Nursing Bra Information For Breastfeeding Mothers

If you're planning on breastfeeding your child you'll need to think about purchasing some nursing bras. Here are some guidelines to help you choose the best option to make breastfeeding your baby as enjoyable as possible.

There are five main types of nursing bras you can buy. Which one you choose will be down to personal preference. The ones listed below all have different ways of allowing a mother to breastfeed her child. So before you buy take a read and decide which type would be more convenient for you.

Like some conventional bras, one type of nursing bra fastens between the cups at the front. This type is easy to open but perhaps a little to indiscreet for some mother.

Another type of nursing bra consists of zips, which sit under each cup. The advantage with this bra is that it quite discreet and easy to open and close. The zip-line can show through if the mother is wearing a tight fitting top.

The third type has a fastening (or small button) on the shoulder strap just above the cup, which can easily be unfastened to allow the cup down. Ensure you buy one that exposes the whole of the breast and not just the nipple, because the bra fabric left pressing on the breast may cause the blocked milk ducts. Again, the primary advantage of this bra is ease of use.

You can buy nursing bras made from a stretchy material. This is simple to use; you just pull the cup over the breast.

Finally, nighttime nursing bras are usually lighter in weight so as to make sleeping more comfortable. Instead of the usual ways of opening for feeding, this type of bra might have a crossover front design so you can just slip your breast out.

Don't purchase your bra too early in your pregnancy. Buy during the last month, as your breasts will be nearing their full size prior to breastfeeding your baby.

Buy as many bras as you can afford and also the best quality you can afford. You don't necessarily need one for each day of the week but remember that you will be producing a lot of milk and will suffer from leaky breasts, so you will need to wash your nursing bras frequently.

It is important to buy the best quality you can afford. The main things to look out for are: cotton bras, as they will help keep you nipple cool and dry; good, wide straps that are going to give you lots of support, your breasts are going to enlarge and get a lot heaver so support is vital; test the fastening of the bra making sure that it unfastens and refastens easily; the fastenings should not dig into you; Above all, make sure the bra is a good fit. Not only does a bad fitting bra feel uncomfortable and not provide support, it may even interfere with milk production.

About the Author

Robin O'Brien is founder of a website devoted to the benefits of breastfeeding where you can read articles about such things as, breastfeeding and alcohol and fenugreek and breast milk.

Planning the Perfect Maternity Wardrobe for Breastfeeding

?I have nothing to wear!? Heard this before from a new mother?

After putting in much time and effort into planning their maternity wardrobe, many new mums suddenly discover they have nothing to wear after their baby arrives!

It is important to plan ahead while pregnant to ensure your maternity wardrobe will make the smooth transition from pregnancy to breastfeeding.

With a few simple tips planning the perfect maternity and breastfeeding wardrobe is easy and won?t break the budget either!

Start with the basics

Look at the basics in your pre-pregnancy wardrobe and replace these with the maternity versions. Maternity tanks tops with built-in nursing bras are fantastic and are easy to mix and match. Black, white and a print or brighter colour are great to start with and will go with most colours.

Tank tops will also take you through all seasons ? perfect to wear on their own in the warmer months and great for layering in winter.

Think Dresses

Dresses in flowing stretchy fabrics are fantastic for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. With the right cut, dresses are very flattering on a baby bump and also great for the post-baby figure.

Make sure you have at least one or two dresses in your wardrobe that will take you from work, play and important functions such as your baby?s christening or naming day! Again you can?t go past classic black for classic style and slimming effect.

New styles of maternity dresses also include a built-in nursing bra, which is fantastic when you have to attend a function and breastfeed your baby at the same time.

Tops to take you everywhere

Once you have a baby you suddenly need clothing for all those outings ? mother?s group, coffee, shopping, trips to the doctor, the list goes on? Unless you want to spend your life in baby rooms, you need tops that allow you to breastfeed discreetly in public and look good too!

Again look for tops that allow for easy breastfeeding access and are flattering on your changing shape. Style features such as crossover fronts and side gathering are very good at hiding extra kilos. Many tops designed for breastfeeding are also suitable for pregnancy.

Look for quality

As a mum of two small boys, I know how tempting it is to go for cheap and cheerful when buying clothes. However, often these items are here for ?a good time not a long time? and won?t last the distance.

When you think about it, your maternity and breastfeeding wardrobe needs to last you for at least two years depending on how long you breastfeed and how many children you have. So in the long run it is better value for money to look for quality fabrics and styles that will last the distance.

Kelly Gough is a business mum who manages online store Nuvo Maternity (http://www.nuvomaternity.com.au) while also caring for her two small boys. Nuvo Maternity specialises in nursing wear and breastfeeding clothes.

Christmas Gifts That Don't Cost a Dime Free and Easy Experience Gifts

I have this Christmas time dream that I will be able to buy a gift for every person I know. The reality is my money runs out long before my list of friends. I can get something nice for my closest family, something small for a few more relatives and close friends...and every year the list of people my generous brain comes up with still has a long way to go. I am learning to put my brain to work coming up with free experience gifts - basically an activity I can do with someone. I don't want to let the year go by without letting them know how much I love and appreciate them.

I start by creating special invitations (sometimes I send them by email) or a homemade gift certificate. With this I like to include a short note letting this person know why I like them and how much they mean to me. Friends have told me they keep these notes and treasure what I said about them! If the activity is going to be before Christmas, I try to get the time set up right away since things get so busy for most people. If it is a gift certificate I am giving on Christmas day, I like to schedule our activity for sometime in January, when things have calmed down a little and winter boredom needs to be exterminated.

If you are like me, with more friends than money or if you simply want to keep your Christmas less focused on material things, try some of these fun experience gifts this year. I know you will enjoy the memories you make with the people you love!

• Set up a crafting time for one or more children you know. Make a manger or winter scene out of homemade playdough or clay. Make your own Christmas cards to send to people. Collect pine branches and pinecones and make wreaths. Make and decorate stockings cut out of felt or fabric or even old clothes. Go through your house collecting items you no longer want and help the children turn these into presents to give. My boys are like me - always wanting to give to more people than they can buy for. They love it when I help them make gifts. You can even make Christmas gifts for their pets. You may want to check out some idea books from the library ahead of time or you can find extremely creative family craft ideas at www.familyfun.com for every season.
• Hold a holiday decorating party with an old friend, a new neighbor family, an elderly person living in a retirement center or anyone you want to share a fun time with. You can decorate one or both of your homes. Haul out all the Christmas decorations you have and together come up with fresh new ways to use them. If you don't have anything to start with, come up with your own decorations. Make garlands out of loops of colored paper or popcorn. Cut out snowflakes and put them in the windows. Wrap a couple of empty boxes and tie them with big bows. Other decorating items I like are: indoor Christmas lights, sheet music of Christmas carols, evergreen branches, mittens hung on a string, old Christmas cards and photos from past holiday gatherings.

• Invite someone to go for a Christmas drive to see the lights. Find out ahead of time where the best neighborhoods are for Christmas lights and decorations. Bring along some treats to snack on and tune into a station with carols to enjoy as you drive. If you want to have even more fun, create a few awards for the Most Elegant, Funniest, and Biggest displays. Stop and present them to the (surprised!) owners.
• A night or two before Christmas, have a gift wrapping party. Set up a paper station, bow station and tag station. Go to work like an assembly line, but don't forget break time!
• Take some young people (or young at heart) for an adventurous sledding trip. Prepare hot chocolate or cider in thermoses and head off for some big hills. When the sledders get tired, start some competition with a snowman contest.
• As your Christmas gift to someone, give your time to a cause that is important to them. Visit a nursing home and present some of the residents with homemade Christmas cards. Help sort and make food baskets for a food pantry. Work in a Christmas wrap booth that benefits a charity. Volunteer as food servers at shelters that provide a Christmas dinner. This gift will not only bless the person you do it for, but also others who you don't even know yet and God, the one who cares most for the needy.
• Find out what free holiday performances or events are going on in your area such as a Handel's Messiah concert, school performance, living nativity, etc. Pick up your friend and enjoy some cultural entertainment.
• Organize a baking day with a one or two others, choosing recipes you already have ingredients for so that all the others have to do is show up and start mixing up a good time. You can put together plates or tins of treats to give to friends and neighbors or elderly people who can't manage holiday baking any more.
• This Christmas experience gift is for children, adults or whole families - just tailor your choices according to your group. Go to the library and check out a variety of Christmas stories. I especially like to get ones that tell about the Christmas traditions from other cultures. Invite everyone to join you at your home, a historical landmark specially decorated for the holidays (you may need prior approval) or even an outdoor setting if it is not too cold. Seat everyone as they arrive and pass around snacks and punch or hot drinks. Read the Christmas stories aloud together, taking turns, if you want. Make sure to do the voices, as we used to tell my grandma!

A Special Note: As I was writing this, I realized that when you invite children for one of these events, you may also be giving a gift to the parents - some free time to get things done or just relax and enjoy the holidays. That's what I call a two-for-one special!

Whoever you give to, be sure to keep your activity simple and fun so that you are not too stressed out. Enjoy creating a great Christmas experience gift!

Melanie Farkas is the Holiday Gift Lady. She has gift ideas from all over the world at her website http://www.uniqueholidaygiftideas.com/ You can find many more Christmas gift ideas there.

The New Feminine Brain By Dr. MonaLisa SchulzMedical Intuitive

Dr. Schulz is a world renowned medical intuitive, behavioral neuroscientist, practicing psychiatrist and a best-selling author whose latest book ?The New Feminine Brain? explores the hidden potential of women and gives practical, grounded instructions on how to capitalize and manifest inherent mental gifts. She is a foremost authority on brain function and blends her expert ?right brain? with ?left brain? medical intuition consultations.

The focus of her life work is to capitalize a person?s potential for maximum health both on the physical and emotional level. For over 20 years, her groundbreaking research has helped to accelerate an acceptance and inclusion of non-linear approaches to medical healing outside conventional western medical techniques.

