• Effective in most, if not all children

• Quick

• Curative and doesn’t just improve specific symptoms

• Easy to administer (as injection or pill)

• Inexpensive (minimal costs or free, if possible)

• Risk free or have minimal side effects

At this moment, no autism treatment can achieve all the above characteristics simultaneously and even the most promising one can still fall short from being perfect. In addition, prolonged intensive treatment with unexplored basis may leave autistic children with additional, unintended impairments. Unfortunately, many parents are eager to find quick, effective treatments for their autistic children, as the result they are relatively more vulnerable into trying unproven therapies. We may argue that there could be minimal risks in trying new treatments. However, the undesired effects can be quite harmful.

Here are some compelling reasons that can make you more cautious:

Expenses: Even a free treatment comes with costs. Even if practitioners do not charge a fee for their treatments, there are costs parents may need to incur while trying unproven treatments:

• Indirect financial costs: Unproven treatments can quite expensive, for example, if the treatment center is located 1000 miles from your home, you still need to spend a lot of money. Unproven treatments take money away from proven, more effective ones or other important financial obligations in the family, such as education, insurance and mortgage. When you use unproven therapies, it is harder to determine when substantial improvements will occur. Without enough information, parents may tend to continue the therapy long after it pasts the point of being effective. Parents can be encouraged by the hope that their children will eventually be improved, and they keep on spending money even after the chance of success is already slim. Consequently, unproven treatments can add extra costs to households with autistic children.

• Psychological costs: Parents who seek dramatic cures using unproven treatments are often disappointed. Some treatments are advertised with much fanfare and they turn out to be highly ineffective. As the results, family members of autistic children can be unnecessarily cynical or depressed about new therapies, even when they are legitimately approved by major, government-backed health organizations.

• Opportunity costs: The resources and time parents spend on unproven therapies could be spent on interventions with bigger chances of success. For example, some behavioral modification techniques, like applied behavioral analysis, are well-received by experts. However, if parents focus too much on ineffective and unproven therapies, the “golden moment” can be lost.

Physical harms: It may come from unproven behavioral, dietary and pharmacological interventions. FDA records show cases of substances that were previously thought to be useful and cause no dangerous side effects, but turned out to be dangerous and risky. For example, the use of dexfenfluramine and fenfluramine as diet drugs can cause heart valve damage, while thalidomide, a fertility drug, may cause birth defects. Some practitioners recommend the use of dimethylglycine (DMG) and secretin for autism treatments. Unfortunately, their effects are unknown and have not been properly investigated.

Unproven interventions that involve behavioral techniques may not appear to be risky, but they can still cause some harm. For example, some therapies encourage parents to physically punish children to reduce the amount of improper behaviors. However, continuous punishments may cause children to be more vulnerable to abuse, especially if autistic children fail to relate their behaviors with physical punishments. Overly intense or restrictive behavioral interventions may make autistic children to become more frustrated and increase their autistic behaviors, which may cause a vicious, unending circle.

Other practitioners, use dietary interventions which involve restricted diet (for example, gluten-free diet), which can deprive autistic children of important nutrients. On the other hand, vitamin and mineral supplements therapies can lead to sickness, especially when high doses are taken regularly. Many autistic children are picky eaters and tend to limit their diet to certain food items, which do not constitute a complete nutritious, balanced diet. It is important for parents to implement nutritious and balanced diet, to ensure higher probability of success in autism treatments. Older children are able to reach pantry cabinets and open the refrigerator, consequently it is more difficult for parents to set a healthy diet plan. Further, it is more difficult to encourage autistic children to exercise safely. Parents should discuss with licensed dieticians and pediatricians to design a proper diet for a child with autism. For some parents, common recommendations from experts do not seem to offer a quick way out. Today, there are still no solid scientific evidences that support any diet treatment to cure behavioral symptoms on autistic children.

Of course, not all new treatments are scams concocted by charlatans. Some treatments are well-researched and developed by reputable experts or experienced specialists. Even so, parents should see unproven treatments warily. At first, it may help an autistic child, yet after a few years, it may not be effective or may even be risky. Without subjecting a treatment to scientific scrutiny, practitioners shouldn’t make any statement about the its safety or effectiveness. A proper scientific scrutiny should be performed by objective researchers and involve two large groups of autistic children. Both groups should share as many as similar characteristics, for example, age group and type of disability. One group is given an intervention that is being tested, such as nutritional supplements, medications and diet plan. The other group will receive placebo pill or sham treatment. The participating autistic children, parents and examining doctors are not allowed to know whether they get the real treatment or not. After the trial is completed, each child is evaluated and researchers would compare results between “active treatment” group and placebo group. If there are no noticeable differences between both groups, the treatment is considered to be ineffective. A proven treatment should indicate significant improvements in the “active treatment” groups. This experiment method is approved by the FDA to test new drugs and treatments; and widely known as randomized double-blind trial.

Reiki is an ancient form of healing method. Reiki healers use palm of their hands to channel ki (life force energy) to the client. Hands are placed on specific areas for about three minutes. A Reiki practitioner is often guided by intuition when he is looking for areas to heal. During the treatment, clients may feel warm sensations or waves of energy. In some cases patients experience some improvement in symptoms immediately after a treatment. Also, inflamed areas may feel cooler during a treatment. To improve the effectiveness of the treatment, clients are asked to openly receive the healing and relax. Reiki treatment is peaceful, gentle and loving yet quite powerful, because it occurs on all levels; spiritual, emotional, mental and physical. Regular Reiki treatment may improve the immune system, soothes pain, relieves energy blockages, relieves depressions and allows for deeper relaxation. Reiki practitioners are required to be humble, open-minded and open-hearted during the treatment. The ego doesn’t play a role in this treatment, and practitioner only acts as medium for Reiki healing.

The treatment begins when hands touch the client’s body. Areas targeted by Reiki treatment are usually bottom of the feet, backs of the ankles and the knees, torso, back, shoulders, and back of the head. A deep relaxation can often be achieved when the session ends. Physiologically, as relaxation deepens, our body shifts into repair mode, to correct any imbalances and heal diseases. During a deep relaxation, the practitioners often ask the client to drink a large amount of water to flush toxins. It is also important to avoid any strenuous activity and stay relaxed throughout the day. After three sessions, clients often notice significant improvements on spirit, emotions and mind. Clients should honor the healing process and being gentle with themselves. Other than seeking medical care, Reiki treatments are important to improve immune responses as well as the overall health.

