FROM IMPATIENCE TO PATIENT

This takes practice
patient practice. And because patience is an act of self-compassion, I hope you’ll treat yourself with compassion over your inability to be patient at times. That said, here are some strategies to help transform impatience into patience.

Let’s start with those times when the environment or people aren’t conforming to your expectations: for example, you’re stuck in a traffic jam or you find yourself behind that person in the check-out line who’s chatting with the cashier. First, notice that you’re responding with impatience. Second, pay attention to how it feels in your mind and in your body. Then ask yourself: “Is there anything I can do to change the situation without making matters worse for myself or others?” If the answer is “no” (which it almost always will be), then see if you can find what I’ll call “the good” in the situation. By this I mean, begin to focus on something pleasant or interesting while you’re waiting.

This is a mindfulness practice, meaning you’re making a conscious choice backed up by effort to pay attention to everything that’s going on in your field of awareness. When I feel impatience arise, I can almost always find something in my present moment experience that arouses my curiosity or interest. This allows me to respond, not in “anger” or “upset” to what’s going on, but instead, with patience.


In a traffic jam, it might be checking out the different makes and models and ages of the cars on the road; it might be begining to chat with another person in the car; it might be finding a radio station to listen to. If I’m in that check-out line, it might be noticing with amusement the ridiculous headlines on those sensationalistic mags that sit in racks at the cashier stand; it might be looking at the people around me how everyone looks different and has a whole life story of their own that I know nothing about; it might even be eavesdropping on the content of the chatter that’s holding me up!

In fact, I try to cultivate friendliness toward those chatterers to enjoy how they’re enjoying each other’s company. After all, what’s another minute or two in line? If, like me, you have trouble standing for long, you can look for something to lean on or take a wide stance with your legs so you’re better balanced. Sometimes I bring a cane.

My point is that, yes, our first choice may be to institute a “no traffic jam on the freeway” rule and a “no chatting at the check-out counter” directive, but most of the time in life, we don’t get our first choice. When this happens, if the alternatives are to get upset and angry verses finding a way to make the experience enjoyable, or at least tolerable, I know which one feels better to me.

HOW TO STAY HEALTHY THIS SUMMER

 

Summer is identified as the hottest season of the year. People feel healthier and happier during summer than they do in winter.

Have you been aspiring to get in shape and stay fit all year long?  Summer is the best season for that. Most people need to look sexier in summer, the best season for vacations and picnics, recreational activities. People want to have fun in the sun and enjoy summer, but they forget that “scorching summer sun is not as kind on the skin as the winter rays are” says Lata Srinivasan in her article staying healthy in summer. “Extreme hot weather can pose a dangerous threat to people’s health, it can lead to brain damage, organ failure or even death” added getreadyforflue.blogsport.com. Staying healthy in this sizzling weather is possible by strictly following four steps, you are sure to maintain your heath.

1. Eat raw and wild food - summer comes along with several fruits and vegetables, it is a great time to utilize them. Raw foods are much better than cooked food because they contain important nutrients that help you stay healthy. “Cooked food tends to add chemicals into the body that were not there. The perfect season to introduce more raw food in your diet is summer” says Dr. Adele Van Den Berg, a dietician at netcare waterfall city hospital. He added that raw salads and smoothies will help maintain good health all through the summer. There are food as well that grow by themselves in the wild which are full of nutrients such as berries.  Sheryl walters in her article, 5 ways to stay healthy in summer added that “berries are great for health and can give great nutrient and antioxidants”.

2. Protect your skin – according to probioticsmart.com, spending hours in the sun puts the skin at a risk of cancer and other unpleasant skin conditions. It can cause early aging of skin and undesirable sun sports. Sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect your skin in a scorching summer sun. Umbrellas can also be used to protect the skin from the hot sun. Shades (sun glasses) can be used as well to prevent the burning sun from hitting directly to your eyes in summer.

3. Drinking water – staying hydrated during summer is vital says Walter because people sweat more often in the sizzling summer.  She added that heat stroke can lead to Dehydration. Drinking water helps you feel well and stay vibrant, same way as a wilting plant comes to life when it gets watered, that’s how important water is for human in summer. Although sunlight provides vitamin D but you only need 10minutes of sun.

4. Exercise – summer is the best season to put you in shape. Exercising does not just make feel good and confident about yourself but helps you stay healthy. Use the weather to your advantage and spend some time outside. According to probioticsmart.com, there are many physical activities that can be done outside at this time of the season (running/jogging/walking, biking, swimming etc.). All these can help improve your mood this summer. Spark

By following these four steps, you can get in shape, less sick and feel more energized all summer long, but it all comes down to personal motivation. You need to be willing to, and strive for a better healthy. It is advisable to be diligent at this season to maintain a healthy summer.

TRUE LIFE STORY

At the age of eighteen, there was no sign of menstruation, she was worried. “What is happening to me? Am I really a woman?” Oncele Biba, a 2nd year Graphic Design student at Midrand Graduate Institute kept asking herself but no sensible answers was coming. She was then about to write her matric at Kinshasa commercial secondary school Congo. Amazed that her menstruation cycle was contrary to what she read about female reproductive system in Biology and what her mother Florence Biba thought her about what happens to a woman’s system every month.

