Aromatherapy Haven

Do you suddenly feel the urge to “leak” involuntarily? Do you abhor the condition wherein you’re in the middle of a throng of people inside a subway train and all of a sudden, you have the urge to heed the call of Mother Nature in the most badly timed moments? Do you have thaturge and when you when you finally get to the lavatory, nothing comes out? For sure, this kind of situation can really get in the nerves of someone who has overactive bladder. That’s right, that’s what they call overactive bladder. Other than the reason that you drink a lot of water everyday, if you have this kind of dilemma, the first thing that you need to do is to find an overactive bladder treatment.

So, who are the likely “victims” of overactive bladder? Some say that people who are now in their over-the-hill age, around 50 or so, are the likely preys of overactive bladder. But medical doctors and other professional say otherwise. Overactive bladder is not a common or usual cause for this kind of health problem and it’s not either drinking excessive amount of fluids like water, juices or liquor. So, do you know any causes why overactive bladder is there. If you have been under the knife lately, you will be a likely prey of this very annoying and sometimes painful malady. Surgery can damage the nerves in controlling the urinary tract therefore can promote overactive bladder. Medication is also one of the culprits for overactive bladder. Medications for diseases like multiple sclerosis, stroke, arthritis, diabetes and even Parkinson’s disease. One of the causes is obesity.

On the other hand, the some of the overactive bladder treatments include Vesicare which target the nerves or muscles that control the bladder and will help restore control over urination. Another overactive bladder treatment is Keggel exercise which can reinforce the pelvic muscles to improve and even put off urinary incontinence. If you go for a natural overactive bladder cure, then, perhaps, you might want to read and know more about Flotrol.

Although every individual sweats as a natural part of life in hot environments or when doing strenuous activities, excessive sweating can be an embarrassing issue that can affect a person’s every day activities. Three common area that most people with excessive sweating: the hands, the feet and the armpits. Each of these area has it own set of issues that cause embarrassment. Sweating in the armpits can cause clothing to become stained and have a sour smell, regardless of the amount of deodorant that is put on the area, in addition to having embarrassing rings in the armpit area. Sweating in the foot area can cause individuals to be embarrassed to have their shoes off since their feet will make sweat prints on the floor, and will also often cause bad foot odor. Excessive sweating at the hands can cause embarrassment when shaking hands, it will also affect the ability to hold things.

Solutions

One solution for those who have excessive sweating is to use antiperspirants on these areas. There are antiperspirants that are especially effective on many people who have excessive sweating, those that have aluminum chloride in them. These will help to slow down the sweating and help with the smell that can occur at the armpit and the feet. If the over the counter antiperspirants are not effective, there are also prescription strength antiperspirants that can be given by the doctor. These usually contain aluminum chloride hexahydrate, which is often even more effective at controlling the excessive sweating.

If these antiperspirants do not work, then there is a device called an iotophoresis, which helps by passing electricity through the skin using tap water to do so. This method is used about three times per week for about fifteen minutes at a time to help with the excessive sweating problem. There are also some types of oral medications that are used to help, such as glycopyrrolate, which is an anticholinergic medication. Such medication for excessive sweating will also cause side effects such as blurred vision. There is also a newer treatment that is on the market and is commonly considered a beauty product, Botox. This is a muscle poison that is used in the armpits through injections and has been found to reduce excessive sweating in patients for up to six months at a time.

Discover the secret of stopping How to stop excessive sweating within 14 days. If sweating is embarrassing or irritating you and you like to find out how to stop underarm sweating,you may like to visit excessivesweatingsolution.com for the answer.

If you would rather be rid of hemorrhoids, it’s perfectly understandable. Yes, they hurt, they are annoying and they are inconvenient! If you have ever endured the pain and aggravation of hemorrhoids, it’s no wonder you are eager to get rid of them! Anyone who has not had to deal with hemorrhoids cannot relate.

There are several options available ; actually three alternatives. I have tried two of them and seen the damage done by the third.

The first option is the traditional ointments and suppositories, such as Preparation H.

Even though they don’t cure hemorrhoids, they do offer some benefits. In my own experience suppositories are better than the ointment, even for hemorrhoids that are external. You probably also have internal hemorrhoids too, and these will need to be treated as well, to get the relief you need. These methods are very easy, though unpleasant; just go to the drug store and you are ready.