If you want to learn Reiki, you should find a qualified master teacher. It is also important that you have a solid connection with the teacher and trust your intuition. Reiki is passed to a student, during the “attunement” process, which is the culmination of a Reiki training. There are three levels of Reiki training and after the third attunement, a person can call himself a master. In some branches of Reiki, there is even a fourth level of attunement. Reiki practitioner works with total trust, he move forward knowing that Reiki energy can guide him to the highest intention of all. Within the framework of trust, the practitioner believes that healing occurs through him in a continuous wave.

Modern Western medicines are often focused on the effects instead of the causes. By learning to balance West and East, we can realize the essence of our wholeness. A complete treatment shouldn’t separate between emotion, mind and body. Reiki training accepts people from all spiritual paths and religions, including those who have no spiritual paths or religion. You should pay attention to your body’s own wisdom and find care that supports and honors our wholeness. When choosing a healer, whether he is a Reiki practitioner or regular doctor, you should listen to your intuition and your body.

Quantum-Touch

It is a powerful healing technique, which is both simple and easy to learn. Quantum-Touch encourages our innate wisdom, to heal ourselves through body awareness and breathing techniques that can help people amplify and focus their life-force energy. The result can be miraculous, such as chronic pain disappearing or bones moving into correct alignment. During the treatment, the practitioner covers the affected area with both hands to enable the flow of a focused energy (running energy) to the client. While doing this, the practitioner begins a pattern of visualization and breathing. The client may feel a tingling sensation or feel warmth. The symptoms and pains may actually travel to other parts of the body, before eventually forced out of the body. After the session ends, the clients often feel an instant relief. The client may feel the effect of a three-minute session for days.

Many people with health problems, for example back pain and chronic fatigue can get profound relief in just a short period of time. Quantum-Touch can also assist people through long-distance healing, in fact it is sometimes more effective than a direct, hand-on approach, for example when the client is skeptical or defensive. We have healing power within us and it’s built-in. The life-force energy sustains life on Earth. This method is aimed to amplify our life-force energy and assist our body to reach a healthy balance. From DNA to brain, all systems comply effortlessly to focused intention and life-force energy channeling. The combination of Reiki and Quantum-Touch is available to those who are receptive and open their mind and heart to new experiences.

Kinesiology

It was started as a diagnostic technique in the ‘60s by chiropractors. The concept encourages the development of earlier techniques. Kinesionics, for example, is a kinesiology testing method that provides references of many different acupuncture and acupressure points (evaluation points) to detect imbalances in our body. Kinesionics practitioners use muscle responses to gain information from the client’s internal body wisdom. It is also a good way of understanding the client’s subconscious mind and things that are hidden by or from the conscious mind. After a kinesiology test, the client can often recognize and feel the responses to the testing. After participating in their own healing process, it gives the clients a unique experience and awareness. It is often an empowering experience for beginners.

These are three common methods of kinesiology:

1. Specialized kinesiology, it addresses appropriate therapies for spiritual, emotional and mental issues.

2. Nutritional kinesiology, it addresses optimal herbal, nutritional and dietary therapies.

3. Structural kinesiology, it focuses on physical issues inside the client’s physical body. Early on the treatment, the client is asked about his current situation, for example when was the onset began, what are current symptoms and what are signs of an impending relapse? It is also important to discuss about the patient’s long- and short-term recovery plan and goals. After enough preliminary information is obtained, kinesionology testing is performed to gather further information on spiritual, emotional, mental and physical aspects of the client. The practitioner will determine what issues he needs to address first before establishing an adjusted health program. Each client’s plan and care will be different, which depends on their unique situations.

It is imprudent to make assumptions before performing an accurate testing because some common symptoms may actually be caused by unsuspected factors.

For example, when a practitioner diagnoses symptoms of food allergy, he may apply a sample of suspected allergenic food to the client’s energetic field. The test is focused on specific evaluation points that are related to allergic symptoms. The factors involved may not always be straightforward, a person who seems to be allergic to fruits, may actually be allergic to traces of pesticides on the fruits. Or someone who has allergy reactions with bread may actually react to yeast used in bread production.

The practitioner can get appropriate signals from the client’s body to help him decide the type of kinesiology therapies in each healing stage. For example, for fungal and parasitic infections, there are several acupuncture/acupressure evaluation points they can use. After the practitioner determines the correct evaluation points, he will proceed by testing the correct remedies. A good response is usually indicated by strong muscle reactions, which can be effective in assisting the healing process. The practitioner will then find a balanced formula along with standard indicated remedy for the disease. A successful kinesiology treatment can release toxic materials without side effects and accelerate the healing process.

What Feels Nice May Be Wrong

We love soft, cushiony sofa or chair. It’s wonderful to flop into it after a tiring day at work, with a TV in front of you, it’s a haven of comfort and a great way to unwind. However, sinking into your couch may put your body into an unnatural posture that is different with how it’s been the whole day. It feels nice, of course. What happen though, we can easily fall asleep on the couch. Although soft surface feels comfortable, it can fail to provide adequate support for your muscles and bones.

Car

A comfortable easy chair is not your only problem. Many chairs and seats that seem supportive are actually major letdowns. Car seats, for example, are adequate for short commute, however if you plan to drive for 500 miles or more, your neck, shoulders and back will be affected. Car designers want their car to look pretty to attract buyers and of course, good design is a major factor we often think about when we buy a car. As the result, some ergonomic considerations are usually set aside, when people design a car seat. For example, many car seats poorly support the underside of your thighs, consequently, your knees and ankles can be subjected to more loads.

If you put ergonomic factors into consideration when buying a car, driving for more than three hours will be more bearable. You should try a car before buying it, to know how it feels when you need to drive it for hours. Generally, if the salesperson accompanies you, the dealer may allow 30 to 45 minutes of test drive. Other than concentrating on your car performance, you should also listen to your back. Do you feel any discomfort on your back, shoulder and neck? If you really like the car, but the seats don’t appear to be ergonomic, you can also test accessories like back supports and extra cushion, to know whether they can make a difference.

If your car has cruise control, you should change your sitting position every so often, doing so will not only improve gas mileage, but make your muscles feels better. You should also stop every two hours and walk around for 5 to 10 minutes. You’ll drive more safely, because you’re more alert and feel better even after driving for the entire day.

