Dogs and Hip Dysplasia

Family No Comments
by Mike Roberts

A fairly common degenerative disease in dogs, canine hip dysplasia, is often misunderstood. Many mistakenly think that the ailment is a form of arthritis, but that is simply not the case. Often, dogs that suffer from hip dysplasia will develop arthritis, but this condition is a result of hip dysplasia and not the disease itself.

The condition is most common in mid to large size dogs that grow rapidly and can be a source of severe pain and limited mobility for the animal. Even when detected early, there is no “cure” for hip dysplasia; it must be treated with medication to reduce the amount of pain that the dog suffers or be corrected as much as possible with surgery.

Hip Dysplasia Explained

Hip dysplasia is essentially an abnormal formation of the hip joint. This formation causes looseness in the joint that causes an array of problems for the dog. The most common results of hip dysplasia include pain and lack of mobility. Dogs that are severely affected can not move their hindquarters at all. There are many degrees of dysplasia; they range from only the slightest abnormalities in the connection of the joint to complete dislocation of the femur from the hip socket.

Causes Hip Dysplasia?

Hip dysplasia is primarily caused by genetics. If one or both parent animals carry a genetic trait for hip dysplasia, it will be passed on to their offspring. Genetic conditions and their likelihood of being passed on are measured in terms of “heritability factoring.” Something that is determined completely by genetics, like eye color or gender, is considered to have a heritability factor of 1, indicating that the condition is 100% genetic. A condition that has absolutely nothing to do with genetics, like a sprained ankle, has a heritability factor of 0.

Scientists have determined that hip dysplasia carries a heritability factor between .25 and .85, meaning that there is a 25% to 85% chance that the condition is genetic in origin. While injuries to a young pup - incurred before or after birth - can cause the condition, almost all hip dysplasia is passed on genetically.

How is Hip Dysplasia Treated?

As stated earlier, there is no “cure” for hip dysplasia. Medication can be given to control the pain and reduce inflammation of the joint, but the only way to treat the condition on any permanent basis is through surgery. The best way to combat hip dysplasia is through selective breeding. If the either of the potential parent animals show traits of hip dysplasia, they should not be bred and should be spayed or neutered to ensure they do not pass on the trait.

All breeding dogs should be X-Rayed at a young age to check for signs of the condition. Many times a dog that appears perfectly healthy and has no signs of the condition can actually have hip dysplasia.

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Can Hair Loss Result From The Use of Birth Control?

Health No Comments
by C. Gray

Since the 60’s women have been using the birth control pills for pregnancy prevention. The FDA approved the use of the birth control pill for this purpose and women found that it was better to take a pill to prevent pregnancy but they also found that it regulated periods as well as clear up acne on their faces and minimize cramping associated with menstrual periods.

Birth control pills have the same type of natural hormones that the body already makes; estrogen and progestin. These hormones play hold a very important role by providing balance to women’s hormonal system. You should always expect some type of side effect result from the use of birth control pills.

There have been several different side effects associate with those who take the birth control pill. These side effects can be mild to severe and can cause several difficult problems. Hair loss is one of the many side effects of birth control pills. If you have a family history of female pattern baldness or thinning hair you may want to consider this when starting the birth control pill.

You should talk to your doctor and find out what your options are in relation to taking birth control pills, as some birth control methods have less hormone levels in the actual dosages. Typically,your doctor will recommend that you start on a low dose birth control pill. Your doctor may even recommend a non hormonal birth control pill for those with a family history of hair loss.

If you have a high potential of hair loss you may want to avoid the following type of birth control:

-Hormone injections - These injections contain progestin to prevent you from ovulating at all.

-Skin patch - This patch can be worn on your body and it continually releases the hormones progestin and estrogen into the body at a low dose

-Implants - This is where a device that contains progestin is implanted into the body. This device is programmed to repeatedly release a regulated dose of progestin into the body. This in turn inhibits a woman to ovulate.

Monitoring you hair loss while using birth control is important in determining when an alternative birth control is needed in order to stop the hair loss. Discuss all the alternatives with your doctor prior to starting any kind of birth control regimen. If hair loss is not genetic in your family, the birth control pill may be tolerable without the side effect of female hair loss.