Dr. Schulz teaches us how to become aware of how our symptoms of illness are part of our intuition network, letting us know when something in our lives is out of balance. During a medical intuitive consultation, there is no physician/patient relationship, no diagnosis is given nor is any psychotherapy being performed. Mona Lisa will educate you in how specific emotional situations in your life are associated with the increased risk of illness in a specific organ in your body.

Like many gifted psychics, Dr. Schulz was encouraged as a child by very accomplished parents to develop her intellect through logic and analysis. Although she was able to intuitively solve difficult math problems before the age of ten, family and cultural conditioning caused her to block her intuition. Surprisingly, her success was more limited as a result. Dr. Schulz has herself had to overcome challenges that many people would have used as an excuse to not succeed in life. She has ADD and was diagnosed with a brain disorder similar to narcolepsy in college. Narcolepsy is a condition whereby a person falls asleep out-of-the-blue no matter what they are doing at the time. This was a turning point in her life as the events forced her to rely on her intuition more than her rational mind. Several more experiences came her way afterwards: a bout with medication to relieve her symptoms, a car accident, and the discovery of Louise Hay?s ?You Can Heal Your Life?. All these episodes convinced Dr. Schulz to claim her destiny as a trail blazing healer in mind-body medicine. By the time she entered medical school she was also blossoming into the revolutionary field of medical intuition.

Today, Dr. Schulz lives at full force her life passion. She is a board-certified psychiatrist who on one hand, she has a Medical Intuition business, and in a separate practice, sees patients in Neuropsychiatry.

Bio written and interview conducted by Rheba Estante, Integrated Health Writer.

Q: There are plenty of books on women?s health on the market, what is different about yours? What does it offer that is distinct and of practical use to women? A: The New Feminine Brain takes account for and examines how as civilization advances the environmental changes impact the brain. As life gets more complex with things such as satellites, cell phones, iPods, PDAs, these shape our brain. Information changes our wiring. I call this plasticity. Women in the year 2006 balance motherhood, career, childcare, and eldercare of aging parents. These are more complex lives than ever in history. Multiple roles lead to pressure and combined with technological advances in medicine have altered the hormones in the female brain.

Q: Does this mean that the brain of women in 2006 are very different than females in 1906? A: Yes. We are hormonally altered women. Women are deferring until 40 to have children. One new mother in the news recently was 60. Pregnancy and childbirth changes a brain. Think of the kinds of pressures that women have in their lives by the time they are 40 and compound that with later in life motherhood. If a woman has had to be on fertility drugs, or contraceptive pills, or has lived for decades in an environment of zeno-estrogens those all impact the brain.

Q: So what is the effect of synthetic prescription? A: Tamoxifen and other cancer drugs are anti-estrogen. Estrogen is a mood elevator. When you save a woman?s life and then put her on Tamoxifen, within two months she frequently gets off. Studies are inconclusive. Side effects can be depression, mood, attention problems, and memory. The New Feminine Brain give resources to women of today on how to navigate challenges with an understanding of how environment impacts their brain chemistry.

Q: Can you describe how The New Feminine Brain outlines these suggestions for women on how to take an active lead in their mental health? A: The book indicates major suggestions to pay attention to. It asks women to look at their unique brain in four areas: moods, anxiety, attention, or memory. Our conditions in these areas are born or acquired through trauma and medicine. Once we know our mental roadmap we can capture the genius behind our brain type. We can maximize our gene potential. Women should also complete the questionnaire in the book to evaluate their brain type. This exercise helps elucidate their brain type and directs them to chapters to pay attention to. It teaches women that the problems or ?holes? in their style are part of a unique genius for intuition.

Q: You are open about your ADD. How can The New Feminine Brain be of help to other women who are ADD? A: ADD and mood are an access to intuition that can be capitalized. 15% of people have a different style of attention. Some environments are conducive and others aren?t to this style. There are plenty of supplements and medicines to lend support for attention boosters. The ADD that is often called a disorder is defined by what the school teacher says about you. It is a unique form of diagnosis. So for ADD women, The New Feminine Brain teaches you how to figure this out and work with it if you have to be in an environment counter to your special attention style. Medicines don?t alter a lot because you are still the same person. If prescriptions really worked on ADDers, our society wouldn?t have Robin Williams because he has severe ADD. Someone like him has learned how to hone in on what is different with his brain and transform it into a strength in a supportive environment.

Q: Why do some ADDer succeed like Williams and others simply underachieve? A: You can get help from the physician but keep the power within you. You do not have to live the label. The success stories had the mind set of ?I?ll take what you told me to help myself but I don?t live your prognosis?. By not handing over your power to a professional is one step since it may not necessarily be true. Another key is that the ADD successes have a strong internal spirit so they don?t listen to what doesn?t make sense. They don?t let people break them. This is the resilience and temperament factor.

The definition of attention is the ability to pay focused perception on something free from distraction and reign in impulse. Resilience is the capacity to regulate your emotions to go after what you want in a skilled way. The New Feminine Brain explains more of that in the mood and anxiety chapter. Resilient people do not care so much what other people think.

Q: Does The New Feminine Brain examine whether or not there are two breeds of women these days caught in an evolutionary loophole? It seems like women are polarized in the realm of relationships. Some women literally need a man and can?t exist without a male partner. Others can be annoyed with one around too long. A: I am not really a feminist from the point-of-view of the brain. Some people have a brain style where their happiness has to come through someone else. They can only feel good with a strong, protective person, usually a male. A woman like this needs close companionship to feel normal. To others this is irritating because of their circuits of arousal make them too emotionally porous. Another strong figure is too much information on their system. These women are compelled to do something rather than equalize their internal emotions. So the presence of a protective male figure is very destabilizing for their life.

Consider also that a lot of women stay in a relationship due to lack of skills, independence, self-esteem, money, and other essentials to self-empowerment so then don?t really have a choice. They aren?t free to choose. The New Feminine Brain offers resources so women can have the freedom to understand their unique brain style, play out merits, fix moods, and live in peace. Whether or not this means a partner or not.

Q: A recent story here in Toronto published in The Globe and Mail talked about a study that concluded women who were mothers were smarter than those who weren?t. What are your thoughts to that? A: The studies included rat brains as well but saying that mothers are smarter is complicated. It?s true that taking care of something close to you can make you brighter. Old people in nursing homes are given pets and it improves memory and cognition. The stimulation increased flexibility of the brain. ?Aunting? behavior such as taking care of someone else?s kids can sprout the same brain pathways. It?s an unfortunate statement and misses the mark to say this. That means men are truly disadvantaged. The message to women is to have a baby and they?ll be better. Being a mother depends on what your brain is molded for. This is what The New Feminine Brain teaches you to determine. Not every woman is wired to be a mother and therefore, she should not have children. There are examples in the animal kingdom. Some sheep have lambs and then ignore them and walk away. So the sheepherder has to find a surrogate mother with a better brain adaptive to motherhood.

Q: In your own words how would you sum up what The New Feminine Brain can do for women? A: The book teaches you to find your unique genius, navigate the world, fix problems and maximize unique gifts.

If you have a problem in the brain it is also an access to intuition. A problem kid is a different kid. Mothers can capitalize the strength about their brain but also mold their brain to fit into society when need be. Labels are important. You can?t fix it if you can?t name it. BUT - you can?t let it limit or define you like a crutch or tool in the world.

Q: Do you have any words of wisdom for women who are ?self-help? addicts? There is a line between improvement and needing it to function. A: It is a form of dependency when you have lost your internal anchor and seek answers outside. It is a pursuit of a holy grail of happiness. Happiness is looking outside what you should know is inside. Some are using it just to have a relationship. Peace is within. People who need people is as old as time. The classes and workshops are a way to create a family or go to a different kind of church. Finding companionship is healthy and constant learning makes you senile resistant. The key is to distinguish whether you are using self-help to grow or if it is using you to have a life.

Q: Any advice to people who are totally new to the world of self-help when they pick up a copy of The New Feminine Brain? A: Take the questionnaire. See chapters 1,2, 3, 4 and the sections on emotional feng shui and mood and society. Recurring problems indicate that you are not listening to the intuition behind the moods. Merely getting remedies is not enough. You must understand what constant moods are all about.

Q: Do you have any feminine wisdom on how women can navigate the world of self-help with some good brain sense? A: Buyer Beware. Get someone who has a credential in an area that is board certified by the government. This is a mark of integrity and grounding in that field. It also indicates that they have a rigor to pass the hurdle. Such a person is not a fly by night but one who has mastered an area and there is something about a person who has structure in a discipline. This is a person who has had to sit with a supervisor, make mistakes, get guidance, and then get it right. A name comes with a tradition. When buying a Ford or Toyota we are purchasing this tradition. Use the same common sense as you would when looking for a new car.

Listen to her weekly radio show Intuitive Health on the Sirius Network every Wednesday at 4pm EST. For more information, visit www.drmonalisa.com

Nursing Conferences

Nursing conferences are intended to address the interests and concerns of nurses across specialty areas and levels of practice and provide attendees with an opportunity to learn more about challenging and practical issues in ethics. Like most other conferences, there will be concurrent sessions addressing research, education and practice issues in nursing ethics. Nursing conferences are hosted by many hospitals across the world to discuss new technology, methods and latest developments in various fields of medicine and nursing.

Seminars enable nurses to learn how to juggle multiple roles and make sound decisions to provide cutting edge leadership in the school of nursing. These conferences further provide tools and techniques that will help maintain balance while responding to increasing demands from health care systems and higher education. Conferences focus on both adult and pediatric issues. Varied topics are included such as aneurysm, interventional radiology, adult and pediatric tumors, shaken infant syndrome, guns and violence, spinal cord trauma, thrombolytics and ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, organ donation, brain mapping, treatment of spasticity and seizure management.

These conferences discuss the Internet and nursing; philosophy and models for care management; transformational leadership and criteria and guidelines for medical appropriateness. They addresses the issues facing nursing research today; identify areas in nursing research with substantive growth in the earlier years; summarize previous research and project future research directions and clinical applications; serve as a forum for developing research agendas, articulating issues, and discussing needs of research training.

