Allergy season is upon us again. 35 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, also known as "hay fever" and "seasonal allergic rhinitis." These allergies occur when we inhale pollens and mold spores from flowers, trees, grass, and even weeds.

Some of us also suffer allergies indoors from dust mites and dander from our beloved four-legged friends.

Valerian root is a natural growing plant that has sweet smelling pink and white flowers. It is a native plant to Europe, Asia, and South Africa. It was brought to the United States by a German Chemist. In Germany, Valerian Root is used for many purposes; it was given to unruly children to calm them, it is used as a coffee substitute, and has been used to treat urinary tract infections, depression, and sleeplessness. In the medieval times, it was even used as a condiment on food! Today, we mainly use valerian root for anxiety. Valerian Root has many benefits as well as disadvantages, here are some of them.

Anxiety is similar but not the same as fear. But what makes it different from the latter is that Anxiety is a vague feeling of apprehension that is a response to external or internal stimuli that can manifest into behavioral, cognitive, and physical symptoms. Meanwhile, fear is the feeling of being threatened by an identifiable stimulus that represents danger to the person.

Some degree of anxiety in children in some situations is normal. But if one becomes nervous and starts to avoid places and activities, then it is an indication of an anxiety disorder.

There are medications that can be prescribed by doctors for anxiety treatment. Medications can be useful to relieve some of the symptoms of anxiety, but they do not solve the underlying problems of anxiety. Producing long-lasting changes requires an individual to use non-drug treatments. Doctors will most often prescribe either benzodiazepines or antidepressants to help people deal with anxiety.

Benzodiazepines, also known as tranquilizers, are the most common class of anti-anxiety drugs. Benzodiazepines are more commonly recognized by the brand names Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, and Atvian. These drugs help a person relax by slowing down their central nervous system. These medications help a person relax quickly by taking effect usually within an hour after a person takes them. Unfortunately, this only temporarily relieves most symptoms of anxiety. It is important to understand the downsides of taking these medications. Slowing down a person's central nervous system will act as an anxiety treatment, but it also blocks feelings of pleasure and pain. Another thing to worry about with these drugs is becoming over sedated. Over sedation can occur because these medications metabolize slowly. Over sedation can cause problems at work, school, and performing every day activities. The long-term effects from benzodiazepine users include depression and a higher risk of having suicidal thoughts or feelings.

Anxiety affects many individuals and has many different effects. Some of the effects and symptoms can range anywhere from a minor nuisance to a debilitating condition. Whether anxiety puts up roadblocks or speed bumps in a person's life it is never an enjoyable experience. There are of course many things that someone suffering with this condition can do to make it better. The best advice I can give to anyone dealing with this condition is to change as little as you can and take as little medication as you can to manage it, just enough to take the edge off and make your life bearable. Overcompensation in any area of treatment not just medication, even lifestyle changes can have drastic side effects or make your condition worse.

Most doctors will describe anxiety as with any other disorder in the brain, as a chemical imbalance. More specifically anxiety has to do with the neurotransmitter GABA which has many functions,

You will be surprised to know how certain everyday foods can trigger a reaction in the body, ranging from a mild irritation to a more serious one requiring immediate medical attention, and that quite a large number of people suffer from food allergy. This generally happens when a certain component in the food is perceived to be harmful by your immune system, which then sets off an alarm within your body.

• Swelling: The most common reaction is swelling of the lips, or other parts of your face including eyelids, cheeks and tongue.

Allergy induced asthma can be a real pain. As someone who has struggled with asthma and allergies for years, I know what it is like first hand to suffer and to feel like no mater what you do, it just will not go away.

I have learned a few secrets about how to manage and control allergy induced asthma.

1. Try to figure out what is causing your allergies. This can be tricky since depending upon the season of the year, it could be any number of things. Some common foods to consider that may be causing them include: wheat, milk, corn and soy. If you are not sure if you are allergic to any of these foods. Try eliminating one of them for a month completely and see what happens.

So you're experiencing flushing after drinking alcohol? Most likely, your first reaction was embarrassment. Why me? Well, there's a condition called Asian flush or Asian glow that exists and you may have heard about it.

As the name implies, this condition primarily affects people of Asian descent. Approximately 50% of the Asian population have this condition. The sufferers of Asian flush lack a certain enzyme called ALDH2. This enzyme helps metabolize alcohol in the liver. Long story short, because this enzyme is not doing its job, toxins will accumulate in the body causing the flushing.

Food allergy and food intolerance may cause certain of the matching symptoms, and as a result are often confused. Food intolerance is generally not as critical as food allergy indicators, and is usually confined in the digestive system. A real food allergy will cause an immune system reaction affecting numerous body organs, and so the problems could be grave and in many cases life-threatening. You will need to recognize the difference if you have a reaction to a particular food, because health danger and also the cure for each are going to be not the same.

A lot of people who believe they've got a food allergy to a particular food are experiencing food intolerance. Examples of this are the shortcoming to completely digest a food, such as instances of lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome

There are certain foods which can be effectively utilized to prevent hair loss. That's where nutritionists step in the dermatologist's field to recommend what to include in our regular dietary plan for a reliable hair loss treatment. Firstly, hair is mostly composed of Protein so good sources of Protein like fish, chicken, eggs, yoghurt and almonds would need to be included in your regular diet. Low fat sources like fish and low-fat cheese are better options because high fat consumption does have a role to play with hair loss, specially in men. Raisins are included in the dietary plan as they stimulate hemoglobin production in the blood, allowing better flow of oxidation throughout the body. Similarly, absorption of iron in hair is dependent on vitamin C, amply present in oranges and lemons.

