would not trade their gender for any amount of money. They actually feel sorry for the women of today. A few of them even shared with me that they hate the fact that everywhere they look, the media’s idea of, “The Perfect Women” is stuck in their faces. Sure its nice to see, any human being will appreciate a nice looking picture. What happens at that very minute though is that they (the men) are put in a situation of feeling that they are betraying their partner by not knowing exactly how to react. I know, I know, some of you are thinking that it is the women’s fault that the men think that way. I will agree in some cases, but these men that I have spoken to were being quite genuine in the fact that they themselves did not appreciate it.

I will be the first one to say yes to prostitution. Why? Because it keeps some of the damn rapists of the streets from attacking the unwilling women. I say yes to pornography; it keeps the men that are afraid to approach real women relieved of a very needed natural release. I also say yes to alcohol and to chocolate with ice cream, but my dear readers, before you frown on me for what I just said, hear me say this. “I do not condone the force and uncontrolled manor with which the media shoves all this down our throats. I thought this was a free country. When did we lose the right to choose whether we want to have the media’s idea of, “The Perfect Woman”, shoved down our throats every time we turn on the television, walk into a bar, just drive down the road (billboards), open a magazine, listen to a song, or even simply look in our teenagers room.”

I was reading an article that was advertising the new television line ups for this falls season. I was horrified when I read about the graphic violence being used against women. Episodes showing a woman thrashing in a cage, with duct tape across her eyes, while a man’s hands are shown grabbing her bloodied fingers through the bars of the cage and ripping off her fingernails. Another is chained up like a dog in a basement by her so called loving husband. It gets worse; there is also one with a woman paralyzed by venomous spider bites and is being raped by a masked figure. These are what society is allowing for after dinner viewing. I am embarrassed to even say that this is my world seeing this. They made more noise when Janet Jackson slipped a peak of her nipple at a damn football game. In a word…SAD!! The media has definitely figured out how to make money at every woman’s expense.

On a much happier note, in my searching the worlds media I did find a very refreshing commercial put out by DOVE. It can be viewed at their website:

www.campaignforrealbeauty.com . “Cheers Dove” is all I can say. Dove is pushing hard and continuing an uphill climb to bring back what was put on this earth as, The Real Women.

I also ran into an article trying to cut this refreshing change down. The magazine people that pride themselves on using air-brushed models with unrealistic looks, called the Dove girls in this commercial, “civilians”. Ha! Now that is a very obvious show of defeat. They’re even trying to say that women of today will not want to buy from ads that do not promise you unrealistic beauty. Ladies, the media is in fact calling you stupid as far as I read. I take that as an out right insult.

It’s about time that someone stood up and gave the media’s negative actions a run for their money. Money made at real women’s expense, as I said already once. They also mention something as silly as women worry if they looked fat in their pants, as being an old age insecurity. DUH! No one ever said it was new, jeesh. I am also curious just how far women today are willing to let the media’s idea of “The Perfect Woman” go. We are already the butt-end of the cosmetic surgery joke. I feel that the only reason any woman would be turned off by Dove’s real women, is because they have been so brain washed into thinking that the media’s idea of “The Perfect Women” is what is real. I feel sorry for them. Ladies of today, we must stand up and fight back. Do not let them turn, what is suppose to be real, into barbie dolls.

So many women are confused about what is, and what is not. Why do you think so many women suffer from low self-esteem, with cosmetic surgery at every street corner and so many unrealistic expectations coming to us from the media on how a women is suppose to look? Blah, blah. It’s no wonder women are so confused.

Well I know that there is strength in numbers and I do know that there are more women today that are sick of all of the media’s ideas. Ladies with low-self esteem, stand up, go to the store, and support DOVE. So what? They make money and yes, maybe there is a bit of truth that they too are using us as a way to profit. But at least we have a place to start to turn things around. We will never be able to turn them back, but we can make them work for us, not against us. Oh if anyone thinks that Dove has asked me, or payed me to speak of them in my blog, NO and NO. I am speaking on behalf of every women out there has been damaged by all the garbage that the media is trying to run our world with. Womens Selfesteem.com is happy to say that Dove is doing a very good thing, on the “real women” of today’s behalf.

“Don’t back down just to keep the peace,

Standing up for your beliefs builds self-confidence and self-esteem.”

