Health & Fitness Articles

Everyone knows the value of comparison shopping.

Everyone knows the value of comparison shopping. One of the best tools for comparison shopping is not just to look at prices yourself, but learn about the products themselves from people who have used them: people just like you.

Keywords:
Cialis, Viagra, Generic Cialis, Generic Viagra, Levitra

Everyone knows the value of comparison shopping. One of the best tools for comparison shopping is not just to look at prices yourself, but learn about the products themselves from people who have used them: people just like you. And that is the beauty of customer testimonials. With the internet these days it has never been easier to get access to hundreds of customer testimonials, telling you anything and everything you could want to know in comparison shopping.

That is just what our web site is all about. We have compiled a massive database full of customer testimonials to help you make your Generic Cialis comparison. Want to know the effects, the side effects, the after effects of a particular generic Cialis product? Want to know what the experience was buying with this online store, or that one? All that and more can be found in the customer testimonials you will find on our web site.

It doesn’t stop there. We have also compiled plenty of customer testimonials for your Generic Viagra comparison as well. Learn the answers to the questions you have from real live customers just like you, who have been there, done that and visited the web site. There is no better source of information for your generic Cialis comparison.

Enrich Your Diet With Fruits And Vegetables

Nourish your body with fruits and vegetables. Detoxify with their various health benefits. Learn how fruits and vegetables can help your diet.

Keywords:
fruits and vegetables

Nourish your body with fruits and vegetables. Detoxify with their various health benefits. Learn how fruits and vegetables can help your diet.

In the fast-paced world of today, people tend to eat on the go. There are fast foods that are available in countless fast food joints to lure in people to buy food they can eat on the go. Greasy chicken meals, deluxe burgers, French fries, sugary sodas are some of the norm. Aside from these, busy commuters can also get fried foods from street vendors, serving whatever delicacy that can be fried easily, like hot dogs and sandwiches. Not to be outdone, food companies even produce processed foods and instant meals to meet the demands of the hectic lives of the people. Think for a moment. Do you something wrong with this picture? Yes, the above scenario is truly happening especially in urbanized cities. But look at what they are eating. Obesity may be a way to put it, but malnutrition fits the description more nicely. The slop that people are eating may do more harm than good in their bodies. Most fast foods contain enough fat and salt to sustain an entire week in a healthy person’s diet. The sugar content in very popular super sized sodas is enough to put a diabetic into a coma. Instant meals and foods contain a huge amount of sodium as well as preservatives which serve as precursors for cancer as well as other complications such as heart disease.

With this setting in mind, various health institutions and nutritionists have come up with a food pyramid to help guide the masses with quantitative and qualitative food intake. Is there a way to stop the destruction of nutrition in your society? There is something that you can do. Change our eating habits and influence others to change theirs as well. A great start would be establishing a meal plan based on the food pyramid. You should significantly reduce the fats and sweets in your usual diet and follow the quantity of servings of these items based on the food pyramid. Add about five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables and you’ll be feeling the effects of a rejuvenated body over time.

In fact, you should introduce a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet. These food items help detoxify your body. Most of the essential vitamins and minerals are found in fruits and vegetables. Hidden benefits are gradually resurfacing as food scientists discover the increasing benefits of fruits and vegetables. These benefits include phytochemicals in pineapples and lycopene in tomatoes, which help in fighting cancer.

Aside from being delicious, fruits are also nutritious. For instance, did you know that eating a banana a day can do wonders for your body? Bananas are among the richest sources of potassium, a vital trace mineral in the body, which is responsible for nerve impulse and transmission as well as cardiac rhythm. They are also a good source of fiber, which aids in digestion and mobility of waste products away from your body. Bananas are also very tasty desserts, which makes them more appealing. Fruits in general can be made into great desserts, or even healthy snacks. Choose the fruit that best suits your taste, and experiment with its different preparations for a refreshing way to enjoy your favorite fruit everyday.

