Top Ten Doberman Health Problems You Shouldn't Miss!

You must never ignore the Doberman health problems. There can possibly be more problems underlying it. Learn the top ten health problems that your Doberman may suffer from in this article.

Doberman health problems are commonly overlooked by some dog owners. Never do they know that some of the causes for their Doberman dog's undesirable behaviors have stemmed from the health issues of their very own lovely pet unless they let them see a veterinarian on a regular basis.

Over the past few years, animal doctors have diagnosed and found out these common health problems among Doberman dogs. Most of the diseases enumerated herein are common yet affect drastically the health of Doberman dogs.

The following top ten Doberman health problems are listed below:

Doberman Health Problem One: Von Willebrand's disease. This is the most common disease that can be found among Dobermans. Experts say that this is a genetically acquired disease which can cause the life of your dog. It is a condition where there is an abnormality in the blood clotting system.

Dobermans suffering from this disorder will experience excessive bleeding which can be treated with blood transfusion. So, you should be careful with whelping and docking with your Doberman.

You must take extra care that they must not be injured as little wounds might cause them death. A wise prevention also is that before you take a Doberman home, always screen him with certain diseases. It is important that you go to reliable dog breeders before taking a Doberman. A thorough selective breeding works best in preventing such ailment.

Doberman Health Problem Two: Hypothyroidism. The abnormality on the functions of thyroid gland among humans are also the same in this type of disease in Dobermans. This causes the abnormal metabolism of your dog.

Some symptoms include weight loss, anemia, skin and coat issues, obesity, weak joints, slow heart beat and depression.

Doberman Health Problem Three: Bone Cancer. Another health problem that is commonly present in Dobermans is the so called "Cancer of the bones" which can be detected by the lumps that are unusually developed on healthy Doberman dogs.

Doberman Health Problem Four: Prostate and Mammary Cancer. In connection with the cancer issues among Dobermans, they are also prone to Prostate cancer among the male dogs while Breast cancer among the females. The same chemotherapy procedure is done to treat Dobermans with this disease.

Doberman Health Problem Five: Wobbler Syndrome. This is common to Dobermans that are very active and love to run. Although exercise is necessary for them, take note that they are prone to injury in the spinal cord that affects their legs. This causes them to stand incorrectly and have a swaying leg when walking.

Doberman Health Problem Six: Dilated Cardiomyopathy. This is among the most fatal diseases a Doberman can manifest. Usually, there are no signs that can warn the owners that their dogs have this disorder.

Furthermore, as Doberman matures, they are prone to heart muscle failures that may cause them to collapse suddenly or have difficulty in breathing.

Doberman Health Problem Seven: Hip dysplasia. It is also an inherited disease where a Doberman can suffer from a mild to worse malformation of the hip joint. A hip joint surgery can save your Doberman from this disease.

Doberman Health Problem Eight: Progressive retinal atrophy. This is another inherited disease wherein a Doberman can suffer a progressive eye blurriness for months or years and so on until they get blind. This disease can occur at an early age.

Doberman Health Problem Nine: Albinism. This is a disease among Dobermans wherein an abnormal skin or coat color (white) occur of which not usual for this breed. Doberman albinos are barred from the breeding society in US.

Doberman health problem Ten: Bloating. This is one of the most fatal health problems your Doberman can get. They suffer from swelling of the stomach either from gas or water that causes their stomach to twist. There is no exact reason that can identify why bloating happens, but it usually occurs when they eat a large amount of dry foods and excessive drinking of water after eating.

These are the most common Doberman health problems to look for in your pets. Your dogs are your treasures, so ensure their health and safety at all times


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Marcus Stephens "The Dog Guy" has owned and trained canines for more than 20 years. He established of the well-visited website Fix Doberman Health Problems". Get your FREE report that reveals how to stop your Doberman health problems for good at=> http://fixdobermanproblems.com/2010/09/23/dobermanhealth/

The Solution for Men's Pants that Won't Stay Up

No Butts About It!