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Marketing Degrees

Marketing No Comments
by Fabian Toulouse

Marketing is an innovative field that encompasses sales, advertising, and promotion. Effective educational institutions invest time and energy in teaching the theoretical foundations and procedures for building a brand, applying consumer buying behaviors to promotional campaigns, analyzing population segments, developing effective ad campaigns, selecting the right media, managing customer relationships, organizing public relations and more. Marketing specialists enjoy a fast-paced, exciting career that involves making strategic, creative decisions.

Marketing specialists are frequently required to travel often and are subjected to severe deadlines. Typical responsibilities include extensive demographic research, public relations, sales, product development, and interactive marketing. The intense natures of both domestic and global competition are expected to foster the growth of marketing fields, including related fields like advertising, promotions, public relations, and sales. This growth is projected to increase well through 2014.

The possible career paths available to marketing specialists include: advertising account executive, creative director, marketing manager, event show coordinator, product manager, media buyer or planner, marketing communications manager, or public relations director. Courses in business law, management, economics, accounting, and mathematics are all considered beneficial, if not required, for successful marketing students. Many managers prefer marketing candidates to have at least a bachelor’s degree in ether advertising or journalism.

Advanced studies for marketing specialists should embrace classes in consumer behavior, market research, sales, communication, even visual arts, art history, and photography. For some public relations candidates, companies have been known to ask for a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree in journalism or public relations. A good number of marketing positions are filled by internal company promotions as the skills necessary to effectively market goods and campaigns are developed over time, especially in conjunction with corporate mentorships. Smaller firms may well promote slowly, as there are a limited number of marketing positions.

Successful marketing candidates should be comfortable and proficient with word processors and database applications, like Excel. Indeed, strong computer skills are vital to marketing success. Indeed, many marketing strategies are web-based and incorporate online marketing campaigns. Additionally, candidates who can utilize and understand foreign languages will have no trouble finding positions at marketing firms. Cities with large Spanish-speaking populations are particularly eager for bi-lingual marketing candidates.

Success for marketing students is a matter of time and effort. Candidates who are highly motivated, flexible, decisive, and thrive in stressful situations will be well-suited for this booming field. Tact, good judgment, and phenomenal inter-personal skills are indispensible to securing a bright, lucrative future.

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Plastic Surgery for Stretch Mark: Is It For You?

Health No Comments
by Maia Pells

When it comes to getting rid of stretch marks, there are several options. One is plastic surgery for stretch marks. If you want to avoid experiencing a lot of pain or ending up with more scars than before you got your marks treated then choosing one out of the three minimally invasive surgeries can be your solution to a scars free skin.

Chemical Peels

Chemical Peeling - Chemical peeling is a method which involves the application of a chemical solution on the skin. The chemicals strip off the dead skin cells to make way for new and healthy skin. The new skin is usually smoother and more even in color. This makes chemical peels an effective yet minimally invasive plastic surgery for stretch marks.

There are different types of acids used in chemical peeling. The commonly used chemicals are glycolic, trichloracetic, lactic, and salicylic acids. Light or mild peels only penetrate into the surface of the skin. This kind of peel gives what they call a “freshening” effect and the patient will experience only a sunburn-like redness after every procedure. But more often than not, a series of procedures will be required and sometimes the strength of the acids is increased but this is dictated by the tolerance level of the skin. The redness that results from a mild peeling can be easily covered up with make-up.

The medium type of peels penetrate much deeper and has more effect on the skin. The patient will feel more of burning sensation after the procedure and the skin will need a week of healing and minimal sun exposure. With this type of procedure, there is a possibility of swelling and some blistering that may crust and turn brown but this will peel off after a week or so. The deep kind of peels penetrate even deeper into the dermis and can sometimes be a risky process. Some doctors would rather utilize laser technology than perform deep chemical peels.

Laser Surgery

The Cost - The cost and pain that accompanies laser stretch mark removal has gone down in recent years. This method uses a controlled beam of light that focuses on the affected areas to break down scar tissues. The lasers also stimulate new collagen growth. The new collagen works to thicken and plump the skin so that new skin cells can fill up stretch marks from the bottom up.

Varied Results - Not all stretch marks are the same and the effectiveness of laser surgery will depend on a number of things. These factors can include the age and severity of stretch marks. A person’s genes and hormones can also affect the results of the treatment. There is proof that laser surgery is more effective when used on fresher scars. Some people combine other methods with laser therapy to get better results.