-Oprah Winfrey

Dorothy Lafrinere
Owner/Operator
Website- http://www.womensselfesteem.com
Weblog- http://www.justblogme.com/Dorothy
Forum- http://womenselfesteem.proboards29.com
email- dorothy@womensselfesteem.com

Battles against Media’s idea of “The Perfect Woman” is a post from: New Psych Health News

Does any of the following sound familiar?

You desperately want to lose weight, but youve tried so many different diets and failed over the years that youve grown discouraged.

Lets face it, most diets arent easy to maintain — theyre designed to get weight off not for your personal convenience. And once you go off the diet, the weight comes right back, along with a bit more. Thus, you end up worse off than before.

No matter what diet you try from the cabbage soup diet to the Master Cleanser to low-fat diets such as the Atkins Diet one of two things usually happens:

You lose some weight along with your sanity as life becomes an unbearable drudge of boring food and not enough of it.

You dont lose weight because you just cannot stick to that diet.

In either case, you feel bad discouraged maybe even like a failure. But, take heart, losing weight is possible. In fact, here are five simple yet sound tips that when followed could easily enable you to lose five pounds, or more, a week!

Tip #1 Cut the Carbs! Cutting down on your carbohydrate intake, particularly white carbs (that is, carbs from white bread, potatoes, etc.) and instead eating more high quality lean proteins (such as chicken and fish) is a great way to drop a few pounds quickly. But dont cut carbs completely! You should still eat fibrous carbs, such as berries, spinach and apples.

Tip #2 Stop Eating Processed Foods! Instead eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Often, people who are used to eating a lot of junk food will discover they can actually a higher quantity of delicious fruits, vegetables and whole grains without gaining any weight.

Tip #3 Cut Down on Your Sugar Intake! In particular, watch how many sodas or juice drinks you consume. The sugar in these beverages can add up quickly and these drinks aren’t filling. You should also watch out for “fat-free” products. Sugar is often used to replace the flavor that is lost when the fat is removed. You will also want to be careful about how much sugar you add to coffee and tea.

Tip #4 Drink More Water! Water naturally helps to suppress your appetite and drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day will help you lose weight and burn fat. On the other hand, if you don’t drink enough water every day, your body may store water and fat that you don’t need. To determine how much water you should drink: multiply your bodyweight by .66 to get the required number of ounces per day.

Tip #5 Exercise More Often! The healthiest way to lose weight is to exercise. Someone who increases the amount they exercise, but maintains the same diet and calorie intake, will almost certainly lose weight. Plus, excessive sweating from cardio activity, such as running, walking and using aerobic gym equipment, will help you de-bloat and lose inches and pounds quickly.

But a word of caution, if you havent exercised in a while be sure to check with your physician first and also be sure to start any exercise program slowly.

5 Tips for Losing Five Pounds a Week! is a post from: New Psych Health News

The foundation for good health is a lifestyle that includes a sensible diet with nutritional supplements, sufficient quality sleep, reasonable exercise and weight management. Taking high-quality, anti-aging advanced nutritional products helps fill in the dietary gaps that everyone will have. The essential nutrients that your body needs are extensive and complex. Vitamins and minerals are just the beginning. Other nutrients that provide significant anti-aging benefits are the key to improved energy, better health and freedom from disease.

Here are examples of advanced nutritional products:

Resveratrol – this phytonutrient is an antioxidant found in the skins of red grapes, in red wine, red grape juice and mulberries. Studies suggest that it is an effective antioxidant that reduces mortality in cardiovascular diseases and cancer, that it inhibits the replication of herpes simplex virus, may be beneficial in atherosclerosis, may be helpful in lowering cholesterol levels, increasing HDL cholesterol levels, preventing damage to blood vessels and as alleviation of menopausal symptoms.

Quercetin – is a bioflavanoid and one of the advanced nutritional products that supports the immune system, connective tissue and blood vessels.

Alpha Lipoic Acid – this antioxidant (ALA) enhances effects of other antioxidants to fight free radicals in the body and enhance recovery. May enhance insulin sensitivity, improving the body’s ability to add lean mass and reduce fat. May be beneficial in persons suffering from type II diabetes and hyperglycemia.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine – occurs naturally in the body and is one of the advanced nutritional products. It is used for prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, age-related memory deficits, senile depression, Down syndrome, alcoholism-related cognitive deficits and after-stroke treatment as it increases cerebral blood flow.

L-Carnosine – may play a role in preventing atherosclerosis, joint inflammation, formation of cataracts, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.