Some conferences are committed to assessing and evaluating issues that affect the practice of the profession of nurse anesthesia and to respond by offering continuing education that is designed to make nurses maximally effective in their diverse roles as healthcare providers. Other areas of focus are nursing informatics and nursing informatics perspectives; current information technologies; information system selection, evaluation and implementation; and nursing informatics processes. Association of nurses in AIDS care conference provides continuing education on HIV/AIDS, along with special activities, such as the opening night reception; awards luncheon and annual fundraising events.

Besides all these types of conferences nursing ethics conferences are designed to help clinicians explore the ethical, legal and practical issues that arise when working with patients at various stages of illness who ask for help or information about dying.

Conferences provides detailed information on Conferences, Advantage Conferences, Parent Teacher Conferences, Medical Conferences and more. Conferences is affiliated with Trade Show Exhibit Booths.

Transition Wear Maternity Clothes To Wear Before And After Your Pregnancy

 



Transition Wear - Maternity Clothes To Wear Before And After Your PregnancySubmitted By: Amy Jarman  

Often women do not want to invest in maternity clothes because it feels extravagant to spend a lot of money on something you can only wear for about 6 months. Also, there is a certain stigma to some about wearing some tented dress or obvious maternity support band pant after you have your baby and have not yet lost the ?baby fat.? Every woman knows there is nothing worse than being caught in maternity clothes after the baby, or even worse, being mistaken for pregnant when you are not! Fortunately there are some new styles out on the market today, often called ?transition wear? that do not look like maternity clothes and can actually be worn after the baby when you are no longer pregnant but not yet down to your pre-pregnancy size and shape.

Now there are many stylish nursing tops on the market today that are made to double as maternity tops with longer tummy styles and extra stretch in the fabric. Some brands that carry some excellent cross over style maternity tops are Japanese Weekend, Majamas and 1 in the Oven. Most of these maternity and nursing tops are labeled as such and can be worn throughout your pregnancy and afterwards. Often these styles come in ? sleeves which works well for all seasons of the year and can be layered with a sweater in colder months.

Lounge Pants or soft and stretchy Yoga Pants are now the new rage in everyday wear for both maternity and non-maternity clothes. It seems many women are looking for something easy and comfortable that they can wear all day be it running errands, going to the gym or puttering about the house. Some of these pants are so comfortable they can even double as pajama bottoms. Majamas and 1 in the Oven maternity lines both make an excellent transition wear yoga pant that do not stretch out of shape with pregnancy and can be worn after the baby without looking like maternity pants. The fold over ruched style pant by 1 in the Oven is especially versatile because it can be worn over the belly for more tummy coverage during pregnancy or folded down to be worn across the belly for postpartum wear.

Nursing and maternity sleepwear are a very good investment if you plan to nurse after the baby. Not only are they made with more belly room to comfortably fit you while pregnant but the easy nursing access at night it invaluable if you plan to nurse. As every nursing mom as found out at some point, trying to properly position your baby to nurse in the middle of the night through the tangle of a non nursing nightgown is next to impossible. Transition wear sleepwear is simply a whole lot easier to ?work? with in nighttime nursing and also looks and feels better than a huge nightshirt or oversized pajamas when you are pregnant or just delivered.

Buy at least one versatile maternity and nursing dress. There is a very good chance that at some point while you are pregnant or soon after you deliver that you will need to dress up in an actual dress. More than likely there are more than one or two occasions for you to wear a dress during this time, so it is probably worthwhile for you to invest in a maternity and nursing dress than can be worn during pregnancy or after the baby. If you do plan to nurse your baby and maybe need to go to a christening, a baby shower or other such ?dress up? event, a dress designed for nursing will make that day a whole lot more fun if you need to nurse your baby. Any woman who has tried to nursing while wearing a non-nursing dress can tell you the now humorous stories of having to disrobe in some cramped bathroom stall to attempt to feed her hungry screaming baby and keep her sanity in the process. The other advantage is that a nursing dress will actually play up your assets with a design for a nursing woman?s body which is usually a de-emphasis on the tummy and more room across the chest. Since many nursing dresses are designed for maternity as well, go ahead and buy one while you are pregnant to get your money?s worth and full enjoyment from your purchase!

One final thought of an absolute must-have for any woman planning to nurse after the baby is a few well made nursing bras. Like all transition wear clothing nursing bras more than serve their purpose as they can also be worn throughout maternity. Many of these bras are made with extra stretch and support to comfortably fit several band and cup sizes so they can continue to fit you even as your body changes throughout maternity and breastfeeding.

The main advantage in transition wear clothing is that they are made to stretch and are designed to stylishly fit a woman?s body throughout the changes of pregnancy and postpartum. Due to this versatility and the much needed nursing access if you plan to nurse, transition wear clothes earn their weight in gold!

About the Author:

Amy Jarman is owner of nursing and maternity clothes store TummyStyle.com selling transition wear, maternity sleepwear, maternity swimwear, nursing bras and more. TummyStyle has leading brands such as Majamas, 1 in the Oven, Japanese Weekend, Maternal America, Olian, Bravado and others.

Article Tags: baby, nursing, wear

Oregon Commercial Real Estate

Real estate is broadly categorized into two types. This includes residential and commercial real estate. As the name suggests, the latter revolves around sale and lease of property that is intended for use in trade and business. This includes a wide range of business opportunities including shopping malls, gas stations, car parks and office buildings. The Oregon commercial real estate market is huge and encompasses innumerable viable plots and property.

Oregon commercial real estate could refer to an empty plot of land, a building, a store or multiple shops, or even a park. The instant any property is to be used for a business purpose, it is categorized as commercial real estate. Oregon commercial real estate includes land, as well as anything that is permanently built or fixed onto it. These fixtures include nursing homes, buildings and fences. They also refer to pipes, plumbing, heating devices and light fixtures that are inbuilt or fixed on the exterior of a building. Commercial real estate can be purchased, sold or rented as required. Such commitments prove to be profitable for real estate agents who deal in them. Since commercial real estate deals with profitability in the long run, entrepreneurs do no rush into such commitments. It is important to find an Oregon commercial real estate property that is feasible and can help increase trade.

Price points for Oregon commercial real estate depend upon their location. Areas that are established as commercially profitable are categorized within higher price brackets, as compared to others located in developing areas. Their rates are calculated differently from residential real estate. A number of Oregon real estate listing companies have dedicated commercial real estate databases that are easy to access and designed to help clients find a viable property in a short time. Before finalizing an Oregon commercial real estate deal, it is important to ensure the property is not blacklisted and all fixtures within it are in compliance with state regulations.

Oregon Real Estate provides detailed information on Oregon Real Estate, Portland Oregon Real Estate, Bend Oregon Real Estate, Oregon Coast Real Estate and more. Oregon Real Estate is affiliated with Denver Real Estate Agents.

A Nursing Breast Is A Healthier Breast

In recent years we've learned a lot about how breastfeeding improves the health of babies. Formula feeding increases the risk of many types of diseases. Short term, formula fed babies are more likely to become ill with ear and respiratory infections and other illnesses. When they do get sick they are more seriously ill and much more likely to be hospitalized. Long term, formula fed infants are more likely to suffer from diabetes, obesity, asthma, Crohn's disease, and other ailments.

Interestingly, a lot of research points to numerous ways that breastfeeding impacts Mom's health. Let's look at just one of these findings.

A Lactating Breast is a Healthier Breast

Numerous studies have shown that breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer. This is due in part to hormonal factors: nursing moms go without ovulating for longer periods of time than women who don't breastfeed. There is a connection between the number of times a woman has an ovulatory cycle in her lifetime and the likelihood of her contracting breast cancer. Breastfeeding also completes the normal fertility cycle of conception, pregnancy and lactation.

Additionally, the act of suckling itself plays a role. One native culture that traditionally only nursed on one breast had fewer incidences of cancer in the lactating breast. This makes perfect sense when you think about it: a body organ that is used the way it's designed to be used is healthier than tissue that isn't used. If you decided to sit in a wheelchair instead of using your legs to walk, what do you suppose would happen to your legs? They would eventually atrophy and become diseased.

Additionally, the longer a woman breastfeeds, the greater the protection offered against cancer. Scientists find that the more months a woman has spent nursing, the lower her risk of contracting breast cancer... great incentive to listen to the World Health Organization's advice to nurse for two years or more!

Interestingly, breastfeeding lowers the *babies* rate of breast cancer! While science is still trying to figure out exactly why this is so, one theory is that exposure to Mom's estrogen via breastmilk immunizes baby to estrogen later in life. Also, the immune factors present in mom's milk likely play a role in strengthening resistance to disease, even to a disease like cancer.

Who knows what else the scientific community will discover about the magic of mom's milk?

Carrie Lauth has been helping other Moms learn how to nurse their babies for 5 years. She is the Mom of 4 breastfed kids, the host of http://www.NaturalMomsTalkRadio, and the head Momma in charge at http://www.SexyNursingBra.com

What To Expect After Breast Augmentation Surgery

The results of breast augmentation are quite apparent immediately after surgery. However, you will need time to recover before you can start to fully and comfortably enjoy your new and improved bustline. The healing process is an important consideration when you are thinking about breast augmentation. A well-informed commitment to surgery will include taking account of the post surgical steps to achieving your body goals.

Breast augmentation entails the surgical insertion of breast implants, either silicone or saline, beneath your breast tissue and possibly even beneath the muscle tissue of your chest. The surgery is typically an outpatient procedure that lasts from one to two hours.

Depending on what you want for your body and what your physical form can accommodate, breast augmentation can increase your breast size by one or more bra cup sizes. Desiring a fuller bustline and a figure with more pronounced proportions are the primary motivations for women to seek breast augmentation. Reconstruction after breast surgery or injury, rejuvenation after pregnancy and nursing, and correction of breasts that have markedly differing sizes also are appropriate reasons for breast augmentation.

