Health Blog and Health Product Reviews

The sales of contact lenses are regulated by the Food And Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission. Now it’s easy to order the perfect contact lenses online at a great discount. Ophthalmologists are eye surgeons who study and treat eye diseases and can also perform the duties of optometrists. Optometrists examine eyes, diagnose and treat vision problems, and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses. In most states they can also prescribe medicine. Opticians grind and dispense eyeglasses and in some states dispense contact lenses.

You’ll want to take some simple precautions to make any lens purchase safe and effective. And all correcting contact lenses must have a valid prescription from an ophthalmologist or optometrist.

If you plan to wear contact lenses for more than 18 hours for the purpose of changing your eye color then buy colored soft lenses. You can mark rigid lenses in a way to show which lens is for which eye. They don’t rip or tear, so they are easy to handle. Soft lenses are much easier to adjust and are much more comfortable than rigid lenses because they conform to the eye and absorb and hold water.

Soft lenses also come as disposables, used once and discarded, or as planned-replacement lenses. Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are durable, resistant to deposit buildup, and generally give a clearer, crisper vision. In some model lenses, each lens corrects for near and distance vision and in others, one lens is for near vision, and the other for distance.

There are several types of lenses in the marketplace today including soft contact lenses, rigid gas permeable lenses, extended wear lenses and disposables. Keep in mind contact lenses are often more complex than appears. The expiration date for your prescription is currently set by your state requiring a one-year or two-year renewal. If your state hasn’t set a minimum expiration date, government regulation sets a one-year date unless your eye doctor determines there’s a medical reason for an expiration date of less than one year.

Disposable lenses don’t come with instructions for cleaning and disinfecting. But those lenses labeled specifically for planned replacement do. Extended wear lenses are usually soft contact lenses made of flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea.

Check out any rebates that may be available from the seller, from the manufacturer, for first-time contact lens wearers and for individuals who buy lenses and get an eye exam. Beware of attempts to substitute a brand that is different from the one you want when buying contacts. Ask about discount prices at your doctor’s office when you have your eye examination, or during a follow-up visit after you get your prescription.

Always buy from a reputable company. You can buy contact lenses without a prescription, but the company would be selling you a prescription device as if it were an over-the-counter device violating FTC regulations – selling you contact lenses without actually having your prescription. And when you receive your order, if you think you’ve received an incorrect contact lens, check with your doctor or eye care professional right away; don’t accept any substitution unless your eye care professional approves it. There are many good contact lens retailers now on the Internet making their lenses available at a discount for both prescription and non-prescription lenses.

If you have an insurance plan, the insurance plan’s seller’s prices may or may not be better than what you can find elsewhere. This should be just one option when you’re shopping for contacts. Check to see if your health insurance plan includes vision coverage. Compare prices and get quotes from two or three online and offline suppliers.

To be sure your eyes remain healthy you shouldn’t order lenses with a prescription that’s expired or stock up on lenses just before the prescription is about to expire. It’s much safer to be re-checked by your eye doctor. Interesting note: when the eyes are open, tears carry adequate oxygen to the cornea to keep it healthy, but during sleep, the eye produces fewer tears, causing the cornea to swell. And the risk of corneal ulcers for people who keep extended-wear lenses in overnight is 10 to 15 times greater than for those who use daily-wear lenses only while they’re awake.

A basic rule: never swap your contact lenses with anyone else. And the most serious safety concern with any contact lens is from overnight use. Replace your contacts as recommended by your eye care doctor because they wear out as time goes by.

If you’re looking for cheap contact lenses, you may find that cheap materials or other ways of cutting costs will affect the quality you want. Remember to use only contact lenses that are FDA-approved and only if prescribed by a licensed eye care professional. Ordering discount contact lenses online has never been simpler with, and sometimes without, a credit card.

For more information on color contact lenses and where to buy discount contact lenses visit http://www.VisionNurse.com Helen Hecker R.N.’s popular website which offers tips, advice and resources, including information on LASIK eye surgery, sunglasses, eyeglasses and affordable quality contact lenses

We all know about stress at work. Do these examples look familiar?

1. Your boss has moved the deadline for your report up a few days
2. you have an annoying co-worker
3. you have an in-basket that reaches the ceiling
4. your paycheck is too small to cover your needed expenses

Work stress comes in all flavors (people, events, deadlines, environment)–coping with them can be a real juggling act. There are ways to minimize work stress, here are a few things you can do right now.

People:

You can’t always choose your boss or your co-workers. You have to live with their idiosyncrasies, or idiocies, depending on your point of view. Unless you decide to quit, you have to deal with the over-bearing boss or the pesky co-worker. This can be challenging and not dealing with them can add stress to your life.

One way to deal is to keep your work life separate from your home life. Try to keep your home life private. This will make it easier to leave work behind when you exit the building. Be in your “work mode” during working hours and then as you exit the building shake off those work bugs and physically relax your muscles for the ride home. Turn on your favorite music station on the radio or tune into your MP3 player and listen to some fun or relaxing music.

Events:

Work meetings, seminars, work-teams and work travel can all add to the stress level. Learn how to organize, plan for tasks in advance, delegate your other responsibilities and ask for help when needed. Reward yourself when an event is over, successful or not. Find ways to relax during the event like, for example, doing yoga or going for a walk at lunch. Make friends at the event so that you can share experiences and pass the time.

Deadlines:

The best way to beat stress that comes with deadlines is to plan for success. Keep your workstation and tools clean and neat. Know what tasks need to be done first; which ones will be the most time consuming and how to accomplish them with accuracy and efficiency. Ask for guidelines during the planning stage of the task. The best way to reduce stress is to not experience any surprises. Make sure you understand the assignment before it begins. Use organizational tools like calendars, day planners and software when applicable to automate repetitive tasks.