Policosanol – comes from sugar cane and has been studied and published in over 80 clinical studies, more studies than for most prescription drugs. Policosanol significantly lowers total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol without the side affects associated with the statin drugs.

Lutein – is found in leafy dark green vegetables. Studies suggest it may offer protection against cancer and degeneration of the eyes and skin by sunlight.

Zeaxanthin – increasing dietary intake of the advanced nutritional products lutein and zeaxanthin may reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.

DIM 3,3′ – diindolylmethane is found in the cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. Diindolylmethane may be used for preventing breast and uterine cancer, preventing benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and for premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Turmeric – is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant herb used for bronchitis, colds, chest infections, leprosy, fever, kidney inflammation and cystitis.

And there are more! Is it possible that advanced nutritional products can slow the aging process? Absolutely! Numerous clinical studies have shown and are still discovering the health benefits of many of these nutrients. Slowing the aging process includes providing your body ALL the nutrients it requires. You can try to design your own supplement plan and take many different supplements individually. However, designing your own supplement program is not the best way since this means taking many different substances and will not provide the best results.

When trying to design your own supplement plan, it’s easy to end up with a dozen or more individual substances to take daily, which is both a hassle and expensive. Besides, if certain substances are out of balance, it’s possible they can combine to produce other unwanted compounds that can be harmful. There is one manufacturer that combines the advanced nutritional products in one broad high-quality supplement. Nutrient quantities are combined according to the latest research and the individual ingredients are even linked to the relevant clinical studies.

Learn as much as you can about what finding the best advanced nutritional products really means. Your health, energy and wellness is the issue. Before spending your money, be informed about the anti-aging products you’ll be taking every day.

Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing

Advanced Nutritional Products – What Are They? is a post from: New Psych Health News

1. Start the day with a breakfast smoothie. All you have to do is throw some fruits, low-fat yogurt and ice in a blender. You may also want to add a scoop of protein powder in there for good measure. Just blend for a few seconds and you have the perfect breakfast ready to go. I like to sip mine in a thermal cup on the way to work. To make it even more appealing for your kids, use some frozen yogurt or a scoop of ice cream in the smoothie. They wont believe that you are letting them have ice cream for breakfast.

2. Dried fruit makes an excellent snack any time of the day. Add some small cartons of raisins to your childs lunch box, pack some yogurt-covered raisins in your husbands briefcase and keep some trail mix sitting around for snacking. You can also add dried fruit to oatmeal and cereal in the morning. My family loves banana chips in their breakfast cereal.

3. Add some fruits and vegetables to your familys sandwiches. You can add some banana, sliced apples or strawberry slices to a peanut butter sandwich. Top a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and anything else they will eat. You can even make a sub shop style vegetable sandwich by combining several different vegetables with some mayonnaise and cheese on bread.

4. Have a salad bar at dinner. Set out a variety of chopped vegetables, some cheese and croutons as well as several choices of salad dressing along with the lettuce and let everybody create their own perfect salad.

5. Let them drink their fruits and vegetables. Keep an assortment of fruit and vegetable juices in the fridge and encourage everyone to drink them as a snack. Get creative. You could start family cocktail hour by pouring everybody a glass of his or her favorite juice over ice. Add some straws, cocktail umbrellas and sit together to talk about how everybodys day went.

6. Try this for dessert. Put a small scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt in a bowl and top it with lots of fresh or frozen fruit.

7. Offer fruits and vegetables as snacks. You can cut apples into slices and top them with peanut butter or cheese. Cube cheese and serve with grapes. Cut up some fresh veggies and serve them with ranch dip. And of course theres ants on a log. Spread some cream cheese or peanut butter on the inside of a stick of celery and sprinkle raisins on it (wow, fruit and vegetable in one snack).

8. Try some new fruits and vegetables. Pick something exotic to get your familys curiosity. With a little luck their curiosity will outweigh their initial apprehension to trying something new. You could try artichokes, plantains, papaya, mango, star fruit, or anything else you can find in the produce department of your local store.

9. Make a pot of vegetable soup or a stew thats heavy on veggies and easy on the meat. Both of these make some great comfort food when the weather gets cold.

10. Start My Veggie Day. Each family member gets to pick a vegetable one day of the week. They qualify to pick a vegetable as long as they tried each vegetable the week before, otherwise they loose a turn and Mom gets to pick.

Incorporate a few of these ideas and you will have everyone in your family eating more fruits and vegetables in no time.