If you have this problem, you are not alone. Six out of ten men suffer with the "lose my pants syndrome." Basically, their bellies are larger than their rear ends, making it almost impossible to keep their pants up where they belong. One man describes himself as the "ice cream cone-shaped Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners," wide in the middle, smaller in the hips, even smaller in the thighs... Hmm...Sound familiar?

Where Have All the Bottoms Gone?

As the waistline increases, the bottom appears smaller. Age and gravity also have a cruel, ravaging effect on once-plump derrieres. When the hips are smaller than the waist, there is nothing to anchor the pants, so they slowly work their way south. Men try to accommodate this by ratcheting up their belts. Some even resort to suspenders.

Men who have trouble keeping their pants up fear sitting, squatting, and moving about too freely. Their mind is always on keeping their pants up, as you see them walking around, constantly pulling and lifting, hoisting and tugging, in a vain effort to defy gravity. This is not only uncomfortable and unnerving, but gives a sloppy appearance.

Stock Men's Pants Miss the Mark

Off-the-rack men's dress pants are not designed with this build in mind. Manufacturers mistakenly miss the mark and cut for the so-called "ideal standard men's shape." Traditional men's pants are cut with a seven-inch ratio between the waist and seat. In other words, a size 36 pants would have a 36″ waist and a 43″ hip. This leaves many men who find pants that fit their waist with the "droopy drawers, parachute syndrome." Or if they find a pair of pants that fits their rear, they can't zip their fly. There has to be a better way.

The "Bottom Line" Solution

The real solution is to have pants custom made to fit and flatter your shape. Buying pants made to your waist and inseam measurements is not enough to address your fit challenges. Your pants should be designed to fit your waist, hip and thigh, as well as inseam and outseam measurements.

What Fabric Is Best?

Casual pants should be made of a good quality cotton twill, chino or poplin. Many pants today have 3% Lycra for added comfort and stretch. For dress slacks, choose high-quality wool fabrics such as gabardines or sturdy file weaves. Look for a high yarn count such as Super 100's to Super 130's so that they hold their crease, shape and wrinkle less. Wool blends are okay if they are made of quality yarns.

What Should the Style of the Pants Be?

The style should be a simple, flat front or single-pleated to eliminate bulk. The pants should not be tight, but should be a trim cut, especially in the thigh area, continuing down to the knee.

There should be a rubberized strip in the waistband for friction and to keep your shirt from pulling out of your pants. Suspender buttons should be included for braces (suspenders), if desired. Cuffs can be optional, as well as preferred pocket details.

So now you know! There is no need to struggle with dress pants that won't stay in place and just don't fit your frame. Have your pants custom designed for your build and they will look nicer on you, stay in place and feel much more comfortable.


Copyright (c) 2008 Janine Giorgenti

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Five (5) Tips to Get Your Projects Completed NOW!

Through reading different eBooks, listening to motivational tapes, and learning from my own experiences, I’ve come up with five tips, that, if implemented, will get your project completed and put and end to the procrastination that holds you frozen.

1. Develop a "Do It Now" attitude. If you struggle with procrastination, stop for a moment and just meditate on how good it will feel once your project is complete. Visualize yourself enjoying your accomplishments. You may want to turn on some inspirational music. Then, DO SOMETHING! It doesn’t matter if it’s wrong; just start moving toward your goal. More times than not you will discover that the thing you have been procrastinating was easier than you had worried it would be.

2. Delegate. Outsource. One of the hardest things for a true entrepreneur to do is to have someone else do something for them that they know they are capable of doing. But your time is valuable. You may find yourself falling behind because you can’t possibly meet all your own, and others’ expectations.

There are a number of freelance portals on the web. Try Nerdlance.com, GetAFreelancer.com, Elance.com, RentACoder.com or others where it is free to post projects. Develop a detailed project description and post it on each site. You will get more bids this way. You can select the freelancer from the site you are most happy with. Check freelancer’s previous work and ratings. Often, you might get lower bids from new freelancers looking to gain experience and ratings on the freelance sites. This may be a good way to save money, but if you project is critical and time sensitive, pay more for experience.