Your First Week After Breast Augmentation

Initially after your breast augmentation Beverly Hills, you will feel tired and sore for several days, but you should be up and walking after 24 to 48 hours. Pain medication will be prescribed as necessary to help you with post-surgical discomfort. You will have to completely avoid strenuous activity and monitor for any post-surgical problems like extreme swelling or bleeding.

After a few days, your gauze dressings will be removed and your plastic surgeon may direct you to wear a surgical bra. At the end of your first week of recovery you could typically return to your job unless your occupation is physically demanding. Then your plastic surgeon would have to gauge your recovery and advise you on the appropriate time to resume working.

Your Second Week After Breast Augmentation

At about the 10 day point, your stitches will be removed. If you have been experiencing a burning sensation in your nipples, this can often persist through the second week. Although your fuller breasts are in place, they will remain sore and you should limit physical contact with them as you continue to heal.

Your Next Six Weeks After Breast Augmentation

Under the supervision of your surgeon, you will begin to resume your regular physical activities in the ensuing weeks. Breast soreness typically lasts for three to four weeks before fading. Swelling should also diminish during this period, except for perhaps minor swelling. The scars from your surgery will be pink and firm for roughly six weeks. It will take months for the scars to soften and lighten. They will never be completely gone, but the scars often will diminish to barely noticeable.

The recovery timelines described above are what you can typically expect after breast augmentation surgery. Individual cases vary depending on physical characteristics, overall health, and how well you follow guidelines for limiting strenuous activity. Although breast augmentation requires a moderate recovery time, many women are immensely pleased with the results and agree that the discomfort was worth the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of an enhanced bust.

About the Author:

Information on breast augmentation Beverly Hills and Dr. Lloyd Krieger is at http://www.rodeodriveplasticsurgery.com/proced-breast.html

Wearing The Wrong Size Bra Can Damage Breasts Yet 70% Of Women Do It

We all know that women have been wearing bras for years. Maybe it's because society feels that breasts look better being supported or maybe women feel more comfortable with breasts that are high and perky. Other women feel that bras are not necessary and never wear a bra.

But if you are one of the women that wears bras on a regular basis you need to know this. Wearing the wrong size bra can not only cause discomfort but can also cause irreversable breast damage! Through out a woman's life she can expect to her breast size to change several times. Think about it: during puberty our breasts change, during pregnancy and nursing our breasts change, and of course with weight gain and loss our breasts change.

If you are like me and constantly replacing your bras you need to log on to this site and order your free report. It gives you all the information you need on making an informed decision about bra buying. Let's face it, not all bras are created equal. Sometimes they are comfortable and supportive, other times they are not.

Women need to have this information to make an informed decision before more damage is done. Bra straps slipping, boobs sagging, back hurting, and marks being left on the shoulders are not normal. These are all signs that your bra is not fitting properly. There are other signs as well. Order your free report to access all the information you need before buying your next bra.

Maryann is a woman who wore an ill fitting bra for years. Once she realized that her bras didn't have to hurt to be supportive she felt compelled to share this with others by designing the website http://www.brasforyou.com

Launching Your Career Into The World: Just Start Dancing And The Band Will Find You

 



Launching Your Career Into The World: Just Start Dancing And The Band Will Find YouSubmitted By: Tama J. Kieves  

T he following is a book excerpt from THIS TIME I DANCE! Creating the Work You Love (How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All!) by Tama J. Kieves (www.ThisTimeIDance.com) reprinted by permission of the author.

I don?t know a better way to march our dreams into the world other than to just march our dreams into the world. You could wait for the world to invite you to the banquet and the ball. Or you could just show up in your red dress and your headdress ready to boogie. I think the red dress is in order. The universe has invited us all to thrive in our lives and no one and nothing is ever holding us back.

I know so many creative soul friends who cloister their abilities like pearls in oyster shells beneath the sea, praying, hoping, sinking, aching and waiting, waiting, waiting. They wait for their chance like some kind of leprechaun to appear in the tall grasses with an embossed invitation from the queen. You are the queen. And it?s not chance that creates our chances.

We have enough opportunities to share, showcase, and refine our talents right in the here and now. Belt out your song over the baked beans at the company picnic now, paint postcards to your friends, practice telling your stories at the Jewish nursing home where somebody?s mother sleeps in loneliness for most of the day, interview a fascinating person for your community newspaper, or design a Web site for a firecracker organization you believe in. Tiny actions taken with huge-heartedness awaken big breaks and breakthroughs. Some of the richest opportunities come in the plainest of circumstances.

Fling those precious pearls like dandelion seeds to the breeze. Let life get wind of you. Sharing your gifts invigorates and promotes them. Talents intensify with use. Meanwhile, guarding your gifts keeps them in the dark where they do not grow or glow. Waiting until ?the right time? usually means waiting in your sea cave until you have achieved artistic perfection in this lifetime? which you will never do; and this can make it tricky to attract a client?le. There is a time to go inward. But then comes the time to no longer hide your love.

Alice, a former nurse and budding photographer, says she realized one day that the National Geographic wasn't going to ship her off on safari until she logged some mileage on her own khakis and camera. So she assigned herself an expedition, shooting cactus flowers in the dawn of a California desert. She bought an airline ticket, a dozen rolls of film, and a journal with a sunrise on the cover. Later, she titled and matted and framed the prints as though they were destined for gallery walls. She labeled them with her biography and vision statement, and distributed them as Christmas presents to family, friends, and some acquaintances. Alice presented her art as art instead of as an apologetic hobby she?d stuffed in her closet and hid from the world?s awaiting embrace.

Months later, an assistant to a travel magazine editor studied a photograph she liked in the bathroom of her hairdresser?s house at a New Year's Eve party. Three months later, the editor of the magazine gave Alice an assignment and a reason to believe in a destiny filled with sunrises. ?Did you ever observe to whom the accidents happen? Chance favors only the prepared mind,? noted scientist Louis Pasteur.

Years ago, when I decided to start creativity coaching, I sweet-talked a few friends, even begged and bribed some, to sit with me on my seen-better-days, beige couch and let me work my seedling magic on them. I just couldn?t wait to help creative people honor their inspired dreams. Yet throughout each session, I flourished when our work together unlocked a hidden wonder. My experimentation matured into expertise and even more enthusiasm for my work. Later, these ?clients? became walking advertisements for me that attracted real, non-bribed business. I started an entrepreneurial momentum by starting in an innocent moment.

So can you. Start somewhere, anywhere, and the magnetism of heartfelt action will take you to the next destination. Just hop on the train. Our world needs your inklings and original abilities, your caring hands, and customized pipeline to the infinite and sublime. There are whispers and pleas in the air calling your name. Please don?t hold yourself back any longer, waiting in isolation for your invitation. The hours that you ?give away? will give you back golden soul feathers in your cap, hands-on training, a spiral notebook of contacts, fire in the belly, smoke signals in the heart, and friends in the field. You just can?t beat that rate of exchange.

So gorge yourself on experience. Experience is power. Experience is exposure. Experience leads to experience which leads to expertise and glowing auras. And, boy, when you?re talking glowing auras, there?s no telling what you?ll attract after that.

It?s easier to assume your place in the world than you think.

Opportunity always rushes to experience. And we can give ourselves experience at any moment?by giving of our gifts.

About the Author:

Tama J. Kieves, an honors graduate of Harvard Law School, left her law practice with a large corporate law firm to write and to embolden others to live and breathe their most meaningful self-expression. She is a sought-after speaker, leading visionary career coach and best-selling author of THIS TIME I DANCE! Creating the Work You Love/How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All! (Tarcher/Penguin) She is also on the faculty of Omega Institute and the Kripalu Health Center and teaches at Canyon Ranch, the six star spa. Learn more about Tama?s workshops, coaching, monthly email newsletter, or download her Free Report on Finding Your Calling Now at http://www.AwakeningArtistry.com .

Article Tags: experience, waiting, world

Fish Is Brain Food

Grandma was right. Fish is brain food.

It seems like everyday, there's good news about what omega 3 fish oil can do for your brain. Research has shown that fish oil brain benefits begin in the womb and continue straight through life preventing Alzheimer's and dementia in the elderly.

A baby's brain is made up of about 70% omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids. These fatty acids are necessary for the optimum development of a baby's intelligence, brain function and emotional well-being. They're so vitally important that the U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends pregnant and lactating women supplement their diet with 1200 mg/day.

Recent studies, however, showed the average omega 3 intake of pregnant and nursing mothers was only 18% of what's recommended and only 3% of the women surveyed were getting the omega 3 they needed in their diet.

If baby isn't getting the DHA and EPA it needs from mother's diet, the fetus will take what it needs from the mother's brain supply. During nine months of pregnancy, a mother could lose as much as 3% of her own brain mass from depleted DHA and EPA. Some scientists believe this could be a major cause of post-partum depression. Taking omega 3 supplements during pregnancy, is sounding like a very good idea.

And, if mother's not eating fish, you better believe her adolescent and teenage children aren't either. The resulting omega 3 deficiency has been linked to childhood behavior problems, temper tantrums and learning difficulties. In other words, ADD and ADHD.

A recent British study reported that fish oi supplementation, however, helped reduce the symptoms of dyslexia, ADD and ADHD. The research team gave fish oil supplements for six months to children with behavioral problems, social difficulties and learning disabilities. The children tested six months higher in spelling and more than a year higher in reading skills.

Adults can also get a lot of brain benefits from eating fish a couple of times a week or taking daily fish oil supplements.

Dietary deficiencies of omega 3 DHA and EPA have been linked to a higher incidence of migraine headaches, depression and bipolar disorder. Eating more fish or taking fish oil supplements, on the other hand, has been found to provide good quality, natural relief for these conditions.

Alzheimer's disease now affects some 5 million Americans and that number is expected vastly increase over the next twenty years as the baby boomer generation begins to age. Fish oil can help here too. Studies have shown that people who ate the most fish and had the highest DHA levels had 47% less dementia and 39% less Alzheimer's.

Fish oil also helps prevent rain attack or stroke. A Harvard Medical School study of over 43,000 men over a period of 12 years reported that men who eat fish just once a month had a 44% less risk of ischemic (blood clot) stroke than those men who ate fish less than once a month. Taking a daily aspirin, by the way, reduces stroke risk by only 21%.

