Do Eye Exercises Actually Work?

Perhaps you've heard that you should exercise your eyes so your eye muscles won't get weak. But is there any foundation behind these claims? What are eye exercises? Are there any benefits in performing them?

Eye exercises involve rotation of the eyeballs. Basic exercises include movements like looking all the way up, then all the way down, to the right and to the left. You are also advised to rotate your eyes clockwise and then counterclockwise.

On one hand it makes sense. These movements keep the muscles moving and cause them to stretch and contract. On the other hand these eye muscles are not designed to do all this stuff. Their primary function is to accommodate the shape of the eyeball.

The proponents of the eye exercises claim that you became nearsighted or farsighted because "you are not using your muscles", "your eye muscles became weak" and other similar reasons. In fact the opposite is true. You became nearsighted because a certain group of extraocular muscles became too tense and this tension became chronic. Chronic tension changed the shape of your eyeball, in case of myopia or nearsightedness your eyeball became elongated, in case of hyperopia or farsightedness the eyeball became too short. People with normal vision have a round eyeball.

Another reason to consider is that these eye muscles are much stronger than needed so all this talk about weak muscles is unfounded.

Your muscles became tensed on the verge of paralysis. So the thing to do, in order to relieve the anomaly of refraction that you have, is to relax or somehow alleviate this tension. This involves mental control that is very difficult to master but it is possible.

So while eye exercises will certainly do you no harm, there are no actual benefits in them either. It is much better to learn some relaxation techniques and correct visual habits. One of them is to turn your head in whatever direction you are looking rather than just turn your eyes only.

That said there is one exercise that does seem to have a positive effect on vision. It is near-far swing. Basically it involves looking at the far object and then at some close object. You can also look at anything in between. Do not strain while doing it and make sure you blink often and don't hold your breath. You should have glimpses of improved vision.

The Known Risks and Side Effects of Laser Eye Treatments

Laser eye treatment is a fairly safe procedure for correcting various eye impairments. The procedure has a 95% success rate. With the technological advances made in the last several years, laser eye treatment is now the recommended way of treating vision problems. In fact, laser eye treatment has become so popular that more and more people are deciding to undergo laser eye surgery so they can say goodbye to glasses and contact lenses for good.

However, like any other procedures, laser eye treatment does have some risks involved. About five percent of the cases experience any side effects of laser eye treatment.

A few of the common side effects or risks of laser eye treatment are:

Undercorrection or Overcorrection -- Not all patients will respond to the laser eye treatment perfectly. Even after laser eye surgery, a doctor may still prescribe a patient to wear corrective lenses in order to have clear vision. A doctor may also recommend an enhanced laser eye surgical procedure to improve the initial procedure that resulted to undercorrection or overcorrection.

Eye Infection -- Although the chances of the eye developing an infection from a laser eye treatment is very low, there is still risk of this happening. When an eye infection develops after laser eye treatment, the healing process may take slower.

Halo Effect -- Caused by an optical effect when it is dim or dark, the halo effect may be experienced by a patient after laser eye surgery. A patient will see halos at night for about a week or two. The halo effect is caused by the untreated peripheral cornea. If you've undergone laser eye surgery and experience the halo effect for more than two weeks, let your doctor know immediately. You should also avoid driving for at least a week if you are experiencing the halo effect as a result of laser eye surgery.

Flap Loss -- During laser eye surgery, a flap of tissue is created over the cornea. This flap of tissue may come off if a patient injures herself or directly touches her eye within 24 hours of the surgery. The flap of tissue needs to remain where it is for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the tissue will easily come off.

Dry Eye -- Some patients who undergo laser eye surgery experience dry eye, a condition wherein the eye is not able to produce enough tears to keep the eye clean and moist. Patients who develop dry eye may have a burning sensation in or irregular blurring of the affected eye. Patients who develop this problem after surgery are usually prescribed with an intensive drop therapy.

The risks and side effects of laser eye treatment that were mentioned above are real, but they occur in less than five percent of patients. Each day, thousands of laser eye surgical procedures are performed successfully, with patients coming out of surgery with their visions restored.

How to Prevent Depression in Teens

Depression in teens is a very serious subject. Each year, 4% of teenagers will suffer serious depression, and need professional help.

While feeling sad is a healthy feeling, prolonged sadness without recovery leads to depression. If your teen is depressed, you will most likely find they will have problems with school work, relationships with friends and family, and engage in potentially harmful actions like drug use and unprotected sex.

The fact is that depression in teens can be treated with the proper resources. Yet, most depression cases in the United States, dealing with teens, go untreated. This is terrible, because if depression goes untreated it will get worse, last longer, and be harder to reverse if treatment does take place.

The two most common forms of depression in teens are reactive depression and manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder. Reactive depression is the most common type of depression, and deals with prolonged states of sadness and feelings of worthlessness. Bipolar disorder is characterized by a disturbing change of moods, usually from extremely manic to extremely sad, in short periods of time.

There are certain symptoms you should look for, when evaluating depression in teens. If your teen is sad a lot, and doesn't feel the usual relief after crying, this is a very critical sign.

Also, if they often express feelings of guilt, for no adequate reason, and their self-esteem is low, that is another sign. Other indicators are frequent indecision, a negative outlook on life, irregular sleep patterns, and high irritability, to name a few.

The first step a teenager needs to take if they feel depressed is to communicate with somebody they trust can help them. There are many different options for it teenager to discuss their problems with, such as their parents, their family doctor, somebody they trust in their church, and school counselor, or professional psychologists.

Depression in teens is typically treated with psychotherapy and/or medication. Typical psychotherapy sessions for depression in teens revolve around talking about how they feel with a trained psychotherapist, and trying to understand the root cause of the depression. Most often, depression is caused by a faulty understanding of reality, which can be easily corrected under the proper guidance of a professional.

