Why does amenorrhea occur in female athletes? The theory is that the emotional and physical stress of intense training causes a reduction in the release of a hormone called GnRH from a gland called the hypothalamus. This leads to a reduction in the release of hormones from the pituitary gland, which in turn lowers the ovaries’ production of the female hormone estrogen. This hormone imbalance causes periods to stop and it is the lack of estrogen — called a hypoestrogenic state — that leads to osteoporosis. That’s similar to the hypoestrogenic state and osteoporosis women can get after menopause (when they stop getting their periods).

Don’t forget that amenorrhea can also occur in girls who have eating disorders, who are not necessarily doing a lot of exercise or physical activity.

So why do some female athletes ignore the fact that they are not getting their periods? A few reasons may be:

The athlete may have been incorrectly told that not getting her periods is a sign of adequate training intensity and is something to be desired. This is a myth since amenorrhea is neither a desired consequence nor a necessary result of physical training.

Some women may be glad not to have the inconvenience of menstruating. Think of what’s more important — the inconvenience of menstruating or the thinning and premature aging of your bones — and it should be easy to decide which is better.

Female athletes and their coaches, trainers and parents may just not know that amenorrhea is an important sign that requires medical evaluation within three months of its occurrence.

Amenorrhea is the most recognizable symptom of the female athlete triad. Girls most at risk for amenorrhea are those who start training at an early age, undergo the most intense training, eat the fewest calories, and have the lowest body weight.

The percentage of athletes with amenorrhea varies from 3 percent to 66 percent. Compare that with the prevalence of amenorrhea in the general female population, which is about 2 percent to 5 percent.

Exercise-associated amenorrhea is a diagnosis of exclusion. That means that if a female athlete is not starting her periods on time, or her periods stop, her doctor needs to check her for other medical disorders and pregnancy, if she is sexually active.

Another concern about amenorrhea is that the return of normal periods (and regular ovulation or releasing of eggs by the ovaries) can be unpredictable. There is no good long-term data on the success rate of lifestyle changes or treatment for reversing amenorrhea and improving bone mineral density.

You understand from experience that sexual dysfunction can ruin a relations, but there are safe, effective, strong premature ejaculation treatment in our time! PE is the most widespread type of sex problem in men younger than forty years.

The four-facility company created a foundation to assist needy women and children by building a fitness center in the disadvantaged Dorchester, Mass., area. At this women’s shelter, both women and children can use fitness equipment, group exercise rooms and fitness services for free. Healthworks donates money to the cause; its members and staff also contribute.

The Claremont Club.The Claremont Club, Calif., also gives back to its community. It started by donating 228 new pairs of tennis shoes to financially disadvantaged children in the local school district.

Later, it provided 66 scholarships for summer camps for disadvantaged youth, and they have now allocated 106 slots for this summer. Over the years, the local school district has been the beneficiary of a constant flow of used and reconditioned fitness equipment.

The Claremont Club also provides up to 50 full membership scholarships to those in the community suffering from serious illness, and to those in families who have suffered recent deaths to parents.

Twelve needy youths with talent in tennis and swimming are provided scholarships. And all 200 staff each made a difference in the community last winter holiday season; some “adopted” families through the Red Cross, fire or police departments or churches, and the facility’s day spa staff provided complimentary services to the homeless.

Moreover, the Claremont Club has continued membership privileges with any current member who is suffering financially and cannot pay the normal dues.

Gold’s Gym. A four-club Gold’s Gym franchise has contributed to more than 21 different causes, including the Boys and Girls Clubs; the American Heart Association; the local Children’s Hospital; local elementary, middle and high schools; Against Drunk Driving;a local orphanage; breast cancer awareness; and minority and gay/lesbian non-profit organizations.

(This next part I got from the previews…)
Ken: “You’ve got some set of balls today to approach me with this…”
Robb: “Don’t f’ing try to tell me I’m doing something that I’m not. I’m not f’ing stupid.”

