Blood from the body is filtered through the kidneys. The kidneys will then remove excess water, toxins, by-products of vitamins and supplements and anything else that is not needed by the body. The waste is then turned into urine and transported to the bladder to be eliminated.

There is a difference between kidney failure and kidney disease. Kidney failure is when the kidneys lose the ability to carry out normal function. In kidney failure, the kidneys may be partially or totally impaired. Kidney failure is extremely dangerous because toxins will quickly build up in the body. The good news is that kidney failure usually does not lead to permanent kidney damage. Kidney failure can be treated with the right medications.

Kidney disease is a condition in which the kidneys become impaired over a long period of time. This will cause permanent damage to the kidneys. Chronic kidney disease is divided into five stages. The fifth stage of kidney disease is also known as end stage renal disease. This stage will usually require a kidney transplant or dialysis.

The risks of kidney disease are usually the result of other diseases of the body that will damage the kidneys. The two main risks of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause a condition known as diabetic neuropathy. This condition will affect the network of tiny blood vessels that run through the glomerulus. The glomerulus is the main part of the kidney that is responsible for filtering the toxins from the blood.

High blood pressure that is left untreated is another common cause of kidney disease. The kidneys play a major role in keeping the blood pressure under control by secreting a specific hormone. Factors such as being overweight or high sodium levels can be responsible for high blood pressure. But high blood pressure does not always have a specific cause.

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the main risks of kidney disease. But there are many other causes of kidney disease that may not be quite as common, but they are just as dangerous. The excessive use of pain killers can cause kidney disease. High cholesterol and lupus can put a person at a higher risk of developing kidney disease. Family history may play a part in the development of kidney disease. 

Kidney disease can be treated with the right medication and diet. If you have kidney disease or if you think that you may be at risk for developing kidney disease, you should be under the close supervision of a kidney specialist.

TENS is drug free and non-invasive.    Electrodes are placed on the skin and electric impulses are sent from a battery through the electrodes stimulating nerve fibers. The stimulation of the nerve fibers can block the pain. The body sensing the stimulation releases endorphins (natural feel good chemicals) which also masks the pain.

TENS is used for treating: low back pain, arthritic pain, childbirth pain, postoperative pain, migraines, and tendonitis. It is also being looked into treating Alzheimer’s, Fibromyalgia, Carpal tunnel, Autism and many other chronic conditions. Scientific studies are not conclusive on if this really works but there is a growing population of people who have had success and gotten some pain relief.

In the United Kingdom it is often used in childbirth to help the mother cope with contraction pain. Many women report TENS helped them last longer before resorting to other methods of pain management.

We have tested the Medisana Back Pain Relief System which uses TENS technology with mixed results. When you first turn on the system it feels like ants crawling on your skin, once you get used to this it is not so distracting. You wear the device for 30 minutes (it shuts itself off) and you can control the level of stimulation you are receiving. We had mixed results, some felt better after 30 minutes others no noticeable relief. Where you place the electrodes is important and that you are using an appropriate electric level. The system we tested was around $40 and was designed for in home use. 

TENS is for pain reduction it does not cure the underlying cause of your pain. Do not use if you have a pacemaker. Skin reactions where the electrodes stick on may occur.

Just like men and women are differently affected by various diseases, alcohol-related ailments also exhibit varying levels. Studies and researches conducted over the last couple of decades prove without a doubt that quite a number of ill-health consequences of alcohol abuse develop faster in women than in men.

In general, men are able to handle excessive alcohol consumption better than women. Being larger in build, men have more blood volume and less body fat than women. In addition, men have a higher concentration of dehydrogenase – an enzyme that breaks alcohol down. On the other hand, women have a smaller body size, more body fat, lower amounts of dehydrogenase and regular occurrences of hormonal changes. As a result, women respond faster and with more intensity after a round of drinks.

Why Is There A Difference In Alcohol Processing?

Due to many physiological factors, women experience the ill-effects of alcoholism more than men – even if both of them are of the same size. Here are 4 explanations as to why men and women react differently to alcohol consumption:

• Capacity to dilute alcohol: While the concentration of water in the body of an average man is around 61 percent, a woman has a considerable less water content, that of 52 percent. As a result, a man’s body is naturally equipped to dilute alcohol more efficiently than a woman’s body – regardless of the weight factor.
• Capacity to metabolize alcohol: As mentioned earlier, women have lower concentrations of dehydrogenase – the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol before it passes into the bloodstream. So, a woman’s body processes alcohol comparatively slower than a man’s body would.
• Hormonal changes: Variations in the hormonal levels prior to menstruation can cause women to become intoxicated faster. This is especially evident during the days just before the commencement of the periods. Women who regularly take estrogen-added medications like birth control pills often experience extended effects of intoxication since the medication slows down the rate at which the body is able to eliminate the alcohol content.
• Body fat: The content of body fat is directly related to the rate of absorption and metabolizing of alcohol. Women have a higher concentration of body fat than men. Since fat does not absorb alcohol, the entire alcohol content remains in a highly concentrated form in the bloodstream. Consequently, women experience alcohol-induced intoxication faster than men.

Alcohol-Related Women’s Health Issues

Comparative studies on the drinking habits and its after-effects on men and women have uncovered another alarming fact – women are more vulnerable to the damaging effects of alcohol.

Here are some of the serious conditions that may affect female heavy drinkers:

• According to the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, women face a higher risk than men when it comes to developing serious health consequences of alcohol abuse like liver cirrhosis. In fact, more alcoholic females die from cirrhosis every year than alcoholic males.
• Women who drink heavily are prone to greater risk of high blood pressure and damage to the brain and pancreas than heavily drinking men.
• After a few years of heavy drinking, women experience nerve damage and weakening of the heart muscle even if they have not been drinking as much as men.