Vegetables contain many essential vitamins such as Vitamin A, C, E and K, as well as minerals like calcium and phosphorus. Eating yellow and orange vegetables like carrots can get you plenty of Vitamin A to maintain the clarity of your vision and prevent night blindness. Green leafy vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage have numerous benefits like Vitamin C, which help strengthen the immune system, Vitamin E, which help in skin integrity and serves as an antioxidant, and Vitamin K, which is responsible for the production of blood clotting factors in the body. The infamous broccoli, portrayed by the media as being disliked by children, contains bolus amount of calcium and phosphorus. Imagine what wonders a little piece of plant can do to your body.

For the diet-conscious, skip those fattening snacks and go for fruits and vegetables. Try snacking on water-rich fruits like watermelons. They help make you feel full without the guilt of a truckload of calories. Or how about snacking on a fresh green salad? The high bulk content of vegetables help make you feel fuller longer, thus making you avoid frequent trips to the snack bar.

You will be happy to know that you can eat as much fruits and vegetables as you want since they only contain minimal amounts of calories, fats and cholesterol. With the exception of some varieties such as avocados, which have high fat content, you can achieve your desired weight goal by frequenting fruits and vegetables over meats and sweets. You won’t have a problem with burning off copious amounts of calories like when you eat fatty foods.

Enzymes to Help With Digestion

Digestive enzymes are proteins specially tailored to break down foods into nutrients that your body can then readily digest. The human body produces some 22 different digestive enzymes. Many more are found in the fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and other foods.

Keywords:
digestive enzymes, enzymes, papaya enzymes, bromelain enzymes, bromelain

Most raw food, like our bodies, is very perishable. When raw foods are exposed to temperatures above 116 degrees, they start to rapidly break down, just as our bodies would if we had a fever that high. One of the constituents of foods which can break down are enzymes. Enzymes help us digest our food. Enzymes are proteins though, and they have a very specific 3-dimensional structure in space. Once they are heated much above 118 degrees, this structure can change.

Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed. Cooked foods contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is damaged and thus requires us to make our own enzymes to process the food. The digestion of cooked food uses valuable metabolic enzymes in order to help digest your food. Digestion of cooked food demands much more energy than the digestion of raw food. In general, raw food is much more easily digested that it passes through the digestive tract in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time it takes for cooked food.

Eating enzyme-dead foods places a burden on your pancreas and other organs and overworks them, which eventually exhausts these organs. Many people gradually impair their pancreas and progressively lose the ability to digest their food after a lifetime of ingesting processed foods.

Lack of digestive enzymes can be a factor in food allergies. Symptoms of digestive enzymes depletion are bloating, belching, gas, bowel disorders, abdominal cramping, heartburn and food allergies.

Digestive enzymes are proteins specially tailored to break down foods into nutrients that your body can then readily digest. The human body produces some 22 different digestive enzymes. Many more are found in the fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and other foods.

When you eat a meal, digestive enzymes that are released from your salivary glands, stomach, and small intestine immediately get to work to speed up the digestive process. Each enzyme acts on a specific type of food.

Bromelain
Derived from the stems of pineapple, it is known for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties. This natural digestive enzyme may also be helpful as a diet aid. Pineapples have had a long tradition as a medicinal plant among the natives of South and Central America.

DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root)
A natural antacid, where the glycirrhizinic acid component of the root has been removed. DGL may stimulate our bodies defense mechanisms resulting in improved quality of mucous, lengthening of intestinal cell life and enhanced microcirculation in the gastrointestinal lining.

Papaya
A tropical fruit containing active enzymes that help improve digestive and metabolic functions. Derived from the fruit, inner bark and stems, Papaya Enzymes contain a high concentration of papain, a protein-digesting enzyme that quickly metabolizes the protein in foods.

Herbal Treatment forr Faster Hair Growthr

Hair growth patterns in humans depend upon the interaction of natural cycles of hair growth and hair loss. Accumulation of dihydrotestosterone is the main cause of hair loss. Some of the herbal hair growth supplements that act as natural DHT blockers have been shown to induce faster hair growth.