By the way, apparently what's good for your brain is also good for your heart. Eating fish at least two or three times a week lowers blood pressure and triglycerides and prevents irregular heart beats.

Fish oil omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA also reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death, the number one killer in the U.S., by 45% or nearly half. That's pretty good, don't you think? Even the American Heart Association recommends that all healthy people eat fish twice a week or more.

So, you can see Grandma knew what she was talking about. Eating fish and taking fish oil supplements is good for your brain and good for your heart. So get smart and follow her advice.

Michael Byrd has over 18 years of education and experience in the fields of physical therapy, health, fitness and nutrition. His pursuit of wellness has shown him many fish oil health benefits as well as the benefits of using natural whole foods to help you look younger, feel better and stay healthy.

Using Flower Essences To Become A Happier Healthier Woman

Flower essence therapy may be new to many people, though their use has flourished with the popularity of Rescue Remedy, an essence combination for relief of tension under stressful situations. Beyond this formula, there are a great many flower essences available to address a variety of emotional and psychological states. Here we'll have a look at flower essences particularly supportive of common 'women's issues' which may help you in your efforts to become a healthier, more vibrant female!

What are flower essences? Think of the beauty and delicacy of a flower, the purity and radiance of a single violet in springtime. Imagine if we could capture the essence, the pure vibrational quality of that flower, and take that exquisite frequency within our being to heal the weariness in our soul or the sorrow in our heart. This is the art and science of creating flower essences. As with homeopathic remedies, flower essences work by their unique vibrational signatures, not by the actual substance that is ingested. Homeopathic remedies tend to work closer to the physical body, whereas flower essences have their greatest effect on the mind, emotions, and spirit. They act at a subtle level to restore harmony and infuse positive energy into the subtle energy matrix which forms the foundation of our physical life.

Essences are traditionally made by placing flowers in a bowl of water in the sunlight for 4 to 5 hours. The effect of the sunlight is to transfer the energetic imprint, or vibrational frequency, of the flowers into the water. Each flower has its own very specific frequency, and water is a medium which can hold that kind of energetic imprint. Once the water has been fully imprinted, it is then decanted into bottles and preserved, usually with brandy. Here are a few essences which may help the divine feminine in reaching it's potential within you?

- Alpine Lily can support the acceptance of one's femininity grounded in a deepened experience of the female body, helping overcome an overly abstract sense of femininity where one feels disembodied, with alienation from or rejection of female organs as lower.

Alpine Lily flower essence helps the feminine soul experience a more vibrant relationship to the female body. While this remedy can sometimes be indicated for men who are addressing inner feminine aspects of themselves, it is primarily beneficial for women who harbor a psychological split in their relationship to the feminine principle.

These women tend to favor that which is more cosmic and virginal, and find it difficult to identify with the earthly aspect of the feminine. They have many spiritual attributes and actively use higher feminine forces, but do not integrate this consciousness with the physical body. Negative impressions of the female body are often unconsciously absorbed from the mother or from the larger culture. Because the soul does not fully identify with or inhabit the female body, physical stress and disharmony can result in the reproductive organs, in the sexual function, or in the biological experience of pregnancy and nursing.

Alpine Lily flower essence stimulates the integration of the feminine and female selves, promoting circulation between the higher and lower energy centers. The soul learns that its full energy and potential depends of the utilization of the bodily female as well as the spiritual feminine from this flower essence.

- Pomegranate Flower Essence: This fruit tree is native to Western Asia. The flowers are red, leathery and bisexual. Parts of the plant have been used to treat fevers, lymph challenges, leucorrhea, and throat problems. As a flower essence, it promotes warm-hearted feminine creativity, actively productive and nurturing at home or in the world. It can be used universally applied for nearly all emotional problems. Pomegranate is considered a ?love potion? for women, and if they are having challenges in accepting their femininity, Pomegranate helps them to overcome such insecurities. This essence creates a sense of nurturing or at the very least a recognition of a need for nurturing within the individuals. Further, It can open and stimulates the sexual chakra, with the nadis of this chakra being invigorated. This flower essence naturally accentuates all aspects of a woman?s femininity. Meditation and creative visualization can (and should) be readily be used with this essence.

- Hibiscus Flower Essence: This essence promotes warmth and responsiveness in female sexuality; integration of soul warmth and bodily passion. It may help one overcome an inability to connect with one's female sexuality; lack of warmth and vitality, often due to prior exploitation or abuse.

One of the most tragic assaults to the soul dignity of women is the exploitation and commercialization of female sexuality. This deeply wounds the souls of many women so that they no longer feel a warm connection to their sexuality. Often the sexuality is divorced from deeper feelings of love and warmth which come from the heart. In many cases sexual expression becomes cold and unresponsive, because the Soul can no longer contact this part of the Self and infuse it with love and caring. Hibiscus flower essence helps women to reclaim their sexuality, and to restore these soul forces with vitality and authenticity.

The Hibiscus essence may aid many women who have been sexually traumatized, and it is also generally beneficial for all modern women who have unconsciously absorbed media images and other stereotypes of dehumanized sexuality. This remedy is sometimes also indicated for men who need to develop a stronger relationship to feminine warmth and positive sexuality. Hibiscus creates flowing warmth throughout the body and soul, especially healing the sexuality.

- Beech Flower Essence: Beech can support tolerance, acceptance of others' differences and imperfections, seeing the good within each person and situation. It may allow release of criticalness, judgmental attitudes, intolerance, perfectionist expectations of others, and oversensitivity to one's social and physical environment.

The Beech flower essence helps transform the tendency to be critical due to an inner sense of inferiority and hypersensitivity which is projected onto others. Very often such persons grew up in an environment of criticism and harsh expectation, and so they inwardly feel very vulnerable and insecure. However, they learn to cope by condemning others instead of healing themselves.

Another characteristic of the Beech flower essence type is hypersensitivity to personal environments, both physical and social. Their permeability to the influences around them leads to intolerance of imperfection in others. Beech softens the soul pain such persons feel; as they re-establish connection with their Higher Self, they sense the love an unconditional acceptance that radiates from the spiritual world. Through this warmth of soul, they are able to let go of their harsh and blaming ways, to accept others in the same way that they are accepted by the spiritual world.

- Sunflower Flower Essence: This essence can bring a balanced sense of individuality and a sun-radiant personality. Sunflower balances the Yin and Yang energies and attunes people to higher wisdom. Those who demonstrate anger or ?hostility? towards their father or other males in their life will benefit from Sunflower. It can support growth away from low self-esteem or arrogance, particularly related to a poor relation to one's father or distorted masculine aspect of the self.

The signature of the Sunflower is mostly astrological since the Sunflower looks like the sun and astrologically the sun is associated with the father, the male ego, and spiritual knowledge. Sunflower essence allows the healthy self shines forth from the soul, not unlike the sun which radiates in the sky. This benign and wondrous soul quality of radiance at once inspires with its light, and heals with its warmth. All human souls have within them this capacity to shine like the sun, but many are afflicted in their ability to emanate this solar power in a balanced way.

Some people mask their true sun-nature with feelings of self-effacement and low self-esteem. This condition darkens the true luster of the Higher Self; in these instances the Sunflower flower essence brings to the soul the quality of light. Others want their brilliance to shine too strongly, glaring others with pompous self-glory and ego-aggrandizement. For these people, Sunflower flower essence brings out the quality of warmth, or loving compassion. Sunflower flower essence also heals disturbances or distortions in the soul?s relationship to the masculine, often associated with a conflicted or deficient relationship with the father in childhood.

These are just a few of the many wonderful flower essences available today, though they may be among the most healing for many women. If one or more seems suitable, try working with them for the period of one month (a lunar cycle). This seems to be an appropriate time to bring about change through essence usage for many needs. It is best to take a few drops of each essence several times a day, or add a dropperful to a bottle of water in the morning and sipping throughout the day ? essences are better used in frequent, small doses. Hopefully these, or other flower essences can support you in your quest to become a more vibrant, strong and healthy woman!

About the Author:

Misty Rae Cech, ND is a degreed naturopath with a professional practice in Boulder, Colorado. She regularly employs flower essences with her clients to support their overall healing process. More information is available at http://www.anandaapothecary.com

Manage Your Cholesterol With Natural Vitamin Supplements.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has done a great job discovering what cholesterol does and how it affects our health. We know that high cholesterol can cause heart disease and stroke, and by lowering our cholesterol we reduce our risk and keep our bodies health. Also, with diet, weight loss and exercise we can improve our cholesterol levels as well.

Not all cholesterol is bad for you. There are both good and bad forms of cholesterol, keeping these in balance is critical for proper heart health. In the past, the primary focus was to reduce the total or ?bad? cholesterol and doctors overlooked the HDL good cholesterol. Recent research suggests that raising the HDL levels may provide even more protection against heart disease. Raising the HDL by 1% can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by 2% in men and 3% in women. For example, if your HDL is 36mg/dl and it increased by 3.6mg/dl that?s 10%, can make you 20-30% less likely to have heart disease. Several studies have proven that low HDL is a risk factor in heart disease. (17)

Prescription drugs are available to lower cholesterol and have been proven very effective. Millions of Americans can attest to the cholesterol lowing properties of prescription drugs and they can attest to the side effects as well. Prescription drugs (statins) can cause elevated liver enzymes which are an early indication of possible liver damage. These statins? have also been associated with muscle inflammation and muscle degeneration, causing muscle pain in many patients. Statin drugs also reduce the CoQ10 levels in the body; this can lead to heart disease if left go long enough. Statins do very little for boosting good cholesterol levels and as we recall boosting good cholesterol can reduce risk of heart disease.

Thankfully there are other effective solutions for lowering cholesterol levels naturally and without side effects. There are vitamin and herbal combinations that can effectively reduce cholesterol as much as 23%. (1) First let?s review how cholesterol is linked to heart disease.