3. Clear your environment. Often a messy workspace can be distracting. Clear your desk of clutter. If you have any available, use a nice smelling cleaner and/or air freshener. You will be surprised at how much more you can focus on the task at hand without all the clutter. If you your computer desktop is messy, clean it up too. Delete all those shortcut icons on your desktop that you rarely, if ever, use.

4. Develop a "to do" list. Put first things first. Often as you work on things ideas will pop into your head. It is very easy to forget them if you don’t write them down. Mark them off one by one until all you sub tasks are complete and your finished with your larger project.

5. Write daily goals in the form of aspirations. Write your feelings as if you’ve already accomplished the task. I know this really sounds cheesy, but seriously, try it for one week you will find that it works amazingly well. Instead of writing a goal like "Create a webpage for wibbly widget," write something like "I feel so good now that have a webpage online for wibbly widget." Do this first thing, every morning.

Dustin Davis
http://www.Nerdlance.com

Great Nutritional Carp Fishing Bait Food Supplements And Flavours!

How do you get even more bites from bigger fish? The answer is give them more of what they essentially need by leveraging nutrients as one example in your baits, by adding readymade easily-available high protein liquids. With over 3 decades of experience using liquid foods I can tell you a few of the best and how to use them to best effect; so read on!

If you want to boost your catches or make your baits pull more fish packing your baits with essential amino acids and betaine is easy although far from limited to just these. The daily requirements carp have for all kinds of nutrients means that we have a vital area of leverage to exploit. It is logical that carp are extremely sensitive to substances that keep them alive - betaine is one of them! (In fact we humans have an essential requirement for betaine too and it is found naturally in our tissues.)

Now if your baits have enough good reasons for carp to consume them they will have many advantages over a range of less nutritionally-stimulating baits. But do remember that nutritional is only one part of bait formulation as many substances which are not directly nutritional in nature can very much influence fish responses and behaviours in the short and long-terms.

Whenever carp are possibly deficient in any of their essential nutrients, the inclusion of many of the most stimulatory of these nutrients in sufficient levels may be just enough to achieve a hooked fish when less nutritional baits may well fail.

The Rod Hutchinson brand is the oldest established bait company in carp fishing, and started in the late Seventies. If you want to know a few of the names that epitomise the pedigree and success of this company just consider just these 2 giants in terms of carp bait flavours namely, Scopex and Monster Crab.

Other great flavours I have used with very satisfying and consistent success over the last 3 decades include:

Megaspice, Mega Tutti Fruitti, Maplecreme, chocolate Malt, Strawberry Cream and Pineapple Cream, Secret Agent and Mulberry Florentine.

I wish to give Rod his well-deserved dues in recommending his completely trustworthy nutritional supplements which have caught me loads of bigger carp and other fish in all kinds of baits for 30 years. I have added various of these to my homemade boilies, pellets, ground baits, particles, natural sea food baits, meat and other baits, plus used them to top readymade baits of many of the big UK bait companies. My list includes:

Shellfish Sense Appeal, Regular Sense Appeal, Maplesteep Liquor, Amino Blend Supreme, Aminos Blend Swan Mussel, The Liver Compound, Compound TF, and Solutein.

There is a wealth of very productive and long-proven liquid foods and flavours available and please take note of this lesson. Some of the best products Rod Hutchinson ever brought out ended up being discontinued because shops wanted to condense their range of bait products. Some of these withdrawn flavours were some of the very best that Rod has ever had but had yet to become legendary in public perception. By all this I mean that there are definitely giants like Scopex and Minamino out there and it is up to you to experiment and decide which products you are going to make legendary through your catches and resultant opinion! Experimentation in bait-making is highly productive I can assure you! Some of the flavours I am also very keen on from Ccmoore, include:

Anchovy Extract, Ultra Green-Lipped Mussel Essence, Ultra Peardrop Essence, Ultra Belachan Essence, Ultra Bloodworm Essence, Ultra Cranberry Essence, Ultra Tuna Essence, Ultra Tangerine Essence and Ultra Honey Essence, (among others.) I have recently been doing very well on a combination of Ccmoore Crab Essence mixed with Frankfurter Essence plus various essential oils and other liquid extracts.