Biba couldn’t live anymore with her mother’s frequent opinion that “it happens in some women, there is no need to worry” she goes berserk each time her mother sounds that way, because it seemed to her that her mother had no idea what she was feeling.  According to her, she felt as if something was missing, listening to her friends talk about buying sanitary towels every month made it worse. Biba visited Kinshasa general hospital Congo. The doctor suggested that it was early to worry, unless she was ready to get pregnant.

As God may have it, on the 13 of July 2007, Biba was in class, she felt something wet in her underwear, rushing to the toilet, behold, it was her menstruation. She couldn’t believe it, she was ecstatic, for the first time, Biba bought sanitary towel. Unfortunately, the menstruation came for 2days and stopped, that was not normal but that gave her hope that all might still be well. Biba was then 21, graduated from high school but the menstruation never came again and she doesn’t ovulate. This time, she was not the only one worried, her mother was more worried. They decided to seek serious medical attention. Biba was taken to a private hospital, after several questions from the gynecologist (Dr. Jim Martins), she was asked to take an ultra sound.

The result indicated that Biba was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Betterhealth.com explained it as “poly (many), cystic (small collections of fluid). When the eggs in the ovaries do not develop to maturity, many small "follicles" (small fluid-filled sacs containing immature eggs) develop and can be seen on ultrasound underneath the surface of the ovaries”. Betterhealth.com also added that women with PCOS have either increased circulating amounts of or increased responsiveness to male hormones like testosterone. Biba was placed on contraceptive pills called Yaz to correct the menstruation cycle and also reduce male hormone level.

“Women with PCOS have ovulatory dysfunction or absent ovulation. If the egg is not released from the ovary each month in a regular fashion, and when ovulation manifests itself by infrequent or irregular menstrual cycles, this can apparently lead to infertility” said Dr. Dimitrios Roussot, a gynecologist at Netcare waterfall hospital. PCOS affects 1 in 15 women he added.

Infertility was what Biba feared most. “I was always scared that I might never be able to have my own baby” she said. Martins assured her that taking the contraceptives pills will help with the correction of the cycle but must be balanced it with healthy food (fruits and vegetable) and regular exercise. Biba was disturbed about her situation.

“She was always depressed” says Nanou Biba, a younger sister to Biba. No one knew her problem because she never spoke to anyone.  “My sister never confided in us, even mom couldn’t” she added. Gatho Sukula, Biba’s cousin, said he tried talking to her but she refused to open up, she requested to be left alone.

According to Biba, she was determined to carry the cross alone. She is a devoted Christian and while taking the contraceptives, she believed that the God she served is a healing God and he will heal her someday. She added that she did not want to speak to people who had no solution to her problem. Her faith was overwhelming. “I spoke to the one who has solution to all problems” she says.

She continued to pray while taking her medication, eating a balanced diet and engaging in the necessary exercises. She was visiting her gynecologist every month to get the contraceptives pills. The pills made her menstruate every month but according to Roussort, that is not a real menstruation. The cycle can be corrected after several months of taking the pills and the pill has to be stopped. Biba had taken the birth control pills for eight months.

While taking the pills, she experienced a gain in her weight, but according to her, she was told by her gynecologist that it was not a problem. At the eight months, Biba decided to discontinue with the pills. The next month, on the 21st of May 2008, Biba had her first normal menstruation. She didn’t believe, until it happened again the following month and that was how Biba was complete free from polycystic ovarian syndrome.

“I feel like a woman” she said. Biba believes, her dedication and faith in God corrected her menstruation cycle and encouraged women going through the same problem to stay strong and never stop believing in God

DANNY DECKCHAIR (MOVIE REVIEW)

Film: Danny Deckchair

Director: Jeff Balsmeyer

Featuring: Rhy Ifans, Mirando Otto, Justin Clarke, Rhys Muldoon

Rating: 6/10

At some point in our lives, almost everyone has an urge to move away from our predictable routines and duties and start over somewhere else. Danny Deckchair explores this idea with some interesting twists, although not that fascinating. Director-writer Jeff Balsmeyer is the innovative force behind this Australian romantic comedy.

Danny Morgan (Rhys Ifans) is an easily distracted, Sydney construction worker and lives with his self-centered, bossy girlfriend Trudy (Justine Clarke) who aspires for more affluent lifestyle and takes Danny for granted. He gets bored easily, and when he is bored, he hatches strange schemes, like when he made a slingshot big enough to catapult a full-grown person.  He looks forward to camping with Trudy. However, she is trying to close a real estate deal with Sandy Upman (Rhys Muldoon), a popular TV sports reporter. Trudy forces Danny to suspend the vacation. He was angry and even more berserk when he sports Trudy in a car with upman, revealing a major plot line.

Danny, who finds it hard to express his emotions, comes up with a clever way to convey his feeling of betrayal. It is clear to him that Trudy considers him a loser who is incapable of giving her what she wants. At the barbecue at his home with friends and neighbors, Danny and his friends fill balloon with helium, attach them to a deckchair into the summer sky. He goes up the sky and quickly disappears from sight. Trudy and his friend as well as the whole country through media coverage are throb with speculation and worry about what becomes of him, revealing a major plot development.

