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Submitted by: Ingrid Lihan

You don’t want your weight loss plan to flop before you have even seen positive results. Here are some things that can result in diet failure.

Statistically, more diets fail than succeed. However, if you train yourself to think of the process as a weight loss plan, rather than a diet, you are more likely to reach your desired goal. Before beginning the plan, educate yourself about the reasons why diets result in the desired weight level one year following the diet. There are several reasons, including both physical causes and psychological causes. A failed diet is bad for you in two areas. First, it is demoralizing to try very hard to succeed at something and fail. Second, yo-yo dieting results in increasing difficulty in getting the weight off each time.

Nutritionally unsound diets

If your weight loss plan is nutritionally unsound, it can leave you feeling hungry all the time, particularly if you are eating significantly fewer calories than you normally consume. It takes planning to provide fewer calories and avoid hunger pangs at the same time. By their very nature, diets place a lot of emphasis on food and you will be thinking more about food which exacerbates the feeling of hunger. Eliminating certain food groups from your diet is an example of a nutritionally unsound diet as is eating only one of two foods during the course of the diet.

Boring Diets

Diets which rely on only one food may sound like the pounds will melt away, but often, the dieter will last through only two or three meals of grapefruit or something similar that is touted as the latest ‘lose weight quickly’ fad. Instead, choose a weight loss plan that provides a variety of nutritious and filling foods and be sure to include some of your personal favorites as a treat. By reducing the size of portions and including healthy exercise, you can often take the pounds off gradually and never feel like you are bored or suffering from the results of monofoods during the course of the diet.

Unrealistic Expectations

If you prepare a weight loss plan that calls for losing lots of weight in a short period of time, you will almost certainly fail. The plans which show the best likelihood of success are those that use tested approaches to weight loss and set realistic intermediate goals. A weight control program that doesn’t allow adequate time to work is almost certain to cause discouragement, usually resulting in the dieter giving up in despair, well short of the desired weight loss goal.

Physical problems

Sometimes physical problems are the issue in weight gain, and even the best weight loss plan won’t result in dropping the pounds. However, if you review your diet plans with your physician prior to beginning the weight reduction program, he or she will be able to determine if there are any medical problems that should be addressed prior to altering eating habits. Certain diseases such as diabetes and thyroid problems can result in drastic and sometimes dangerous weight gains. By seeking medical attention, these issues are almost certain to be monitored and corrected through the use of medications, diet or exercise.

About the Author: Make sure that your

Weight Loss Plan

is successful by gathering the best possible information about successful dieting. You can make use of the links at

fastweightlossplantips.com

.

Source:

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By Nathan Wei

Mention steroids and the first thought that comes up is that of a beefy athlete whose head is two sizes too large for his body.

What many people don t realize is that there are two different kinds of steroids. The first kind, anabolic steroids, are the ones you read about in the sports pages. These build muscle mass among other properties.

The second type of steroid is that used to treat inflammatory disease like arthritis. These are the catabolic steroids such as prednisone. These types of steroids actually break down muscle mass. Their advantage though is that they are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs. These anti-inflammatory steroids also called corticosteroids- are often used in the treatment of diseases such as arthritis.

In fact, corticosteroids are used by up to 75 per cent of patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

A major concern, though, is how to avoid the potential side-effects of these drugs and that is the subject of this article. The first step in avoiding side-effects is to take the lowest effective dose possible.

Although sometimes, high doses are given intravenously for serious condition such as lupus or extremely active rheumatoid arthritis, maintenance doses are typically in the range of 10 mgs of prednisone or less per day. Your physician should try to lower the dose when possible if your disease is stable.

When corticosteroids are lowered, they must be tapered slowly to avoid symptoms of withdrawal such as headache, increased joint and muscle pain, drop in blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, or fever.

People who have been on long term corticosteroids must be extra cautious. The longer one has taken these drugs, the slower the taper must be.

The reason is that when synthetic corticosteroids are given, the body s adrenal glands reduce the production of normal cortisone. If the synthetic supply is stopped abruptly, the adrenal glands can t produce enough cortisone to compensate. The result is a severe medical condition called adrenal crisis. This syndrome presents with shock-like symptoms such as sweating, chills, weakness, loss of consciousness, and sometimes death.