Ccmoore have become well-renowned for their liquid food supplements like the Rod Hutchinson brand and some of these liquid foods are really becoming legendary in their own right. Ccmoore have 12 generations-worth of animal nutrition and feed experience going in their liquid food supplement designs and this background is an indication of their potency! Some of the Ccmoore liquid foods I have used with complete confidence and great success especially when targeting bigger fish include:

Feedstim XP, Marine Amino Compound, Red Venom Liquid, Bloodworm Extract, Mussel Extract, Liquid Super Slop, and liquid Salmon and Krill - which is a genuine legend in the making. You can use these either individually in any of your baits or in mixtures as I do. (Your baits really do become fish magnets!)

The secret in using natural liquid foods is in keeping them present in high enough levels in your swim, at all times and this is connected very much to your free-baiting skills and experience and the profiles of the baits you apply in terms of free amino acid-based liquid foods and other naturally soluble extracts etc.

Rod Hutchinson used to recommend low levels of his Regular Sense Appeal around 30 milliliters per pound of base mix early on as I recall, but I put lots more in and my results got better as a result. It was a real breakthrough for me to discover I could add loads more liquid attraction to my boilie base mixes than just the 5 millilitres of flavour and perhaps 30 milliliters of liquid foods.

This success illustrates that thinking about your baits, avoiding standard recommendations and experimenting yourself can really work well! This is especially when your homemade baits and fishing experiments are based on real-time catches-feedback. This means you will know very quickly exactly when you have a winner! The impregnation of machine-extruded pellets with nutritional oils improves their attraction and similar things work in regards to flavours, liquid foods and a range of baits including readymade baits, homemade boilies, pellets, particles, meat and fish baits etc.

Watering down your eggs with liquid foods and other liquids means your baits work more like pastes as they become more water-soluble and are both able to adsorb and absorb water far better into the bait as well as leaching far more liquid attraction. These few factors alone seriously boost bait performance. For more information see my biography!

By Tim Richardson.

Singing Tips for Kids

Good singing is all about listening carefully as you sing, and making your voice expressive. There are several websites that help people to improve their singing. These websites teach people about the essentials of becoming a good singer, and techniques that’ll help you improve your singing voice First, you need to know your vocal range. If you know you sing high, you are considered a soprano. A good song to prove if your a soprano is the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel Messiah. If you can sing the highest part in the song, you are a soprano. If you can sing some of it, but not all of it, you are a mezzo. If you can barely reach the notes, you are an alto. Be true to yourself-most girls want to be a soprano, but if you know your vocal range is not there, stay lower. If you try to go higher, you may strain your voice.

-Place your thumb under your chin. Now, if you can swallow, that would be great. Feel that muscle drop down tighten? You want to avoid that muscle tightening when you sing.

-Do warm-ups for your voice everyday. If you can't sing everyday, try doing vocal exercises. One good one is "Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Ti La So Fa Me Re Do" up and down the scale. Also, you know how in some TV shows, if a charecter falls off a cliff, you hear that "WOOOOoooooosh" noise that goes from high to low? Well, go to the highest note you can (you don't have to sing it, simply round your mouth and make a "wooh" sound) and hit every note until you hit that "crash" (which is the lowest note).

-A good singing voice depends on a good diaphram. Your diaphram is under your chest, at the top of your stomach. To help make your diaphram stronger, do this exercise called the "Sumo Wrestler Stans". What you do is say "Sumo" then say "Wrestler" while putting your right foot out to the side and then say "Stans" while putting your left foot out to the other side. Put your hands on your hips and squat down at a comfortable position and let out a "Huuh!" Breath in through your mouth from your DIAPHRAM (not NOISE) and breath in for four counts. Then, hold it in for four counts. After those four counts, start to hiss all the air out for 8 counts. Start to hiss out by 8 more each time. Always breathe in and hold for 4 counts only. This excercise helps you develop the ability to hold out notes longer.

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Teacher Tips 101: Things You Need To Know About Cset

Education can be considered as a basic need- more than a necessity rather than mere luxury. That is why it is very important to ensure the quality of education that teachers get for them to be able to carry on a noble task- the task of molding others' future.