Cholesterol is a fatty like substance found in every living cell in the body. Cholesterol helps digest fats, strengthen cell membranes and make hormones. The majority of our cholesterol is manufactured in the liver, but cholesterol is also produced in the small intestines and by individual cells in the body. Even though the body makes all the cholesterol we need, approximately 1000 milligrams a day, we get additional cholesterol in our diet. (2,3) Foods highest in cholesterol are egg yolks and organ meat such as liver and kidney. No plant based food sources have cholesterol even avocado and peanut butter, they are only high in fat content. Animal sources and dairy all contain cholesterol.

Even though cholesterol is needed for many of the body?s functions, too much in the blood is bad. Excess amounts of cholesterol in the blood lead to arterial cholesterol build up and increase your risk of blood clots, heart attack and stroke. (4) All your cells live off a constant flow of blood which supplies oxygen and nutrients. When cholesterol builds up on the arteries, the blood flow is reduced through the heart. If a blood clot hits a narrow artery and blocks blood flow a heart attack happens. If the arteries narrow and not enough blood flows to the heart one will experience heart pain and given time a heart attack as well.

Cholesterol can not dissolve into the blood so the cholesterol has to be transported through the blood by a special carrier called lipoproteins. Two well known lipoproteins are low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL is associated with bad cholesterol and HDL is considered good cholesterol. LDL distributes cholesterol through out the entire body and is the cause of arterial fat build up. HDL carries cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver to be processed and eliminated. HDL reduces arterial fat build up and reduces the risk or heart disease. In fact studies have shown that by raising the HDL, good cholesterol, can reduce your risk of heart disease more than lowering the LDL. As a result the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) has established these guidelines for a health heart: (5)

1.HDL level of 60 is optimal but 40 for men and 50 for women on average.
2.LDL levels in the range of 100 ? 159 are best.
3.Total cholesterol both HDL and LDL under 200.

Your doctor has probably been throwing around the work triglycerides. Triglycerides are the fats our body uses as fuel, the metabolisms energy source. Your triglyceride level changes with every meal through out the day. If the levels rise too much it?s a sign your meals have to many carbohydrates and sugars. Triglycerides are another risk factor in heart disease. High amounts causes the blood to be sluggish and it reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can transport especially in the small blood vessels. There are medications available for triglycerides, but keep in mind there are side effects to taking statins. Consider a diet with reduced carbohydrate and sugar to lower those triglycerides along with a good vitamin and supplement regiment.

For a healthy heart consider the following vitamins, minerals and herbs: vitamin C, E, B-6, B-12, niacin, folic acid, magnesium, selenium and amino acids, also antioxidants coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), policosanol, red yeast rice, and herbs hawthorn berry, garlic, grape seed, pine bark, soy isoflavones have all shown to have beneficial affects for a better cardiovascular system and healthier heart.

Vitamin C ? An antioxidant shown to reduce arterial stiffness and inhibit platelet aggregation ? two factors known to promote atherosclerosis. (6)

Vitamin E ? An antioxidant protects against atherosclerotic plaques and shown to reduce total cholesterol levels. (7)

Niacin ? lowers total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, while raising the HDL cholesterol. (8)

Vitamin B12 ? shown to reduce Homocysteine levels. (8)

Coenzyme Q10 ? A fat soluble nutrient found in the mitochondria of virtually all cells and an essential factor in the Krebs cycle (cellular energy production). (9) A strong antioxidant shown to help prevent LDL oxidation and strengthen the inner lining of arteries.

Policosanol ? A substance derived from sugar cane shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by 23% and increase HDL by 13% in an 8 week period.

Hawthorn Berry Extract ? Supports the muscle strength of the heart, helping to maintain healthy heart rhythm. (10) Also known to control high blood pressure and relieve mild angina (chest pain).

Garlic Bulb ? An antioxidant that has a wide range of cardiovascular health benefits. Traditionally used to lower blood pressure and cholesterol this herb has been shown to raise HDL and inhibit LDL oxidation and platelet aggregation. (1)

N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) ? A derivative of the amino acid, cysteine. NAC helps boost glutathione levels, one of the body?s best cellular antioxidants and even helps boost good cholesterol levels.

Alpha Lipoic Acid ? An antioxidant and vital nutrient for the production of energy. Alpha Lipoic Acid helps recycle other antioxidants including vitamin C, vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10, and glutathione. Also, helps control cholesterol, lower high blood pressure, and help to manage blood sugar levels.

Soy Isoflavones ? Soy protein enriched diet has been shown to decrease LDL and triglyceride levels and significantly increase HDL levels. (12,13)

The Scripps Memorial Hospital in 2002 conducted a study of these supplements on 50 patients. These patients had varied health histories and they were evaluated before the test and at 3 months and 6 months. After three months HDL levels had improved in all cases and at 6 months total good cholesterol increased 23% and triglycerides dropped 40%. Reduction in Homocysteine and amino acids levels found in the blood was also observed.

These supplement combinations are safe, after a 6 month pilot study, 50 patients with varying cardiovascular histories did not experience any serious adverse effects and these supplements were safe to use with statins. (1)

Pantethine is also known as pantothenic acid or vitamin B5 found in small amounts in the foods we eat. Pantethine lowers cholesterol by blocking its production in the liver. The production of cholesterol in the body is extremely complex. It involves many biochemical processes and requires several enzymatic steps. Pantethine safely blocks several enzymes needed to produce cholesterol. One enzyme in particular, HMG-CoA, when blocked can reduce your cholesterol production by 50%. When cholesterol production is blocked, the liver will pull LDL out of the bloodstream further reducing the bad cholesterol in the body. On average Pantethine can lower total cholesterol by 16%, LDL cholesterol by 14% and triglycerides by 38% and raise HDL by 10%. (13-16)

If you currently do not have heart disease or atherosclerosis, you shouldn?t need to worry about the amount of cholesterol you consume. Most doctors won?t prescribe statins to healthy patients as a preventative due to the potential side effects of the drugs. If you find you are consuming a lot of cholesterol in your diet, I would recommend a diet change and supplementation of the vitamins listed above to maintain a healthy heart. With the help of our doctors and the vast amount of information that is out there, we will be able to prevent heart disease and live longer healthier lives.

References:
1. Dennish GW III, Goodman DA, Frankel P, Gawrych-Whitman R. ACTIVE study ( Addition of Cardioprotective Nutriceuticals to Diet and Exercise to Improve Markers of Cardiovascular Disease. Scripps Memorial Hospital IRB. Submitted to AHA 46th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease March 2006
2. Pleuss J. Fat. In: Porth CM. Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott; 1998:1249.
3. Guyton AC, Hall JE.Lipid metabolism. In: Textbook of Medical Physiology. 10th Ed. Philadelphia, Pa: W.B. Saunders Company;2000:781-790.
4. Grodner M, Anderson SL, DeYoung S. Food cholesterol versus blood cholesterol. In: Foundations and Clinical Applications of Nutrition: A Nursing Approach. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2000: 132-134.
5. Pasternak RC. 2001 National cholesterol education program (NCEP) guidelines on the detection, evaluation and treatment of elevated cholesterol in adults: adult treatment panel III (ATP III). ACC Current Journal Review. 2002 Jul-Aug:37-42.
6. Hallfrisch J, Singh VN, Muller DC, Baldwin H, Bannon ME, Andres R. High plasma vitamin C associated with high plasma HDL- and HDL2 cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 Jul;60(1):100-5.
7. Wilkinson IB, Megson IL, MacCullum H, Sogo N, Cockcroft JR, Webb DJ. Oral vitamin C reduces arterial stiffness and platelet aggregation in humans. J Acrdiovasc Pharmacol. 1999 Nov;34(5):690-3.
8. Marieb E. Vitamins. In: Human Anatomy and Physiology. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings; 2004:946-950.
9. Fleming T., ed. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) In: PDR? for Nutritional Supplements. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company; 2001: 103-6.
10. Nemecz G. Hawthorn: This herb dilates coronary vessels, lowers blood pressure and reduces lipid levels. U.S.Phamacist. 1999 Feb.
11. Bordia A, Verma K, Srivastava C. Effect of garlic (Allium sativum) on blood lipids, blood sugar, fibrinogen and fibrinolytic activity in patients with coronary artery disease. Prosta Leuko Ess Fat Acids. 1998;58(4):257-63.
12. Sirtori CR, Zucchi-Dentone C, Sirtori M, Gatti E, Descovich GC, Gaddi A, Cattin L, Da Col PG, Senin U, Mannarino E, et al. Cholesterol-lowering and HDL-raising properties of lecithinated soy proteins in type II hyperlipidemic patients. Ann Nutr Metab. 1985;29(6):348-57.
13. Hermansen K, Dinesen B, Hoie LH, Morgenstern E, Gruenwald J. Effects of soy and other natural products on LDL:HDL ratio and other lipid parameters: a literature review. Adv Ther. 2003 Jan-Feb;20(1):50-78.
14. Gaddi A, Descovich GC, Noseda G. Controlled evaluation of pantethine, anatural hypolipidemic compound, in patients with different forms of hyperlipoproteinemia. Atherosclerosis. 1984;50:73-83.
15. Tonutti L, Taboga C, Noacco C. [Comparison of the efficacy of pantethine, acipimox, and bezafibrate on plasma lipids and index of cardiovascular risk in diabetics with dyslipidemia. Minerva Med. 1991;82:657-663.
16. Hiramatsu K, Nozaki H, Arimori S. Influence of pantethine on platelet volume, microviscosity, lipid composition and functions in diabetes mellitus with hyperlipedemia. Tokai J Exp Clin Med. 1981;6: 49-57.
17. Morgan J, Carey C, Lincoff A, et al. High-density lipoprotein subfractions and risk of coronary artery disease. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2004;6(5):359-65.

About the Author:

Visit VitaNet Health Foods at http://vitanetonline.com/. VitaNet sells high quality vitamins like

One Life

It is a common misconception that only a large-scale disaster or thousands of protesters will get the immediate attention of government or large corporations. On December 29, 2006, I saw this misconception proven wrong. It was an average day in our busy Emergency Department. We were running at 100 percent back log meaning that there were as many patients waiting in the lobby as we had rooms and chairs in the emergency treatment area.

