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In simple terms, psychosomatic pain is pain that is “in the mind” only and not in response to e.g. a sharp object or inflammation.

Before we even look at this further, there is a lot of evidence to support the idea that our own brains can trick us.

Evidence

In hypnosis, pain can either be created out of nothing or even relieved. This can happen regardless of any external stimulus.

All drugs are tested in double-blind placebo trials because it is a well known fact that many people take a pill and actually cure themselves, rather than the drug being responsible.

There are a great many illnesses that are made worse or even exist in the first place depending on how anxious the patient is.

Examples

You may have a recurrent pain that you get maybe once per year in the same part of the body. It could be entirely meaningless. I would always advise you to investigate it first, just in case, but there are many cases of people who sometimes get strange pains for absolutely no reason.

More commonly, psychomatic pain is seen in people who have anxieties, especially those who are anxious about their health. The fear of the pain is seen to cause the problem to be self fulfilling, even if there is no root problem that is causing the pain.

Treatment

Again, I must reiterate that any pain that you are worried about should be investigated by your doctor.

There are some people who have chronic pain for which there is no explanation and the investigation reveals nothing. In these cases, there are 2 approaches.

One is to take pain relieving drugs or treatments such as analgesics. Anti-inflammatories are unlikely to have any effect.

The other is to try and address the mental issue. There are many approaches to this such as hypnosis, antidepressant drugs and therapy.

Here is a basic laser hair removal guide. A lot of people are talking about the laser but will it work for you and what are the results like?

Do You Qualify?

The first thing to ask is if you are suitable for laser hair removal treatment.

Unfortunately, because of the way that it works it is only available to people with dark hair and a light complexion.

It cannot be used by people with blonde, red or grey hair. Also, if your skin color is very similar to your hair color (equally dark) then I would not recommend this treatment. In the next section, you will see why.

How It Works

This treatment works by destroying the hair follicle. Like in electrolysis, if the hair follicle is destroyed then you will cease to grow hairs.

The follicle is destroyed by the heat and light of the laser which is attracted to dark pigmentation. This is why you can only use it if you have dark hair. It is also why you shouldn’t use it if you have dark skin or your skin will burn!

The Treatment Process

The laser itself is housed in a handheld device which the technician slowly passes over the desired area. With each treatment about 30% of the follicles are destroyed, therefore you must come back for repeat treatments.

How many you need depends on the color of your hair and your skin and how easily you tan. But typically you might need between 4 and 8 sessions.

Also, you need to wait about 3 weeks between sessions to allow the treated hair to shed and for the skin to recover.

The Results

After several sessions, the effects of this treatment are permanent. You will also find that, before the course of treatment is completed, that the regrowing hairs are lighter and finer.

Precautions

Do not get yourself a sun tan between sessions as your skin will be very sensitive and prone to burning.

Discover how celebrities remove unwanted hair easily and painlessly here: The Ultimate Hair Removal Guide.

Want to know how to quit smoking cannabis? In this article, I want to give you a starting point that you can use to become “weed free”.

No Judgements

When looking for ways to quit cannabis, you don’t need to hear people say “quit your illegal habit” or any judgemental diatribe. Don’t worry, I won’t judge you.

Plan First

Before you quit you need to be prepared.

First of all, you’re going to have a lot of free time in which to be more productive. I highly recommend that you start a new hobby that demands a degree of mental ability.

What you’ll find is that very soon you’ll have no desire to smoke cannabis anymore and you’ll look back and be so happy that you now have so much free time to dedicate to something productive.

One example which may sound unorthodox is to learn how to make money online. I do this myself and I used to smoke a lot of cannabis on most days. Now I look back and I wish I had stopped earlier. In fact, my friend even calls me for a joint and I have to decline him!

But the main thing is to choose a hobby that demands some mental concentration and could not be enjoyed while under the influence.

Throw Out Your Paraphernalia

Sure, it is easy enough to find the materials to smoke smoke some cannabis. But you should at least get rid of everything in your house if you are going to quit smoking cannabis. I’m talking here about ashtrays, bongs, pipes, rolling papers and the like.