Keywords:
faster hair growth, herbal hair growth, fast hair growth, quick hair growth, rapid hair growth

Hair growth patterns in humans depend upon the interaction of natural cycles of hair growth and hair loss. The hair growth cycles follow a structured process that has 3 phases. These 3 phases are – anagen (the growth phase), catagen (the transitional phase) and telogen (The resting Phase). The hair is actively growing only in the anagen phase where it increases in length by about 1 cm in every 28 days. Hair loss occurs when the hair is in the resting phase. Most hairs in the resting phase lie in the skin separated from the dermal papilla at its base. Since the hair is not held tightly at its root, it is prone to shedding at any point.

The entire hair growth cycle is under the influence of hormones and their metabolic products. Dihydrotestosterone is the most important metabolite that plays the major role in retarding the hair growth and affecting hair loss. Accumulation of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) within the hair follicle is considered to be the main cause of hair loss.

The DHT mediates the hair loss through its direct action on the androgenic receptors in human scalp tissue. It interrupts the normal physiologic environment and function of the hair follicles. Faster hair growth in both men and women is possible if action of DHT is blocked.

The organic extracts of some of the herbal formulations act at the level of the androgenic receptors of the scalp. These extracts contain substances which directly compete with DHT with its action. They act as a natural androgenic blocker by inhibiting the active binding of DHT to the hair follicle receptors. When this binding is inhibited the amount of follicle damage is automatically reverted and follicles respond by affecting quick hair growth.

There are many natural herbs which have known to act as DHT antagonists. The use of herbs and herbal products has become broadly accepted in the contemporary culture for their unique potential to induce rapid hair growth.

Women have increased hair loss after the menopause. That is also because of increased production of DHT. Herbal supplements and herbal formulas used in hair growth products induce a quick hair growth in women.

The herbal hair growth supplements have found widespread acceptance as remedies for inducing faster hair growth. There are many good reasons to consider herbal hair growth supplements as the best form of treatment for hair related problems. The best reason may be the fact that herbs and herbal products have shown to provide quick hair growth benefits while maintaining a remarkable safety profile.

Equal parts of wild yam root, licorice, motherwort, black cohosh, chamomile, valerian root and skullcap can be taken as safe herbal supplements for hair loss due to loss of estrogen production. Estrogen is known to offer protection over the deleterious affects of DHT. All these herbs are known to simulate estrogen in women to result in rapid hair growth.

Dong Quai with other herbs if taken as herbal tea can serve as a special medication for faster hair growth in females. The medication is quite effective for maintaining the hair growth potential by regulating female hormone and hair growth cycles in pre-menstrual women.

The Truth about Diabetes

What if you are diagnosed with diabetes? Are you going to stay indoors and just inject yourself with insulin everyday? Maybe you need to understand the facts about diabetes and accept it wholeheartedly so that it can’t be a heavy burden in your part.

Keywords:
High Blood Sugar Symptoms, Diabetes Supply

What if you are diagnosed with diabetes? Are you going to stay indoors and just inject yourself with insulin everyday? Maybe you need to understand the facts about diabetes and accept it wholeheartedly so that it can’t be a heavy burden in your part.

Let us start from defining what diabetes really is and the probable causes that brings this disease. Diabetes is a disorder which is the misuse of the digested food for growth and energy by our body. The food that we take in is broken down into glucose, the simplest form of sugar in our blood.

Glucose is the main source of energy of our body. And diabetes actually causes the glucose to back up in our bloodstream, and as more of it is present in our bloodstream, our blood sugar can rise too high.

There are two types of diabetes: the type 1 and type 2. The first is also called juvenile-onset diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes where the body stops any further production of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that allows the body to use the glucose to produce energy. Persons diagnosed with this type are required to take insulin injections daily in order to survive. Children or young adults are likely to develop this type of diabetes.

The second type is also called the adult-onset diabetes of non insulin-dependent diabetes where the body does not produce insulin or unable to use insulin properly. It also consumes injected insulin for survival.

Diabetes is a life-long condition. So understanding the facts about this disease is important, so that the person affected can sustain his life throughout, despite the presence of diabetes. This allows you to live a full and enjoyable life.

Females Pump up that BUTT!

