On television commercials as well as magazine and Internet ads you see this subject everywhere – Hair Loss.  Ever since the creation of man this is one thing man has been very sensitive about, very few men like the idea of losing their hair and going bald.  I’m assuming this comes from the military.  When a man enlists he is given a burr haircut that makes him feel humiliated and almost bald.  Upon their discharge a few men continue to wear their burr cuts strictly out of habit, but the majority of them decide to keep longer hair.  The burr cut makes them feel weak and vulnerable, the longer hair makes them feel stronger.  But as they get older stress, chemical imbalances and other factors cause a large percentage of these men to begin losing their hair.  But they are not alone…

In recent years it has been discovered that for these same reasons women also are subject to hair loss.  Now this may be only my opinion, but I do not believe most women like the idea of being bald.  They like it even less so than the men. That is unless we’re talking about someone like Sinead O’Connor, Susan Powter, or Jane Chyldes.  These three don’t seem to have a problem with it, but what about those that do?

Talk to your doctor and/or pharmacist.  There are treatments, which can help.  A lot of people have seen great results with the topical drug Minoxodil, sold under the brand name of Rogaine.  They have formulas for both men and women.  There are also oral medicines as well as hair re-growth procedures.  So if you are having hair loss, don’t lose hope because there are answers and options available to you.

I’m sure you have probably heard that within the coming months all restaurants and the majority of public places are going to be ‘Smoke Free’ zones.  Being that I have mild asthma, chronic bronchitis, and COPD this regulation comes as a welcome respite to myself and other sufferers of these respiratory maladies.  Yet even though I’m in favor of the restaurants being smoke free, I am not totally against the needs of the smokers, not to mention the restaurant owners because in a lot of ways the ban encompasses too wide an area.

I have read about restaurants in the news that can no longer use wood ovens for cooking traditional items on their menus because the smoke from the wood fits the criteria for the ban.  I personally think that is ludicrous.  Everyone knows that ‘wood’ smoke cannot harm you, but ‘tobacco’ smoke can.  I believe stoves need to be exempted from the smoking ban, which is unless they cook with tobacco.

Also, in the old days the restaurants and trains and other places had rooms sealed off from the rest of the populace.  These were called ‘smoking rooms’. People would go to these little lounges and smoke whenever they wanted a puff.  Some places still have these, but not many.  I know of even one ‘hospital’ that has one so that doctors, nurses, and staff can have a butt – but ‘patients’ too.  At this hospital a doctor took from his own funds and had the room built.  It is next to the cafeteria.  It is airtight so that no smoke goes to the eating area for non-smokers.  It also has a special ventilation system to keep excess smoke from building up. 

When my Aunt was in the hospital I had the misfortune of being in that room several times with my Mom because she didn’t want to be in there alone.  That place always had so many smokers in it you couldn’t see inside the glass windows because of the nicotine and the haze. It smelled so bad in there
that is what I liken Hell to smelling like if you have the misfortune of going there.

In closing I say watch for my future installment… ‘Is It OK To Open Up A Six Pack of Whoopin’s On A Doctor For Building A Smoking Room In the First Place?’

There are many medical conditions affecting women that are well-known because of the publicity by famous individuals.  Even though those conditions are serious, there are some conditions that are not as well-known and just as serious.  Endometriosis is one of them and I’m sure you are saying to yourself, “What is that?”

Endometriosis affects over 70 million women and girls world wide.  Isn’t that an astonishing number?  What’s more astonishing is that most doctors do not truly believe Endometriosis does more than cause pain.  Trust me, I’m a Stage IV Endometriosis patient, the worse stage you can have, and have been told just that.  Doctor’s don’t believe what they can’t see and in order to find Endo you have to have surgery to be diagnosed.  It’s not fatal, but it is a life-long condition.

Endometriosis is when the endometrium, or lining of the uterus, is not just in the uterus, but outside of the abdominal cavity.  You can have Endometriosis anywhere in the body, implants, and when your menstrual cycle comes the hormones in the uterus begin to work as well as the implants.  Normally, the lining sheds after your monthly period, but for those with Endo, wherever the implants are, they can’t shed and so they break up and cause bleeding.  This causes them to inflame and swell up and scar tissue could result.

There’s no known cause for Endometriosis. A few of the symptoms are extremely painful menstrual cramps, abnormally heavy bleeding during your period, painful sex, and difficult pregnancy as well as no symptoms.  There is no cure, but there’s medication to slow down the implants’ growth.  There is also pain medication that can be offered to help with your pain.