In the early afternoon a 49 year old man presented with severe chest pain. ?Glen? was sweaty, short of breath and looked very ill. This very pleasant gentleman was a naval veteran sent from the VA Clinic just next door to our hospital--Highlands Regional Medical Center. ?Glen? had experienced this same type of chest pain almost three years prior to this occasion when he had a near catastrophic tear in the aorta (the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body). After his aorta was surgically repaired, ?Glen? followed all his doctors? orders and had been perfectly fine?until just before we saw him.

I ordered an emergency CT scan of his chest that appeared to show exactly what he had feared, another tear in his aorta?but this one this one extended the entire length of the aorta from the top of his heart all the way to his legs. A town the size of Sebring, Florida does not have the resources to repair such a severe, life-threatening problem. So, I tried to refer ?Glen? back to the surgeon at Tampa General Hospital who had previously fixed ?Glen?s? problem. However, once I described ?Glen?s? current problem, the surgeon at Tampa General indicated his problem was too complex even for that prestigious facility. He recommended University of Florida?s Shands Hospital in Gainesville. Unfortunately, the answer was the same there and at every other major medical center in Florida?the case was too complex for any facility in Florida.

Usually when another hospital is unable to provide medical care, that is the end of their involvement. That outside hospital simply goes on with their usual day, but today would be different. Each hospital that we called, save one, would remain involved in this patient?s care. They did not provide medical services directly, but they took the initiative to assist in finding an expert who was both capable of performing the needed surgery and had the available resources to perform that surgery on a holiday weekend.

The dedication of effort and resources was not limited to outside hospitals. During the ensuing 12 hours, our own hospital administrator would call on the entire resources of HMA, the nationwide hospital corporation that runs Highlands Regional Medical Center. The vice president of nursing at Highlands Regional Medical Center would draw on all her professional contacts, her religious faith and even her social contacts. The Emergency Room physicians? group with which I work, ED Care Management, also threw its muscle into the task as the Regional Vice President joined the ad hoc phone bank. Within 6 hours there were literally scores of the top physicians and nurses in the country making phone calls attempting to find this one individual, this average guy, the right specialist in the right facility.

Through the work and contribution of these many facilities and healthcare professionals, a surgical expert was found at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, but there was a potential problem--a lack of available bed space. Once again the efforts of many converged to save the one. Those at the University of Alabama Birmingham were so determined that the efforts of scores of their colleagues would not go to waste that they found the bed space. Some of us even joked that they must have built a manger just for ?Glen.?

As is often the case in life, no sooner had one problem been solved than another arose. How would we transport a critically ill individual on a holiday weekend from Sebring, Florida to Birmingham, Alabama? When emergent medical transportation is needed, medical professionals and the general public assume that a helicopter ?is only a phone call away?. Unfortunately, the realities of fuel restrictions, air space restrictions and even licensing restrictions made helicopter (known in the industry as rotary wing) transportation impossible in this case. This meant that the patient would have to fly in a jet air ambulance (also known as a fixed wing).

Every air ambulance service available in Florida was contacted. For safety reasons the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limits air medical crews to 12 operational hours in every 24 hours. Owing to the holidays and the cyclical nature of medical illnesses, every civilian air ambulance system had utilized all of their available air medical crew hours. No air crew would be available for at least nine hours to even begin flying to our facility. Unfortunately, Glen could not survive that long. Time was definitely against us.

The air ambulance business is fiercely competitive. Air ambulances are obscenely expensive to operate and their services are not well reimbursed by insurance (if at all). Because of the fierce competition, these companies, while friendly and collegial, seldom work together. Tonight they did. Air crews and air dispatchers from the largest companies communicated in an attempt to ?cobble together? one air crew with enough time to make a one way flight--stop in Sebring, pick up the patient and fly to Birmingham. Then the crew would be stranded in Alabama for an additional 12 hours of mandatory rest.

Simultaneously, the rotary wing service at Tampa General, known as Aeromed, began making phone calls of their own. Since the civilian fixed wing options were exhausted, Aeromed called MacDill Air Force Base and the Coast Guard. With the assistance of MacDill Air Force Base, Aeromed contacted the Coast Guard duty officer and made a plea for a military medical evacuation flight from Sebring to Birmingham.

Their efforts paid off. Within minutes, the duty officer for Coast Guard Station Miami called Highlands Regional Medical Center to obtain medical information about the patient. He then rushed that information up his chain of command and obtained authorization for a flight. Once a flight was authorized and its planning begun, the duty officer contacted us at Highlands Regional Medical Center to assist us in obtaining the required federal authorizations through the Air Force Rescue Command Center.

The duty officer for the Air Force Rescue Command Center was equally eager to help. The Air Force duty officer took the information and presented it to his chain of command. With the Air Force Rescue Command Center authorization in hand, the Air Force duty officer contacted us to assist us in obtaining a State of Florida request for federal intervention. This step is absolutely required to allow federal assets, including the military, to assist in such a medical emergency.

The Florida Department of Emergency Management duty officer took the information and contacted the Governor in the middle of the night. Shortly thereafter, the duty officer called back indicating that Jeb Bush?s order on behalf of one man, ?Glen,? had been issued formally requesting federal assistance. As I was not only the emergency room physician responsible for ?Glen?s? care, but a Federal Medical Officer with the Department of Homeland Security?s National Disaster Medical System Disaster Medical Assistance Team ?FL3, I was asked to serve as the air medical crew for the mission. Within moments the duty officer from Coast Guard Station Miami called to confirm that the Coast Guard had authorization for Coast Guard Rescue Flight 2114. ?Glen?s? wife would serve on this flight as my nurse. ED Care Management shifted physician staffing on the fly to cover for me in my absence. The mission was a go.

When this small group arrived at the airport they were greeted by AMT3 Anthony Vaele, a young naval veteran now serving in the Coast Guard. Despite the fact that Tony had almost 20 hours in the air that day, he greeted the group with a huge smile and a warm handshake. AMT2 Matt Gerber was the engineer/radar officer in the back of the aircraft. He briefed me on both the safety and the operations of the aircraft so that I could provide patient care during our 90 minute flight. Lieutenant Jason Barrett and Lieutenant Bill Bashwinger piloted the aircraft with precision and speed. Consummate professionals, these men were the personification of military precision. The four men had a constant smile being obviously cognizant of the fact that they represented not only the Coast Guard, but also a nation of concerned neighbors working together for Glen. They were also obviously happy to be a part of saving one man?s life.

When the patient?s condition worsened in flight the pilots hastened their pace. The Falcon, which had already seemed to be moving as fast as it could, and faster than any commercial flight, accelerated with a lurch. In what seemed only moments, final approach procedures began.

After landing, Glen and his wife were quickly transferred to a waiting University of Alabama Birmingham ambulance. The EMT and paramedic who had been on duty close to 22 hours met the couple and me with a smile and a warm handshake. Their ?Welcome to Birmingham!? seemed almost planned to provide the brightening of the mood that was needed at this moment. A quick ambulance ride to the University of Alabama Birmingham and Glen was safe in the hands of the surgical team capable of treating his condition. But that is not the end of the story.

As I rode back to the waiting Coast Guard plane, the University of Alabama Birmingham crew queried with great enthusiasm about the flight and the likelihood that this one man could have been taken from a place where he had no chance of survival across hundreds of miles and a state line to a place where his likelihood of survival was maximized. They marveled that not only a hospital, but an entire hospital corporation, would take on such a task. They were amazed that not only would sister hospitals and colleagues make such an effort, but that multiple state and federal agencies and even the governor of Florida would come to the aid of the common man. They seemed to take great comfort in the fact that if it were ever their turn such a thing could happen for them too.

As Coast Guard Flight 2114 headed for home to Coast Guard Station Miami the crew, in an almost celebratory mood, exchanged jokes and congratulations with each other and myself at having been part of the rescue of one man. They admitted that they had never been on a mission like this. These professional pilots and airmen, these protectors of our nation?s security and of one man?s life, now flew homeward with uplifted hearts and uplifted spirits for what they had been part of, for what they had contributed to and for what they had made possible.

The next time that any of us hears someone say that America does not care, that our government does not care, that our elected officials do not care, that big corporations do not care, that doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals do not care--remind them of December 29, 2006 when the resources of an entire nation gathered for a moment in the small city of Sebring, Florida to carry one family on the wings of four Coast Guard angels to save one solitary life.

Semper Paratus

Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez is co-founder of Disaster Life Support of North America, Inc., a national provider of Disaster Preparation, Planning, Response and Recovery education. Through his consulting firm High Alert, LLC., he serves on expert panels for pandemic preparedness and healthcare surge planning with Congressional and Cabinet Members. Board certified in multiple medical specialties, Dr. Ramirez is Founding Chairperson of the American Board of Disaster Medicine and a Senior Physician-Federal Medical Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. Cited in 24 textbooks with numerous published articles, he is co-creator of C5RITICAL and author of Mastery Against Adversity. Dr. Ramirez invites comments at: http://www.disaster-blog.com

Choosing the Christian College That's Best For You

With hundreds of colleges and universities across the country and around the world, the whole idea of choosing one specific school can seem like an overwhelming proposition. You may already be receiving information and viewbooks from places that you never even knew existed. Today more than ever, schools are aggressively recruiting students via telemarketing, direct mail, college fairs, radio, publications, television and of course, the Internet. With so many choices, where do you begin?

The following steps are designed to help you sift through the myriad of options by asking questions that will eliminate some schools while drawing your attention to those that will best meet your needs.

STEP 1 - FINDING THE TYPE OF SCHOOL THAT IS BEST FOR YOU.

The first important step in choosing a college or university is to decide what type of school you most want to attend. You can quickly eliminate many schools by establishing an initial set of requirements. Ask yourself the following questions:

Am I most interested in a:

Two year or four year school?

Christian or a non-religiously affiliated school?

Location - how far am I willing to go from home?