Office

Some people like chairs with armrests, because it gives them a sense of authority. But, unless they are adjustable, those armrests may only give you back pain. For example, if the rest are a little to high, your shoulders may go up unnaturally. You don’t need to buy a $1500 massage chair for your office, but $30 steno chair also lacks adjustment capabilities. When buying a chair for your office, you should check its adjustments and backrest. Even if you have an award-winning office chair for its ergonomic value, you should still get up and walk around every hour. By walking for two or three minutes, you can give your muscles an opportunity to change position.

Many first rate office chairs are quite pricey, but in the long run, they can avoid aching back, drug prescriptions and even surgeries, which comparatively prevent larger expenses and lower productivity. When choosing an office chair, you should know areas of your body that need the most support while sitting. For example, unlike others, you may need armrests on your chairs. If so, make sure the armrests allow your shoulders to appear straight when you are using them. Other employees may prefer headrests and bigger backrests. Currently, the prices of chairs are becoming more reasonable. A typical computer chair is about $100, while the more ergonomic types are around $250.

You should be aware that even when a chair is advertised as being ergonomic, it may not be designed based on common ergonomic principles. For example, the infamous Aeron Chair is criticized from being not entirely capable of supporting people who sit on it. In fact, the designer admitted that he was not hired to create chair for a 8-hour workday, but rather to tweak the original design of the company’s existing chairs.

Don’t Hunker

Many people sit all scrunched up like they’re hiding from a stalker. Often our chin nearly touches the chest and our shoulders barely brush the ears, which often make breathing a little difficult to do. If your diaphragm and lungs can groan, they would!

If you tend to hunker, try to sit straight, hold your chin high, just enough to allow people see the front of your neck. Pull your shoulders back, so it forms a straight line when seen from above. Take a deep breath, you should feel the difference. Years of bad habits can make hunkering feels normal to you. On some people, hunkering even while standing up can still feel comfortable Hunkering can throw your skeletal system out of whack, due to uneven weight distribution.

Sitting Postures

Often we find ourselves perch at the very edge of our chair as if we’re terrified with scenes of a late-night horror flick. The moment you’re aware about the awkward sitting posture is when muscles on your back go numb, as the result you need to stagger around, before you can straighten up.

Your couch should give adequate support, which won’t hurt your back even after watching TV for an hour. A good chair should allow your back to rest on solidly on chair’s back, both thighs perpendicular to the floor and your feet flat on the floor.

You may find that a kneeling chair can provide enough comfort for your back when working at the office for long periods of time. The chair distributes weight across our shins just below the knee. It may prevent poor sitting posture and allows our body to make natural alignment. However, you should talk with your doctor about a good chair for you, if you have sciatica, herniated disk or other back problems. Good quality kneeling chairs are usually available of reputable furniture stores or back-care stores.

Lying Down on the Job

Lying down at office doesn’t make you a lazy person, in fact it can improve your alertness, reinvigorate you and may even increase your productivity. You don’t have to take a nap, just try to do a horizontal stretch during lunch time. Of course, you shouldn’t sprawl in the hallway, you can use a couch on the employee lounge or break room. If there’s no place for you to lie down, you can use portable exercise mat.

While lying down, place both arms on your side. Slowly lift your knees, until the small of your back is pressed firmly against the floor. After 30 seconds, lower your knees, until your pelvis tip slightly forward and shoulder pulled up. Your muscles will be relaxed as the tension flows from your body. Take five deep slow breaths. A moment before you get you, raise you knees again. When getting up, you should turn onto any side and pivot. Don’t do a sit-up as it will tighten your back muscle again. The whole session may take only five minutes, but it is a valuable investment for your back health and can improve your long-term productivity.

The method of accepting anxiety may appear to be conflicting with your goals of eliminating anxiety. But, if you want to overcome your anxiety, you should be aware of a little paradox, the urge to remove anxiety can make you more anxious. Your anxiety will increasingly become more disturbing and entangle you even more. Many people discover that the best way to eliminate anxiety is by quit trying! Anxiety is natural byproduct of a focused mind and effort whenever the results are still uncertain. So, stop using the “usual way” to eliminate your anxiety.

Making an observation using calm, dispassionate thought

When anthropologists study human cultures and behaviors, they attempt to observe objectively from a scientific, dispassionate perspective. When trying to understand your anxiety, you should act like an anthropologist, without emotions and coolly detached. When you start to feel anxious, study it objectively and prepare a detailed report about its effects on your body, thought and actions. Never judge your anxiety, try to just observe it. For example:

• Where I feel the tension? Neck, jaw, hands, back or shoulders?

• How the tension feels, is it intense?

• Am I sweating?

• Do I feel nauseous? Observe and describe it.

• Do I make unnecessary movements, like scratching my head or tapping my fingers?

How do I think?

• Do I often make negative predictions?

• Do I change unpleasant events into catastrophes?

• Do I feel upset with something that is beyond my control?

How anxiety influences me?

• Does it prevent me from doing something?

• Does it urge me to be perfect?

This is an illustration on how you should observe your anxiety? A 40-year-old employee experienced his first panic attack a couple of years ago. Since then, it increases in intensity and frequency, as the result he starts to miss work and each time he is asked to lead a staff meeting, the anxiety level rises. After working with a therapist, he understands that his perfectionism demands quick improvements on everything. He becomes aware that when he is assigned to a task, he will try to do it perfectly. The therapist advises that he needs to shut down the desire for perfection and act as an emotionless anthropologist, who has the mission to observe and write a report.

After performing an observation for one week, he notices that anxiety causes slight shortness of breath, sweating, nausea and racing heart. Every time he is asked to lead a project, he feels like want to go home, he can’t bear staying in a room full of work colleagues and superiors. He feels that if he doesn’t up to the challenge the boss will rip him to shreds.

To improve his situation, during a busy time at work, he trains himself to observe his anxiety, instead of doing things that improve his anxious feelings.

Tolerating uncertainty

Anxiety can cause us to detest uncertainty. Anxious people feel that if they can have more control on the situation, they might no be so concerned with everything. And perhaps that’s true. Although there’s no such thing as an absolute certainty, a high degree of predictability that conforms to desired results can reduce anxiety to a minimal level. Unfortunately, we are often forced to face many uncertainties. Unforeseen events and accidents will happen. For example, we may never know when our car will break down, in fact, it may happen during your busiest day. Although, stocks market prediction never becomes a hard science, many people try it. Bad things can happen to everyone, although you’ve tried to anticipate everything.

