The College Blues

College is a fun, but stressful time. For some, it is the first time they have been on their own. A lot of times, that can be tough to take. There is a definite adjustment period that one needs to go through before they can detach themselves from their previous comforts of home and family. When you pile homework, classes, tests and all apartment responsibilities; some kids start to get a little depressed.

How can you tell if you're depressed? Well, I'm not a doctor, but from what I've read it seems like whenever you have prolonged feelings of sadness and stress (I'm talking weeks or months of this), then you might have depression. Once that happens, take a load off, and go see a doctor. A good number of Americans aren't even aware that their mental wellbeing can be treated by a regular doctor. It certainly can!

Depression is not something to be ashamed of, it is a treatable mental condition. It isn't anything that you did, and you aren't inferior for any reason if you have clinical depression. If you are ever diagnosed with depression, please take the right steps to get treated right away. While you're in treatment, keep these tips in mind, and you might feel better faster.

Carefully plan your day: When you prioritize and schedule all your work, it gives you a sense of control over the day. That sense of control will grant you some stability and power. Once you feel empowered, you can start to feel better.

Plan your work and sleep schedules: I know how it goes. Oftentimes, students will put off homework until the night before and then stay up late doing it. Then, they wake up really tired the next morning. Problem is, they keep to that schedule fairly consistently. One of the triggers of depression is lack of sleep. So when you're planning out your day, make sure you get your work done first. After that, you can schedule eight full hours of sleep. With that, you will feel a little better.

Participate in an extracurricular activity: Involvement with an organization makes you feel worthwhile. You know that you can contribute, and you feel like a contributor to something other than yourself. Furthermore, any sort of club that does physical activity will release endorphins into your system. Endorphins are hormones that, when absorbed, create a good feeling in the body. So, anything that resembles physical activity is good for both body and mind.

Seek support from other people: There is no better feeling in the world to know that someone cares about you. If you can confide in someone (particularly a parent) about your condition, they will be able to help you whenever you need. The wonderful thing about most parents is that you matter more to them than anything else. So, if you can talk to your parents about what's going on, they will try and work with you to help you start to feel better.

Try relaxation methods and take "me" time: Nothing feels better than a quick power nap, or a nice bath. The problem with stress and depression is it makes you feel tense and constricted. With a nap, or something like a bath, you get to relax and let all the stress ebb away from you. By so doing, you loosed up your muscles (and your mind), and allow yourself to cope.

Work toward recovery: If you want to get better, you have to make an effort. As with most things in life, you need to go after it if you want it bad enough. Don't wallow, don't pine and don't sit in dark rooms listening to emo music. Dashboard Confessional doesn't really know how you feel, but your mom might. If you really want to beat this thing, then you have to beat it. Trust us, there are lots of people who love you and want to help.

About the Author

Andrew Snow writes blog content for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers guides people that are weighing the options of an online education and helps them compare which schools are the best online colleges for them and their specific goals.

Feet Are Fun

Running is a wonderful way to exercise. Just make sure that when you are running, you're doing it the right way. How do you run the right way? Your heels aren't supposed to be the first thing that touch the ground. Why? Because the heel bone wasn't designed to take consistent blunt-force trauma. You want to land on your mid/forefoot. That is the area that is designed to take your running force.

If you keep running on your heels, experts say that you can develop tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, illiotibial band injuries and problems in the pelvis and lower spine. Let me tell you, none of those things are much fun. I am dealing with plantar fasciitis right now, and it is not fun at all. Running heel first is like having someone smack your heel with a sledgehammer with about 350 pounds of force.

You may have heard by now that running barefoot is actually better for you. Want to know the truth? They're right. You don't want to run everywhere barefoot to start out because you'd mess yourself up. The best way to start running barefoot (which promotes the most healthy gait and landing position on your foot) is to go minimal distances on soft ground. The body naturally can position itself well when you are running barefoot. The foot will naturally curve in a way that allows you to land on your mid/forefoot rather than your heel. With running shoes, they often get you in the habit of landing heel first. Break that habit as soon as you can.