He lands in a tree owned by Glenda Lake (Miranda Otto), a local cop with no friend in a small town called Clarence.  However in Clarence, everyone is at least friendly whether, they are actually friends or not. For Danny being in the new town is like starting a new life, one where his ideas are respected and treat him with neighborliness. He found new love as well. Embraced by the town people of Clarence, where his identity remains a mystery, Danny emerges from his comfort zone and become a local hero, revealing plot development. He never bothers to go home, and since the locals are unable to recognize him because the TV news for some reason never shows a recent photo of him.  This is where the screen play becomes a bit incomplete because the TV news failed to include the new photographs of the missing man.

Back in Sydney, Trudy turn Danny’s disappearance into an opportunity to become someone, thereby shifting our attention from Danny’s disappearance.

One problem with Danny Deckchair is that Balsmeyer does not bring anything new to the formula.  The best scenes in the movie are those involving Danny and Glenda, who make a pleasant romantic couple. Attractive as well are the scenes of Danny floating high in the sky.

Balsmeyer is an experienced and wonderful story teller with some attention grabbing ideas; he’s just not sure what to do with them.

Like many present Australian movies. Danny Deckchair is a comedy with a script that needed more work, more laughs and importantly, a fresher and more unique approach to the material.

HOW TO BECOME A GOOD JOURNALIST

Journalism is, in most respects, the backbone of the media industry. Therefore many media jobs require some aspect of journalism. The type of writing a journalist does depends largely on the subject they cover. Another thing which affects a journalist's job is the outlet they produce news for: TV, the Internet, a newspaper, etc

Working a Beat
A beat is a media term for the area, or topic, a journalist covers. So a beat could be anything from local crime, to national news to Hollywood movies. Beats can be very specific, or broader, depending on the kind of publication you’re working for. A mid-size daily newspaper, for example, will have reporters covering everything from local police goings-on to local sports.

Why You Need a Beat
A journalist’s job is to report the news. To find the news, you need to understand the subject matter and the people you’re writing about. Let’s say you’re working a crime beat for a newspaper in Chicago. One morning the police report that there’s been a murder in a posh neighborhood of the city. Now, in order to write about that murder, you need to know what’s been going on in the city. Is this an isolated incident? Was there a similar crime two weeks ago? Two years ago?
People always discuss the five pillars of journalism or the Five Ws -- who, what, where, when and why -- and, the “why,” section can only be filled out by someone with a background and knowledge of their beat. If, for example, you were asked to write about the aforementioned murder in Chicago, and didn’t know anything about the city or the recent criminal activity there, you wouldn’t be able to cover the story in the best way. Because, let’s face it, the story is very different if it’s a random act instead of a potential sign of a crime spree or, let’s say, a serial murderer.

Developing Sources
The other big reason journalists work beats, aside from developing a deep knowledge of the subject they’re covering, is to develop sources. Sources are people you talk to report a story. Now some sources are obvious. If we continue with the example of working as a crime reporter in Chicago, you would have regular sources in the police department. Now some would be obvious -- you would likely speak to a spokesperson for the department whose job it is to handle reporters (a kind of publicist) -- but other contacts might be developed from relations you foster over years of covering a beat.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR SKIN

Don't have time for intensive skin care? Pamper yourself with the basics. Good skin care and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay the natural aging process and prevent various skin problems. Get started with these five no-nonsense tips.

Protect yourself from the sun
One of the most important ways to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems — as well as increase the risk of skin cancer.
For the most complete sun protection:

• Use sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. When you're outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or perspiring.
• Seek shade. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest.
• Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. Also consider laundry additives, which give clothing an additional layer of ultraviolet protection for a certain number of washings, or special sun-protective clothing — which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays. 

 Don't smoke
Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. Smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin — the fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — can contribute to wrinkles.
If you smoke, the best way to protect your skin is to quit. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop smoking.

Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet can help you look and feel your best. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. The association between diet and acne isn't clear — but some research suggests that a diet rich in vitamin C and low in unhealthy fats and processed or refined carbohydrates might promote younger looking skin. 

 Manage stress
Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. To encourage healthy skin — and a healthy state of mind — take steps to manage your stress. Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the things you enjoy. The results might be more dramatic than you expect.

HOW TO STAY HEALTHY IN SUMMER

summer is the season that everyone is waiting for. it is a hot season and it's good to enjoy it to the fullest. below are 5 ways to stay healthy and enjoy summer.

Raw FoodsEnjoy as many raw foods as possible. While cooked food tastes nice, especially on a cold winter’s day, vital nutrients are damaged and lost. Further, cooking adds chemicals that aren’t particularly natural to our bodies. Summer is the perfect time to introduce as many raw foods as possible in the diet.
Raw salads and smoothies will keep you going in the summer. A greater variety of fruits and vegetables means more nourishment for your body and is better for your health. It also means that you won’t waste valuable sunshine time standing over your cooker, and you may find that you look more gorgeous than ever in your summer clothes.

Wild Foods
By now, most of us know that blueberries are great for health. But there are plenty of berries that grow wild all over the world which can give us many of those same nutrients and antioxidants.
I find it funny when I see a small amount of blackberries on sale in the supermarket for quite a hefty price, and they are growing all around us for free. You may be surprised to discover that there are wild berries near where you live.
There may also be wild plants to use in salads, such as dandelion. Nettles can be used in tea, and they can also be juiced. Find out what foods grow wild in your area, and make the most of these free foods that are highly nutritious.