Not only your effort of preventing misfortune impossible, you may easily damage your current situation if you insist on trying it. Just think about it. If you’re compelled to open the car’s hood before you go to work each morning, you’ll be late and make things worse. If you scrimp and try to save every single cent for your retirement, you’ll miss many exciting things in life. If you overprotect you child, she may become rebellious and make your life harder. It is alright to take some risks in life because avoiding them entirely may make more problems in the end. A healthy dose of worries is a good preemptive measure to prevent bad things from occurring, but excessive worries won’t make things better. People think that because bad things rarely happen during their worry days, they believe that their effort has paid off. That’s not the case.

We need to learn how to embrace uncertainty, which can make our life both exciting and interesting. Everyone experiences some suffering and adversity; which allow them to value the good moments. Whenever you’re anxious, find out whether it is caused by your inability to control the unpredictable. For example, you may be concerned whether your retirement funds will be safe in the stocks market. If you are anxious, you regularly watch the stocks fluctuation every day. You scan websites and newspaper for financial development and forecasts to determine whether you should withdraw the funds immediately. Yet, no matter what you do, there is no guarantee that your funds will be safe. You’ll feel anxious.

When something is beyond your reach, you should stop predicting and trying to have more control. Instead, you should focus on something that is within your reach, for example your health, relationships, managing expenses and having a good time. Worrying too much about an unpredictable future can invade your present happiness. Accept and respect uncertainty; and you’ll live better today.

Being patient with yourself

You may define patience with tolerance, acceptance and calm. Other people may have different opinion about patience. But when your anxiety level is rising, try to be patient with yourself and say these to yourself:

• Alright, I’m being anxious. It’s OK.

• Anxiety is like other feelings, it comes and goes.

• I will try to be present with anxiety.

This is an illustration on how you should be patient during an anxiety attack.

An employee may start to feel anxious during the morning commute. He leaves home at 7 AM and usually he can arrives at work five or ten minutes early, but occasionally the traffic is exceptionally dense and he was a few minutes late. It appears that this morning could be one of these.

The impatient version: The traffic has stopped for 15 minutes, anxiety churns in his stomachs. He clutches the steering wheel tightly and sweats. His eyes and heads keep on moving as he tries to look for ways to change lanes, which may get through him a little faster. He hates starting his day out like this. Anxiety feels unbearable and he tries to get rid of it, unfortunately he fails. He worries that the boss will notice his tardiness and others will look up at him. Anxiety turn to annoyance and anger, he keeps on blaming himself for not leaving 30 minutes earlier.

The patient version: The traffic has stopped for 15 minutes, anxiety churns in his stomachs. He clutches the steering wheel tightly and sweats. Even so, he ignores things that can increase his anxiety, like the urge to change lanes. He observes his situation like an emotionless anthropologist and say “I may be late this morning, but most of the time I come early. My boss and co-workers will understand me, in fact, just like me, they may also trapped in the traffic”.

On the second example, the anxiety is reduced to a minimal level because, the employee can observe his situation without judgment and intense emotions. He connects to his present situation with calmness and patience. Like everything else, this habit takes practice. We build patience over time and like in weight lifting, patience muscles also need some workouts.

• Keep eggs from developing properly.

• Destroy much of the ovaries, which also disrupt egg production.

• Prevent the normal release of eggs by:

- Encasing them in scar tissue and endometriosis tissues.

- Disrupting the normal egg release mechanism.

• Cause immune responses that are detrimental to fertilization processes.

Ovarian endometriosis can be seen microscopically, it may bury itself deep inside or develop on the surface.

Endometriosis and egg development

Each stage of endometriosis affects egg development in different ways. On Stage I (minimal) and II (mild) endometriosis, there are different problems related to eggs production:

• Even with an IVF (in vitro fertilization) procedure, the implantation rate is low.

• Endometriosis at early stages affects egg quality, which can result in poor embryo quality.

It appears that early endometriosis stages cause worse effects on eggs development than Stage II and IV. It may not seem to make sense, but these are the reasons:

• Early stages of endometriosis are actually very active, as the endometrial tissue grows rapidly, additionally destructive enzymes, proteins and cells are produced. Abnormal cells and toxic substances can negatively affect egg development.

• Toxic substances affect both unfertilized and fertilized eggs inside the pelvic cavity.

• On later stages, endometrial tissues no longer grow and are less active metabolically.

At early stages, endometriosis can be treated with super-ovulation drugs, which stimulate follicles production and improve eggs quality.

Severity of endometriosis can be determined by how far it’s advanced, where it’s located and the amount of endometrial tissues. Stage III (moderate) and IV (advanced) are considered as severe and reduce the chance of successful pregnancy. These are how severe endometriosis can affect egg development indirectly:

• Anatomy distortion (scar tissue and blocked tubes).

• Loss of fingerlike projections (fimbriae) that help egg reach the fallopian tube.

• Reduction in ovarian volumes, which decreases the number of viable eggs.

Women with severe endometriosis can still be pregnant. In some cases, fertilized egg (embryo) can be planted into the uterus using the IVF procedure, thereby bypassing fimbriae and fallopian tubes. Using proper methods, these women have the same chance of having successful pregnancy than healthy women.

Endometriosis and ovarian reserve

It is commonly understood that endometriosis affects egg development negatively, especially during the early stages. But why women at later stages are still difficult to get pregnant? One significant reason is the reduction in ovarian reserve, which lowers egg production. Each woman has finite amount of eggs that can be produced throughout her whole reproductive life. If the ovarian reserve decreases due to endometriosis, we may have premature menopause and run out of eggs earlier than usual. This condition leaves you with far fewer viable eggs, in fact during a cycle no good eggs are available for a pregnancy.

How endometriosis reduces ovarian reserve can be explained by the following steps:

1. Endometrial tissues grow on the ovaries surface.

2. The endometrial tissue has monthly cycle of growth and shedding. The repeated bleeding and growth on the ovary surface can cause inflammation. As the result irritants and toxic materials are released.

3. Scar tissues have endometrial implants inside them. The implants grow into the ovary by following paths of least resistance, instead of spreading on the ovaries surface.