Ken: “Oh yeah! Well I can f’ing say the F-word more times than you, f’er.”
Robb: “Dude, you’re such an f’ing f’er. I mean, f. You come here acting like some New York f’ing City policeman and I’m f’ing tired of it.”
Ken: “Ok ok! You win! That was a lot of F-words. You still suck, though.”
Robb: “Do not!”
Ken: “Do too!”
Robb: “Not.”
Ken: “So.”

Finally, Shii Ann zaps Penny with an “I’m actually going to speak to someone other than the cameras and in a mildly raised voice” spell. Penny says, “Hey, you f’ers. Shut the F up.”

Ken: “Whoa, Penny just said F.”
Robb: “Dude, you’re right.”

The Search for Betsy
Team Church Social still haven’t found their boat so they still have to swim over to get water. This sucks for them so the guys decide to swim off to explore some of the smaller islands in hopes of finding “Old Betsy.” As they swim along, Clay wonders aloud, “Do you think if we killed Jan and offered her up to the ocean gods we would get our boat back?” The guys decide that a Jan sacrifice, being that she’s as old as she is and a little loopy to boot, would only result in finding their boat smashed up against some rocks.

“Too bad Tanya isn’t here. She’d be an awesome sacrifice. She was a hottie.”

“Speaking of hotties,” Ted continues. “I had a dream last night that I was with my wife for the first time in months.”

Clay looks strangely towards Ted, “That’s weird, I dreamed a big black man grabbed me in the middle of the night and spooned me and grinded into me but since I was so small I couldn’t get away and so I just let him bite my neck and play with my hair.”

Brian gets a soft-core flashback where he starred in the movie, “The Green 10 Inch Mile: A moving story about a huge, loving black man and his death row prison bitch.”

They swim along, troubled by their thoughts.

I love the sun! When summer finally makes it to this beautiful state, I can’t wait to get out onto the beaches, into my garden, or simply lie around the first pool I can find. Any activity that takes place outside is my number one priority! Covering your body from head to toe is torturous on a 20 mile bike ride or a hike through field and stream. So, I naturally go for the gallon plus of sunscreen. But what is in that sunscreen? Look at the back of any tube or bottle and your head will spin from long drawn out lists of only god knows what. In fact, some scientist suspect that chemical sunscreen agents might have a role in the increased number of cancer cases. (Not proven yet)

So what do you do? Look the world of natural products. Nature’s Gate and other companies have natural product lines for sun protection. However, they still use some chemical additives in order to pass FDA test standards for SPF protection. The benefit of natural over chemical is that the plants used to create the sunscreen also nourish the skin, chemical sunscreens usually don’t. Natural products use the plants and herbs as the main ingredient of the lotion while most commercial brands throw them ins as a sales gimmick for health minded persons like myself. If you are able, making your own lotions can be fun. There are many books on herbal remedies, ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine, natural beauty, etc. out there, that have good recipes for sun blocks and skin care lotions. Check in book sections at the local health food stores or herb shops in the area.

When you do use sunscreen, be generous, and apply it to the skin at least 20-30 minutes before you go out in the sun. It takes the skin time to activate the ingredients. Be sure to reapply the lotions often, just because you have sunscreen on doesn’t mean you won’t get burned! Don’t be fooled by the SPF numbers on sunscreens, sweat, water and clothing can remove sunscreen from the skin, and high numbered lotions still need to be reapplied often. Drink plenty of water, about a gallon a day is good. Eat oily foods like nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocados, items that have high amounts of essential fatty acids, when you plan on being out in the sun. These foods help keep the skin soft and pliable. Of course, nothing beats the protection of long sleeves and a wide rimmed hat.

Play it smart and you won’t get burned by the sun!

Try These After Sun Pleasers.
Take one ounce of aloe vera juice, (a food grade is best for spraying), and mix in 20 drops of lavender oil. Refrigerate and spray this on after sun exposure.

Skin Lotion. Vitamins A and E feed the skin; Rescue remedy alleviates the trauma; and calendula is calming and soothing. The glycerin acts as a skin emollient and aloe contributes its healing and moisturizing properties.