In this regard, the California Commission on Teachers Credentialing (CCTC) continues to facilitate the CSET (or California Subject Examination for Teachers) for California students to receive instructions of great academic standards. A teacher has to be competitive in all aspects; something that CCTC has to ensure. And aside from the reviews that teachers have to make, they still have all the procedures that they have to follow to take CSET.

Here are some things that teachers have to keep in mind when they are intending to take CSET.

- What are the CSET tests that a teacher can take?

Teachers can choose from the various CSET programs: the Multiple Subjects Test, the Preliminary Educational Technology Test, the Writing Skills Test and the Single Subjects test.

- What are the differences between the test types?

The Multiple Subjects Test allows the bearer to teach all subjects that he or she is qualified in teaching in a classroom. This style has been commonly used in Elementary settings. The students learn most basic subjects (if not all) from one teacher.

A Single Subject Test, in turn, allows a bearer to teach a certain subject of expertise in a departmentalized setting, most commonly seen in secondary schools. In this kind of setting, students receive instructions from teachers specialized in handling a certain subject.

- Do I need to take the Preliminary Educational Technology Test?

Even if a teacher has been certified to be proficient in a certain subject, he or she has to be proficient enough to handle the technologies used in teaching; The CSET Preliminary Technology Test handles that task.

- Where do i get review guides for CSET? Teachers have options in getting review guides. There are review guides which you can buy. However, you can save money by checking the electronic review guides available at the CSET official website.

- How do I register for CSET?

Here are the steps that teachers have to follow in registering for CSET.

Teachers who intend to take the CSET exam can visit the CSET website. Registration is available all the time. However, the cut-off time to be observed is 5 in the afternoon, Pacific time.

Registration forms can also be sent by mail, but the 5 p.m. cut-off time still applies.

Another option to take into consideration would be to call the CSET hotline to register via phone. Please refer to the CSET website for the numbers to contact.

- How do I pay for CSET?

CSET takers can check the CSET website for specific payments. The payment dues can be paid via MasterCard of Visa if the test taker registered online or thru phone. For test takers who registered thru mail, payments can be made thru personal checks, and money order, aside from the options available to those who registered online.

The task of educating others toward their future is a hard task indeed. But teachers do not have to worry, for CSET would just be a breeze, if you take these things in mind.

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Heart Healthy

"Open your heart to me, my own," whispers Grandmother Growth so softly you aren't certain you hear her. "Open the wisdom way of compassion here in your heart and draw me inside. Let Grandmother Growth be inside you, helping you encompass the whole, in the beat of your own heart, my heart, Crone's heart."

Step 0: Do Nothing

Thinking of taking hormone replacement to keep your heart healthy? Think again. Data released in April of the year 2000, from the federal government's Women's health Initiative, showed "a small increase in the number of heart attacks, strokes and blood clots in the lungs of women on hormone replacement compared with women on placebo." The Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS), completed in 1998, found the same connection. For a healthy heart, don't take hormones.

"Recently released data from the federal government's Women's Health Initiative suggests that during the first two years of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy there is a slightly greater risk of heart attack, stroke and blood clots."

Heart disease is America's top killer (claiming a life every 34 seconds). Women aged 30-50 have far less risk of heart disease than a man their age. But postmenopausal women die from heart disease at rates as high as men's. (Women account for 51 percent of all cardiovascular deaths; men, 49 percent.) Is it lack of estrogen?

No. Estrogen does lower LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol, but cholesterol is only weakly linked to heart disease, especially in women. (Most heart attacks happen to people with normal cholesterol levels.)

Estrogen raises blood pressure (one of the top three reasons for heart attacks in women), increases triglycerides, promotes clotting (a leading factor in heart attacks and strokes), and raises levels of C-reactive protein (a marker for inflammation associated with heart disease). Take progestins/progesterone too and you increase your risk of heart disease even more. Hormone replacement really isn't heart healthy.

Aren't there studies linking estrogen usage to lowered risk of heart disease? Only retrospective ones, which cannot establish a cause-and-effect link. And the women in those studies ate well, exercised regularly, and were unlikely to smoke - behaviors that are critical to heart health. The simple truth is more than 90 percent of all heart disease is preventable with lifestyle choices.

