Most people think of hair loss as a male problem, so many women are taken by surprise when they begin to lose their hair. Often this occurs between the ages of 30 and forty. Sadly, over over 20 million American women suffer from hair loss.

Unlike men, hair loss in women can be for a myriad of reasons. Many treatments exist, but if you suffer from hair loss you will have to narrow down the reasons particular to yourself.

Many times,  hair loss in women is caused by multiple factors.  One of the biggest reasons for female hair loss is  stress.  Now how can you possibly avoid stress? It is possible to reduce, if not eliminate, stress in your life.

Depending on your personality type you may want to do one of the following. Start some form of regular exercise. When you exercise, your body releases  Endorphins – the feel good hormone. If you don’t want to exercise, consider meditation. It will help quiet your mind and help you become more centered and focused.

Another leading cause of female hair loss is diet. Consider adding biotin and/or gelatin supplements to your diet as your body needs these to make skin, hair, and nails.

Other things you can do include medication, transplants, herbal enhancements, and as previously stated – dietary regimens. Medications can help if your hair loss is due to hormonal reasons. It can limit the activity of the the hormone DHT in your system so that it gets down to a level so low that helps inspire normal hair growth.

Another option is herbal remedies which tend not to make chemical changes in your body’s system. Herbal enhancements are popular because people feel they are less likely to do any damage. Herbal remedies can also be combined with complementary therapies like acupuncture and other types of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Female hair loss is not uncommon, and you have a variety of options. While it may be frustrating to find the cause of your problem, you can do things to help yourself. Consider taking your concerns to a naturopathic doctor or herbalist to explore everything available to you.

There’s a set of problems that most people trying to lose weight typically run into. Some of the most common problems many people have when they’re trying to lose weight are:

• Lack of Energy – Many people choose the wrong diets for themselves, or worse: Try to starve themselves to lose weight, and these approaches deplete the body of energy it needs to go about it’s daily business.
• Always Hungry – This is also often caused by the type of diet people choose for their weight loss approach, and this is one of the biggest reasons many people fail in their weight loss goals too. Being hungry all the time is depressing and frustrating. It will make you cranky, and it will often cause you to give up your weight loss plans.
• Mental Attitude – This is often weakened and worn down due to hunger and lack of energy, but many people get despondent when they’re trying to lose weight. It’s easy to become depressed when it seems like the weight is coming off way too slowly, particularly if you’re denying yourself even some basic pleasures such as regular meals.

There are various other things that can happen as side effects of losing weight too. For instance many people become constipated when they’re dieting, and many also find themselves retaining water. So the primary herbal approach to successful weight loss, is to manage and control these common side effects. Once you’re able to manage and control these issues, you’re much more likely to continue with your weight loss plans, and reach the goals you’ve set for yourself.

So let’s look at several herbs which can help aid in the overall weight loss process.

Hoodia Gordonii is a plant found in South Africa which has gotten a lot of attention in the past few years. This plant has compounds which naturally suppress your appetite. In fact, some studies done show the people have reduced their caloric intake by as much as 2000 calories a day when using Hoodia, with no ill side effects.

There is little to no information so far however, about whether Hoodia also has other health and medicinal properties.

Chickweed is a common herb in the United States which does much the same thing. It reduces your appetite drastically, though some people report it actually makes you feel as if you’re full from a meal which could be considered slightly different.

Chickweed is very high in Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and helps carry out toxins from your blood. This herb is also excellent for a variety of skin problems, and has been used to treat acne, boils, burns and many other ailments over the years.

Dandelion is another excellent herb to add to your daily weight loss regime. This herb is most well known for it’s liver cleansing effects. It too is quite high in vitamins and minerals, and it helps correct low blood pressure, build energy, and build endurance.

There are more than 50 million diagnosed cases of high blood pressure or hypertension in the United States. Few medical conditions have such a systemic effect effect on the body. Left untreated, hypertension leads to congestive heart failure, kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke. Recent studies have shown that even moderate hypertension increases the chances of suffering from dementia in old age.

Hypertension is often referred to as the silent killer as most people with high blood pressure don’t even know they suffer from it. The effects of uncontrolled hypertension are serious and can be life threatening. Some major effects include hardening of the arteries, eye damage, strokes or hardening of the heart muscle itself. It is very important to be screened often by your healthcare provider as there are many medications, lifestyle changes and herbal alternatives available to prevent further damage.

The therapeutic goal of hypertension therapy is to lower blood pressure for the general population to 140/85 or lower, but definitely even lower for blacks, diabetics and people with chronic kidney disease. For people with borderline hypertension, diet and exercise may be enough to reduce their blood pressure. In more severe cases, drug therapy is often prescribed. There are several classes of drugs available on the market today, including beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, peripheral vasodialators and even diuretics. One important tool in fighting hypertension is weight control. Carrying extra pounds puts more strain on the heart.

As people age, often their blood pressure increases, not due to aging but due to other factors mentioned before such as insufficient physical activity. For hypertension, as with most health issues, medication alone is seldom the best solution.