Although women face more dangers from alcohol abuse than men, there is still one fact that extends hope – women are far likelier to turn for help and maintain abstinence if they are treated in a good de-addiction facility.

How Do They Work?

The active ingredient in all tanning products whether lotions or sprays is DHA or dihydroxyacetone. When applied to the skin, this compound reacts with the topmost layer to cause the darkening. The effects of the tan disappear in 5-7 days in the time that it takes for the skin cells to slough off. So contrary to widespread belief, the skin is not `painted’ on.

Areas such as elbows, feet and ankles have thick and rough skin and tend to absorb more tanning lotion making them relatively darker. Hence, it is important to ensure that they have a buffering lotion to prevent absorption in case you are using a spray tan booth. In case the spraying is done manually, these areas need to be treated with less DHA as compared to other body parts.

Too dark or patchy a tan can make the results look artificial making it worse than no tan at all. While there are products available at tanning salons to diminish the effects of tans gone wrong, here are some helpful tips to get the best tan.

1. Exfoliate BEFORE the tan application to ensure that maximum possible dead cells are removed from the body. If you have to shave, shave BEFORE the application of the tan. Exfoliating or shaving after the tan spray will reduce the life of your tan.
2. Ensure a barrier cream or adequate masking for areas that tend to absorb more tan. Speak to your attendant for help in this regard.
3. It is best to go with a medium toned product not too many shades higher than your body. Anything too dark will not look natural.
4. Some salons advise regular moisturizing with products that contain small amounts of DHA that enhance the longevity of the tan.
5. Avoid the use of perfumes and antiperspirants before getting tanned since those areas will not absorb adequate color, leaving unsightly white patches.
6. Another tip not related to the tan per se is waiting for 15-20 minutes before putting on your clothes to avoid getting them stained while the tan is still drying.

Tips For Safeguarding Your Tan

Given that most tans do not last for more than a week, it is important to take special care of your tan.

1. Avoid long soapy showers and baths. Exfoliation as mentioned above is a complete no-no especially with oil based products.
2. Oil Massages and applying sunscreen lotions above an SPF 30 also reduces the life of a tan. So while it is still not advisable to go outdoors without sunscreen protection, it will work against your `spray on tan’.
3. Swimming is best avoided due to the chlorine in the pool which affects the tan adversely.
4. Products containing AHA’s or alpha hydroxy acids (commonly found in anti-ageing creams and lotions) also work to kill your tan.

Can The Effects Of Tanning Be Reversed?

While it is difficult to immediately go back to looking like you did before you entered the tanning booth, it is possible to lighten the tan especially when you want to work on areas that have darkened more than others. You can rub lemon juice and leave it on for a few minutes. Even whitening toothpastes (that guarantee giving you whiter teeth) applied on the dark areas help. Many salons have specially designed products that help to achieve the same effect. Additionally you could do everything that you were supposed to avoid when you wanted your tan to last longer. So exfoliate, shave, swim and go get that massage!

The important factors to consider while deciding the placement of the monitor are:

The Distance From The Monitor

Monitors should neither be too close not too far. If the monitor is placed too far from the eyes then reading small text will strain the eyes. If the monitor is too close, then the eyes will have a problem focusing. While the distance to the monitor will vary for each user, research indicates that the ideal distance ranges between 20 and 40 inches.

A monitor placed at arm’s length with the arm being bent slightly at the elbows will do quite well for most users. At any rate, the distance between the monitor and the eyes should never be less than 20 inches.

The Position And Viewing Angle

The monitor should be placed directly in front of the user so that the head, neck and shoulders are facing forward when the user is viewing the screen. This is because working with one’s head and neck turned tires the muscles in the neck and causes discomfort and pain. The monitor should also be tilted back i.e. the top of the monitor should be slightly further away from the eyes than the base.

While it was earlier believed that the monitor should be at or below eye level, opinion is now shifting to the view that the monitor should always be at an angle that is anywhere from 15’ to 50’ below the horizontal line of sight. This is because looking down at a monitor allows users to assume a greater range of postures thus allowing them to rest groups of muscles by changing postures. Thus, when the muscles begin to tire because the user has been sitting in a particular posture for long, the user can rest the muscles by simply changing her posture.

The Ambient Light

The light in the work area and around the monitor should not be very bright because this can create a glare. Ideally, the lights should be overhead so that the incidence of light rays on the monitor is at an angle. This will help reduce the reflection of light from the monitor which in turn will lead to lower fatigue for the eyes of the user. Where there are windows, the monitor should ideally be placed at right angles to the windows or facing away from them. Wherever possible, glare filters should be used on monitors. At no point should the monitor be tilted downwards to reduce the glare from the screen.

The Brightness Of The Screen And The Colors On It

The brightness and the contrast of the screen should be adjusted to provide the user with the greatest viewing comfort. A very bright screen will cause the eyes of the user to tire very quickly.

Dark colors on a white background are the easiest to read since the white background reduces the difference in brightness between the screen and the rest of the office.

Viewing Time

It is important to mention this last factor even though it is not related to the placement of the monitor. Viewing a monitor for long periods of time causes eye fatigue and no amount of changing the position of the monitor will alleviate this. The only way to manage this is to rest one’s eyes periodically. This can be done by looking away from the screen and blinking at regular intervals. Looking at distant objects is a very good way of relaxing one’s eyes. Another excellent way of relaxing one’s eyes is to alternate work on the computer with other non-computer related work.