Here is another tip:

Now that everyone in the family has gotten a taste for it, make sure you always have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies available and ready to snack on.

10 Ways To Sneak Some Extra Fruits And Vegetables In Your Familys Diet is a post from: New Psych Health News

Getting Newport Beach Personal Training Is A Great Idea is a post from: New Psych Health News

Getting Newport Beach Personal Training Is A Great Idea is a post from: New Psych Health News

Age-Related Changes to Muscle

The age related decline in muscle mass appears to occur in 2 phases. The first or slow phase of muscle loss, in which 10% of muscle mass is lost, occurs between the ages of 25 and 50. The majority of muscle loss occurs thereafter where an additional 40% is lost from the ages of 50 to 85. Overall, the human body loses 50% of its muscle mass by the age of 80. This muscle atrophy can be explained by significant decreases in both the total number of muscle fibers, as well as in muscle fiber size.

It has been shown that aging results in a loss of the power and speed producing fast twitch fibers (particularly IIb) and an increase in the more aerobic slow twitch fibers. This seems to make sense since movements that demand a high velocity of contraction (such as jumping and sprinting) tend to be less in the older years.

Mechanisms of Strength Loss

The problems with decreasing strength can be seen in its contribution to osteoporotic decline in bone density, arthritic joint pain, and an overall reduced functional capacity.

With the loss in muscle mass evidently comes a decrease in muscular strength. However, as with muscle loss, most strength losses are not significant until the sixth decade. As briefly mentioned, this loss in strength can be attributed to a decrease in the number of motor units (nerve-muscle fiber complex), the decreased number of muscle fibers and the reduction in muscle fiber size. It is also known that a decline in leg strength precedes upper extremity strength loss in the elderly. This is important due to the fact that strength, rather than cardiovascular function, is considered to be the most physically limiting factor in the elderly. This is apparent when considering strength-limiting activities faced by many seniors such as getting up from a seated position or walking up stairs.

Encouraging is the finding that aging does not seem to effect eccentric strength. This phase of contraction is an important consideration for the elderly due to the possible linkage between poor eccentric strength and the incidence of falls in the elderly.

The Importance of Active Living

Regular exercise is the most effective way to slow and counteract the effects of age-related muscle and strength loss. Comparisons between active and sedentary older adults suggest that much of the strength loss with aging is due lifestyle factors. For example, individuals who continue to use certain muscles on a regular basis do not show the same age-related decreases in strength. In general, muscle atrophy, and thus strength loss, will occur any time the muscles are not required to work against a given load. The result will be a decrease in protein synthesis accompanied by an increase in protein breakdown. Overall, the muscle atrophies and loses much of its strength, characteristics commonly seen in astronauts during space flight. Incorporating regular resistance training is the most effective means of attenuating this effect.

Encouraging Findings

Studies have consistently shown that regular exercise can improve muscular endurance and strength in the elderly in a manner similar to that observed in young people. One of the largest studies in this field was done at McMaster University several years ago. The researchers looked at the effects of 2 years of twice/weekly strength training (80-85% 1RM) across 114 subjects between the ages of 60-80 years. The results indicated steady increases in strength in each of the muscle groups tested with no evidence of plateauing. There were also significant increases in muscle mass accompanying the gains in strength and, perhaps more importantly, there was evidence that these strength gains translated into improved function (as measured by walking and stair climbing performance).

Although there are certain unavoidable changes that occur with aging, it is possible to delay or attenuate the losses muscle mass and strength normally accompanying these changes. Since so many daily living activities such as walking, climbing stairs, and standing up from a chair are so dependent on strength it is imperative to minimize the age-related loss in strength as much as possible. The muscles in older adults maintain their ability to adapt; therefore, regular resistance training (2-3x/week) should be implemented into the lifestyle of such individuals. Moreover, a similar strength training protocol needs to be employed in younger adults as means of prevention and staying healthy into the golden years!

Written by Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK. Do not reprint without permission
Copyright 2006 Total Wellness Consulting.

Age-Related Muscle Changes is a post from: New Psych Health News

Breast augmentation is surgery to enhance or change the size or shape of the breast. Women seeking this procedure are cautioned to understand that it will not solve problems they may be having in their life. Unrealistic expectations regarding breast augmentation can lead a woman to regretting her decision. What breast augmentation can do is help the way you see and feel about yourself.