What about when you're at the gym? Are ellipticals any better than treadmills? Which do you pick? Which burns more calories? To be honest, one i not really any better than the other. It really just depends on your preference and your ability. First, ellipticals are good choices for seniors and those who have any sort of body pain (knee problems, ankle problems, etc.). Ellipticals allow you to burn the same amount of calories as a treadmill, but you don't have to hit your feet on anything. However, you lose the bone strengthening that comes along with the treadmill, and you lose the lower-body workout that a treadmill provides. The primary purpose of an elliptical machine is get your heart going. The purpose of a treadmill is to get your heart going, and to strengthen your legs. So, it just depends on what you want to do and how you're feeling.

So, what have we learned today? Running barefoot is better for you, but start slow, in small doses and on a soft surface. Also, never run with a heel-strike pattern. You might as well whack at your feet with a hammer. Running is great, just do it right.

About the Author

Andrew Snow writes online content for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers assists people in figuring out if an online education is a good fit for them and assists them in understanding which courses and online schools are avaialable to help them get back on track.

Do Hollywood Celebs have luck genes? No!

Hollywood celebrities and mega pop stars generally have one thing in common - they stay in great shape. Why? Because they have a huge incentive to be in the best shape possible. Not only is acting and touring physically demanding but how they look is a vital part of their personal brand. So, how do they stay in great shape? Do celebrities have lucky genes that mean that they can dance, sing, act and stay slim and toned? No, of course not. They have to work hard to stick to a strict, healthy and well-balanced diet.

However, although celebrities are by no means special in terms of health and fitness we can learn a lot from what they do because their position allows them to afford the best in personal fitness and diet advice. Their personal trainers may not talk about specific individuals but they do generally design the same type of fitness regime for each of their clients. Also, some celebrities do share their exercise routines and diets with the public through interviews and in their own microblogs.

Beyoncé - Crash Diets or Hard Work?

One of the most famous figures at the moment is Beyoncé. In Beyoncé we have a typical case where the media have mostly got her wrong. She is in great shape as a result of a healthy diet and regular, intensive workouts. However, before filming Dreamgirls she went on a short fast to lose more weight quickly.

Since then people have been looking to this form of dieting to lose weight in the misguided belief that they will look like Beyoncé if they do. This is simply not true though. She was only ever on the Master Cleanse diet for a few weeks and for the rest of the time she works out hard in the gym and does a lot of cardio exercise as well as resistance training. She is in great shape because she works very hard to maintain her health and her figure, not because she starved herself for a short period in 2006. It is over 5 years since Dreamgirls was filmed and believe me, Beyoncé has not been on a lemonade fast since then!

Angelina Jolie - Lucky Genes or Sweat and Tears?

So what about Angelina Jolie? Always slim, always with heart-throb Brad Pitt, always looking great. What is her secret to staying slim? Well, in addition to the extra fitness training she does for her films, such as kickboxing classes and intensive gym workouts she also uses yoga on a regular basis to stay in shape. Yoga can be very intensive and physically demanding. In fact. Madonna also attributes much of her physical fitness and strength to Ashtanga yoga workouts. One particular sequence of movements, the Sun Salutation, provides an excellent full body workout which tones and tightens muscles as well as burns a lot of calories. A daily Ashtanga yoga routine can burn as many calories as a daily run. It is a great way to stay in shape.

So, as you can see, celebrities really are not genetically gifted in any way. They all work hard to maintain their bodies. They sweat, they hurt, they exercise regardless of mood or motivation, they do not binge eat at weekends or skip workouts because they are feeling a little tired. For celebrities staying in shape is vital to their career development. That is a huge incentive but really it should not be a greater incentive than just staying in shape to live a long and fulfilling life.

Jon Wade is the founder of MotleyHealth.com which provides information and advice on health and fitness. He studies celebrity diet and workouts and applies his education in the Health Sciences to report on the best workouts and diet plans. He is also author of the popular Low Gi Diet Plan which teaches you how to eat a healthy diet to aid weight loss.

What's Normal Body Temperature?