In more severe cases of depression in teens, medication is also often prescribed. Depending upon the level of depression, medication might be required first before progress is made.

In conclusion, I have given you some facts to consider, relating to depression in teens. Use this information to determine the best course of action for you or your teen today, to make sure there is no unnecessary suffering being caused by depression in your life.

Weight Loss Supplements - The Truth Exposed

Have you been dreaming about achieving the perfect body like your friends or favorite celeb? Have you been tired of photo editing your pictures on photo shop? Or are you the one who would copy paste your face to a celebrity's figure? You must have used the tons of products used for weight reduction as they promise weight loss efficiently in a very small span of time. It's easy to fall a prey to these vultures that lure you with fake promises.

The verity of these so called miracle pills is exposed after you have used them and found that they are of no use. By then you would have lost your time, energy, money and motivation. What can we do instead then?

Most clinical tests for weight loss supplements only last for a few weeks. For this reason, long-term benefits and side effects are often unknown until consumers get hold of a product and begin to use it for months at a time. The human body adjusts quickly to the effects of many weight loss pills, which is why many consumers may notice that a weight loss supplement may only work well for them for a few weeks but after that we are back to square one.

The side effects one experiences are out of the world. Insulin levels are changed which could cause diabetes and other aliments which give you added stress let alone increase you medical expense.

Now that you know the harmful effects of these dangerous supplements you need to change to a better option. And the better option is a healthy lifestyle plus a natural supplement to support it. Hoodia is a natural supplement which is made from a herb found in various parts of south Africa. This ingredient has been very effective in the process of weight loss and has absolutely no side effects whatsoever. A gift of nature you could say.

For dieters, the benefits of the natural appetite suppressant Hoodia are many. First and foremost, you don't get hungry at odd hours. Most of you who have tried to lose weight know the hardest part of any diet is the hunger pang that gets you when you're most vulnerable. With Hoodia you will still lose weight simply because you are eating less.

There are no chemicals or fillers included in the production of pure, all-natural Hoodia so you don't have to deal with the crash effect that occurs after taking stimulants or the side effects of chemical additives.

You don't have to change what you eat. Portion control is one of the sweetest benefits for many dieters--and one of the secrets of losing weight. With Hoodia, you can eat what you want because you won't crave as much of it.

Amino Acids For Building Muscle

In an effort to understand how best to utilise amino acids for supplementation, it's important to understand the biochemistry behind the way our bodies use them.

When we eat protein, our stomach breaks it down into amino acids which are directed by intestinal and digestive hormones to different parts of the body to serve their many functions.

There are hundreds of different variations of amino acid. Some are produced by the body and others may only be consumed through our food. They are not interchangeable and all work together synergistically.

To maintain optimum health, you need to ensure that the food you consume holds complete proteins that contain all of the essential amino acids. These whole proteins are found in meat, fish, meat products like milk and eggs as well as soy.

Our body uses amino acids in the normal functioning of our bodily systems. As such, protein should be consumed throughout the day and before bed to help your body function around the clock.

Some athletes choose to supplement with certain amino acids including:

Arginine is an important amino acid, particularly for men because 80% of seminal fluid is made from this amino acid. It's also important for optimising the function of the pituitary gland. Arginine also helps to stimulate the production of growth hormone.

Lysine is another important amino acid. It helps to nourish the blood and form antibodies to illness. It also has a therapeutic effect on cold sores.

Methionine is important for the protein synthesis that occurs in every cell. It's a scavenger of free radicals that supports the regeneration of our liver and kidney cells.

Phenylalanine is used by the thyroid to stimulate the production of Thyroxine which regulates the metabolism.

Glutamine helps to increase protein synthesis.

Isolucine, Valine and Leucine are three amino acids commonly referred to as branched chain amino acids (BCAA). Consumed in combination, they slow the loss of muscle protein during strenuous training or stress. In isolation, Valine is important for supporting the contraction of our muscles.

Possible Side Effects of Ephedrine

Ephedra (also known as Ephedrine) is a key ingredient in many fat burning pills. I say fat burning because they're marketed that way. Ephedra is a herb which contains ephedrine. This is a chemical which stimulates the heart, lungs, and nervous systems. That's why Ephedra supposedly induces accelerated weight loss: it makes the body work faster.

Ephedra pills are widely popular and are marketed as a natural solution to weight problems. However, studies paint an alarming picture of the possible side effects of ephedra pills that you should know about. I'm not trying to scare you needlessly, only to give you information that you need to have in order to make an informed decision.

Dangers of Ephedra

1. Ephedra stimulates the internal bodily systems and so can cause an increased blood pressure.

2. Ephedra has been associated with heart attacks and strokes.

3. As Ephedra stimulates the body, one of the dangers is overheating. The body simply isn't able to cool itself fast enough.

4. Due to increased heart rate, you may experience chest pain.

Potential and Reported Side Effects of Ephedra pills

1. Tremors
2. Dizziness
3. Headaches
4. Nausea
5. Excessive sweating
6. Anxiety
7. Insomnia and restlessness
8. Overall weakness
9. Difficulty to breathe
10. Seizures

There is no telling if you'll experience any of these side effects. One of the ways to minimize the chances of you suffering from any of the side effects of Ephedrine is to avoid taking it alongside other stimulants like caffeine and narcotics. To do that is dangerous to your health so don't do it.

Also, don't take Ephedra if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart problems and always consult with a doctor before taking any Ephedrine pills.

As to your weight problems, realize that the longer you take Ephedrine, the higher the risks. You should also know that many fitness professionals recommend not using it at all as the results Ephedra produces are very much in doubt.