MTD is a social fitness network for bodybuilders, fitness models, personal trainers and fitness lovers.

Keywords:
bodybuilding, body building, teen bodybuilding, female bodybuilding, fitness directory, bodybuilding directory, fitness babes, female fitness models, womens fitness,

I have noticed at the gym and on the internet discussion boards, that many females don’t get the respect of hard-training athletes like most men do. I would love to blame it all on you guys out there for being sexist and disrespectful, but unfortunately, I feel if we as females don’t get the respect we want from our male gym counterparts, it is largely our own fault. So many women have fallen victim to the mind set that we don’t have to train hard to get “”Toned”" Or maybe most think there are certain exercises that are MAN exercises and there are those that are “”Girl”" exercises. Lets get something out of the way here – when it comes to changing our bodies men and women are the same. We can make our fat bigger or smaller, and we can make our muscles bigger or smaller – that’s about it. Men have the ability to do this on a much larger scale due to the hormonal differences. Women, if you think you are going to train your arms heavy and hard and wake up one day and have biceps like Arnold , you’re not.

The “”Toned”" look that we all desire, is a result of increased muscle mass, and decreased body fat. Our muscles usually have to get BIGGER to achieve this look. In this article I am going to share some of my views on how to get that athletic, yet “”Feminine”" figure that so many of us are after.

First off, what do we as a society look at and consider, “”Feminine?”" 36-24-36? Maybe not those numbers exactly, but that type of body shape still holds true with most. Now how do you make this athletic-looking, without detracting from the female shape? Each person is different of course, but choosing certain body parts to emphasize over others can really help here. For example, it seems acceptable for a woman to have very round and shapely deltoids, but if the biceps and forearms as well as traps are too developed, it’s seen as “”Manly.”" So wisely choosing which body parts to maximize and which ones to minimize can go a long way. Here are my three key principles for looking strong, athletic, and yes, like a woman!

1) Maximize your shoulder to waist ratio. For those that have teeny-tiny waistlines, this could be very simple. Maybe just training deltoids first in your schedule is all that is needed. For those of us that are not 24″” or less in the waist, this might take quite some effort. I feel deltoids MUST be trained first, very hard, and frequently to get the desired look. Back width also plays a big role in making the waist seem smaller than it really is, so it is a close second. Keep in mind that this part of it is exactly the same as what a bodybuilder would try to do, so one shouldn’t get caught thinking they have to do “”Girl”" exercises, or feel restrained from doing heavy weights. I have personally been as high as 55 lb dumbbells for both overhead presses and laterals trying to get my delts to grow. I also don’t understand why most females don’t strive to do wide grip chin ups, other than they are hard. Don’t shy away from hard heavy exercises for delts and back.

“”We are not going to get those perky round glutes by doing leg kickbacks and butt squeezes!”"

2) Pump up that butt! How many women have said in the same breath “”I don’t want my butt to get any bigger, but I don’t like the way it sags.”" As a woman I can tell you they mean they don’t want their rear to get any”"Fatter”",and “”Bigger”" means “”Fatter”" in their minds. So many women have given in to the idea that it is just a genetic trait that can’t be changed. Well guess what? Glutes are just like biceps – you guys out there know if you want impressive arms, you have to train progressively on certain exercises and force the muscles to develop. Girls, it’s the same for us. We are not going to get those perky round glutes by doing leg kickbacks and butt squeezes! We have to do exercises that allow for progression in weight and reps both. If you’ve been doing say walking lunges with no weight for the past year and still aren’t happy with the way things look from behind, you need more stimulation. Add some weight to the exercise and PROGRESS! You want the glutes to get bigger while simultaneously stripping the fat away. Have you ever seen a girl with a really tight butt and think its still too big? Probably not.

“”I believe you are what you eat, and someone that eats 2000 calories of mostly protein, healthy fats and complex carbs, will look much different than one that eats 2000 calories of crap-carbs and greasy fats.”"