Get rid of them because you won’t need them anymore.

Remember That Reality Provides The Best Highs

You know it already but when you go on a huge smoking streak of several days and weeks you get really used to it. Cannabis has natural antidepressive properties so you just seem to breeze through the working day without a care for anything.

You get home and smoke a fat one and relax.

And then you run out of weed and really badly need some more.

Just remember that you don’t need cannabis to enjoy a healthy and enjoyable life to the full. The best high is to get the most out of life itself. Reality is the best high!

The longer you stay on cannabis the longer you delay getting the best out of real life!

Discover a method of how to quit smoking cannabis with a 100% success rate: Cannabis Coach.

Here are 5 great tips for building muscles quickly.

Work To Failure

The first thing you should know is that you need to be tired after a workout. If you do a few reps and you could easily do 5 more then you are not going to build any muscle.

All of the gains come in those last couple of reps that are the most difficult.

During these reps, your muscles work beyond what they expect and they will feel sore the next day. It’s during this repair process that you will make the big gains.

So make sure that your last rep really counts and you can’t do any more.

Between 8 and 12 Reps Per Set

This is the ideal amount of reps to do before a small rest and starting again.

If you can only do say 4 reps then you are overloading your muscles and they won’t get enough of a workout.

If you can easily do 20 reps then you’re not using enough weight.

Get Enough Protein

You need protein in your diet to help the repair process and build muscles quickly.

You can get this from lean meat, fish, eggs and other foods.

But the easiest way is to use a whey protein shake. Don’t wrack your brain wondering where else you might get protein, just take the shake!

Get Enough Rest

Your muscles need about a day to rest and repair properly.

But if you are determined to work out every day then you still can. Just don’t work the same muscle groups for 2 days in a row.

Free Weights

You can build muscle using machines. But very few bodybuilders use them for a couple of reasons.

First of all, it is easy to “cheat” with a machine and use muscles that you are not intending to work, to help you.

Also, free weights will use several muscle groups at once (compounding) and this is considered a better way to work out compared to machines.

Claim your FREE 10 Fast Muscle Gain video coaching lessons here: VinceDelMonteFitness.

Learning transcendental meditation is easier or harder than you might think, depending on your point of view.

What Is Transcendental Meditation?

TM, as it is also known, was invented in 1958 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and introduced to the western world.

Although it has its roots in Hinduism, it is a completely non-religious form of meditation.

The key ingredient of this form of meditation is the repetition of a mantra and blocking out of everything else. After a short while, one is said to be in a higher state with more clarity - hence the term “transcendental”.

How Can I Learn It?

Strangely, TM is actually a trademark and to learn the official version, you must pay of the order of $1,000 to receive your “personal mantra” and attend a couple of sessions.

However, there is nothing to stop you learning how to do it on your own, an unofficial version if you will. When all is said and done, TM is just another form of “mantra meditation” of which there are many.

First You Need A Mantra

Before you start, you need a mantra. A mantra is just a meaningless sound that you can repeat or chant that will allow you to divert your mind from distractions and focus on clearing your mind.

The typical starting mantra is simply “Om”. To get an idea for how it sounds, check out the video below:

Try It For Yourself

Don’t worry about advanced mantras. Some experienced meditators will look like they are almost singing a poem. Just start with the basic “Om” first and do 10 minutes a day.

You won’t experience enlightenment the first time you do it. But with practice you may learn a lot about yourself and you will get closer to your moment of clarity.

The Benefits

As you get better at this, TM or any meditation for that matter, is supposed to make you feel much more relaxed. Your brain can be seen to be entering a very deep state, similar to sleep. TM is also claimed to have vast biological anti-aging properties although, in my opinion, these must be very limited or else you could live forever!

Whatever the claims, there are definite benefits, even if they may be difficult to quantify scientifically.