Environment:

The work environment can contain many stress triggers, from pollutants like cigarette smoke to dust or clutter. Address these issues with the people you work with. By brainstorming with your co-workers, you may find ways to reduce stress by controlling pollutants, removing dust and de-cluttering the workstations.

Evaluating the people, events, deadlines, and environment at your place of work can help you to come up with creative ways to cope in advance with the stress. Keep in mind that your work is but a portion of your total life and then go out and have some fun when work is done.

Scott Meyers is a staff writer for Its Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Stress Management.

Do you suffer from the symptoms of menopause? In addition to herbal and pharmaceutical remedies, there are massage methodologies which can help. This article deals with shiatsu’s beneficial effect on women in menopause.

The origins of the practice of shiatsu derive from the full oriental medical system which looks at the human body as a network or series of meridians. These networks allow the positive energy or vital life force (or chi) to flow through it. According to shiatsu practitioners, an individual becomes sick due to the flow of chi or energy becoming sluggish or disrupted in one way or another. This however can be easily remedied. The energy imbalance can be corrected by way of applying pressure to particular points on the body that correspond to a given meridian. This is all good news for women going through menopause, as the practice of shiatsu is an excellent one to try to help relieve your symptoms.

Treating Menopause Symptoms

In order for shiatsu to work at treating the symptoms of menopause, first an accurate diagnosis of the symptoms must be done by the qualified practitioner. When patient with menopause symptoms experiences ringing in the ears, pain in the shoulder and/or dizziness, shiatsu can address the meridian of the small intestine, which can aid in the health of the ovaries.

Ask the shiatsu specialist to apply pressure to the stomach and spleen meridians if you find yourself suffering from any type of nervous or stomach disorders or if you have a tendency to eat too much because of anxiety and frustration. The meridians for the heart, bladder and kidneys need to have pressure applied to them if as a menopause patient you suffer from any type of nervous disorders or heart palpitations.

If constant fatigue is a problem or if you suffer from headaches, then you need to look to the triple heater meridian. If you suffer from constant weight gain or obesity and/or hormonal imbalance then you need to look to the gall bladder meridian for the help you need for relief.

In order for shiatsu to work at treating the symptoms of menopause, first an accurate diagnosis of the symptoms must be done by the qualified practitioner. If you suffer from anxiety and a great deal of tension on a regular basis then look to the shiatsu technique described below to bring relief:

First you must find the middle point that exists between the eyebrows and to make it easier for you, this point is to be found directly above where the bridge of the nose is found. Apply a circular type of massage technique to this area and count slowly from one to 30 and while so doing make sure to exhale as well as inhale as deeply as you can for maximum benefits. Do this once and then repeat the process again. To get as much relief as possible from this technique, shut your eyes and then take the time to pay close attention to both your steady breathing and your heartbeat.

Do these techniques as many times as you feel it is necessary. Choose the type of massage that works best for you whether it be smooth, pulsating or a stroking type of massage. Always go with what works best for you as not everyone will respond well to the same kind.

Scott Meyers is a staff writer for Its Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy or Menopause.

Wellbutrin, also known by its scientific name Bupropion, is a very popular antidepressant. It inhibits the reuptake of both dopamine and norepinephrine. If you have never used Wellbutrin before, you need to familiarize yourself with the drug interactions and the side effects associated with it.

Wellbutrin is metabolized by the liver. In lab experiments performed with rats, the drug was found to cause hepatocellular hypertrophy when administed in high doses (hypertrophy is an increase in the size of the cells). Common side effects include agitation, dizziness, hypertension, dry mouth, tremors, anxiety, loss of appetite, headache, excessive sweating, increased risk of seizure, and insomnia.

Although with the recommended dosing of the drug the probability that a seizure will occur is extremely small, patients using it should still be screened for any health factors that could contribute to or increase the likelihood of a seizure. A doctor may also review other prescriptions the patient might be taking and recommend an appropriate dosage based on that information.

Also, suicidal thoughts and attempts have been reported in children and adolescents. Bupropion has been shown to increase the incidence of suicidal thoughts amongst children and adolescents. When treating major depression in this group of patients, clinical benefits should be weighed carefully against the potential hazards. Usually, Bupropion is not intended for patients under the age of 18.

Another potential side effect is an improvement in sexual function. Bupropion, unlike serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac, does not appear to reduce the libido of the patient, and more frequently enhances sexual desire. Patients who complain of an impairment in their sex drive as a result of their SSRI have sometimes been prescribed small doses of Wellbutrin to correct it.

One controversy associated with Bupropion is its propensity to lower the seizure threshold. In combination with other medicines, it has been suspected to cause seizures in some patients who have never had a seizure before.[12] While this is not common, an increase in the number of such cases around the globe probably merits further discussion and investigation.

It is not uncommon for patients to receive treatment with other antidepressant prescriptions in combination with Wellbutrin. For this reason, a doctor should be careful when prescribing it with other medications prone to lowering the seizure threshold. Bupropion has also been known to produce seizures in combination with non-illegal drugs such as cocaine and recreational drugs such as alcohol.

I hope you have found this information helpful. Be sure to disclose to your physician any other drugs you might be taking before requesting a prescrtiption for Wellbutrin. Although some of the side effects and drug interactions we have covered are rare, they can happen unexpectedly to even the most healthy individuals.

Jim Pretin is the owner of http://www.forms4free.com, a service that helps programmers make an HTML form