The three top risk factors for heart disease in women are too much belly fat, smoking, and untreated hypertension. High cholesterol is one of the top three risk factors for men, but not for women. (This is because, after menopause, we make heart healthy hormones from our cholesterol.)

Step 1: Collect Information

The Nurses Health Study - which followed 86,000 women for 14 years - shows what happens to those wise old Crones who follow heart healthy behaviors:

• Those who ate more fish than meat, plus plenty of whole grains, beans, leafy greens, fruits, and vegetables reduced their risk of heart disease by one-third compared to those who ate a "normal" American diet. Eating one serving a day of whole-grain foods reduced heart attacks by 34 percent in another study of 34,000 postmenopausal women.

• Those who ate at least 5 ounces of nuts a week were only half as likely to have a heart attack as those who ate none.

• Women who walked a total of three hours per week or who exercised vigorously for at least 90 minutes a week had one third fewer heart attacks than women who got no exercise. Those who walked five or more hours a week cut their risk in half.

Step 2: Engage the Energy

• Rose flower essence and rose quartz essence are both recommended for engaging the energy of the heart.

• Do you attack your heart? Do you close your heart to protect it? Love yourself. Give yourself plenty of nice strokes so you won't have a bad stroke. Try Stephen Levine's meditation "Opening the Heart" in Who Dies?

• People in Hawaii, New Mexico, and Arizona have the healthiest hearts in the United States. Imagine you live there.

• Smile! Depression increases your risk of both heart attack and stroke. In fact, severe depression is more strongly linked to stroke risk than high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking cigarettes, being overweight, and nine other known risk factors. When you smile, your brain makes hormones that make you, and your heart, feel good. So, smile.

Step 3: Nourish & Tonify

• Touch and be touched. In numerous scientific studies, people who were touched lovingly every day had significantly fewer heart problems than those who weren't.

• Nuts to heart attacks. The fats in nuts have been linked to a reduced risk of heart attacks. Volunteers on high-fat diets (35-40 percent of calories nuts and olive oil) lowered their LDL cholesterol by 13 percent. Greek women do the same, and have one of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world.

• Essential fatty acids, especially omega-3s, are ever so essential to a healthy heart. Look for them in fish (salmon, sardines, trout, herring are highest), seeds, whole grains, beans, and nuts. They are especially abundant in wild seeds such as plantain, lamb's quarter, and amaranth. And in freshly ground flax seeds. Women who consume the EFA alpha-linolenic acid daily have the lowest risk of a fatal heart attack.

• Keep your heart healthy with regular use of seaweeds. Seaweeds have clinically proven cardiotonic effects: they stabilize blood pressure; regulate levels of triglycerides, phospholipids, and cholesterols; prolong the life of the heart muscle; and encourage a steady heartbeat.

• Women who regularly eat foods rich in carotenes cut their risk of stroke by 40 percent. Women who eat broccoli at least once a week have roughly half the risk of heart disease as women who eat none.

• Eliminating or limiting carbohydrates, especially refined flours and sugars, has halved the cholesterol of several friends whose totals were above 400.

"What emerges is a clear association of heart disease with ... consumption of devitalized, processed, fabricated food items, including sugar and fructose, soft drinks, fortified white flour, milk and egg powders, caffeine, imitation broth products, synthetic vitamins, vegetable oils, and hydrogenated fats." - Sally Fallon

• Garlic, Knoblauch, Ail (Allium sativum) is a great friend to old hearts. Several cloves a day of fresh, raw garlic can lower blood pressure, reduce phospholipids and cholesterol, strengthen heart action, increase immune response, reduce platelet clumping and clotting (thus reducing strokes), and stabilize blood sugar levels.

Don't like raw garlic? Use powdered! A four-year study found women who ingested 900 mg (1/4 teaspoonful) of garlic powder daily had 18 percent less arterial plaque than those taking a placebo.

• Hawthorn berry tincture is the standard herbal heart tonic, and for good reason. It is broadly effective, virtually without overdose, and easy to make from fresh or dried berries. An elegant shrub or small tree, hawthorn is frequently cultivated in the suburbs.