Claim your free 10 minute audio sample to enter an altered state of consciousness here: Binaural Frequency Harmonics.

What is the cause of asthma?

The Difference Between Causes And Triggers

It’s very important not to get confused between the two as they are very different.

A cause is the original underlying reason. A trigger is simply an environmental factor that can activate asthmatic symptoms. Now that we know this, let’s take a closer look.

Cause Of Asthma

The simple truth is that nobody knows exactly what causes asthma in the first place or why cases are rising all the time. But if we look around us and look at the data then we can see some trends.

First of all, cases have shot up in recent years. 30 years ago when I was at school, perhaps 10% of kids had asthma at most. Those kids who carried inhalers were a bit of a novelty.

Today, we see in some schools that nearly 50% of kids have asthma. Why is this? What has changed over the last 30 years?

One possible reason is the increase in hygiene. Standards of hygiene and cleanliness have increased even in the last 30 years. Kids are no longer exposed to the same variety of germs in childhood that they once were. They may be missing key parts of immunity that older and non-asthmatic people take for granted.

There are also genetic reasons - asthma can be passed on to your children but this is not guaranteed. Clearly, genetics have not changed recently but standards of hygiene may be responsible for ensuring asthma in some kids who might otherwise not have gotten it.

Triggers Of Asthma

The other reason for more asthma cases are the high levels of pollution. Although in the western world there is less exposure to factory emmissions due to legislation, other forms of pollution, particularly from vehicles, have continued to increase.

Also, the types of emmissions have changed. Pollution was once always of the black, sooty variety but these days much pollution is invisible to the naked eye and particles can measure less than one thousandth of an inch.

These environmental factors do not in themselves cause the condition of asthma but they seem to have helped to activate it in those people who are predisposed to asthma.

Other Unknowns

There are also many other unknowns. Not only have we seen an increase in asthma but there has also been an increase in other allergy related conditions such as hayfever.

It is so difficult to isolate and test any one particular thing in our diets or our environment that it is simply impossible to know currently what is causing all these increased cases.

Discover the drug free, medically proven home treatment program designed by an ex-asthmatic who cured her own condition: Cure Your Asthma.

The Mediterranean Diet, rich in fruit, vegetables and fish, has long been held as a blueprint to long life and good health.

Typically, it emphasises olive oil as the main source of fat, fresh fruit, and low to moderate amounts of red wine, fish and dairy products. Let’s take a closer look at some of the many benefits.

High In Anti-oxidants

This diet is rich in anti-oxidants. These are the chemical compounds that fight against oxidants.

Oxidants are a natural waste product of the body but as they accumulate, they contribute to cancer, heart disease and diabetes to name just a few illnesses.

Especially healthy are green vegetables and tomatoes, both are rich in anti-oxidants.

Reduced Cancer Risk

The western diet contains high levels of meat and therefore animal fats which are universally bad for us. In the Mediterranean diet, you will find meat often substituted for fish, fruit and vegetables.

Fish oils are highly beneficial to health and are an animal that you simply cannot have too much of.

This diet also uses plenty of olive oil which is the most healthy oil that you can consume.

One study followed 26,000 Greek people over 8 years and found amazing things such as just changing from butter to olive oil could reduce a person’s risk of cancer by as much as 12%.

Heart Disease

Studies have shown that there is a signficiantly reduced risk of heart disease with this diet. This is especially due to the fats coming mainly from olive oil.

Animal fats are highly saturated. This means that they raise the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

On the other hand, olive oil is a mono-unsaturated fat and actually lowers the amount of cholesterol.

Diabetes

There is a well studied link between lower cases of diabetes and this diet. For instance, one study concluded that “Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes.”

If you want to know more about the Mediterranean Diet then check out The Mediterranean Diet - By, About and For Figure and Health Minded People.

You can actually reverse hair loss and not simply just arrest it. There are many ways that you can do it.

See Your Doctor

The first thing you should do is to see your doctor. Although some doctors will consider it to be a “costmetic” issue, many doctors will be sympathetic to your needs and you may be able to get free or subsidised treatments.