Dermabrasion

Another minimally invasive plastic surgery for stretch marks is dermabrasion. This quick procedure has some success in treating stretch marks. It only takes a few minutes per procedure but the patient will need more than one session to see results. The skin is frozen first then a specialized instrument is used to “sand” the skin. This abrasive action removes the area of the skin with visible stretch marks showing only the “new” skin which has no stretch marks on it. The now smooth skin is usually pink but gradually fades over a six to eight week period. However, the patient is advised to avoid any direct or indirect sun exposure for the next three to six months after the procedure. If the treated area is exposed to the sun, this will cause temporary or worse, permanent darkening of the skin.

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Pet Food Allergies? Check What’s In The Bag

Family No Comments
by Rebecca Foxton

Dogs, like their human companions, can have allergies to different varieties of food. Many times, the problem is that their bodies can’t handle the corn or wheat in the food, which can often show up as colitis.

A dog experiencing dog food allergies may exhibit any of the following: Vomiting bile or blood, poor appetite, diarrhea and blood in the stools, itching, dry coat and skin, chronic or recurrent ear infections, hair loss, excessive scratching, hot spots, skin infections, increased bowel movements and any other abnormal behavior.

If you’re worried that your dog may have a food allergy or intolerance to a particular food, you should test to ensure that the food is what’s causing the problem. Other issues, such as parasites or infections, can cause similar symptoms.

It may mean that you avoid all commercial brands and stick to a homemade style dog food recipe of protein and carbohydrate, of which you can control exactly what goes into it.

The matter is further complicated because there are many additives in dog food, and it may be one of these which is causing the allergy rather than a certain kind of meat or grain.

Common allergy-causing foods for dogs are beef, dairy products, chicken, wheat, chicken eggs, corn, and soy. But these are the most common ingredients in dog foods!

You bet, and there is a correlation. The problem may have been caused by overuse of particular foods, like with humans who are lactose intolerant.

Rice and lamb are common among many of the new recipes which have been formulated to be non-traditional dog feeds; hence dogs do not build up intolerance during this period.

These may not actually be the solution to treating an intolerance though, as many of these brands contain soy, egg etc., so check the ingredients.

As more and more dogs are diagnosed with allergic reactions, many pet foods are marketed as hypoallergenic. Keep in mind that like any other thing, some dog food recipes may work well for you dog, and others may not be right for him at all. Take these only as guidelines.

Be prepared to compare dog food brands extensively, since one thing to consider is that many “healthy” dog foods may still cause allergies in your dog if they contain that trigger ingredient. Even human grade dog food might still be causing your dog stomach problems.

An intolerance to wheat or dairy contained in dog foods, natural and high quality though they may be, will still cause the end result, just as it does in humans. Canine skin problems are another sign that your dog may have an allergy.

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Migraine : What Is a Migraine Attack

Health No Comments
by Ray Lam

Unlike normal headaches that many of us suffer with, a migraine is often a hereditary complaint that starts when someone is still in childhood. Most suffers will go to bed as the headache (usually on one side) takes hold and which could last a matter of a few hours but if left without attention, could last for days. Almost all sufferers will complain of exhaustion and a feeling of weakness that takes some time to pass.

Some sufferers only experience only one attack per year whereas for someone who is liable to frequent attacks, this in the range of one or two every month. Certain symptoms are common for many sufferers including a problem with bright lights, sometimes even dull light, in addition to flu like chills and lightheadedness. Migraine is most prevalent in people between the ages of ten to forty years old; almost no cases are recorded after the age of 50.

Whilst family groups are known to share attacks, so far there has been a problem finding a genetic trait that links certain family members to migraines; even though there may be a link, so far it has eluded medical science. There is a condition that causes an inflammation of blood vessels in the brain and it is possible that people who suffer have sensitivity in this area. More women suffer from attacks and they comprise 75 percent of reported cases; only about eight percent of men will have an attack in their lives so it is very much a condition that affects women.

A number of people have a warning when they are about to have an attack which is called migraine with aura which can be anywhere between ten minutes to half an hour before the actual attack. The warning signs may include:

*Nausea is very common *Vision is affected *Strange sounds or smell *Lack of sensation in sufferers extremities

these are the most commonly experienced symptoms. However, the condition that’s most common is a migraine without aura where the pain increases in one area of the head; these victims have no warning, but the symptoms can also be intensified if they move to much.