Sun Screen?
Sunscreen is a tricky subject. On the one hand we know that overexposure to sun causes aging skin and even cancer, we also know that the best way to get vitamin D, which is essential for our health, is through the sun. Studies are also continuously showing that many mainstream brands of sunscreen contain chemicals that are no good for our wellbeing. Here are a few ways to deal with the sun:

* Make sure your sunscreen is organic.

* Cover up -- a hat will not only protect you from the sun, it can add style and flare to your outfit!

* Studies show that lycopene is extremely beneficial in protecting us from the negative effects of the sun. Lycopene is a plant nutrient found primarily in tomatoes and tomato based products such as juice and puree, as well as watermelon, pink grapefruit, papaya, and red bell pepper.

* There are also some interesting studies to suggest that broccoli sprouts (which you can sprout yourself or buy at a health food shop), are beneficial for warding off harmful sun rays.

Drink Water

It is crucial to drink plenty of water all year long, and no time is it as refreshing and necessary as in the summer months. We are primarily made of water, and drinking plenty of plain agua will ensure that we feel well and vibrant during the hot months. Just watch a wilting plant in the sun come alive when it gets watered.

Exercise
Summer is the time to get outside. If you have wanted to get in shape and get into some healthy exercising habits, there is no better time than now. Figure out what you enjoy doing, and do it 4-5 times a week.
Bicycling, skateboarding, running, or just walking regularly for 20 minutes can make us feel better and improve our health... not to mention how we look and feel with our winter jackets off.

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE A BAD BREATHE

Halitosis is the medical term used for bad breath. Bad breath can be caused by numerous factors, and many people do not even know they have it. Know the signs that you may have bad breath so you can prevent it.

Health problems such as periodontal gum disease, yeast infections of the mouth, tooth cavities, extremely dry mouth, medications, mouth breathing or lack of saliva, and chronic gastric reflux all cause bad breath. Infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and postnasal drip, diabetes and liver and kidney diseases also can cause bad breath.

Detecting Bad Breath
1. Check your tongue. The tongue should be pink and shiny. If it is white or dry, you may have bad breath. It is important to brush and floss your teeth and tongue (or use a tongue scraper) each day, as bacteria can grow between teeth and on the tongue, causing bad breath.
2. Foods such as onions and garlic and gastric reflux disease cause bad breath. These foods have strong odors and stay with the body until they have passed completely through the body systems. Since your mouth is where all your food is broken down, it makes sense that foods are absorbed into your blood stream and carried to your lungs and given off in your breath.
Most people breathe into their hands to check for bad breath. You can also lick the back of your hand and let it dry for a few seconds then smell that area. If it smells bad, you have bad breath.
3. Dental problems such as tooth cavities, gum disease, plaque or dirty dentures can create bad breath. Maintain good oral care with daily brushing and flossing. See your dentist for a proper cleaning every six months.
4. Dry mouth can be caused by a lack of saliva from dehydration, medications or mouth breathing (morning breath) and smoking. Smoking does dry out your mouth and causes unpleasant mouth odors.
5. Diseases such as diabetes or kidney or liver problems cause bad breath. Any lung disease, sinus infection, tonsillitis, pneumonia or bronchitis can produce bad breath. With diabetes, kidney or liver failure you may have a fishy breath. Uncontrolled diabetes can also cause a fruity breath.
Eliminating Bad Breath
Drink plenty of water. Some mouth rinses recommended by your dentist can kill odor producing bacteria. Use alcohol free mouthwash as the alcohol dries out the mouth that can exacerbate bad breath. Chewing sugar-free gum can produce saliva to eliminate bad breath.

Avoid foods that cause bad breath and limit sweet candy and chocolate, as the sugar prompts bacteria to reproduce in the mouth. Green tea has anti-bacterial properties to eliminate bad breath, as does cinnamon. Fresh fruits and vegetables such as apples produce more saliva in your mouth and help to expel bacteria. Oranges also help to eliminate bacteria, as they are high in vitamin C. If halitosis persists despite changes mentioned, consult your healthcare provider to rule out a more serious problem

STATIN

Statins are drugs that can lower your cholesterol. They work by blocking a substance your body needs to make cholesterol. Statins may also help your body reabsorb cholesterol that has built up in plaques on your artery walls, preventing further blockage in your blood vessels and heart attacks.

Statins include well-known medications such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and others. Lower cost generic versions of many statin medications are available. Already shown to be effective in lowering cholesterol, statins may have other potential benefits. But doctors are far from knowing everything about statins

Whether you need to be on a statin depends on your cholesterol level along with your other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. If you have high cholesterol, meaning your total cholesterol level is 240 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) (6.22 millimoles per liter, or mmol/L) or higher, or your low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, or "bad" cholesterol) level is 130 mg/dL (3.37 mmol/L) or higher, your doctor may recommend you begin to take a statin. But the numbers alone won't tell you or your doctor the whole story. If the only risk factor you have is high cholesterol, you may not need medication because your risk of heart attack and stroke could otherwise be low. High cholesterol is only one of a number of risk factors for heart attack and stroke.

If your doctor decides you should take a statin, you and your doctor will have to decide what dose to take. Statins come in varied doses — from as low as 5 milligrams to as much as 80 milligrams, depending on the medication. If you need to decrease your LDL cholesterol significantly — by 50 percent or more — it's likely you'll be prescribed a higher dose of statins. If your LDL cholesterol isn't as high, you'll likely need a lower dose. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about the amount of statins you're taking.