3) Control your bodyfat! I will admit that a woman who is 20% bodyfat with no muscle, looks smaller and better in clothes than one with the same amount of fat and much more muscle. To have that athletic look, most of us end up in the 12-15% range. I will cover in detail my methods of fat-loss in up coming articles, but in a nutshell, I will tell you to eat your protein and veggies. I believe you are what you eat, and someone that eats 2000 calories of mostly protein, healthy fats and complex carbs, will look much different than one that eats 2000 calories of crap-carbs and greasy fats. I don’t believe its about the numbers, its about the quality of the foods. Cardio is also a key element in bodyfat reduction and control. This is where people differ the most I’ve found. Some women can get by with 20-30 minutes 3-4 times per week. I often have to do 6-7 days a week and usually for 45-60 minutes each time. I have trained some girls that have had to do double sessions 7 days a week to achieve 12% body fat. So go with what works for you and your body type.

I hope you ladies reading this are ready to go to the gym and hit it hard and heavy. Keep in mind that heavy is a relative term, if 5 lb dumbbell presses are all you can truly do, push them hard and you will get stronger. In the process you will earn the respect of those around you that are doing the same. It is not where you are at now, its about where you are going! And I hope that the guys reading this will show some gym etiquette to those ladies that may not be as strong as you, but pushing just as hard to get better.

Chidren And Exercise

If you have a child of 6 to 8 years old that wants to start exercising and lifting weights, you may find yourself wondering what you should do. While some think it is perfectly fine for children to exercise, there are others that think differently.

Keywords:
hiit training, tread climber, treadmill workouts, treadmill exercises, treadmill workout, treadmill training, treadmill incline, high intensity interval training, treadmill-dumbbell workout, treadmill faq, treadmill incline workouts, treadclimber, hiit mistakes

If you have a child of 6 to 8 years old that wants to start exercising and lifting weights, you may find yourself wondering what you should do. While some think it is perfectly fine for children to exercise, there are others that think differently.

The long and short of it is that yes, it is beneficial for your child to partake in exercise or a weight training regimen although there are a few things that you should keep in mind once this starts to happen.

No matter how you look at it, children aren’t minature adults and therefore you can’t use the same methods with growing children that you can use with adults, as children are different from adults emotionally, anatomically, and physiologically.

All children have immature skeletons, as their bones don’t mature until they get 14 – 22 years of age. With girls, exercise during childhood can have very critical effects on bone health that can last for their entire lives.

Children are often times vulnerable to growth related overuse injuries such as Osgood schlatter disease. Children have immature temperature regulation systems due to their having a large surface area compared to their muscle mass which will cause them to be more susceptible to injury when they aren’t properly warmed up.

Children don’t sweat as much as adults do, so they will be more susceptible to heat exhaustion as well as a heat stroke. Due to their low muscle mass and immature hormone system, it makes it harder for them to develop strength and speed. Their breathing and heart response during exercise are also different from an adults, which will affect their capacity for exercise.

On the other hand, young boys and girls can drastically improve their strength with weight training although opposed to adults, neurological factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly responsible.

When you consider programs for children, first and foremost you should obtain a medical clearance. The first approach to designing a program is to establish a repetition range of 8 – 12 and keep the work load appropriate for the range.

You should ensure that workouts are spread out enough to have at least 1 – 2 full days of rest between workouts. The main focus when working out should be on the form of every exercise performed, and not on the amount of weight being lifted.

Before weight training, warm up and stretching should be done. Start your children off with light loads and then make adjustments accordingly. No more than 3 non consecutive exercise sessions should be done in a week. You should also see to it that they drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise. Getting enough water is very important with exercise, as it is often times very easy to get dehydrated – especially with children.

Casino En Ligne: Decouvrez l’Histoire des Jeux Video de Casino

Dйcouvrez l’histoire des jeux video en ligne et les jeux d’arcades prйsents en salles rйelles et virtuelles des casinos.

Keywords:
casinos,gambling,gaming,games,sports,recreation,keno,video games,video,pc games

Compte tenu de l’imprйcision de la dйfinition mкme du jeu vidйo, sa date d’apparition n’est pas claire. Ce loisir aurait dйbutй, aprиs divergences et dйbats de spйcialistes, dиs 1962 avec Spacewar. Pong reste cependant le premier jeu dont le concept fut le dйclencheur de la vidйo mania.