I did have some unfortunate side effects from the treatment, such as elevated blood pressure, which compelled me to look for alternatives. There are usually repercussions when using a chemical treatment for an illness or disease. In addition, my hemorrhoids weren’t even cured; the pain was just alleviated for a little while. Lastly, you cannot employ the treatment while your hemorrhoids are bleeding.

Another possibility is to have your hemorrhoids surgically removed.

This suggestion was made by a doctor, but I didn’t do it. After my father’s surgery, he was in horrible pain for days. He described the pain this way: “Like hooks tearing into my butt.” Based upon his experience, I want to try to avoid surgery as you should too. Surgery is not needed.

The last way is using a natural hemorrhoid treatment, I got my information from a book called H Miracle

Although I used to be dubious about using natural cures, I now know better. So what are their advantages? First, I was surprised at how strong and effective they are. They work quickly, the cost is considerably less than most products, and your hemorrhoids will actually go away.

On the negative side, it takes a bit of effort to investigate which natural hemorrhoid treatments are effective and which ones are useless. I do not recommend that you believe everything that you read; you should stick to reliable information and verify everything that you read.

Introduction

Ionic air purifiers hold the promise of clean air, purified of all known harmful contaminants that threaten our health. Naked eyes cannot see these harmful contaminants. The weapons against such are very likely to be invisible to our eyes as well. Intuitively, the logic is appealing. Sadly, google has no quick answer to meet my simple expectation. Instead, controversy abounds. Even though I am tempted to quickly get an ionic air purifier to clean the air I breathe, it is clear that more time and effort is needed. Safety, more than effectiveness, must be given higher weightage in the selection of an ionic air purifier.

The recent China melamine saga that killed infants also is a timely reminder to us that in buying into any technology or any product, all claims by manufacturers and distributors must be screened to the fullest extent that our resources permit. This is even more critical when the key reactive agent is unseen to the human eye. Investigating ionic air purifier technologies falls within this ambit as the reactive agents are invisible ions.

This article is an overview of existing ionic air purifier technology in the marketplace. As laypersons, I believe we have to adopt a back-to-basics approach to try and understand the technologies. The current key trend appears to be the creation of a potent invisible defence shield against airborne molecular contaminants that threaten our well-being. The prime threat being closely monitored by scientists all over the world is the avian flu virus.

Types of Ionic Air Purifier Technologies

Broadly speaking, air purification technologies can be deployed in either passive or active modes. Under passive technology modes, reactive agents are contained in the air purifier whilst impure air is drawn in for cleansing before being pushed back to the environment. Active generally means dispersive processes by which the impure air is penetrated and purified by the reactive agents. Combinations of both passive and active modes are often found in many types of ionic air purifiers.

In the global market today, ionic air purifier technologies include the following categories:

(A) Ion generator - positive and negative ions
(B) Ion generator - negative ions only
(C) Photocatalytic Oxidation (POC)
(D) Electrostatic filter
(E) Combos

Ion Generator - Positive and Negative Ions

This combination of positive and negative ions appears to show the most promise for the future of ionic air purifier technology. They have been named as plasmacluster ions by Sharp Corporation, the Japanese corporate powerhouse that invented them.

Sharp explains that the plasmacluster of positive and negative ions clump to harmful airborne bacteria and viruses. When clumping occurs, hydroxyl is produced. Hydroxyl, also known as nature’s detergent, is a powerful reactive species that destroys airborne particulates by plucking out hydrogen molecules from their organic structure. This chemical reaction generates harmless by-products, the main of which is water.

A differential ion generator is used in this technology, comprising a positive and a negative ion generator which can be powered in alternate cycles to control the type of ions generated.

Advocates of the positive and negative ions combination claim that a balance of both these ion types is to be found in places like waterfalls and pristine forests, i.e. this is the actual state in nature. Adherents of the negative ions technology expound the view that negative ions dominate these natural habitats and that positive ions are harmful. Thus far, I have not found any independent scientific studies to support the opposing claims of the two technologies.

Ion Generator - Negative Ions

The traditional ionic air purifier produces only negative ions. This method seems to dominate market share in the industry but is coming under serious threat from Sharp’s plasmacluster positive and negative ions technology.

It is claimed that nearly all harmful airborne particulates like dust, smoke and bacteria etc have a positive charge. The positive charges are continually attracted to the negative charges of the ions until sheer mass makes them sink to the ground. Vacuuming removes these neutralised impurities and therefore protects us from them. Detractors of negative ion technology believe that the “overweight” particulates on the ground are not destroyed and that the mere act of walking on them re-contaminates the air.