Another side effect is insomnia. Taking the steroid dose in the morning can minimize this side effect. Lowering the amount of caffeine consumed throughout the day is also beneficial.

Another serious side effect is osteoporosis. Corticosteroids reduce the ability of the body to absorb calcium and they also increase the amount of calcium excreted by the body. The end result is a weakening of the bones with an increased likelihood of fracture.

To guard against this, periodic bone density tests to assess bone loss, along with regular calcium and vitamin D supplementation is needed.

Drugs to prevent osteoporosis such as risedronate (Actonel) and alendronate (Fosamax) may be needed.

Alternate day dosing of corticosteroid- taking the steroid on one day and not the next- may allow control of disease with fewer risks of side effects. While this regiment may be effective for lupus, inflammatory muscle disease, and vasculitis, it is not effective for rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, or giant cell arteritis.

Drugs such as methotrexate and azathioprine may have a steroid sparing effect. In other words, they may allow the use of lower doses of prednisone.

Make sure you ask your rheumatologist about your steroid dose and whether it is possible to reduce the total amount of steroid drug you take.

About the Author: Nathan Wei, MD FACP FACR is a rheumatologist and Director of the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. For more info:

Arthritis Treatment

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By Tim Leach

So you havent been as careful as you should, and youre contemplating your first ever visit to an STD clinic to get tested? Its understandable that youd be nervous, but it really isnt as bad as youd imagine. Heres what you can expect from your visit, so youll know the general procedure.

First steps

First of all you have to pick a place to be tested. In the US, your personal doctor or gynaecologist can administer STD tests, or you could drop into a planned parenthood or public health clinic. However you plan on doing it, call the clinic before you undertake your STD test some states need a physicians review of a test before it can be administered. As well as this, with the various sexually transmitted diseases around, its a good idea to know whether the clinic you plan on visiting is equipped to deal with the STD youre worried you may have.

One question I hear a lot is as to whether STD tests are anonymous. The answer is that it depends on the state. In many places you can have a number allocated, rather than your real name, but bear in mind that some states positive test results to be reported (mainly HIV) as they are breaking the law not to, in this instance your anonymity will be broken.

In the Clinic

When you arrive at the STD clinic, theyll need you to fill in some paperwork. This will generally cover your general health as well as your sexual history. Be honest this is vital. The form will also ask if you would like an HIV test by law they have to ask you. Remember though, in some states a positive diagnosis will need to be reported.

Once youve completed the paperwork, the actual exam will begin. Youll be lead into a backroom and allowed to change into a medical gown. At this point youll begin a face to face discussion with your doctor covering all the areas dealt with previously, but allowing you to give more details, and helping the doctor figure out what is most likely to be in need of checking. Once again, its vital to be honest here, otherwise important things can be overlooked, and necessary STD tests may not be administered.

After this, there are many STD tests that may be required, but they broadly can be divided into 2, dependent on whether they need a sample or not.

Visual STD Testing

These are diagnoses that can be made just my looking at the affected area. Examples of this type of sexually transmitted disease include genital warts, pubic lice and genital herpes (if youre currently suffering from an outbreak).

Physical STD Testing

Physical STD testing covers any disease that cannot be detected purely by looking, and this includes the more serious ones Syphilis, Gonnorhea, Chlamydia, Hepatitis, Trichomoniasis, genital herpes (for those without symptoms) and HIV. The STD tests involved vary, and may require a blood sample, a urine sample or a physical swab to be taken from the urethra, vagina and/or anus. The latter of these will be a little uncomfortable for a couple of second.

The Wait for Results

You might receive results from some of the tests the same day as you took them, while others may take up to a week to be returned. As to how youll hear, many clinics will require you to pick up your STD test results (for confidentiality reasons, results via phone are rare), while others will send them via the post. In the event of a positive, medication will be proscribed to help you treat the sexually transmitted disease.

In reality, STD testing is no worse than a standard trip to the doctors once you get past the embarrassment. The staff are always professional and experienced in dealing with all kinds of sexually transmitted disease, and worrying about your illness without knowing for sure is potentially the most damaging thing you can do for you and your partner.

About the Author: Tim Leach is the Marketing Manager of USA Lab Testing, providers of local

STD testing

.

Source:

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