Living a healthy, active lifestyle is the best medicine and can produce fantastic results if used in conjunction with herbal supplements or other alternative treatments. Put together a plan with your doctor or health care provider and put it into action. The dangers of hypertension are too great to ignore and even some small changes before it becomes a problem could circumvent the need for medication.

Herbal diet pills are widely available everywhere, but do they work any better than their pharmaceutical counterparts? More importantly, are they any safer?

There have been many recalls of diet pills by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These recalls have left the impression that diet pill makers are playing fast and loose with regulations and that the consumer is wasting time and money as well as risking his or her health taking diet pills.

The problem is that most diet pills on the market are not required to seek approval by the FDA due to the wording of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which basically treats weight-loss supplements as food.

Furthermore, most of the herbal diet pills contain ephedra or ma huang, which are taken by a great number of Americans for the purpose of losing weight and body building. Numerous studies have shown that these ingredients can cause serious health problems such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, seizures and tremors, and even death.

Manufacturers of herbal products may push the idea that herbs are safer because they are natural, but we know this is not necessarily true. Recent history tells us that ma huang and ephedra, although natural, can have negative results.

When you’re looking for herbal diet supplements, stay away from anything that is a stimulant. While these may work for some people, they may aggravate certain health conditions like hypertension. Likewise if you are just caffeine sensitive, you may find yourself suffering with side effects.

So how can you avoid risky concoctions and find herbs that can actually help you on your weight loss journey? Rest assured that there are relatively safe herbs with little to no side effects.

Brown seaweed shows promise in reducing belly fat. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that rats lost 10 – 15 percent of body weight mostly in their belly fat on a diet of brown seaweed. Scientists believe the pigment fucoxanthin causes abdominal fat to oxidize.

Although green tea is a stimulant that acts like coffee, it has the benefit of vitamin c flavonoids (antioxidants). You can control how strong the stimulating effect is by the how long you steep the tea. The tea can be purchased in a capsule as well as in tea bags or loose. It’s believed to be assimilated best in the liquid form.

If hot spices don’t bother you, consider adding cayenne to your food. Cayenne contains capsicum. It raises the liver enzymes responsible for fat metabolism. In general it accelerates your metabolism without raising your blood pressure.

Even beneficial herbs can be mixed with less desirable supplements, so do your research. Your goal should be good health and not necessarily just weight loss.

The term stress was originally an engineering term that dealt with a structure’s ability to provide support. A structure was evaluated to see how much stress it could endure before becoming unstable and eventually collapsing.

In this way, engineers could be certain of safe operating parameters. You’ve most likely seen signs in elevators that say how much weight it can tolerate. The system of cables and pulleys has been stress tested, and the safe operating parameters are posted for the safety of those who ride the elevator.

The same basic principle applies to stress in people, but of course the manifestations and symptoms of stress are much more complex. We are all designed to deal with some stress; however, stress goes by many different names: tension, apprehension, anxiety, etc. Whatever you call it, it’s a hard-wired response that has been with us since our ancestors lived in caves.

Medically, stress is the presence of either emotional or physical tension. Each of us has a different set of triggers for emotional stress. Meeting a deadline at work may trigger tension in one person; speaking before a group of people may trigger an emotional response in another.

Even though stress is many times an emotional response, it produces very real physical symptoms in your body. Your body responds to the situation as if it were in danger. Your heart rate speeds up and you breathe faster. This gives your body a burst of energy known in medical circles as the fight-or-flight syndrome. Other symptoms that your body is responding to stress include increased sweating and a sudden rush of strength. Lesser symptoms include dilated pupils and a slowed digestive system.

There are many other ways stress can manifest itself–hypertension, migraine headaches, chronic illnesses like diarrhea, nervous ticks, panic attacks, eating disorders–the list is endless. If your body is exposed to stress too often, or for too long of a period, it can be very damaging. Prolonged exposure to stressful situations cannot only cause like chronic stomach upset and back pain-–it can kill you.

Longer lasting effects on your body include a weakened immune system which makes it more difficult to fight off a viruses and bacteria. Do you seem to catch everything? If you already suffer from a health condition, additional stress can worsen it.

Emotionally speaking, stress can also have detrimental affects. If you’re under a great deal of tension, you may also find that you’re moodier than usual – with the smallest of problems setting you off – more tense than usual and you may even experience depression.

There is good news. Stress is manageable. First, you need to identify exactly what it is that’s causing the stress in your life. Are there work-related or school-related activities that are triggering your anxiety, financial problems at home, or are you distressed about a personal problem or a relationship?

If you can’t change the situation, then you’ll have to discover more effective ways to cope with it. You will want to look at some stress management techniques. The medical establishment now recognizes several methods for dealing with anxiety which include meditation and yoga.

Keep in mind that stress management has no one-size-fits-all cure. What works for your neighbor may be ineffective for you. You may need to try out several solutions until you find one that helps. Just keep searching for a solution that suits your needs–you’ll find one.