Jusqu’en 1983, celle-ci connaоt une effervescence puis un dйclin incontestable. Avec le dйveloppement des technologies au Japon, celle-ci revient sous les feux de la rampe en 1985 avec ses premiиres consoles NINTENDO et les fameux jeux de la sйrie Super Mario ou Mario Bros.

Mais cette technologie de jeux vidйo s’applique йgalement dans le domaine des jeux de casinos en ligne ou en cercle reel.

En effet, on y retrouve les fameuses bornes d’arcades.En cercle rйel, une salle leur est tout particulierement consacrйe.

Un jeu d’arcade se trouve dans une machine munie d’un monnayeur, d’un йcran et d’un dispositif de contrфle. Ils ont la particularitй d’кtre payants, on achиte un ou plusieurs crйdits en glissant une ou plusieurs piиces dans le monnayeur. Selon les jeux et les rйglages, chaque crйdit permet de dйmarrer une partie, la continuer aprиs avoir perdu, acheter des bonus dans le jeu, le joueur doit apprйcier au maximum un jeu d’arcade dиs le dйbut car une partie ne dure gйnйralement que 5 ou 6 minutes au contraire des jeux virtuels oщ une partie peut durer plusieurs heures d’affilйes.

Les jeux d’arcades au sein des casinos sont: Le Bonus Bowling, Jour de Derby, Dйs Tourbillon, Pile ou face, Flйchettes Jackpot, Keno, Jackpot Gйnie Haut Bas, Mйgaball, Tir de pйnalitй, Pop Bingo, Dйs et Montagne russe, roue gagnante,Video Poker, Quilles payantes, Poker slots, Gйnie Haut Bas, Tour du Monde, Roche papier Ciseaux, Kйno Expйrience.

On trouve ces jeu vidйo en ligne gйnйralement sous une version 3D, avec bruitage et effets sonores et couleurs flash.

Aprиs plusieurs crises principalement dues а une baisse de la qualitй des productions, le jeu vidйo s’est rapidement hissй а un rang d’activitй majeure. L’йconomie crййe autour de cette pratique a eu des consйquences notables sur notre sociйtй. La montйe en puissance des ordinateurs et la rentabilitй de la loi de Moore peut кtre en grande partie expliquйe par le fait que les personnes qui sont le plus enclin а acheter un matйriel informatique neuf et souvent rйnovй sont principalement des joueurs ; la bureautique et la navigation sur internet йtant des activitйs requйrant de faibles ressources matйrielles. Pour cette raison, les fabriquants de matйriel informatique (cartes graphiques, cartes audio…) ont trиs tфt sponsorisй les compйtitions de jeu vidйo.

Easy Way to Stop Smoking – An Overview

Easy Way to Stop Smoking may sound too good to be true. But sometimes, giving a second look may bring pleasant surprises!

Keywords:
Easy Way to Stop Smoking

“An easy way to stop smoking? Oh, forget about it.” sad but true, this is what smoking really is – a nasty and persistent habit that is so difficult to leave behind. However, it is not impossible to quit smoking. Although there is no single easy way to stop smoking, there are plenty of ways to help you succeed. Here are a few that you might find useful in case you have headed the ex-smoker journey.

An easy way to stop smoking is to get aware of all health problems that smokers are likely to experience. Since this is not exactly, “a way” the information will help you understand how dangerous smoking is and what it does to your body. If you cannot really reasonably understand what all of the diseases mean or if you are one of these “this cannot happen to me” guys, than the pictures provided along the information will make you change your mind. After all not many of us can resist the view of rotten lungs or tumors.

Another easy way to stop smoking is through a smoking injection. Many people say that after the shot their cigarette desire simply disappears. Amanda, 43, who has been smoking for 10 years, says: “I went to the clinic had the injection and on the next morning I woke up as a non smoker”. It is an affordable therapy, likely to cost around $500 and most health insurances cover it.