4. This process literally destroys the ovary surfaces that house primordial follicles, leaving the patient with less ovarian tissues and fewer follicles.

Scar tissues that cover the ovary surfaces are fibrous and tough. As it spreads across the ovary surfaces, endometrial implants take the path of least resistances and grow into the inside of the ovary (the softer stroma). Consequently endometriosis or chocolate cysts form on the ovary surfaces. It is called chocolate cysts because of brown-colored liquids, which are made from old tissues and blood inside the cyst. Endometriosis cysts are not actually cysts, because fluid in a normal cyst comes from the structure lining. Endometrioma walls are different with normal ovary walls because they are a combination of endometrial tissue, inflammatory materials and fibrous tissues, none of which contain fluid.

When the endometrioma expands, the following process can occur:

1. The endometrioma compresses and squeezes out normal ovarian tissues.

2. The compressed ovarian tissues can have disrupted functions. In severe cases they stop functioning and die.

3. When ovarian tissues stop functioning, the hormonal ovary environment is no longer normal, which affects the menstrual cycles and cause menopause to comes earlier.

After an endometriosis surgery, the ovarian tissues can also lost, anytime endometrial tissues are removed, other scarring and adhesions can happen, as the result surgery can still harm the ovary. Adhesions glue the ovary to the uterus, fallopian tubes and intestines, so during a surgery, the surgeon must be especially careful to avoid unintended damages. Sometimes, an organ must be sacrificed and the ovary will be chosen because, unlike intestines, for example, it has least importance for normal body functions. Injuries to other structures can cause ectopic pregnancy, life-threatening infection and excessive bleeding. A prudent surgeon will be conservative and try to avoid tubal, bladder and intestinal damages. Even when the surgery is performed carefully, some pieces can still removed from the ovary. When chocolate cysts are removed, the surgeon needs to cut some part of normal ovary tissues to ensure thorough removal, which invariable damages the ovary surfaces. Although the surgeon doesn’t need to remove any tissues, suturing the ovary back can destroy some parts of the ovary. The loss of even a small amount of ovary tissues can decrease ovaries reserve and in severe cases, it can lead to infertility. Before a surgery, it is important to know what surgery methods that will be used. Let your doctor explains about the pros and cons of each option. In the end, it’s not the surgeon’s body and you should make the best decision possible.

On 25 percent of women, decline of progesterone and estrogen level cause severe symptoms. For example, excessive bleeding is usually caused by progesterone imbalance. For some women, a sharp reduction of estrogen production occurs around the age of 45. Other women may experience gradual changes and they can experience huge spurts and troughs. However, on married women with regular sex partner, it is less likely for them to experience abrupt roller coaster changes. It is evident that regular sexual relationship can prevent sudden estrogen drop. With a judicious hormone prescription, symptoms can be quickly eliminated as long as the therapy begins immediately after the first signals of deficiency.

Symptoms of declining progesterone and estrogen levels are:

• Sweating/night sweats

• Insomnia

• Abnormal bleeding

• Hot flashes

• Mood swings

• Painful or uncomfortable intercourse

• Vaginal dryness or atrophy

The above symptoms are valuable signals that you need to listen to. Vaginal dryness won’t make intercourse comfortable and your body is telling that you need to do something. Just like an impending hurricane can give early warning signals, these symptoms call you to make preparation before a storm. By listening to your body, you can take preventive actions that will make the second half of your life more comfortable. Hormonal therapy is not only intended to make you feel better, it also important to slow down many aging-related disorders such osteoporosis and heart diseases.

HRT is obviously not your only route to a healthy aging. There are other ways to maximize your well-being such as quitting smoking, weight loss, exercise and eating healthy foods. However, for women with severe cases of sleep disturbances, atherosclerotic changes, bone loss and hot flashes, correct HRT are often the most effective. It often outperforms placebos, herbal remedies, sedatives, tranquilizers, pain killers and other treatment methods. A research showed that long-term HRT can increase life expectancy in older women and it should be a strong argument for anyone considering this option.

There are three types of hormone replacement therapy.

1. Estrogen replacement therapy

Ovariectomy significantly reduces progesterone and estrogen production, as the result estrogen replacement therapy is necessary. It can:

• Reduce the likelihood of menopausal symptoms, like hot flashes.

• Reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

• Increase brain function and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Reduce the risks of muscular degeneration and colon cancer.

2. Progestin and estrogen replacement therapy

The therapy uses a combination of progesterone and estrogen. It is more effectively relieve menopausal symptoms such as vaginal dryness, sleep problems and hot flashes. This therapy more accurately mimics natural hormone production.

3. Testosterone replacement therapy

Women who have hysterectomy tend to have poor sexual drive. It can be treated by prescribing certain amount of testosterone. It can also help to reduce osteoporosis and treat energy deficiency.

Menopause describes a phase of our life when the normal menstrual cycle ceases. A significant factor that drives disruption of menstrual cycle is decline in hormone production, progesterone and estrogen most notably. On average, it happens at the age of 50, women with later onset of menopause tend to have higher life expectancy. For example, ten years after untreated menopause, urogenital tissues atrophy can affect nearly half of women. Other effects of menopause are cardiovascular problems and declines in bones strength.

Post-menopausal hormonal deficiencies can cause:

• Diminished cardiovascular health

• Decline in bone quality

• Wrinkled skin

• Urogenital atrophy

• Cognitive decline

• Atherosclerosis and blood vessel thickening

• Decrease in muscle mass and increase in fat

Unfortunately hysterectomy can speed up your aging clock. When your uterus is removed surgically, the menopause is accelerated. Hysterectomy can also make menopause-related disorders such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular problems more severe. The severity depends on how early the procedure is performed. Things would be even worse if you have ovariectomy, ovaries are where the progesterone and estrogen produced. It is important to keep your internal organs healthy, to avoid the need for surgical removals.

If women undergo hysterectomy at the age of 42, the menopause may come earlier, for example at the age of 47, instead of 50. However, if you have hysterectomy at 45 years old, menopause can be immediate, it is as if the procedure steals five years from your life. In general, at no age is it ever beneficial to get a hysterectomy or ovariectomy, although some researches show that ovariectomy can reduce that risk of ovarian cancer.

