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Archive for December, 2011

When you mention the term cat allergies, most people think of the sneezing and congestion of humans who are allergic to cats. However, 15-20% of our furry friends suffer from feline allergies.

Inhalants causing an allergic response may be pollen that cause the membranes of the nasal passages and the lungs to become irritated. Contact allergies are just what the sound like – and appear when the pet comes into contact with a material or substance he is sensitive to.

Some felines will have an allergic reaction to certain medications such as antibiotics. This can also include a reaction to anesthesia which can present a critical problem in a surgical situation. Food allergies are not a big problem for cats and when there is a reaction to a food it most often is to a grain or a dairy product rather than to preservatives in commercial pet food.

Flea allergies are the most common complaint of felines and their owners. The sensitivity to flea bites often increases as the cat ages. The immune response may be so severe that the pet’s entire body seems to be covered with irritated skin. Eliminating the fleas is the first priority and prednisone is often used to control a bad reaction. The prednisone may be in pill form or a fast acting injection.

When a cat’s immune system becomes overly sensitive to certain substances, an allergic reaction is the result. The substance may be one the cat has been exposed to for some time with no problem. For some reason, the feline system throws a switch and a formerly innocuous food or cleaning agent or pollen triggers an immune reaction. This is similar to adult onset allergies.

Symptoms are varied and can also be clues to other feline diseases. The most common symptoms are:

* Frequent sneezing or coughing
* Irritated, itchy skin
* Fur loss
* Runny eyes
* Severe itch at base of tail (symptom of flea allergy)
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Unusual noises such as snoring when sleeping
* Chewing at paws, swollen or tender paws
* Irritated ears or frequent ear infections
*
Food allergies often cause cats to scratch their necks and head and will cause digestive problems like vomiting and diarrhea. If the allergy is to a meat or grain and has been identified by your vet it is not enough to simply avoid that food product as any products containing that food will trigger a reaction.

The list of substances that can cause feline allergic reactions is almost identical to a list that might lead to the same results in the cat’s owner. That list would include:

* Pollen from grass, weeds, or trees
* Mold, dust and mildew pollens
* Food
* Fleas
* Flea control products
* Prescription medications
* Cleaning products (floor cleaners, in particular)
* Perfumes
* Cigarette smoke
* Fabric finishes
* Plastic materials

For a cat with a flea allergy, the bite of one single flea can trigger 2-3 weeks of itching and skin irritation. When flea allergy dermatitis is present in your cat, the only solution is total prevention of fleas. Topical flea medicines are best for cats with this problem. Frontline Plus, Advantage and Advantage Multi for cats and Revolution act to break the flea life cycle to keep your pet flea free.

Use unscented, dust free litter in your cat’s box as he may be sensitive to the chemicals in the scent and to the dust. Wash the pet’s bedding weekly and vacuum carpets, rugs, curtains and upholstered furniture to avoid dust that may be inhaled.

One recommendation is to bathe your cat once or twice a week. As any cat owner knows, most felines do not respond well to bathing. If baths are started when your pet is a young kitten, bathing will not be a problem. An alternative way to remove pollen and dust from the animal’s coat is a quick cleaning with unscented baby wipes.

Your cat does not have to suffer from feline allergies. Removing the source of the allergen, protecting your pet from nasty fleas and parasites and following your vet’s advice for treating the skin itch of allergies will add comfort to your cat’s life.

The diet solution program is created by Isabel De Los Rios. Isabel De Los Rios is a world known certified nutritionist and exercise specialist, that helped over 25,000 people around the world. Her program, The Diet Solution Program, is one of the most popular weight loss program that you can find online.

The Diet Solution Program will share with you everything that Isabel knows through her life’s work on everything related to nutrition, exercise, and optimum health and weight.

I have learned a lot through the content that Isabel shared. I realized that weight loss is all about habits (your eating habits, exercise habits, the attitude you have etc) It is about hard work and dedication. You do not look better by doing 20 push-ups and immediately have a good-looking body.

Her program will shared with you new long-term eating strategy-not modify your diet temporarily – by creating the best meal plan that suit you. We all know that there are a lot of programs out there that promised it is a ‘one-fit-all’ programs. It is possible that a program may suit you, if you do not find it hard to follow.