PURSUING A CAREER IN CIVI ENGINEERING

“Choosing a career in civil engineering is the best decision anyone could make” says Mr. Louis Coetzee, a civil engineering lecturer at University of Pretoria (UP). It sees easy to choose a career, but the important thing is making the right choice, a career that will give you the privilege to express yourself and bring out the best in you. The best way to do this would be, finding out about a particular career before considering it. The bottom line is doing what you love most. Considering a career in civil engineering would not be a bad idea, because it will offer school leavers a chance to build skill and expertise that will be of use to both the government and various public firms in a continuous basis. Like every other profession, it will be considerate to know about civil engineering before pursuing it as a profession.

Civil engineering is a wide field that deals with planning, designing, supervising, managing and maintaining large construction projects such as highways, airfields, harbors, water and sewage systems, and buildings. A person pursuing a career in this field will be surprised how broad it is. Civil engineering is a complex and hectic career to pursue. This profession has historically has been male dominated because of the nature of job but it is amazing to know that women are getting involved these days but not a large number, as most of them are discouraged by the complexity of the work.

To pursue a career in civil engineering, a matric exemption or a senior certificate with mathematics and physics science is required, computer studies, geography and technical drawing is required as well. A compulsory admission test has to be written to study civil engineering. A minimum of 4years full-time BEng or Bsc is required, followed by 3years of practical training under a registered professional civil engineer.  Once a degree is obtained, the next step is getting a license; first, the fundamental of engineering exam must be completed. After the completion of the exam, the person is qualified as an engineer-in-training or an engineer intern.

Within South Africa, different major universities offer civil engineering in which school leavers considering a career in this profession can apply such universities are university of Pretoria (UP), University of South Africa (UNISA), University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN), Wits and University of Cape Town (UTC). For those wishing to study abroad, there are 5 top universities that offer civil engineering as well, such as Stanford University, Purdue University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and University of California Berkeley.

His advice for school leavers who want to pursue a career in civil engineer is to remain persistent, never allow distraction of any kind because they will be surprised how board the profession is and the level of work that is involved. Women rarely consider a career in civil engineering, the nature of work might be the reason for that but Mr Coetzee encouraged women not to back off, rather to pursue their dreams against any discouragement. He believes that the more women employed in the industry, the better the future of civil engineering industry. What a man can do a woman can do even better he says, so women should be encourage to start considering a career in this field. Anyone considering a profession in civil engineering has not made a wrong choice but must learn to be focused and diligent.

POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is an extremely common endocrine disorder. The prevalence of PCOS is conservatively estimated to occur in 5-10% of reproductive-aged women. This disease has been recognized since at least the 1930's. While a clinical diagnosis of PCOS may encompass several distinct subsets of patients, most experts in the field agree that there are some common clinical and laboratory aspects of this common disorder

One common feature of PCOS is increased body weight. Women with PCOS tend to be heavy and have trouble losing weight. One underlying mechanism behind the ovulatory irregularity and the obesity is probably insulin resistance. This means that the cells of women with PCOS do not respond as well to their bodies' own insulin as those of someone without PCOS. This puts women with PCOS at higher risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy or later in life.

Treatment for PCOS depends largely on an individual woman's fertility desires. For those women not desiring immediate pregnancy, there are basically two options to help regulate menstrual cyclicity and prevent endometrial hyperplasia. The most common option is the use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills; BCPs). BCPs will give most women normal bleeding patterns and prevent hyperplasia. Since ovulation can occur unpredictably in women with PCOS, BCPs also provide adequate contraception. The hormones in BCPs will also help reduce acne and facial hair in most patients with PCOS. In women who do not require oral contraception, progesterone given for 10-12 days every 30-60 days will induce a reliable menses.

In women for whom unwanted hair growth is particularly bothersome, significant improvement can be obtained with a combination of medications. As already mentioned, BCPs are extremely useful in this regard. Other medications may include drugs that reduce the secretion of androgen hormones or interfere with their action in the skin and hair cells.

Alternatively, for women with PCOS who desire pregnancy, ovulation induction is often necessary. This involves medical treatment in order to help the ovaries release an egg each month in a reliable fashion. For many women this involves simple and relatively inexpensive oral medication. Others may require more intensive and expensive therapies utilizing injectable medications. For full coverage of ovulation inducing agents go to the section on ovulation drugs.

Finally, there are some new therapeutic options available for women with PCOS. As already mentioned, insulin resistance may represent the underlying problem for a lot of PCOS patients. A relatively new class of drugs that help sensitize the cells to the action of insulin, thereby reducing insulin resistance, has recently been shown to help induce ovulation in women with PCOS who failed previous simple therapies. Certain of these agents may also help women with PCOS to lose weight. Some of the more common drugs are: Metformin (Glucophage) and Actos.  Glucophage is much simpler to administer and is frequently associated with weight loss.  It is a general goal to obtain a weight loss of at least 10%.  Many studies have shown that a weight loss of 10% leads to a 30% pregnancy rate.  Although weight loss is difficult to achieve and the idea of dieting is stressful for almost anyone, we have had much recent success with a variety of approaches.  The first is the Atkins type protein based diet.  This low carbohydrate diet helps to reduce insulin secretion and encourage weight loss.  Other options include the sugar buster diet or formal weight loss systems such as Weight Watchers.  Also please remember the first week of any dietary change is the worst.   If you can hang in there with week one, any diet will seem more natural.