Urban, suburban, or rural campus?

Larger or smaller enrollment?

Nationally revered or regionally known?

You should try to have the answers to most of these questions midway through your junior year. Begin by talking with your parent(s) or guidance counselor. Speak with college students at different types of schools. Whether you are in a traditional high school setting, graduated high school years ago, or are homeschooled, seek the opinion of those people you most respect. Ask yourself what aspects of high school you most, and least, enjoy(ed). However, in the end, remember that you are the one who will be attending the school.

You may notice that cost was not mentioned above. The cost of the school should not be a factor at this early stage. I believe that one of the mistakes made by students and their families is that they eliminate colleges based on cost too early in the decision making process. They often do not understand the financial aid process and how affordable even a private college education can be!

Before moving on, let's address the issue of academic reputation. Schools that have an exceptional academic reputation can offer unique opportunities. However, there are also many schools that are not as well known that can offer excellent programs and opportunities.

A smaller or lesser-known school may provide you with the opportunity to become more involved. Holding student leadership and/or student work positions will allow you to gain valuable experience. This can be especially important when considering the competitive job market after graduation. The opportunity to stand out and be recognized will translate into a more impressive resume. These types of schools may also provide more direct interaction with college faculty and staff - individuals in a position to help you with information and recommendations as you consider employment or graduate school.

The higher profile school certainly has advantages as well. In addition to name recognition, these schools may provide a greater challenge, forcing you to stretch yourself further than you have before. The final result may produce a more confident person, better prepared for the rigors of a competitive job market. If the school is larger in size, it may also provide a greater selection of majors, on campus employment and resources.

Each type of school has its strengths. Your challenge is to discover which is best for you!

STEP 2 - FOCUSING ON YOUR BEST OPTIONS.

Once you have established the type of school that will best meet your needs and interests, you can consider numerous factors to further narrow down the field. Some of the factors discussed below may not be important to you, while others may play a critical role in your decision. Remember... it's your call!

Academic Standards

By looking through a school's admissions material, or placing a call to the admissions office, you can easily learn the academic profile of the average student. If your scores and grades place you at the lower end of the academic profile you still may be accepted, but realize that it will likely be a greater challenge. If you are on the higher end, your position as an applicant is obviously enhanced.

Career Planning and Placement

I believe this may be one of the most overlooked issues when students consider colleges and universities. Make sure that you ask what career planning and placement services are available. Ask about the percentage of students who go on to graduate school and/or find employment in their chosen field after graduating. Also, try to learn the specific placement rates for your particular major/program. One of the primary goals of any college or university should be to help you gain employment in your field or assist you in attending graduate school.

Internships/Real life experience

Ask what internship and co-op type experiences are available in your area(s) of interest. These opportunities may be paid or unpaid. The important thing is that you can gain valuable work experience while still in school. This will help you become more marketable upon graduation. You should view any such opportunity as a chance to build your resume.

Accreditation

Most schools are accredited by a regional accrediting agency while some individual programs may have a professional or national accrediting agency. For example, The National League for Nursing and the National Association of Schools of Music, professionally accredit some nursing and music programs respectively. If you are looking at a particular program at a school, this may provide a good indication of its strength. However, remember that some majors/programs may not have a professional accrediting agency, but for those that do, this can be an objective way to measure the strength of that program.

Majors/Programs

You need to be confident that your needs and interests will be met as you consider your major or program of interest. We have already considered two ways to help you determine the strength of an academic program - the job placement rate and professional accreditation (if applicable). However, you can also ask about the percentage of faculty with a doctorate or terminal degree. If you are considering a pre-professional program such as Pre-Medicine, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Veterinarian Medicine, or Pre-Law, be sure to ask about the placement rate for graduate school. This will provide yet another indicator of the program's strength. Learn what percentage of students who begin the program, actually complete it. Some colleges or universities may allow many students to begin a program and then weed out a large number along the way. This may help the school gain a higher placement rate.

Attrition

Attrition is a term that refers to the number of students who drop out or leave the school. You should be aware if a college or university has a lower number of it's students returning after their first year, or if the school graduates only a small percentage of it's students in four years. It's important to know whether or not a school has many students who leave before completing their program. Students may leave for a variety of reasons - they may change majors, can no longer afford the school, were not challenged enough, could not handle the academic program, or perhaps they just didn't like the atmosphere. If you discover that many students are leaving the school because of finances, this may be an indicator that financial aid awards decrease substantially for continuing students, or the cost is increasing at an especially high rate. Ask an admission representative and current students these types of questions to gain an understanding of the attrition rate.

Enrollment History

You should ask about the school's enrollment history over the past few years. Is enrollment increasing, decreasing or unchanged? There may be good reasons for any increase or decrease in enrollment. Some schools remain at a constant enrollment by choice. They may not have the facilities for additional students or they may have made a decision to increase the academic standards and maintain their current enrollment.

Faculty-to-Student Ratio And Class Size

Colleges and universities recognize that many students are not content to sit in lecture halls with 300-400 classmates. Learn what you can expect in terms of class size and faculty-to-student ratio. If you are considering a larger school it may be wise to ask for the specific faculty-to-student ratio in your chosen major. If the faculty-to-student ratio is high, be aware that you may be competing with many other students for your professor's ear.

Find Out Who Teaches The Classes

The instructor may not always be the professor you thought would be teaching the class. At some colleges and universities, graduate assistants may teach courses, especially the lower level ones. You may be comfortable with this, but learn ahead of time what to expect.

Academic Assistance

Find out what type of academic assistance is available. Schools may have academic assistance for students with special learning needs, seminars on improving study skills, tutoring, assistance on research papers, supplemental instruction, and/or study groups. Whether you are an A student or struggling, everyone encounters the need for academic help at some point.

Organizations, Clubs And Athletics

Although probably not as important as other areas, clubs, organizations and athletics can all add to your college experience. Ask about your specific areas of interest. This can be particularly important if, for example, you would like to major in journalism and the school has little opportunity to work on such projects as the yearbook or student newspaper.

Computer Labs And Equipment

Computer labs and other computer opportunities for many students are essential. Are computers widely available - in dorms, libraries and/or labs? Your dorm room may already be wired to the school's network. Some schools even provide a computer for every freshman.

STEP 3 - CAMPUS VISITS

Many schools can meet your needs academically. I believe the greater challenge is in finding a school where you also feel comfortable. Once you have selected a handful (I would suggest three to five), it is critical to visit the campus. Every college in the country seems to have a viewbook with beautiful pictures of trees, buildings and smiling faces. Be assured that schools similar on paper may be very different when you spend time on campus.

Be honest with yourself - are you really going to attend The College for Intellectual Giants 1,000 miles away without ever visiting? If you are unable, or unwilling, to visit a campus, that school should be immediately removed from your list. Why even consider a school that you will not have the time, energy, and/or money to visit? This would be like buying a house without ever seeing it!

I would suggest campus visits during your junior year, completing them early in the fall of your senior year. During your visit you should keep in mind the following objectives.

Visit At The Appropriate Time

Be sure to visit while school is in session. If you visit during a break or summer, you will not get a clear picture of what the college or university is really like. You also may miss out on many of the opportunities listed below.

Admissions Interview

Whether or not the school requires an interview, you should always set up a meeting with an admissions representative. This is an excellent opportunity to confirm that the school has the important characteristics you have outlined. If the admissions representative does his/her job effectively, you should leave the meeting with a clear picture of the school's strengths, weaknesses, goals and expectations.

Financial Aid Interview

Specifically request a financial aid appointment when you set up your visit. Some colleges or universities may have their admissions representatives handle this type of initial meeting. However, if possible, try to get at least a short meeting with a financial aid representative. You will be able to address specific questions about scholarships and financial aid forms at this time.

Attend Class

Ask in advance to attend a class in your major. Although classes vary, this will at least give you a sample of the class atmosphere. Keep in mind if the class is a general education requirement or a lower level course, chances are it will be larger than a 300 or 400 level class which is more focused for students within that major. If you're uncertain about your major, attend one of the general education requirement classes.

Faculty Appointment

Schedule an appointment with a professor in your area of interest. This is where you can get more specific questions answered about your major including course requirements, placement rates, internships, co-ops, etc. Ask the questions that are most important to you.

Tour Campus

View the academic buildings, dining hall(s), residence halls, library, athletic facilities, bookstore, administrative offices, student union and any other part of campus that is of interest. At smaller schools you will probably be able to see about every building on campus during your tour. Larger schools may have separate tours for different areas. This is a great opportunity for you to hear from a student and get some inside information. Get student opinions regarding professors, classes, social activities, residence halls, etc. Be sure to ask what they like least about the school as well.

Eat In The Dining Hall

Have at least one meal in the dining hall. This will give you an idea of the quality of food. While I would never recommend choosing one school over another just because of food, it is one more factor you may wish to consider.

Stay Overnight

I believe that an overnight stay can be extremely helpful. This will give you a more informal look at the college atmosphere. You will probably be staying with a student. This will provide an opportunity to ask questions in a less structured setting. You may be surprised how much a night on campus can sway your opinion - negatively or positively.

Open-House Versus Individual Visit

Both structured programs and individual visits have their advantages, and both are worth doing if time permits. Visiting a campus twice may be more feasible if you have narrowed down your options to just two or three schools. The advantage of an open house is that the school will have a schedule already established. The open house will probably be more polished and you may feel more comfortable with other prospective students present. The disadvantage of the open house format is that it is less focused on your specific concerns and interests. If your only visit to campus is for an open house, be sure that the appointments with admissions, financial aid, and faculty are still covered. If not, try to schedule time for these appointments before or after the open house, or plan a second visit to the campus if you're serious about the school.

Be Consistent

As much as possible, follow the same process with each school you visit. Don't stay overnight at one school and not the other, or attend class at one and only speak with a professor at another. Having similar visits at each school provides a fair comparison.

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Thom Seagren is president of The Christian Connector a Christian college information resource. The Christian Connector lets you select from over 100 Christian colleges that will send you free information, and awards a $2,500 Christian college scholarship each year.