There appears to be several methods of producing negative ions. This has significance as the various methods result in different by-products, some of which are harmful. These methods include:

(1) Water method - this employs what is known as the waterfall or Lenard Effect. Onto an electrically-charged metal plate, water droplets are splashed. The charge splits the water droplets resulting in the production of a large number of negative ions. No harmful by-products result from using the water method to produce ions.

(2) Electron radiation method - this is based on a single negative discharge electrode needle. The simple application of a high voltage pulse to the electrode results in millions of negatively-charged electrons being produced. This method does not result in ozone being generated. This is due to the application of a “smaller” energy pulse.

(3) Corona discharge method - this is based on a dual electrode model, a sharp metal electrode and a flat electrode. A very high voltage is applied between the two electrodes. The movement of electrons between the electrodes ionises the air in that same space. An inherent weakness of this method is the production of harmful by-products like ozone and nitride oxide.

Photocatalytic Oxidation (POC)

This technology is commonly applied in a passive mode. In POC, the powerful reactive agent hydroxyl is also the key to the purifying process.

Germicidal ultraviolet (UV) light is commonly shone on a catalyst (usually titanium oxide) to produce hydroxyl, oxygen and peroxide, all of which are potent oxidising agents that are very effective at destroying the organic structure of micro-organisms and gaseous volatile organic compounds.

Complete and comprehensive action is the pillar of POC technology. Proponents of this technology claim that POC inactivates ALL categories of indoor pollution, including:

(1) airborne particulates i.e. dust, pet dander, plant pollen, sea salts, tobacco smoke, industrial and car pollution, etc

(2) bioaerosols i.e. infectious biological compounds (e.g. pathogenic bacteria and viruses) or non-infectious and non-contagious (e.g. non-pathogenic bacteria, molds, cell debris)

(3) volatile organic compounds (VOCs) i.e. gaseous odours and chemicals - toluene, chloroform, hexane, ethanol, formaldehyde, ethylene etc, all common emissions from everyday products of our modern home.

POC technology has been criticised for relying on hydroxyl which are believed to attack with equal tenacity the organic structures that make up molecular contaminants and our lung tissue, nose membranes and eye cornea.

Electrostatic Filter

This technology appears to have originated in heavy industries which produced abundant pollutants. Typically, an electrostatic filter is made of a porous dielectric material that is positioned between two electrodes. Dielectric materials do not conduct electricity while metallic electrodes are excellent conductors that transmit and receive electricity.

Contaminated air is drawn into the electrostatic puriifer and made to pass over the dielectric material which acts like a sieve. Electrostatic forces between the electrodes causes airborne particulates i.e.dust, smoke contaminants, etc, to stick to the dielectric surface. Purified air is pushed out of the purifier and re-circulated.

Quite often, an ion source is placed before the electrostatic filter to impart an electric charge to the airborne particulates. These impurities, so charged, stick more effectively to the dielectric material.

Criticism of electrostatic filter technology focuses on ozone as a by-product, commonly assumed to be produced in all ionisation processes.

Combo Ionic Air Purifiers

To cater to the various adherents and critics of the diverse technologies, combos incorporate all or some of the above types of technologies. Combos may include:

(1) adsorptive materials such as activated carbon or oxygenated charcoal (known for its extremely porous large surface area) are added to POC technology to enhance the removal of VOCs;

(2) oxidizing catalysts like titanium oxide are coated on various components of all types of air purifiers to enhance VOC elimination;

(3) reducing catalysts such as manganese dioxide are coated near the exit outlets of many air purifiers to reduce reactive species like ozone and nitric oxide which may be harmful;

(4) generating ions by differing methods such as using microwave, UV light, radio frequency waves, and direct current;

(5) tweaking the specifications of any ionic air purifier technology so as to attain the well-known HEPA status without actually using HEPA filters.

Obviously, the process of selecting the most efficient and effective ionic air purifier involves analysing a deluge of information. I have barely skimmed the surface of the safety issues of each technology. I have also not studied in detail the claims of each technology. It is natural to want to quickly want something that promises to improve the air quality in your homes, offices, factories, schools etc. But I urge you to do your homework and check back here for updates as I continue to look for the ideal ionic air purifier.

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