In women who cannot tolerate or don't conceive with oral medications such as Glucophage or Clomid other options are available. These include injectable ovulation medications such as Gonal-F or Follistim. also in vitro fertilization is available with excellent results.

PCOS is a common readily treatable disorder. The challenge is for the doctor to meet the specific needs of the patient during her entire life span.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MANDELA DIES?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MANDELA DIES?

This has being the question on each and everyone’s mind since the African freedom icon Tata Madiba Mandela was admitted at the Pretoria hospital.

The former president Nelson Mandela marked two months in hospital on Thursday, as his compatriots extended their national vigil. The anti-apartheid hero was rushed to the Pretoria Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital on 8 June with a recurring lung infection.  His condition is still said to be "critical but stable". The government has been secretive about the Madiba’s health, issuing infrequent and barebones statements and declining to comment on the specifics of his condition

Some believe the anti-apartheid hero and paragon of racial reconciliation is the glue that holds the diverse nation together. “For as long as he lives, South Africans breathe a little easier and believe in their country a little more. When the day after Mandela dawns, that belief will be shaken, not dramatically or immediately, but slowly and perhaps imperceptibly. South Africa will, quite simply, be a different country.”  Say David Smith in his article “ what will become of South Africa after Nelson Mandela dies” With fewer nuances, a persistent myth holds that black people have been waiting for his passing before unleashing a “night of the long knives, genocide of whites” to “cleanse” South Africa.

The ANC is in trouble whether he is alive or dead, “I think it will lose more ground. I hope it does, because it has become arrogant. Its strength has been diminished in each election since 1994 and this time it may go under 60 percent. It is riven with factions and eventually it will disintegrate. That will not be bad for the country, but good for the country” smith added. The idea that South Africa is hanging on to one man and one party is a failure to understand the processes we have to go through.

It is time for South Africans to wake up and take responsibility, rather than depending on one man. Mandela will not live forever and nobody should expect him to live forever on this planet. It is time to grow up and get going and allow Mandela to rest in peace.

FASHION TODAY

Fashion is a general term for a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, footwear, accessories, makeup and body piercing, says Tsepo Massina, a fashion designer student at Midrand Graduate Institute. She added that it is a distinctive and often habitual trend in the style with which a person dresses, as well as to prevailing styles in behaviour.

Fashion today is not just the clothes but also the accessories too. Clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery and Beauty products all constitute today's Fashion trends. As far as clothes are concerned, Fashion is based on fabric, colour and cuts. Fashion trends change according to the season. For instance, during summers the common colours worn are the pastel shades and lighter fabric. Come winter and the preferred colour ranges are the darker and brighter ones and the fabric is heavier therefore Fashion today depends on the time

Fashion today is also basically pulling from the past to create your own look. "Vintage" is usually thought of as older looking clothes but today it really means from any era in the past. Bright colours are worn a lot. The number 1 rule of thumb in fashion today is simple: buy things that fit. Not too tight and not too baggy. When you wear clothes that fit, you are bound to look, at the least, decent. Nothing too wild and you'll be great!

These days anything could be fashion, people come up with ideas on their own to create fashion suitable for their desire. People are so obsessed with fashion that most clothes become similar. In her article, “what women wear” Laura cox emphasised that modern women dress badly, because following fashion makes them all look the same. She added that people are too concerned about what’s fashionable. Women have such boring wardrobes these days because they must follow fashion, she says, they must, and they must. But sometimes it’s about saying, oh, this would work well with that.

 It is difficult to know what to wear now, because people dress in similar ways these days. Today everybody wants to look good but it all depends on what you believe is fashion for you; the main thing is, wearing something that makes you comfortable.

FINDING MR OR MRS RIGHT

If you can get in close enough, checking out someone's smell is a valuable way of finding Mr or Ms Right. Despite our aversion to smell and our much reduced olfactory areas in the brain (at least compared to dogs and horses) we are in fact surprisingly sensitive to it. Newborn babies and their mothers can identify each other by smell alone within hours of the birth – which is one reason why we now like to make sure that the baby goes straight on the mother's breast as soon as it is born. This is something that we share with most other mammals. In sheep and goats, the mother learns to recognise its newborn young by smell within 24 hours, and in the following days will allow only that lamb to suckle. And the lambs themselves learn to identify the right mother to suck from in the same way, though they are, perhaps understandably, a bit slower and it usually takes a couple of days' exposure to the mother's smell.

In fact, smell provides one of the best markers of who you really are. The reason for this is that your smell is determined by the same set of genes, the major histocompatibility complex genes (MHC), as your immune system. It is part of who you are, your personal chemical signature. The MHC gene complex is particularly susceptible to mutation, producing new immune complexes with each new generation. This is probably just as well, as these are our first line of defence against bacteria and viruses which are themselves undergoing constant genetic change.

Our immune-system genes have evolved to be almost as changeable as virus genes in an effort to track the ever-changing biological threats that we face from them. So smell may be one way of checking out who's a good bet and who's not, but it's not the only function of smell in this context. Female moths famously dribble molecules of an incredibly powerful scent into the air. Male moths can detect these scents in the tiniest quantities from hundreds of yards away and find them quite irresistible. These sexual attraction scents are known as pheromones and occur widely in the animal kingdom, including monkeys. There has been some debate as to whether or not they occur in humans, but, in fact, there is considerable evidence to suggest that they do.