There was once a lot of media attention directed towards breast implants. Silicone implants were found to be susceptible to leakage which could cause health problems. Today the only approved implants are saline implants. Saline is a natural product already found in the body and leakage, if any, is not threatening. Other concerns, however, are still present with saline as with silicone.

There are always risk with surgery. General risks can range from infection to anesthesia problems. Complications that are specific to breast augmentation include, loss of sensation, problems being able to breastfeed in the future, and hardening of the implant. The most common complications are breast pain and numbness. The most serious complication that can occur are toxic shock syndrome, implants breaking the skin and skin dying.

The long term look at breast augmentation shows that many patients will have a need for at least one additional surgery within 10 years. There have not been studies to indicate how long an implant will last, but it is proven that they can break.

Breast augmentation is an expensive procedure. Most insurance companies do not cover this surgery. It is very important to understand why you want the surgery, what results can be achieved and what long term effects can occur. Reversing the surgery means extra pain and money.

Basics Of Breast Augmentation is a post from: New Psych Health News

Tip #1 Stop Talking About Weight Loss!

All that talk about how much you want to lose weight isnt going to make the weight come off. Youve got to take action, starting right now. So take this simple advice: Stop moving your mouth and start moving your body! It wont take long to begin seeing the results.

Tip #2 Slow and Steady is Best

Slow and steady weight loss is better (and safer) than riding the dieting roller coaster. If youre looking for long-lasting weight loss results, aim to lose an average of about two pounds each week. In order to lose weight youve got to consume fewer calories than you burn. As a bonus, when you combine dieting with exercise, youll be reducing your caloric intake and increasing your caloric burn rate at the same time.

Tip #3 Save Your Money

Dont spend your hard-earned money on the latest weight loss gimmicks. Pills, fad diets, hypnosis, and extreme surgical procedures are not the answer! These gimmicks wont slim you down, but they will fatten the bank accounts of those who promote them! Eating a nutritionally-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, good fats and lean proteins will encourage weight loss faster than any miracle cure you can buy.

Tip #4 Weight Loss is a Way of Life

Unfortunately, the issue of weight is something that most people will struggle with throughout life. Excess processed foods and a sedentary lifestyle are the two biggest contributors to this constant struggle. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, youve got to change the way you think about food. It should be thought of as a source of fuel, not a passion. Successful weight loss really is about making lifestyle changes, including making the right food choices, and then sticking with those choices throughout life.

Tip #5 Weight Loss is More Than a Number

When youre dieting, dont become a victim of the dreaded scale. When the numbers go down, happiness goes up. But when the numbers stay the same or go up, it is easy to give up and give in. Remember that even if your weight isnt changing as you would like, your body is. Youll be taking better care of your heart. Youll be lowering your cholesterol levels. Youll be sporting a leaner body and your clothes will begin fitting more comfortably. When you learn to find joy in these other benefits, youll want to keep on being a loser!

5 Super Simple Weight Loss Tips is a post from: New Psych Health News

Acidophilus aids digestive system, because different factors decrease the number of lactic acid producing bacteria that live and work in the gastrointestinal tract and protect us from harmful disease-causing bacteria. Among these factors, it is possible to find narcotics, alcohol, diet deficiencies, aging, antibiotics, drugs, medications, nicotine, and stressful living.

The digestion of food begins in the alimentary canal, mouth and stomach, and finally in the intestines, where millions of microorganisms, working simultaneously, metabolize the partially-digested food. Digestion can be impaired, short-changing us of the full nutritional value from foods, if there is too small a colony of L. acidophilus and other friendly bacteria, such as L. bulgaricus and L. bifidus. Also a fewer quantity of key vitamins will be synthesized and the immune system may be rendered less effective.

According to some health professionals, acidophilus aids the digestive process, helps correct constipation, diarrhea, mucous colitis and diverticulitis. It also reduces blood cholesterol, enhances the absorption of nutrients, sweetens bad breath, treats acne and other skin disorders, conquers harmful bacteria and certain viruses, helps alleviate candidiasis and other vaginal infections, and may even prevent cancer.

There is no solid scientific evidence for these claims according to some experts, but lactic acid-producing microorganisms, such as L. acidophilus, have been called a second immune system, because they put the brakes on growth of disease-causing bacteria, such as shigella-caused dysentery and salmonella and various types of diarrhea.

Acidophilus: Lactobacillus Acidophilus ABC is a post from: New Psych Health News