Fever is the human body’s natural defense. It is often noticed by medical and nursing staff manning hospital emergency wards that fever related illness and illnesses can account for up to half of all emergency room and ward visits. During the cold winter months with their chills this can swell to up to 70 % of the total patient visits. Wintertime it seems is when kids and young children seem to be most susceptible to the flu and “colds”.

Yet even the most experienced and seasoned parents and even grandparents often start to fret and worry when a fever or fevers come on to scene. Yet it’s the case that fever rarely is a cause in itself for great concern or alarm. For the greatest party overall fevers actually do people and patients good rather than being harmful. Fevers are natures and the body’s own way and means of dealing with infections in a good, proper and comprehensive way.

To begin with, as a means of reassurance to parents, if your child does have a fever – in almost all cases these fevers are caused by viruses – not bacterial means.

Left alone with no medicines or antibiotics these viruses that your child has unfortunately contracted – are self limiting. What that means in ordinary layperson’s words is that left alone they will go away all by themselves. Your child or adolescent will be fine – the fever will be gone and there will be no lasting or permanent damage to health or body.

If there is one message that has to be conveyed and driven home to parents that is that “98.6 degrees Fahrenheit” is not “normal “body temperature.

98.6 degrees is “mean “or “average” temperature. What that means is that different people – your kid included can have a baseline temperature of their own body’s preference which is different than that magic number. On top of that the child or person’s temperature can vary for any of a number of factors for that same person.

Count in activity, dehydration, time of day, season, temperature outside and any of a number of reasons. Not only does a “regular” temperature differ from person to person – it also varies for that one person themselves. So be reassured as a parent or caregiver.

We all want to be good parents and caregivers. Yet it’s important first of all to understand that there are variations in body temperature. It’s best to treat the person or the patient not the thermometer temperature reading. With today’s

High tech electronic and even laser thermometers which can be read by the red flash of light halfway to the moon it’s just too easy to fall prey to the measurement rather than the patient or child is just fine. Have patience and take a load off your mind.

Garry Doerr

Morgellon Disease Resource - a disease where you feel insects crawling under your skin

You may of been told by your doctor and dermaologist that you are imagining the itchiness under your skin and that its imaginary and in your mind that you feel your skin crawling

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Building Good Dental Care Habits

A dentist works in a different manner than physicians. If the latter is able to prescribe patients with antibiotics which will make the problem go away, dentists are more focused in preventing problems from surfacing to begin with. This is because when you have a rotten tooth, there isn’t any pill that you can take to get that tooth to become healthy once more. So before patients go complaining about tooth decay or gum disease, the dentist tries to nip the problem right at the bud. But dentists need a bit of help from their patients too since they cannot supervise their dental health 24/7.

According to Richard H. Price, the spokesperson for the American Dental Association, individuals should be serious about their daily dental regimen. It is recommended to brush at least twice a day and to floss regularly. For those who are extra enthusiastic about having great teeth and gums, they can floss after every meal. But for those who are too busy to make than happen, the best time in the day to floss is right before going to bed.

Picking out dental products also matter. It is advisable to purchase only products which have the ADA seal. With this seal, the product is guaranteed to be safe for use and has been proven effective in keeping your mouth healthy. However, products can only do so much. Patients should do their share in protecting their oral health.

For instance, most of us only devote a couple of seconds to brushing our teeth. But according to Dr. Price, individuals should brush for at least three minutes in order to achieve all the advantages of brushing. Using a timer will ensure that one has brushed for at least three minutes. Flossing should be done in a manner wherein the gums do not bleed. If this scenario ensues even when you have taken all the precautions already, then it might be possible that you have gingivitis.

The failure to brush and floss as indicated will result to plaque formation. Plaque is that sticky, white substance which develops on your teeth. This bacteria-filled substance is responsible for causing the reddening and inflammation of gums. When this film is allowed to accumulate, the bacteria which thrives on this substance will use up sugars and produce acid as products which can corrode teeth. This can cause cavities and eventually tooth decay. In severe instances, the affected teeth may have to be removed.

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Elliot is a professional writer and interested in Dental Marketing Solutions and Social Marketing for Dentists. Please take care of your teeth.