There do appear to be significant differences between the sexes in their respective sensitivity to odour: women are much more sensitive than men. There is now quite a lot of evidence that women in particular are quite good at identifying their children and their lovers by scent alone. However, we are by no means perfect at this, it must be said, and it is probably just as well that we don't manage our social world by smell rather than by vision – we would be likely to make an inordinate number of embarrassing mistakes if we did. However, it seems that, having identified the right person, smell plays a very important role in sexual arousal for women in a way it doesn't for men. Perhaps as a result, women rate smell as more important in mate choice than men do, whereas men rely much more on visual cues, reflecting the fact that men tend to make up their minds about a prospective mate from further away than women do. Women need to get up close and personal.

In a large questionnaire-based study, Jan Havlicek, Tamsin Saxton, Craig Roberts and their colleagues found that women rated odour as more important than visual cues in a range of non-sexual contexts (such as meal choice, flower choice and attention to unfamiliar landscapes) as well as in contexts of sexual arousal and lover choice, but men did not. For men, visual cues were much more important, especially in sexual contexts and lover choice.

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

Jesus emphatically stated that loving your neighbor as yourself is second only to loving God. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt. 22:37-40)
No one wants to hurt someone they love which is why it is easier to over look the trespasses of our loved ones than those of mere acquaintances. But who is our neighbor?
When asked this question, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan where an innocent man was robbed, beaten, and left for dead along the roadside. Before long two men who were assumed by all to be upright and moral, passed him by and left him to die. A Samaritan, who was looked down upon by the Jews of that generation, showed compassion for the afflicted man and stopped to help. The Samaritan therefore, according to Jesus, was the man's neighbor. (Luke 10:29-37)
As we grow in Christ we begin to take on His character, producing the fruit of the Spirit such as gentleness, kindness, and selflessness. Since we are instructed by the Savior to love our enemies, how much more does he want us to love those who are not our enemies?

Jesus said that we are to be kind to all men (Matt. 5:45) because the Father is also kind and sends the sun and rain upon us all, whether just or unjust. But those who selflessly help us in difficult times are the ones Jesus said are our neighbors and we are to love them even as we love ourselves.

When a born-again Christian begins to mature in Christ, the love for other members in the family of God begins to develop and grow. It is just as natural as young siblings growing to love each other in any other family. Anyone who doesn't have this kind of love for the brethren doesn't have perfect love towards God.
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." (1John 4:20)

Most families experience conflict and yet still love each other. The test of true love comes from hardships or when the chips are down and we realize which of our friends or family is truly our neighbor.
Looking around at all the people we pass by each day we need to realize that if we had experienced the same kind of relationship with any one of them over the years as we have with those we're closest to, we would have loved them just as much. Every man, woman, and child is someone's father, Mother, brother, or sister and should be viewed as such.

Most of us have been helped out of a difficult situation by a kindhearted person at one time or another during our lifetime and according to Jesus, that person is our neighbor. However, during our lives we have encountered many people and none of us know which of these, whether friend, family or even stranger, would have done the same had they been given the chance, which is also true of all of those we will encounter in the future.

Therefore, since we don't know for sure, we should view all people as our neighbor. Likely as not it would surprise us to know which of those we pass each day would do for us what the Good Samaritan did for the injured traveler should we fall on hard times.
Learning to love each other is a process and learning to love our neighbor as ourselves helps us learn to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.

FATHER'S LOVE

Like mothers, fathers come in all different shapes, sizes, and personalities. The most basic and universal understanding of father is one of begetting children. A father is much more than a begetter. Father is not a name but a relation and a presence. Steve is a person before becoming Paul’s father. Fatherhood is added on to his personhood.

Recall some father-roles in movies and in television. Take for example the role of Stanley Banks (“Pops”) in “Father of the Bride.” Just thought of ‘losing’ his daughter in marriage evokes comically neurotic tendencies on the eve of the wedding. In “Life with Father,” Clarence Day (Clare) is a financier whose thriftiness and dislike of surprises make for fun when, time and again, his wife Vinnie and his four boys outwit him. In “Mr. Skeffington,” Job Skeffington is the tender, loving father to an only daughter, spurned by her vain mother.
In “The Bill Cosby Show,” Cliff Huxtable, the father and obstetrician, is thoroughly engaged in the lives of his five children. He protects, disciplines, and loves them. As a moral guide, he teaches them values by example. A devoted husband, he stands firmly with his wife, especially in front of the children. The Huxtable family loves their Dad – flexible, funny, and fun – as we do.

The mature television series, “Blue Bloods” captures a similar image of father in different circumstances. Henry Reagan, the super-patriarch of an Irish Catholic family and once the police commissioner of the NYPD, is always the pre-eminent father-figure, first to his son Francis (Frank), a widower and the current police commissioner. Henry lives with Frank, the father of a daughter and two sons, also part of the NYPD. Danny, one of Frank’s sons, is the father of two young boys. The three fathers are present to the various family members providing them with stability and guidance – moral and spiritual. With the Reagans, fatherhood and family unite to claim center stage in this weekly drama about the New York police department.