Unfortunately, statistically, 80 percent of women who underwent hysterectomy also had ovariectomy. It has been proven that with a proper HRT, women can be spared from vaginal atrophy, osteoporosis and other age-related disorders, that are caused by declining sex hormone levels.

From the get go, medical society didn’t get it right. Initially, estrogen is prescribed without being balanced by progesterone. Eventually, they discovered that women who take unopposed estrogen may develop endometrial hyperplasia, which increase the risk of uterine cancer. It becomes apparent why on fertile women ovarian sex hormones follow the sequential secretion pattern. During an estrogen therapy, women should get between 10 to 14 days of progesterone a month.

Experts advise that hormone replacement therapy prescription should mimic natural hormone production, both in timing and dosage. Sequential HRT regimens can build better bones, reduce the risks of breast cancer, improve mental functions and ensure a healthier cardiovascular system.

Medications

Insulin is still the standard medication for an elderly with Type 1 Diabetes, although it is not always possible to control their blood glucose properly. Doctors can’t try to achieve seven percent or less of hemoglobin A1c, as at this stage of life, it can lead to a significantly reduced quality of life and repeated episodes of hypoglycemia. It is important to decide whether you should choose a basic or intensive treatment.

• Basic treatment: You are required to avoid excessive thirst and urination, which allow you to feel rested and get better sleep quality. When you undergo this treatment, the goal is to keep your blood glucose level under 200mg/dl. In most cases, it can be achieved by taking one shot of insulin glargine before breakfast and moderate doses of rapid-acting insulin before lunch and dinner. Other patients may get a more simple treatment regimen, a mixture of intermediate- and short-acting insulin, taken twice each day. It is advisable to use insulin pens to ensure easier administration. Elderly people with other significant medical conditions, who are not expected to have long life expectancy, may receive basic treatment simply to reduce discomfort.

• Intensive treatment: The goal is to lower your hemoglobin A1c, until it reaches seven percent or lower, which is necessary to avoid microvascular complications. The treatment is performed on elderly with Type 1 Diabetes, with relatively better health and has longer life expectancy. Microvascular complication can cause nerve, kidney and eye diseases if not treated immediately. In this type of treatment, an insulin pump may be necessary to help you remember the amount of insulin you should take.

During both treatments, elderly should test blood glucose level each day as researches show that patients who perform daily test can control their blood glucose level better. Additionally, every three months, your doctor should test for your hemoglobin A1c level. Other important tests are blood fats (annually), blood pressure and weight (every visit) and microalbumin (annually).

Because elderly tend to have higher insulin resistance, some doctors may prescribe metformin, which can lower the glucose release from the liver. The common dose is 500 to 1000 mg pills taken three times daily after each meal. It is inadvisable to use insulin sensitizer from the thiazoledinedione class, such as pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, which can make your body more sensitive to insulin. They may cause some side effects such as osteoporosis, anemia and excessive weight gain. The rosiglitazone in particular is proven to increase the risk of early heart attack. When visiting a doctor, it is recommended to bring all your medications to help the doctor to decide whether you should continue the medication regime.

Nutrition

Despite the fact that more and more elderly people have both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, there are only a few researches conducted to target the nutritional needs for diabetics at this age group, typical recommendations are based on studies for younger patients. But it is commonly known that elderly may get malnutrition easily, due to eating wrong foods and get improper amounts of calories. Retired elderly may have more financial constraints, which force them to seek a balance between medications, foods and pleasures (like movie or travel). Because the problem is related to economic and social issues, it could be harder to fix.

These are some nutritional recommendation for elderly people with Type 1 Diabetes:

• Take a mineral tablet and vitamin supplement each day to ensure an adequate daily intake of essential nutrients.

• Carbohydrate should make up 45 percent of your daily calories intake. This recommendation is based on blood glucose level in diabetic patients.

• Protein should make up 20 percent of your daily calories intake. It is an optimum balance, as too little protein can cause the loss of muscle mass and too much protein can damage your kidneys.

• Get about 25 grams of fiber each day.

• Avoid low sugar diet as it won’t control your glucose level. The lack of taste may cause the loss appetite and insufficient nutrition intake.

• Ensure an acceptable dental health to avoid infections (which are likely to happen on diabetics) and make eating easier.

Exercise

Many elderly people with Type I Diabetes complain that they can’t exercise because they:

• Have joint problems

• Have chest pain

• Have no time

• Can’t enjoy it

• Can’t catch their breath

The lack of exercise on elderly is another reason why exercise is a habit that should be established on the youngest age possible.

An elderly with Type 1 Diabetes should walk about 30 minutes each day whenever possible. People with balance problems can use stationary cycle or exercise indoor to lower the risks of accidents, while those with joints problem, should use elliptical trainer to avoid trauma to joints while achieving good workouts. Additionally, light weight lifting should complement aerobics because it is very beneficial to elderly with Type 1 Diabetes. It allows them to increase their stamina, improve their balance and regain strength in their muscle.

Those just starting to exercise have some risks:

• Hemorrhage of the eye vitreous

• Hypoglycemia

• Possible heart attack

• Retinal detachment

• Joint and soft tissue injury

• High blood glucose after an intense exercise

• High protein level in the urine

People above 50 should undergo thorough cardiology and eye exams before starting vigorous exercise sessions.

These are a few facts you should know about child obesity:

1. Both children and adults with lower income levels and education have higher risk of becoming overweight.

2. Children of overweight parents are also more likely to become overweight as well.

3. Infants who don’t get breast milk are more likely to have overweight problems.

4. In the US alone, food industry allocates a large amount of money to target younger audiences. Unfortunately, their products are rich in fat, sugar and calories.

5. Obese children tend to have lower life expectancy after they grow as adults.

6. Physically inactive parents are more likely to pass sedentary lifestyle to their children and increase the risk of obesity.

7. Young people who spend more than 4 hours playing video games or watching TV are more likely to have weight problems.

More than 300,000 thousand Americans die each year from health disorders related to obesity and other weight-related problems. Obesity highly increases the risk of severe heart attack, the leading cause of death in many countries. Weight problems can also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Nearly 20 millions people in United States have diabetes and another 15 millions are in pre-diabetes state. Each year, $132 billions are spent to manage diabetes. This disease can cause renal failure, cardiovascular problems, eye diseases and premature death.

These are other diseases related to overweight and obesity:

• Teasing and bullying.

• Negative body image.

• Stigma.

• Discrimination.