At the moment the theory that blood vessels leading to the brain become narrower and affect the nerves is the closest science has come to discovering the cause of migraines. It might be that it is the expansion of the blood vessels afterwards that causes the headache; most victims become unable to do anything for some time after the attack. The range of possible triggers that create an attack is huge; the most common are listed below:

*Weather patterns *Particular foodstuffs *Height *Certain groups of drink *Bright lights *Not enough food *Tension

Only by carefully documenting everything that was going on prior to the attack can the victim hope to find out what starts the attacks off.

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The secret to Improve Your Metabolism

Health No Comments
by Ramu

Fitness offers us the opportunity of a full life with more confidence, energy and ability. The combination of good nutrition and physical fitness and the third component, emotional balance, all makes for a better quality of life.

Fat loss can be achieved by restricting the number of calories you eat, but the other important factor in weight control is the amount of exercise that you do and the effect that exercise has on your metabolism. Start to regard movement and physical effort as a privilege each time you climb stairs or walk instead of drive, garden, clean, carry items , or play with children rather than watching them. The accumulation of all these small bursts of energy throughout the day will make a big difference to your total activity during a week. Genetic or medical causes of obesity are very rare. However, some people do eat large amounts and remain slim while others, particularly long-term dieters and those who are inactive, still struggle to control their weight.

Our energy output increases during exercise, but exercise also speeds up the metabolic rate at which we burn off calories for up to 24 hours after activity. Exercise also increases the amount of muscle mass in the body, and the more muscle mass you have the more calories you use up. Muscle burns up energy 24 hours a day, whereas fat is relatively inactive metabolically-it just sits there doing very little.

Exercise vs Calories burned: Every type of activity burns calories, but the amount burned depends on how long, how hard, and how often the activity is performed. Aerobic exercise combined with body conditioning exercises is the optimum way to achieve fat loss, increase muscular strength and endurance and improve your metabolic rate. It is a common misconception that using weights results in over-sized muscles look. In fact, one feels leaner and firmer with increase in strength. The bones also become stronger and heavier with exercise, so weighing yourself without measuring your dimensions is misleading.

It might be a physical demand, such as running for a bus or catching a child from a fall, or it may be a mental challenge such as working through the night to meet a deadline. Physical activity will actually keep you mentally alert and help you cope with stress and depression.A raised metabolic rate and increased muscle mass offers more benefits, too. Exercise boosts the immune system, improves memory, regulates appetite and moods, and encourages fat loss. It gives us the ability to respond to any sudden demands made on us without causing damage to our bodies.

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Important Warning Signs of an Eating Disorder

Health No Comments
by Kim Archer

Some girls are perfectly content with their bodies, but there are others who are never satisfied. There is much more to it than self-loathing; there are many reasons someone might be more likely to have an eating disorder.

Gender is an issue. Eating disorders are more common in women than in men, but there has been a dramatic increase in the number of boys and young men who have developed the same eating disorders that their female peers experience; both anorexia and bulimia are seen.

Your age is another consideration. No one is impervious to having an eating disorder - they can even arise at some point in middle age. But most commonly, the problem starts much sooner, usually in adolescence or your early twenties.

Another factor is having someone who is close to you who has an eating disorder. For instance, if a family member or a close friend suffers from an eating disorder, your risk rises. This is counterintuitive but has been shown by studies to be the case.

A person who has a mental disorder such as an OCD can also suffer an eating disorder, as controlling food and eating is another way to control the world around them. Similarly, there is an increased rate of eating disorders in women suffering from depression or anxiety.

Another risk factor is having a fixation with exercise. If you’re overdoing it at the gym or you participate in competitive athletics, then you could be more likely to develop an eating disorder because you incorrectly think that depriving your body of food will improve your performance.

Of course, peer and family pressure is a big factor in the development of eating disorders. Our peers have a deep effect on the way we see ourselves. Criticism from the people around us related to our bodies can actually cause the development of eating disorders, even if in jest.

If you happen to fall into any of the above categories, you should take steps to ensure that you won’t fall victim to an eating disorder - or if you already suffer from one, prevent the condition from worsening. Ask your doctor what a healthy weight is for your body type and how best to maintain it.

If those around you are criticizing you destructively, try building your confidence by socializing with people who don’t criticize you unnecessarily.

