Sunday, January 25, 2009

When To Seek Medical Advice For Hair Loss

To some people, they consider their hair as their best asset. But to those who are suffering from hair loss, this is not the case. Instead of being a source of pride and confidence, this very condition serves as a factor that lowers their self-confidence.

Contrary to common belief, age alone does not cause the hair to fall. In fact, more and more experts agree that there are more particular factors that cause hair loss both in women and men regardless of age, race, and status in life.

Studies show that it is healthy for people to lose at least 100 strands of their hair everyday. This is because this very phenomenon is a normal part of the hair growth cycle. Usually, the stands of hair the fell are replaced with a new set of hair stands in less the sixteen weeks or four months.

However, people who experience more amount of hair loss on a daily basis should consider seeking medical advice. Visiting the doctor about this is very important not only to find out what causes it but also to ensure that there is no related complication along with the excessive hair loss.

Risk factors of hair loss

Experts say that almost all people are prone to losing their hair especially if they don’t pay attention to the risk factors involved. It is said that the primary cause of hair loss can be traced to heredity. People whose parents have baldness genes are said to have the strongest risk factor. Hair loss for these people is quite inevitable since nothing can be done when it comes to their genes. The thinning of hair and receding hairlines usually manifest once one ages.

Aside from heredity, people who are suffering from terminal illnesses such as cancer and auto immune diseases such as those related with thyroid also have greater risks for hair loss because the disease themselves weaken the immune system and affect hair growth. Taking in medications and medical treatment for certain illnesses and conditions also increases the risk to hair loss as well as alopecia areata, which is may cause permanent baldness brought about by stress as well as other infections in the environment.

People who do not pay attention to proper nutrition also have higher risks for hair loss especially those who are low in protein intake. Women who are pregnant may also experience temporary hair loss since the nutrition in their bodies is shared with the growing fetus inside. Those who are taking in birth control pills also experience this condition because of the hormonal changes that take place in the body. People who change hairstyles often and those who use too much hair treatments may also undergo temporary hair loss.

The needed medical attention

A person who has at least three risk factors of hair loss should seek medical advice immediately to prevent further complications. When you go to the doctor, make sure that you point out all your concerns so he or she can make the right diagnosis and recommend possible treatment option for you.

The doctor will run some tests to find out what causes your excessive hair loss. Once all the tests have been made, she or he will then explain your condition and will try to give you medication or offer you treatments for temporary hair loss. Since no treatment can cure permanent hair loss such as those caused by heredity and medical conditions, the doctor can give you options to at least slow down the rate of hair loss.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

How To Lose Weight Easily - Watch What You Drink

When you want to lose weight, the first thing that you normally do is start watching what you eat. You may go on some fad diet and cut down on foods that you like. You may eliminate some foods from your diet altogether. But what you may not be concentrating on is what you are drinking.

Many people do not realize the calories that they consume when drinking. If you are like most people, unless you are drinking water all of the time, you are consuming calories. This is especially true if you are drinking a lot of sweet drinks, alcoholic drinks and even so-called health drinks. Most of these are calorie laden and consist of empty calories. They usually do not give you any nutrients but have plenty of sugar.

One way to lose weight easily is to watch what you drink. Eliminate any drinks from your diet that have sugar or alcohol in them. This includes just about everything except black tea, black coffee, unsweetened green tea and water.

If you have been taking health drinks or energy drinks, you should realize that they are loaded with calories. Even so called diet sodas add to your calorie intake, despite the fact that they advertise that they have no calories. If you are serious about losing weight, the best thing that you can do is to switch to water for all of your drinks. If you like a cup of coffee or tea now and then, you should have it without cream or sugar.

Although fresh squeezed orange juice and milk are both good for you and excellent sources of Vitamins C and D, when you are trying to lose weight, these drinks should be avoided. This is because although orange juice is high in Vitamin C, it is also high in sugar. Milk is high in fat, even low fat milk.

Drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water each day will take the edge off of your hunger when you are trying to lose weight, has no calories and will keep you hydrated and will also act to boost your metabolism. When you are trying to lose weight, you have to give your metabolism a boost so that you can burn off calories. There is really only one way to lose weight, despite the promise of magic pills and diets, and that is to cut down your calorie consumption and increase your metabolism. Water can help you do both.

Green tea has been said to help promote weight loss. This is true, as long as it is unsweetened green tea. This means tea that you have brewed yourself at home. You can drink it hot or cold, but you cannot sweeten it. Beware of green tea drinks that you see in the market as they usually are loaded with sweeteners. Green tea, unlike black tea, contains caffeine but it is not the same type of caffeine found in black tea. It can work well to boost you metabolism and can be a refreshing change from water.

Watching what you drink is one way that you can help yourself lose weight. While watching your food intake is important during weight loss, your drink consumption is equally important to achieve your ideal weight loss.