The Diet Solution Program is an easy to follow program as you get to choose healthy food that you enjoys and discovers great foods too. One of the biggest reasons that people failed to maintain the weight they lost is due to temptation of ‘comfort’ food that make people feel good. Once you have found the healthy alternative to the ‘snacking’ habit, it is easy to keep your ideal weight all the time.

Losing weight is not about giving up your favorite food like chocolates, wine etc. It is about fitting them into your meal plan, enjoying your favorite food while maintaining your weight and feeling great.

Of course, this program is not for you if you think The Diet Solution Program do not meet you goal of losing the excess weight near immediately. Losing weight at a fast rate is not optimum for your health. Heard of losing ‘water weight’? It may be the fastest way to lose that excess water weight, but it is not the healthiest method available. Losing weight fast does not mean it is harmless to the body. Of course, you might still choose it if you find it suit you best in your terms of achieving your short term goal.

Even though I am still on my way to achieving the ‘prefect’ body, I would say that I definitely feel more energetic by incorporating The Diet Solution Program into my lifestyle. Other programs I have look into have left me starving in order to achieve my ideal body. And in the end of the day, researches have shown that starvation not only slows your metabolism, and after you stop dieting, you may gain back even more weight as a result of grabbing all the food that you have missed out. Beside, starvation also causes fatigue, sluggishness, and hunger. Why opt for a diet that doesn’t make you feel healthy?

Dieting is not a piece of cake. ~Author Unknown

Illness brings changes to our loved ones. You can expect your family member with cancer to go through physical changes and emotional ones as well. You may be expecting some of these changes. For example, the doctor may explain to you that chemotherapy can cause hair loss and weight loss. You may not be as prepared for some of the emotional changes you might see. Your loved one may be depressed or irritable and they may withdraw from you altogether. All of these reactions are normal, and it’s important to remember that each person deals with challenges differently.

As the person who has cancer changes, this is likely to cause strong emotions for you. This person you love is going through a challenging time, and it is likely to have an impact on the way they look and behave.

To see a parent aging before your eyes can be an uncomfortable experience. A beloved partner who no longer wants to be held or caressed because touch is uncomfortable can make you feel like they have rejected your love. If a favourite uncle turns from cheerfulness to complaining, it can seem as though you have lost the real person already. Don’t deny the feelings that come up for you. Notice how you feel, and admit when you find it hard. Ways for dealing with the feelings you find vary from person to person, but can include sharing them with a friend, writing a journal or meditation.

Try as well to remember that the real person is still there inside what you see. When we look at someone we don’t only see what’s on the surface. It has been said that the eyes are the windows of the soul – so you see much of the real person in their eyes. So remember to look for the real person underneath the changes. Perhaps then you will find your emotions easier to deal with.

Bear in mind that some of the physical changes your loved one undergoes may be temporary, as they could be reactions to medications or the physical strain that comes with undergoing treatment. If the changes are temporary, remember that you’ll likely see them rebound later in the treatment cycle.

Emotional changes can be more difficult to accept, since you may want to help your loved one, but may not know how, or your help may not be accepted. In some cases, the person who has cancer may just need some time to accept the situation. In other cases, you may be able to offer support and help them work through the emotions that are causing the changes.

A diagnosis of cancer is a blow. It can wreak havoc on a person’s body and their mind. These blows can cause all sorts of changes; some of them will be temporary and some may be permanent. Offer the support that you can and maintain patience as your loved one adjusts to the changes in their life. Remember that the person you’ve loved all along is still there.

I wanted to put together some healthy living tips, all on one page, they range from exercise to eating habit tips. I realize there are a lot of fitness and healthy living advice out there, so I have listed all my favourite tips here.