Don’t get caught up in the fantasy of looking like a supermodel off the cover of Vogue magazine; it is far better to focus on becoming a beautiful person on the inside. Advances in technology allow the editors to remove imperfections from these beautiful models (who are, understandably, grateful).

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Web Hosting Services Are Not Created Equally

Web Hosting No Comments
by Vida Humphreys

There are a great many services available; you even have free hosting where you won’t have to spend a single dime, this is ideal for absolute beginners. However, if you’re planning to expand you should shift to a paid service as free web hosting only gives you limited space and sub-domains for your site. There will be a large number of companies offering paid hosting but the prices do vary and this is usually down to how much is actually supplied as part of the package; any confusion is normally quite easy to overcome by using one of the internet comparison sites that are becoming very popular.

You may settle for a shared server (where you share your space with other website owners) and it is a good tip is to go for the shared hosting first. When the need for more space and security is required then a dedicated server at extra cost can be used. However, all this is academic if you haven’t registered a domain name that you can use in conjunction with the web hosting and to send your files to. All companies will allocate a certain amount of space for your website and any other files required to be stored there (photos and MP3 tracks, for example) and this can be anything from 500Mb or more, depending on the host and package you are paying for.

In the early days you may be quite happy to have your files on a server which is shared by many others while you try their hosting services. Once you are comfortable with the service level then it might be worth upgrading to a dedicated server. However, all this is academic if you haven’t registered a domain name that you can use in conjunction with the web hosting and to send your files to. A file is anything that is stored on the server and can include images, documents, programs, video or audio files, in fact anything that can be stored digitally; prices for storage continue to fall so limits are constantly rising.

If you have your own domain name, this allows for your own email address without another company (Google for example) having their name as part of the address; this is another benefit of paid web hosting. It always looks like the user is more serious about their internet presence if they have their own email and domain name, it increases credibility. The more information that is transferred from your website over the internet, the more bandwidth is used so it is important if you have a great deal of information stored to ensure you have a hosting package that will easily cater for your bandwidth usage.

If you have a busy website and you have a low bandwidth allocation then there will be times when potential visitors will be disappointed as they will not be able to access your site until the allocation has been re-set. Of course this won’t matter if you only have a basic website but as soon as you start adding large images, audio tracks, video footage and other big files, your bandwidth will be used up very quickly. You may have your own web host in your PC, but that can be too risky; the best option is to settle for paid web hosting, even if you’re new to the internet.

Exchange Traded Fund Timing and Rotation

Finance No Comments
by Martin Williams

With so many exchange traded funds available now, it has become possible to maximize investment return by creating a strategy that rotates assets between exchange traded funds - such a technique can permit a trader to find sectors that are increasing in price no matter what the current market climate is.

Index ETFs that Cover Large Market Sectors

Index ETFs were introduced about 20 years ago to track the broader stock market indexes such as the famous Dow Industrials and the index tracking etf, SPY which tracks the S&P 500 Index. These exchange traded funds generally follow the major indexes and are fairly less volatile (move less in each direction) than other more specific sector and country ETFs.

More Specific Sector ETFs

Such ETFs as OIL (oil), GLD (gold) and SHY (short term bonds), allow a system to be developed that seeks to find which narrow market segment is likely to outperform in the near term and to move the assets in the system into such narrow segment until a better candidate is found. These ETFs provide some of the benefits of diversification that ETFs generally enjoy, while allowing some of the volatility that investing in narrow segments can enjoy also. These ETFs are specific enough to ensure that at least some of the market segments will move up no matter what phase of the economic cycle the economy is in. Thus, sector rotation strategies that can give great returns are now possible without investing in individual stocks.

Specific sectors can, of course, move dramatically within a short period of time - making selection of the proper exchange traded fund critical to any ETF rotation strategy.

ETFs that Cover Specific Countries or Regions

ETFs in recent years have been created for very specific country indexes -there are country specific ETFs for countries (or regions) as small as Hong Kong, South Africa and even Belgium. These country specific ETFs allow the investor to devise a rotation strategy that moves into the “hot” region and then out again when another region is poised to outperform. The last type of ETF that is useful for creating sector rotation strategies are the country or region specific ETFs.

Exchange Traded Fund Timing and Rotation Strategies - provide vast opportunities for great return for the aggressive investor.

Exchange Traded Funds exist that cover almost every part of the world’s markets - aggressive traders and investors have a whole world of opportunities (literally) to profit from.

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