Today, though speaking about God invites criticism, silence is no answer. A word then about God-language. God, who is beyond all human language, reveals the Divine I-AM-Who-Am as masculine in the Hebrew scriptures. God is Adonai (Lord), Melech (King), Avinu (Our Father). These are figurative and not a literal ways of speaking about the ineffable source and creator of the universe. Nevertheless, God as father, is revealed in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

To some, the name father ascribes gender to God. Such language, they say, confirms a patriarchal system that keeps women subservient and prevents them from gender equality.
Extreme feminism faults a patriarchal culture for developing the doctrine of the Father’s eternal relationship to the Son. Accordingly, “the Christian tradition has made the image of God’s fatherhood literal. “. . .  This tendency favors dominance of male over female onto God’s being, thereby eclipsing women as equal carriers of the divine image” (Catherine Mowry-Lacugna, “Fatherhood of God,” Encyclopedia of Catholicism, 520). Lacugna admits that Jesus did not refer to God as Amma (mother).  However, within this view, ample doubt remains – a doubt that Jesus’ words about his Father addressed to his Father, are insufficient to justify, let alone prove, God’s eternal fatherhood. Why?  Because they were written, interpreted, and developed in and by a patriarchal culture.

In the Johannine gospel alone, reference to the Father occurs more than 110 times. In chapter seventeen, Jesus’ prayer to his Father reveals what the Father means to Jesus. It gives us an intimate sense of the relationship between Father and Son. As revealed dogma, the procession of Son from the Father, according to their one nature, is literally true. Did Jesus not know better?

GOD'S LOVE

Most of us think that we really understand the love of God, but our experience proves otherwise. We feel lonely, depressed, discouraged, and defeated. Every one of these negative emotions would be turned to positive by a proper revelation of God's love for us.

As for loving others, most of us would admit there are some people who are very difficult to love. Since we do not fully understand God's love for us, we fail in loving others. We can't give away what we don't have. If we receive a full revelation of God's love for us, it becomes easy to love others with the love that we have received.

When we struggle to believe that God's promises to us will come to pass, that's unbelief; but the root of that unbelief is a lack of love. Galatians 5:6 says faith works by love. That means love is the driving force behind our faith. Remove or diminish love, and faith ceases to be what it should be. Many of us try hard to believe when we should be seeking a greater revelation of God's love for us. Then, faith would just naturally work. There is more than just a superficial knowledge that God loves us. In Ephesians, chapter 3, Paul prayed that the Ephesians would get a greater revelation of God's love for them. He said, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph. 3:14-19).

Notice in verse 18 that God's love isn't just one-dimensional. There is height, depth, length, and breadth to it. Many Christians only see God's love as they would see a painting, in one-dimension. They've never seen the multi-dimensional reality of God's love.

In verse 19, Paul said as we experience God's love, which is superior to mere knowledge of God's love, then we would be filled with all the fullness of God. What a statement! Are you lacking in any area of your life? If so, you lack a revelation of God's love. Experiencing God's love equals fullness.

I've said all of this to say that a deep revelation of God's love for us is the most important thing we can receive. First Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" (God's kind of love).

There are many ways that Satan uses to try to block the revelation of God's love for us. One of the most subtle, and therefore the most deadly, ways is that he has deceived us into thinking that God's love for us is tied to our performance. We think we have to do something to earn God's love. We have to merit God's love. That is not what the Bible teaches.

In the natural world, you get what you deserve. Employers don't hire you based on their love for you. You have to perform. If you perform badly, you are punished or fired. The same thing is true in most relationships. Hundreds of married couples essentially complain, "They don't deserve my love." However, the nearly-too-good-to-be-true news of the Gospel is that we don't get what we deserve. Praise the Lord!

God's love for us is unconditional. That is, God doesn't love us because of some virtue we possess. God loves us because "God is love" (1 John 4:8), not because we are lovely.

Religion is one of the biggest propagators of the conditional-love-of-God lie. Most "Christian churches" teach that God's love for us is conditional, based on our performance. If we pray, go to church, pay our tithes, etc., then the Lord loves us and answers our prayers; but if we fail, then the Lord won't answer our prayers. That's not true.

There is a disease in the church that I call "spiritual dyslexia." Dyslexia is where a person sees things backwards. A dyslexic person sees the word "god" as "dog". There's a huge difference between God and a dog; yet dyslexics don't see it.

 

"Spiritual dyslexia" has a similar effect on people. Those infected with this "spiritual dyslexia" see scriptures backwards. For instance, 1 John 2:3-5 says, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him."

A dyslexic Christian sees these verses and says, "I want to know God, so I must keep His commandments." These verses are saying just the opposite. Keeping God's commandments is a result of knowing God. You can live a holy life without knowing God; the Pharisees proved that. However, you can't know God without living a holy life as a result. When God's love is perfected in us, keeping God's Word will be the result (verse 5).

Any attempt to reverse this order is "getting the cart before the horse." It won't work; and yet this is what the majority of Christians are trying to do. They are seeking to know the Lord better by living a holier life. It's just the opposite. Experiencing God's love more will produce a holy life.

This dyslexic condition has caused many to tie God's love for them to their performance. When they do well, they let God's love for them flow. When they do poorly, they condemn themselves. They think God is condemning them, but He's not. In many cases, it's not even the devil condemning them. Satan has caused them to believe a lie, and they are condemning themselves.