2 oz. aloe vera gel
2 oz. calendula oil
1 to 2 tsp. vitamin E oil
4 drops vitamin A oil
4 drops Bach Flower Rescue Remedy

Mix ingredients in a four-ounce squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

Discover all useful, reliable information you want to learn about emergency, accidents and first aid, including causes, diagnosis, symptoms and treatment.

A.In an endoscopy, also known as an upper endoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), doctors insert a tube called an endoscope into the patient’s mouth and down into the esophagus, stomach and duodenum.

The tube carries a light and a viewing device that enables the doctor to examine these areas.

A colonoscopy, also known as a lower endoscopy, involves placing a somewhat larger scope into the rectum and slowly advancing it to examine the large intestine.

A. A panendoscopy refers to the combination of endoscopy and colonoscopy. Often when a gastroenterologist is looking for the source of certain problems, such as bleeding from the intestine, patients will have these procedures done at the same visit.

Granted, we know and accept that parents should not be excessively negative, and should not use phrases like “You never…” or “You can’t even do that well,” or “Your sister and brother can…why can’t you?” We have to remember that kids are not miniature adults. They are still learners and they shouldn’t be discouraged when they try and fail, or when their fledgling attempts are mediocre or less. So be it.

But the self-esteem concept has gone to the other extreme … and it hurts our kids. Psychology is like any other business or part of culture. We have hot topics, the “in” issues. Self-esteem has become one of them. True, many children grow up with poor self-esteem, and this limits their ability to use their potential. But we have gone too far the other way.

The misconception is that all encompassing compliments, ego building, and positive comments will produce a healthy personality. Actually, it produces a person who does not have an accurate self-concept and then pursues goals which are not in line with his or her talents and abilities, which may lead the child to become sometimes seriously hurt by failure or disappointments.

Each and every child has talents. Parents should reward and nurture those areas. But we all also have limitations, even disabilities, that we have to work with realistically.

Let’s get beyond theory and look at how it works. We have gotten in the bad habit of saying “You can be anything you want to be.” This is nice in theory, but poor in practice. As a college counselor, I know the long-term devastation caused by this generic ego builder. Some children are adept in math and science some are not. However, all can live happy healthy lives. Youngsters would show an interest in medicine or nursing. The parents would encourage them, disregarding that their children did not have excellent science/math aptitudes. The young adults would then apply to a nursing program or start on the prerequisites only to be bitterly disappointed when they could not pass the courses. Real pain caused by an inaccurate assessment of their own skills and abilities.

It would be far better for our children if parents nurtured the talents, but also talked about the weaker areas which we all have, and gave help with what careers or goals would be appropriate. You as the parent and primary teacher can help a child understand and develop good coping skills. A parent may point out that, while he may not have artistic talent, there are occupations where one can enjoy and be involved in art without creating art.

And the self-esteem advocates have wrought another practice which harms our kids in the long run. The idea is that failure or disappointment will irreparably damage the child’s self-esteem. Parents then withdraw their children from any activity, sport, or involvement that might bring defeat. Basically, the so-called fragile child never has to deal with failure. The child then never learns how to cope with the inevitable failures that life brings to all of us. We see the result of this lack of coping ability now in the most horrible of ways. For example, some of the recent shootings by teens are in response to a disappointment at school. The gifted teens who have never gotten less than an A go off to a competitive university, get their first B or worse, and end up committing suicide.

Children need to learn to deal with some disappointment and failure. They should learn when they are still at home with parents who can walk them through the situation and share examples of their own challenges. It is a failure in parenting not to teach your child how to deal with failure.

Children need acceptance, love, and positive regard. Children are resilient little beings. An occasional setback will not defeat them, but help them deal with challenges in the future. The best gift you can give them in life is unconditional love, a good set of values, and an accurate picture of their own capabilities. A good self-image, a realistic one, not a falsely inflated sense of self-esteem. Be real, be loving, and leave the self-esteem bandwagon behind.

Ordering high class medical uniform scrubs is a economical, wonderful present to your budget, yourself. We provide many functional, convenient uniforms and scrubs for all health workers.

There are 8 essential amino acids and 14 non-essential amino acids that are fabricated from the eight essential amino acids. From these 22 amino acids arranged varying specific chains all proteins are fabricated by the body.