Injectable forms of Crataegus were used by MDs up until the 1950s to treat vascular heart disease, high blood pressure, inflammation of the heart muscle, and arteriosclerosis.

The action of hawthorn is slow but complete. It strengthens the heart, establishes a regular heartbeat, relieves water build-up around the heart, and resolves stress throughout the cardiovascular system. Dose is 25-40 drops of the berry tincture, up to 4 times a day. Expect results no sooner than 6-8 weeks.

• Motherwort, that dear friend of menopausal women, is a favorite heart tonic. A dose of 10-20 drops of the tincture of the flowering tops, taken up to three times a day, helps lower blood pressure, strengthen heart action, ease palpitations and irregular heartbeats, and make room in the heart for compassion.

• Keep your heart healthy by eating chocolate. Sound too good to be true? Despite its reputation, chocolate is loaded with heart healthy phytochemicals. Cocoa's tretramers curb oxidation of the blood vessel walls, short-circuiting the build up of atherosclerotic plaque; they also help keep the vessels relaxed, keeping blood pressure down.

Chocolate's flavonoids are more powerful than vitamin C in limiting oxidation of LDL; they protect all lipids in the blood from free-radical damage. Procyanidins are flavonoids that work like mild aspirins, keeping the blood thin and free-flowing.

Polyphenols are heart-healthy substances found abundantly in red wine, green tea, and chocolate. Daily use may prevent stroke by delaying blood clotting time. (75 ounces/20 grams of dark chocolate = one-half cup tea = one glass red wine.)

Chocolate also prevents blood platelet fragmentation (which occurs when platelets get sticky), and boosts HDL (good) cholesterol. No wonder it often comes in heart-shaped boxes!

• Lemon balm is so strengthening to the heart, it is said those who drink it daily will live forever. Brew fresh or dried leaves in a cup of water for 5-10 minutes. Or steep fresh leaves in a glass of white wine for 1-2 hours and drink with dinner. Or enjoy 1-2 tablespoons/15-30 ml of the vinegar.

• You don't have to sweat, but you do have to move to keep your heart healthy. However you can do it, do it; no excuses.

• Dandelion root tincture lowers blood pressure and keeps your heart and cardiovascular system healthy and happy. Use 10-15 drops with meals.

• If you eat meat, be sure to eat whole grains and beans. Homocysteine is concentrated in the blood of those who eat a lot of animal protein and don't get enough B vitamins to process it completely.

See New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90 for Heart Healthy steps 4, 5, and 6 of the Six Steps of Healing

________________________________________

HEART HEALTHY LIFE STYLE HINTS

• Eat whole grains, nuts, and beans daily.

• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day.

• Eat fatty fish at least once a week.

• Eat dark chocolate regularly.

• Eat a high monounsaturated-fat diet.

• Stop smoking.

• Exercise daily.

• Maintain a healthy weight; don't diet.

STOP SMOKING - HEART HEALTHY HINTS

Tobacco is highly addictive and you can beat it. Get an extra edge on quitting by nourishing yourself with a handful of freshly toasted sunflower seeds and a cup of nettle or oatstraw infusion daily for 4-6 weeks before you stop smoking. Sunflower seeds reduce cravings for nicotine by filling nicotine receptor sites. Nettles and oatstraw strengthen nerves and cushion the impact of withdrawal. Nourish yourself the Wise Woman Way when you want tobacco:

• Take an oatstraw bath.

• Eat a wild salad (even if its only one dandelion leaf).

• Bring home a flower.

• Let someone cook dinner for you.

• Go to a yoga class or a martial arts class.

• Buy something for yourself instead of cigarettes.

• Miss your smoke break? Take a break for pleasure!

• A weight gain of 15 pounds/7 kilos is normal for quitters.

• Nicotine withdrawal causes constipation.

• Read, get, buy The No-Nag, No-Guilt, Do-It-Your-Own-Way Guide to Quitting Smoking by Tom Ferguson, MD, Ballantine, 1987.

See New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90 for more great Heart Healthy tips and hints.