• Social marginalization.

• Depression.

• Negative stereotyping.

• Low self-esteem.

• Diabetes (type 2) and pre-diabetes.

• Hypertension and heart disease.

• Asthma and other respiratory problems.

• Hyperlipidemia (high level of fat in blood).

• Sleep apnea (breathing pauses during sleep).

• Bone disorders (e.g. Blount’s disease, flat feet and slipped cap femoral epiphysis).

• Early puberty.

• Hygiene problems.

• Fatty livers (hepatic steatosis).

• Gastrointestinal diseases.

• Gallstones (cholelithiasis), a research showed that a third of gallstone cases on children occur on those who are overweight. Gallstones risk is about four times higher on obese teenagers than those with normal weights.

• Balance problems.

• Menstrual abnormalities.

Some of the above problems do not occur on childhood years, but the risks are highly elevated when they reach adulthood. However, many impacts are immediate, such as social marginalization and bullying.

In today’s society, both parents often need to work to make ends meet. Consequently no one can teach children about proper lifestyle. Children of working parents, tend to watch TV, play video games and surf the web for hours. The sedentary lifestyle is made worse because children are inundated by enticements and advertisements of delicious but unhealthy snacks and treats. Obviously, overweight and obesity are often associated with psychological problems on children and adolescents. A vicious spiral of further over-eating and further lowered self-esteem will only lead to hopelessness and depression. These children tend to do poorly at school, not sleep well, cry a lot and emotionally unstable. They have very few friends and are isolated socially.

Bad emotional conditions can trigger unhealthy eating habits and they may gain additional weights. Parents should observe their obese children, it is important to impose healthy eating habit and regular exercise. If children are ridiculed at school, parents should also look for ways to improve their children’s self-esteem. Children should be taught in how to deal with bullies and ridicules, parental support is important to ensure healthy emotional state.

For example you should:

• Discourage them from making verbal argument with bullies whenever possible, as returning taunts can encourage more bullying.

• Teach your child to act confidently even if he feels insecure inside. Bullies tend to pick on children who appear scared. Confidence can often deter bullies.

• Ask your child to always stay in a group and on the public. Even the most aggressive bully is reluctant to confront a group of students.

Bullies are usually weak individuals. Deep inside, they are very insecure and only act out to compensate their emotional weaknesses. People who are satisfied with themselves won’t tease others. Unfortunately, children tend to hide their problems at school. If you suspect problems at school, talk with teachers, friends and other school staff members (principal, administrator and school nurse). With a good planning, the obesity cycle can be broken and children can have both healthy physical and emotional conditions.

Over the years, school has a dynamic role in childhood obesity. Unfortunately, for decades schools pretend that obesity problems do not exist and some of their policies tend to worsen the problem. For example, many schools signed contracts with fast food, soft drinks and candy producers to set up stalls at schools. A research showed that more than a third of elementary school, half of middle schools and nearly three-fourth of high schools have contract with soft drink companies and about 90% of them receive commission from sales. Many schools allow promotions and advertising within school premises to encourage sales. Additionally, many schools are forced to reduce physical education due to cost constraints. Currently, less than 10 percent schools offer daily physical educations for the students. A few schools perform annual height and weight measurements to track physical problems. It is often performed in a private setting to minimize likely embarrassment. A child who is reluctant to be weighted at school tends to have unresolved weight problems.

There are some reasons why people want to take part in a clinical trial. They may want to play an active role in the effort of helping themselves and other people with the same condition, make a contribution to medical research and gain exclusive access to a new treatment. Not everyone is allowed to participate, each clinical trial has a guideline that describes people who can participate and who can’t. It is important for researchers to put a firm restriction in place to allow them gain an accurate result. There are several types of clinical trials:

• Treatment trials: They test the effectiveness and safety of new experimental treatments.

• Prevention trials: They examine ways to prevent a type illness on healthy people or relapse on people who previously have the same illness.

• Diagnostic trials: They seek more reliable ways to diagnose a specific disease.

• Screening trials: They seek to detect certain health disorders or diseases.

• Quality-of-life trials: They seek for better ways to improve the quality-of-life on people with illness.

All clinical trials undergo different phases, based on the number of participants:

• Phase I: An experimental treatment or drug is tested on a small group of participants (less than 100). The goal of this phase is to identify side effects, to determine an effective dosage and to evaluate safety factors.

• Phase II: An experimental treatment or drug is tested on a larger group of participants (100 to 300). The goal of this phase is to further evaluate safety factors and to assess effectiveness.

• Phase III: An experimental treatment or drug is tested on a large group of participants (1000 to 3000). The goal is to gain more insight on the effectiveness and possible side effects. At this stage, researchers also compare the new treatment or drug with previous ones that have passed the trials. The collected information can also be used to further assess safety factors.

• Phase IV: This phase involves studies that delineate additional information such as optimal use, benefits and risks. Although the medication is not yet approved, it is already considered as scientifically safe for targeted uses. It continues to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of the drug. In fact, it may allow researchers to improve the medication, for example, researchers can test new methods for administering the drug.

Risks and benefits

Clinical trials offer some benefits to participants, some of them are:

• You have an access to a new drug or treatment before it is available to the public.

• You get to play an active role in improving health care for your specific condition.

• You get high quality and intensive medical care during a trial.

• You get a personal satisfaction as you are making an important contribution to an important medical research that can eventually help millions of people.

Unfortunately, things may not work so well:

• You may receive a placebo or sham treatment instead and don’t get a real benefit of the medication. A trial should include a placebo or sham treatment to allow researchers accurately measure the effectiveness level. If you get a placebo, there is a risk that your condition will get worse.

• A new medication or treatment may have a harmful side effect.

• Trial protocols can be time-consuming and more involved than you’re willing to endure.

• A possibility that the trial is a fraud. Although you’re paid after each session, there could be clinical research misconduct. Researchers can falsify data during the proposal, processing, design, recording, supervision, reviews, analysis, and reporting steps.

Before joining a clinical trial, you should make sure that you have the option of leaving the trial.

Among students, clinical trials are often considered as fast and easy way to earn money. In fact some particularly reckless participants can bring up close to $30,000 each year by taking part in a few clinical trials. The participant is asked to sign a consent form and to pass inclusion criteria. In the clinical research center, he is required to undergo some preliminary tests such as exercise tests, breathing tests, electrocardiogram and vital signs examinations. Those tests can be repeated during and after the clinical trials.