Excluding water proteins, amino acids compose 75 percent of the human body. They are the primary constituent of our muscle, skin, hair and ultimately every fiber of our body.

What are the functions of proteins / amino acids?

Proteins include endocrine secretions, enzymes, components of structure, elements of the immune system, and are precursors to many important micro-molecules such as dopamine, nor epinephrine, seratonin, and many other substances critical to health and well being. Amino acids are intimately involved in metabolism and glandular activity. Their presence is mandatory for any glandular activity.

Amino acids are necessary for growth and cellular reproduction throughout the body. They control the pathway that allows hormones and enzymes to be released. They are the major constituent for muscle, blood, skin, and internal organs and are necessary for the function of glandular activity.

Amino acids are the most important chemicals substance known to life. Vitamins are complex proteins. DNA is a complex protein. Our individuality is determined by the particular amino acid composition of the DNA chain. Amino acids are the primary substance of all genetic material.

The human body has something like 50,000 parts composed of protein.

The proper functioning of the immune system is dependent on the presence of specific amino acids.

In addition to being the building blocks of structure amino acids in effect turn on and off the “chemicals switches” that control our metabolism and body function. Amino acids are involved in everything from our sense of thirst to how our brain functions. Messages from the brain that are sent to various body parts are chemical in nature and are called nuero-transmitters. These nuero transmitters are responsible for the complex messages and instructions that the brain sends to all body parts.

Our feelings of alertness, anger, anxiety, thirst, hunger and all other sensations and feelings that are controlled by the nuero-transmitters.

Proteins, amino acids, control everything from physical appearance to aging.

Plus proteins are a fuel, providing calories.

The effect of aging on protein assimilation, fabrication and cellular rejuvenation.

A natural and expected effect of aging is the decrease in function and effectiveness of body structures and tissues. The most obvious is our skin. Anyone in their 40s and ’50s can relate to changes in eye function. With aging the skin deteriorates and the function of the eye diminishes. These are the most obvious changes that can be and are noticed by most people. I am sure that each you can cite an individual who had young skin at 90 or perfect eye site at 80. These statistically are anomalies. We all have a unique genetic clock. But the truth is, ashes to ashes dust to dust, it’s just that some will be ashes and dust before their peers.

Glandular function, metabolic function, endocrine system function, immune system function, proteins synthesis, protein assimilation and most other body functions are similarly affected by aging.

The effect of this endocrine, structural and glandular demise can be compared to the telephone lines being down. The various parts of the body do not properly communicate with each other. The intracellular instructions are interrupted and body parts in effect become neurologically isolated from one another.

Messages that would normally prompt cellular rejuvenation are never sent or received. Consequently, cells grow old, losing natural healthiness. This process snowballs as we age.

What can be done to manipulate the genetic clock?

Advances in scientific techniques in medical technology have allowed the scientific/research community to do specific testing of aging. Advanced technologies such as micro-chemical analysis, electron microscopes plus computers have resulted in quantum leaps in information relating to body function and ageing.

Information that was unavailable even a few years ago is now common knowledge.

Research, and extensive testing, has documented that many effect of aging can be reversed through high-tech and specific nutritional supplementation.

Stimulating hormonal secretions through the use of DHEA, the mother hormone, and specific amino acids acting synergistically with other nutritional components to raise levels of HGH, human growth hormone.

Specific combinations of amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and other nutrients can slow or even reverse some of the effects of aging.

In scoliosis, the spine may bend noticeably to one side (“C” shaped) or both sides (“S” shaped). This can be seen when looking at a person from behind. In scoliosis, the spinal bones may also rotate or turn as they curve. This rotation turns the rib cage so that one side of the chest is higher than the other or sticks out further. When a person who has scoliosis bends forward, the ribs stick out and the spine curves sideways.

Most people, even those with visible spinal curvature, don’t need any treatment, but should continue to be seen by a doctor throughout their life to make sure the curve is not getting worse or is not causing other problems. Rarely, severe scoliosis can cause problems with the heart and breathing systems later in life. Some people, such as those who have curves in the low back (lumbar region), may have lifelong lower back pain. However, it is difficult to determine how much back pain is actually related to scoliosis.