Laser therapy is also a well know quit smoking method. It has pretty good results especially if combined with the right behavior treatment. Laser therapy will generally reduce the physical effects of the quit smoking process and help you concentrate on the physiological ones.

A combination of behavior treatment and medications is also an easy way to stop smoking. The therapy is supposed to re-order your living habits to exclude smoking. Medications will help you cope with the ceasing symptoms and with the cravings. You can ask your doctor to refer you to a good therapist and to prescribe you medications that suit your physical condition and lifestyle.

People with strong personality and will find the cold turkey method an easy way to quit smoking. Once decided they trust their strong will only to keep them away from cigarettes. Unfortunately, it might seem the easiest way but it is also the most unsuccessful way. If you want permanent results, do not try it unless you are absolutely sure in your abilities to resist the cravings and post-smoking stress.

Information on Traction Alopecia

Hair loss can also be caused by some external factors like pulling of hair. The hair loss caused by pulling of hair too tightly is known by the name of Traction Alopecia. The article describes the disease and its acute and chronic form.

Keywords:
Traction Alopecia, Cicartricial Alopecia, Trichotillomania

Traction alopecia is caused by chronic traction (pulling) on the hair follicle. Traction alopecia mostly occurs in African-American women and men who braid their hair too tightly. It is also common in other ethnic groups known for traditional hair styles that involve pulling the hair.

There is also seen a pronounced traction alopecia in the beard area of this Sikh man. The Sikh men do not cut scalp or beard hair. The beard hairs are pulled straight and then twisted and tightly knotted. Daily knotting often results in this form of traction alopecia.
Men who attach hairpieces to their existing hair also suffer from this type of hair loss. The traction alopecia in such cases can also lead to permanent hair loss if the hairpiece is attached in the same location over a long period of time.

If we put the examples from ethnic groups aside, traction alopecia occurs most often in pre-teenagers, teenagers, young adults then it does in older men and women.

It is a very unfortunate state that hair styles and fashions and hair styling methods are causing baldness and hair loss among today’s younger generations. The hair loss in all such cases is mostly due to Traction alopecia. The hair loss is caused by long term hair pulling and breakage due to very tight hair braiding, hair weaves and cornrows.

The over use of hair style aids such as sponge hair rollers or curling irons may also promote traction alopecia. Traction alopecia often shows as distinct patches of hair loss in those areas where the hair and hair follicles have been put under excessive strain. The hair loss may occur anywhere on the scalp depending on the nature of the hair style or process that is causing the traction alopecia. Prolonged traction alopecia can lead to cicatrization of the new hair follicle and permanent hair loss.

Traction alopecia is a very common cause of temporary hair loss. Typically, traction alopecia in the early stages involves affected hair follicles being pushed into the telogen resting state along with localized trauma to the hair follicles as a result of hair fibers being forcibly pulled out.

Traction alopecia is reversible if diagnosed in the early stages. Permanent hair loss can occur too slowly for immediate detection. Hair loss is often occurs in the front, and hair line but is also subject to the immediate adjacent area to where the hair is being pulled and damaged.

An effective treatment is to simply avoid hair styling that puts excessive strain on the hair. Even with removal of the cause of traction alopecia it may take up to three months for the hair to recover. Areas of scalp subjected to chronic traction alopecia may never fully recover.

Traction alopecia is generally a non-scarring, non-inflammatory form of hair loss although long term use of hair styles involving traction over 3 or more years may result in a mild immune cell infiltrate and irreversible scarring damage to some hair follicles. Any form of chronic traction alopecia will eventually lead to fibrosis around hair follicles and total destruction of some hair follicles. Once destroyed the hair follicles will not re-grow under any circumstances hence chronic traction alopecia can be described as a scarring cicatricial alopecia.

Permanent traction alopecia does not respond to medical treatment such as minoxidil or finasteride due to non-genetic nature of hair loss. The only way one can treat traction alopecia is with hair transplants. Follicular unit hair grafting has been identified as the only practical solution to treating traction alopecia. Number of patients with traction alopecia coming to hair transplant clinics is generally increasing and the treatment is providing them good response.