The participants must make a number of visits in a month. The pay for each visit depends on the type of trial the participants are enrolled in, the stage of the drug or treatment development, and the projected risks. A participant may get between $50 and $500 in a session. The trial can last for weeks, months or even years. To ensure data accuracy, participants are expected to comply with the guidelines.

How to find clinical trials?

You can visit www.clinicaltrials.gov to find a clinical trial performed by trusted organizations. The database can be searched by sponsor, drug intervention type, location and disease type. If you want to participate in a clinical trial you should learn more about it and feel comfortable asking the staffs. For example, ask about what care you should expect during the trial and what consequences you should face.

Before the first session, the acupuncturist may ask you to describe your overall health condition and symptoms, before proceeding with establishing a diagnosis. During an interview, you should clearly give information on emotional state, sleep patterns, toilet habits and taste preferences. All this information may be relevant to the diagnosis based on the Five Element system in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). You should understand that the practitioner is not being peculiar or nosy, the gathered information is important to create a holistic illustration of your health condition and help the acupuncturist to formulate a diagnosis. Some practitioners prepare a generalized questionnaire that you should fill beforehand.

Diagnostic methods

These are four tools used by a acupuncturist to diagnose your condition:

• Pulse-taking: A practitioner may place three fingers on your wrist to measure the pulse. According to TCM, there are six spots where pulse should be taken. Acupuncturists believe that a good deal of information can be gathered through pulse-taking alone. This method usually takes less than five minutes as the acupuncturist observes the pulse “quality” in all positions. They use different amount of pressure to check pulses at different skin depth.

• Tongue diagnosis: The acupuncturist will also check your tongue and observe its movement, coating, color and shape. Tongue can reveal some facts about our inner state, including signs of hangover from last night’s party.

• Abdominal diagnosis: You’ll be asked to lie down on the bed and the practitioner will check your belly. Areas of discomfort and tenderness can give him clues about inner organ imbalance and meridian blockages.

• Facial diagnosis: Practitioners trained in facial diagnosis, will observe your face and facial skin for blemishes and signs that may reveal specific internal problems.

Some acupuncturist may check you posture, breathing patterns and even the color of your clothing to examine your physical and emotional conditions, based on Five Element diagnosis.

The actual treatment

After all diagnosis steps are performed, the acupuncturist can come to a conclusion to describe the underlying causes of your health condition. The diagnosis will help him to determine points that can be used to restore qi flow and rebalance your body. As the client lies on the bed, needles are inserted gently and after all points are punctured, you’re left alone for about 15 minutes. The 15-minute rest is called the relaxation period and it is actually the moment when the treatment occurs. During this phase, the acupuncturist may occasionally check the needles to observe any change in qi circulation around the needles. He may adjust the needle for greater effect. In some parts of Asia, needles of differing thickness and length are used according to the type of the disease and location. However, in the West, the needles are often uniform and available in individual blister packs. It is a good idea to ask your practitioner to use disposable and sterilized needles to avoid virus transmission from previous treatments. If the acupuncturist doesn’t have disposable needles, ask whether he will agree if you bring your own needles bought from major drug stores. Good acupuncture needles should be manufactured to an acceptable standard of hygiene and quality.

The practitioner may check your pulse again during the relaxation phase to note for changes. Depending on the disease, an acupuncture session may be divided into two parts, at first needles are inserted on the client’s back and client is asked to lie down on his back for 15 minutes. After removal, the needles are inserted on the front or side of the client’s body. During the relaxation phase, it is important for the client to stay still and not to wriggle, as sudden movements can dislodge the needles or make them go deeper – with painful consequences! The treatment room is usually equipped with an alarm bell, in case something goes wrong. You should go to the bathroom before the session and before the needles are inserted, you should be sure that you’re in a comfortable position, so you won’t move too much during the relaxation period. When the treatment ends, needles are removed gently. They’re disposed of carefully in a special waste container, that has a small slit on the top and when it is full, the container is incinerated in very high temperature that is enough to destroy the small needles.

Additional treatments

There are other treatments that the acupuncturist can offer to improve the effectiveness of acupuncture:

• Moxibustion: Moxibustion or moxa is a warming treatment using a burned aromatic herb, Artemesia vulgaris on top of the needle or directly on the skin. The herb comes in roles, like a cigarette, and if lit can be waved above a specific area to warm it. Moxa is believed to be able to stimulate the qi flow and increase your circulation. The treatment is especially effective to treat back pain and muscle aches. Due to strong aroma and excessive smoke, the original form of the treatment is now becoming less popular. Smokeless moxa rolls are now available, which can make the treatment more convenient.

• Plum bosom needle therapy: The practitioner uses a small hammer that has small needles on its head. The acupuncturist taps your skin lightly to give you a stimulating effect, it can also be used on scalp to treat hair loss.

• Cupping: It involves placing glass or metal suction cups on painful or cold spots on your body. As the vacuum is created, cups grip tightly onto the client’s skin and it may balance the qi flow on a specific area. It is believed to be effective in treating menstrual problems, shoulder pain and back pain.

• Blood-letting: It is an ancient healing practice that involves making small incision on specific areas with pricking needle. The area is squeezed to remove some blood and followed by cupping on the incised areas. It is believed to ease pain and improve blood circulation. The technique is common is some parts of Asia to treat fever and pains, but not too common in the West due to concern on disease transmission during the treatment.

• Massage: After or before an acupuncture session, massage can be used to balance and improve blood circulation and loosen tight muscles.

End of the treatment

Once the needles, moxa or cups are removed, you can get up. It is advisable to drink some water and you may have an urge to go to the toilet immediately. You can feel energetic or revitalized after a treatment, in other times you can be sleepy and feel relaxed. The effects felt after a treatment depends on the type of treatment received, your underlying health and the type of illness you have. It is important to avoid stress and take it easy after an acupuncture treatment to avoid diminishing the benefits. You may also need to sleep early to extend the relaxation period as the treatment may have some effects for 24 hours after the treatment.

Duration and frequency

An acupuncture session can last between 30 minutes to one hour, but if you agree to receive additional treatments such as blood-letting and cupping, it can be as long as 90 minutes. Initially, you may need to undergo daily session for five to 10 consecutive days, followed by a weekly session as your symptoms improve.