Saw Palmetto

This is a natural anti-androgen remedy that blocks the formation of hair loss hormon, DHT. Try a dose of 1500mg daily.

Aloe Vera

This herb has many properties including the stimulation of hair regrowth. It has long been used by indigienous people in the Caribbean and India. It cleanses the pores and keeps the acidity of the scalp at a neutral level.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds help to break down DHT which is the hormone responsible for hair loss.

Onion Juice

As crazy as this sounds and despite the obvious smell, studies have shown that sufferers of alopecia have reported significant hair regrowth with this method.

SLS Shampoos

SLS or sodium laureth sulphate is a common degreasing agent present in many shampoos. However, it also blocks the pores and this can contribute to hair loss.

Diet

There are many ingredients that can promote hair regrowth. Ensure you are getting enough zinc, iron and magnesium.

Massage

Blood circulation to the scalp is critical for hair regrowth. Consider massaging with a good oil such as olive oil. You can even purchase an electric massager if you think that it will help you to keep these good regular habits.

Contrary to what you may think, the raw food diet is not about eating raw meat like lions and tigers!

The raw food diet is actually the closest thing that exists to the perfect diet for humans. I’m talking here about fruit and vegetables and some nuts. Eating food as it comes from nature without cooking it.

Recipes

Did you know that our current way of eating - combining flavours into recipes - is only a modern invention. We have only been doing this for a few hundred years. If you think about it, many of us expect our food to always taste like a delicious and spicy recipe. This leads many people to overeat because they want more of this “pleasure”.

Cooked Food

Now don’t get me wrong. Cooked food tastes great, I love it. But did you know that the cooking process transforms the ingredients? They lose at least half of their natural nutrition.

Raw Food

Take a look at vegetables. With few exceptions, there is simply no need to cook them, most can be eaten raw. They also taste much better this way and the body prefers to digest them this way.

How About Meat?

The simply truth is that we are not meant to eat meat. We don’t need it and our bodies have a real hard time digesting it.

Think about it - with very few exceptions like steaks, how often does meat taste good without any flavouring added to it?

And even when we don’t add flavour, it is still bad for us. Take the example of chicken breasts. They taste like cardboard! Chicken wings and thighs taste much better. They’re also loaded in saturated fats which will clog our arteries.

Diabetes And The Raw Food Diet

Did you know that this diet can cure diabetes? Take a look below.

Athletes Need Meat Protein

That is false. Check out this video below of Tim Van Orden, athlete who exists on the raw food diet.

Snoring can affect the life of the snorer and his loved ones. Although he may be blissfully unaware of it whilst it is actually happening, snorers typically have severely interrupted and low quality sleep and tend to feel extremely tired for the rest of the day.

The effect on those that the snorer shares a bed or room with is much more obvious and often the snorer must sleep on the couch due to the protests from others that they cannot themselves get to sleep.

So, how can we cure snoring?

Long Term Measures

One of the first things to do is to lose weight. Most snoring is seen in overweight people and is due to poor muscle tone and excess fat at the back of the throat.

I know that this is much easier said than done but excess weight is normally the root cause and it could save you a lot of hassle with other methods that don’t work or, even if they do, require you to prepare and apply treatments every day.

Losing weight also has many more profound health benefits as I’m sure you can imagine.

Short Term Measures

There are other things that can also be done in the short term.

You can try stitching a tennis ball into the back of your shirt or pyjamas. Most snorers only do so when they lie on their back and this should prevent you from rolling back onto it in the middle of the night.

And how about those nasal strips that athletes use to increase the air flow to the nose? These are also well known to help prevent snoring. The better the air flow to your nose, the less that will flow through the mouth.

There are even some throat sprays that you can spray on the back of the throat each night that will also stop snoring.

Other Reasons For Snoring

There can sometimes be other, more rare reasons for snoring. One of these is enlarged tonsils. In this case, the best advice is to have them removed in hospital.