Drink plenty of water The experts normally recommend about 6 – 8 medium size glasses a day, and more if you have been exercising or when the weather is very hot. Water helps to remove waste from the body, your body uses water to regulate your body temperature and allows nutrients to travel to vital organs. Also drinking lots of water and keeping your body and skin hydrated helps to fight the signs of aging.
Exercise Do some form of exercise everyday, you could do a controlled workout 3 times a week for 30 minutes, and on the other days you could just go for a walk, or do some light exercises at home.
Stop eating 2 hours before bed time This can be very important, if you’re eating just before you go bed, those calories are not going to get burnt off, but if you must eat something make sure it’s a high protein low carbohydrate snack, especially good if you are looking to build muscle.
Don’t go crazy What I mean by this is, don’t get crazy with your workouts, training 2 or 3 hours a day everyday, it doesn’t take this much effort unless you’re a professional athlete. Be patient it will take time to get results, that’s just the way it is.
High protein – Low carbs High protein foods help to build muscle, they fill you up better, and the calories from high protein foods are burnt off quicker.
Food alternatives Look for healthier options in your current diet, for example, switch from white bread to brown, white rice to brown rice, replace ice cream with yogurt, skimmed milk, low fat spreads instead of butter.
Eat smaller meals Eating smaller meals will help prevent bloating, and make you feel more active, plus it will help to keep your stomach size down. Eating regular smaller meals also tells your body that you’re getting enough nutrients and that it doesn’t need to store fat.
Don’t stave yourself You will be depriving your body of nutrients, and slow your metabolism and therefore reducing your bodies ability to burn calories. Starving yourself could also cause harm to your organs.

I have given you a list of good healthy living tips, these will take time to have an effect, try to focus on being healthy more than being slim.

Can’t figure out which type of diet program to go on? Don’t want to get stuck with a low-carb program, low-fat program, low-calorie program, a prepackaged meal program, or some other type of crazy diet? Well, in this article here I’m going to first talk to you about what I learned about those aforementioned diets, and I’m also going to talk to you about the 3 types of diets that I personally have found to be the absolute most effective programs for losing stubborn pounds of body fat… FOR ANYONE (age, gender, current weight, activity level, etc.)!

Firstly, This Is What I Learned About The Most Popular Diets…

The most popular diets (reducing carbs, fats, and calories, or those prepackaged meal programs) is that for one, they are incredibly expensive. Secondly, they are all unnatural. Thirdly, prepackaged meal programs are unhealthy for you because a lot of those foods are processed and have preservatives in them!

Now to explain a little further, reducing carbs will cause issues with your digestive system and your energy levels. Reducing fats is not a good idea, because you need healthy fat in order to effectively lose weight and protect your heart. Reducing calories is okay, but with these types of diets, they want you to SIGNIFICANTLY reduce calories… and this will do nothing but slow your metabolism down (and you DEFINITELY don’t want that to happen)!

Here Are The Types Of Diet Programs I (And MANY Others) Have Found To Be The Most Effective…

Before I talk about those 3 highly effective programs, please understand that the significance of your weight loss with these programs will also be determined by the amount and type of exercising you do, if you’re drinking plenty of water, and getting an adequate amount of rest as well.

1.) All Natural Diet – First up is the all natural diet. This type of diet is exactly as it sounds. You do nothing but eat normal healthy foods and do normal and effective exercise routines. That’s it. No strict reductions of calories or nutrients. This type of dieting is very simple, very effective, and very affordable. The only catch is that it takes more time to lose weight. You can typically lose about 5-10 pounds a month with this type of diet… naturally. I recommend this for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of weight (such as only 10 pounds) to lose.

2.) All Natural Diet With “Special” Cheating – Next up is again an all natural diet… but with a twist. This type of dieting involves mixing in cheat days strategically. Programs that are based around this will have you eating normal foods, but on certain days, you will eat cheat foods (in a special way). This may sound improbable, but, it has been proven by many professionals that this type of dieting will really help boost your metabolism. You can typically lose about 10-20 pounds a month with this type of program since it helps increase your metabolism. I recommend this for anyone who needs to lose weight.

3.) All Natural Diet Based On Skyrocketing Your Metabolism – Lastly is a diet that I went on myself, and that would be an all natural diet based on boosting your metabolic rate. This type of diet is extremely effective and very simple to do. You for one get to choose the foods that YOU like from a selection list. Then the program will generate for you a customized menu. All you need to do at this point is follow the menu program.

What’s so great about this type of diet is that you will actually be boosting your metabolism and raising your bodies fat burning hormones simply by eating the foods exactly as it is laid out for you in your custom menu program. Your metabolism is increased because the types of nutrients and the amount of calories you will be eating are rotated around in special patterns. This trick will prevent your metabolism from becoming complacent. Because of this, it has no choice but to raise to the highest point… constantly. You can typically lose about 20-25 pounds a month with this program (I lost 25… and then ultimately 52 pounds in 8 weeks). I recommend this diet also for anyone.

So, if you want to find that perfect diet program, I recommend you look for one based on one of the 3 all natural types mentioned above.