Do you really need natural hair loss remedies to make your hair grow again? Then don't be surprised if I tell you that there are really not that many. The reason is very simple - each person will have his or her own idea on what is considered to be the best hair loss treatment because of varying reasons and factors. For some folks, it might be the use of conventionally developed creams; others find medicated shampoos to be the solution to their hair, while others still think that there is no better treatment out there apart from hair transplant...

While there is no magical mystery cure for trichotillomania, there is a tried and true, One-Step, One-Minute Cure for every man, woman or child struggling with compulsive hair pulling.

What is this One-Step, One-Minute Cure and how does it work to end your pulling behavior?

It removes the negative inner judgment that plagues you and causes you to be intensely self-critical.

This judgment causes you to view yourself through the eyes of what you believe others think about you and the more negative it is, the more power you allow it to have over you.

Removing your negative inner judgment is the "instant-fix" that you've may be seeking for your hair pulling problem. Unfortunately, our self-judgments are so entrenched and enforced by society that few are able to take this to heart enough to free themselves for good.

Breast cancer is the second most common and also the second most lethal cancer in women in the United States. It occurs when cancerous cells develop in the breast tissue, most commonly in the milk ducts or glands. The cells grow uncontrollably and, in some cases, they can even spread to other parts of body which are not directly connected to the breast, such as the liver, bones, lungs, and brain. This kind of condition is also known as metastatic, advanced, or secondary breast cancer.

Generally breast cancer shows several symptoms, including:

1. A lump in the breast which can be the size of a pea which persists even after one menstrual cycle. An unusual mass found in the underarm can also be a sign of the disease. Lumps are one of the first and very general symptoms of breast cancer. They generally are painless, but in some cases, sufferers can also feel a prickling sensation. They can be detected by mammography even before they can be felt or seen.

Breast cancer or tumour is a dangerous health condition which must not be overlooked. This condition begins insidiously but ends up destroying more cells and organs than one could ever imagine. It is therefore important for every woman above 20 years of age to have her breasts examined from time to time.

What exactly is breast cancer?
It is the cancer that occurs in the breast tissues, especially in the ducts and lobules. It is not only limited to the females alone: it also occurs in males, though not very common.

Breast and thyroid tissue are the most sensitive to the cancer causing effects of radiation. The effects of radiation may not be noticed immediately since the danger lies in a buildup of exposure over many years. The accumulation of radiation may manifest as cancer anytime within 40 years after exposure.

Environmental estrogens from plastic and other chemicals work synergistically with radiation which increases the danger of developing cancer when exposed to both radiation and environmental estrogens.

In the 1950's the American government endangered the population by testing nuclear weapons. When Dr Carl Johnson studied cancer rates in women, he discovered that women living in the fallout path of the Nevada nuclear test site had double the incidence of breast cancer after the testing compared to before.

Exposure to radiation can be measured by assessing the levels of strontium-90 in the baby teeth of children. The 'Tooth Fairy Project' tests the teeth of children in the U.S. Children living in the path of the plumes of nuclear power reactors have more radiation in their teeth and have contracted a higher than average rate of rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. These children with cancer have nearly double the levels of strontium-90 in their teeth compared to children who are cancer free.

Frequent flying, x-rays, and mammograms expose us to radiation. A jet flight of six hours gives an exposure of 5 milliards of radiation and a chest x-ray to 16 milliards.

Natural substances such as brown seaweeds, kelp, sargassum and bladderwrack contain calcium and sodium alginates, which are gel-like substances that bind to heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, barium, radium, plutonium, strontium and cesium in the gastrointestinal tract. They form insoluble salts that are eliminated in the stools.

Laboratory studies of rats showed that sodium alginate did not allow the uptake of radioactive particles to the bone by 80% when added to the diet. Seaweeds are also an excellent source of minerals, vitamins, and protein, as well as being very alkaline on the body.

Petrochemicals such as gasoline and those that include formaldehyde have been seen as a cause for cancer in animals. Although it may be hard to believe, many products which seem so innocent, contain formaldehyde. Products such as air deodorizers, antiperspirants, cleaning solutions, cosmetics, detergents, disinfectants, dry cleaning compounds, mouthwashes, nail polish, perfume, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics, shampoos, soaps, toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, and preservatives may not be as harmless as they may seem to be.

Organochlorines have been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Samples taken from breast cancer biopsies have shown to have much higher levels of these toxins than samples from benign lumps or breast tissue without cancer. A Finnish study done in 1990 found that the organochlorine beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (b-HCH) was 50% higher in the cancerous tissue than in healthy breast tissue.

These Organochlorines are in plastics and pesticides, they are also formed as by products of chlorine based industries. These are the used in the bleaching of pulp for paper, disinfecting of water, and even bleaching wheat flour.

Whilst governments and professional institutions run the 'official' programmes, in any one country there may also be many 'non-official' initiatives that are run by private individuals and groups. In fact it seems that really anybody who wants to get involved can do so - whether they are qualified or not.

So what are the aims and objectives of these cancer awareness programmes? What is it that these programmes are actually trying to make us more aware of? Is it about the disease and it's treatment? Is it to make sure that women know that they should present to the doctor immediately they find any problem in their breast or are they simply trying to increase the number of women attending screening with Mammography - regardless of whether or not the motive for this might be purely financial?