In most cases, the cause of scoliosis in children and young adults is unknown. This is called idiopathic scoliosis. This type of scoliosis begins most often between the ages of 10 and 15 and worsens during a growth spurt. Scoliosis is seen more often in girls than in boys.

Uncommonly, babies can be born with scoliosis (congenital) or develop it during the very early months of their lives (infantile scoliosis). Scoliosis can also develop in an older adult, but it is often related to degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis or osteoporosis. In these people, the underlying disease is usually the focus of treatment.

One of the main issues of concern for parents of children with scoliosis is how the deformity affects a child or teenager’s already delicate self-esteem. This is one of the reasons why early detection is important. Understanding the illness, working closely with the healthcare team as well as school personnel, and encouraging the child to be active and social may minimize the effects of scoliosis on a child’s self-esteem.

Dr. Jay M. Gorell, of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and colleagues compared the smoking and alcohol drinking habits of 144 Parkinson’s disease patients with 464 people the same age that did not have the disease.

They found that the more years a person smoked, the less likely they were to develop Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder characterized by tremors, muscle rigidity, and difficulty walking.

For example, mild to moderate smokers were 41% less likely than never-smokers to have Parkinson’s disease, and heavy smokers were 91% less likely to have the disease. Moderate smokers were those that had less than 30 pack-years of smoking — a measure obtained by multiplying packs of cigarettes per day by the number of years of smoking.

Even past smokers appeared to be protected against Parkinson’s disease, according to a report in the January issue of Neurology.

Drinking, on the other hand, did not appear to affect the risk for Parkinson’s disease, with the exception that heavy drinking decreased, but did not eliminate, the protective effect of smoking.

Based on these and previous data, the researchers conclude that the “relationship between smoking and Parkinson’s disease is unlikely to be accounted for by bias or confounding.”

More study is needed to determine why smoking may protect against the neurological disorder. Such information could provide new insights into the factors that may cause Parkinson’s disease, the team concludes.

An Aventis spokesperson said granting the petition could have unintended public health and economic consequences.

Pfizer said it opposes WellPoint’s petition, but declined to elaborate.

Industry analysts said they did not think the FDA legally could force drugs over-the-counter without the companies’ support.

George Burditt, a food and drug lawyer at Bell, Boyd and Lloyd in Chicago, said the issue is a legal toss-up.

“It’s a close question,” he said. “There are good arguments on both sides.”

The courts may ultimately have to decide, if either WellPoint or the drug makers sue, Burditt added.

For Schering-Plough, Claritin is a $3 billion-a-year drug. Allegra is one of Aventis’ top products. Annual sales of Pfizer’s Zyrtec are in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Normally, keeping prescription status for products under patent helps maximize profits. Manufacturers wait to seek a switch until patents near expiration and generic competition looms, ING Barings analyst Sergio Traversa said.

With over-the-counter drugs, “you have to advertise more and they have lower prices, so there is definitely going to be a considerable loss of profitability” if the allergy drugs are switched, Traversa said.

Schering-Plough, struck by manufacturing problems that have delayed the launch of a Claritin successor, would be especially hard hit, he said. “I cannot see how Claritin, if it goes OTC, is as big as Claritin today in terms of profits.”

Analyst Ira Loss of Washington Analysis said all three drug makers would suffer if the FDA switches the drugs soon. “Pfizer has many years of patent life left, the same with Aventis,” he said.

A key question is who pays for the drugs, and which scenario is more costly, something the FDA will not examine.

With a switch, WellPoint said, overall costs to society would go down, partly from fewer car accidents and injuries to drowsy people taking current nonprescription alternatives.

Others, however, said out-of-pocket costs for the newer drugs may be higher than prescription co-payments, which would hurt people with insurance though providing the uninsured with access to the medicines.

“If you look at this within our healthcare delivery system as a whole,” said Larry Sasich of consumer group Public Citizen, “this is just another way of trying to shift costs back to consumers.”