Hair loss is hereditary in my family but I never knew that it would affect me at such an early age. I was surprised to discover that my hairline was receding shortly ahead my thirtieth birthday. I was shocked and in denial that I was losing my hair. I was also starting to bald on the back of my head.

It was the first time in my life I felt that age has eventually caught up. I felt like the best years of my life were behind me. I even stopped seeing other people. My love life was non-existent. There was one girl I had been dating casually and even though I liked her, I just stopped returning her phone calls. I figured that I hadn’t found the woman of my dreams with a full head of hair so there was no way I was going to find somebody with my growing bald spot. I was too discouraged to even try having a romantic relationship.

Hair loss turned me into a depressed loner, I used to be a confident and extroverted person. I was very assured to address the issue and get the problem fixed. I tried lots of hair loss treatments that are obtainable over the counter. I have tried every single treatment and solution accessible from the pharmacy, nothing worked. After that, I just stopped trying for a while. It was a real low point in my life. I even stopped going out with my friends, I was so dismayed.

Fortuitously, one night a good friend of mine took me out for a few beverages. Throughout the night, he observed was I seemed a little down. It took him a little while to figure out why. He told me about the hair loss studio in the city. My friend had gone there for hair loss treatments and had been impressed with the results. I was even more impressed. I wouldn’t have thought that he had suffered from hair loss, he had a full head of hair. He made me promise to give them a shot and I agreed.

I could not have been happier with the hair loss studio recommended to me. Only after a few treatments, I had a full head of hair again. The hair loss studio not only helped me regained my hair but also my confidence.

Posted by admin as Gender Issues Parlor at 3:13 PM CST

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Diabetes is a disease widely spread across the globe today and with no cure. More and more people are falling prey to this vicious disease and unfortunately not unlimited treatment is available for protection from the same. Diabetes mellitus type 2 or Type 2 Diabetes if the type of diabetes which is often found in older adults and was also formerly referred to as non-insulin dependent diabetes. Thankfully Type 2 diabetes can be managed by reforming one’s dietary habits and working out or exercising.

Unfortunately, type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing in the developing world and according to research the condition will only get worse in the years to come. Surprisingly, both types of diabetes, ie. Type 1 and type 2 have different types of treatments though the complications suffered in both are same to quite an extent. Complex and metabolic changes can often indirectly lead to an increase in the mortality rates in both diabetes type 1 and diabetes type 2. But there still is hope, if adults just follow a proper dietary plan and work out for some time in the gym regularly, then hopefully there should be no fear at all of diabetes, especially of type 2 diabetes.

Posted by admin as Gender Issues Parlor at 3:33 PM CDT

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A significant number of women suffer from endometriosis; some with symptoms so severe that they turn to hysterectomy as a solution for their pain. While hysterectomy may be appropriate in some cases, it does not always cure the underlying problem. There are other less drastic procedures which a woman may want to explore prior to making the decision to have a hysterectomy.

Endometriosis occurs when the tissue (endometrium) that lines the uterus thickens and grows in places other than the uterus. The condition can be extremely painful as well as highly inconvenient. It may cause heavy vaginal bleeding at any time during the month, not just during a woman’s menstrual cycle. In addition, endometriosis can lead to uterine adhesions, in which the uterus itself becomes stuck to other organs such as the ovaries and/or fallopian tubes. Untreated endometriosis can eventually lead to problems with the entire reproductive system, including infertility.

Symptoms of endometriosis vary widely both in type and severity. They occur primarily prior to the start of a woman’s period but may rear their heads at any time. While vaginal bleeding outside of the normal period is one indication of endometriosis, blood in the stool and/or blood after sexual intercourse may also be signs. Pelvic pain, low back pain and pain in the upper legs and thighs may also point toward endometriosis. A woman should also report pain during bowel movements and painful intercourse to her physician.

The symptoms of endometriosis may ebb and flow. Often times they diminish during pregnancy and may stop altogether after menopause. This is because the production of the errant cells is related to the body’s production of hormones. However, endometriosis is a chronic disease that very rarely disappears completely of its own accord.

Before opting for a hysterectomy, a woman may want to consider other less invasive treatments. These may include hormone therapy and laparoscopy. Still, it is important to remember that the side effects from continued endometriosis can be as damaging as the malady itself and, in some cases, even more traumatic than the initial disease. Not only can endometriosis lead to infertility, the uterus has been known to become adhered to the bowels. Cancer of the reproductive organs is also higher among women who suffer from endometriosis.

Therefore, in consultation with her doctor and after much thought, a woman may decide to have a hysterectomy. Hysterectomy may take several forms: A total hysterectomy in which the uterus and cervix are removed; a sub-total hysterectomy in which the uterus only is removed; a total hysterectomy plus removal of the fallopian tubes and one or both ovaries. Many women choose to remove only the uterus since the removal of the ovaries can lead to surgical menopause. Leaving one or both ovaries allows the body to continue producing hormones which may delay menopausal symptoms. While taking out the uterus only may end the signs of endometriosis for some women, unfortunately, it is treating the symptoms only and not the cause of the disease. The ovaries may still signal the body to produce endometrial tissue in places outside of the uterus. As a result, pain, bleeding and other side effects may continue and additional surgery may be required.

The pain and inconvenience of endometriosis may be bearable and controllable for some women. Ultimately though, a woman will have to weigh the risks inherent in lesser therapies against the negative factors which may be associated with a hysterectomy. After a careful analysis, many women may choose a hysterectomy to eradicate the pain, emotional trauma and possibilities of further health damage caused by unchecked endometriosis.

Posted by admin as Gender Issues Parlor at 2:38 AM CDT

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>From a young age, girls are drawn to one another. They have an
innate need to share who they are; to share their secret selves.
Unlike boys who posture and show their camaraderie through
challenges of skill and sportsmanship, girls whisper together
and divulge secrets that can only be revealed when they feel
safe.

That need carries into adulthood, and no matter if a woman is
five, 15 or 50, she will still giggle with her girlfriends, and
talk about all the things that matter most in their worlds. The
topics change over time - discussions of Barbie Dream Houses are
replaced with talks of realtors and washing machines. Boys make
way for men and children. Dreams of what we’ll be when we grow
up, move aside to become goals achieved and new dreams imagined.

We know all this to be true offline, but with the advent of the
internet, is it also true for online friendships? Ask any woman
with an online friend, and she’ll probably nod her head
profusely, eyes wide and state simply, “Yes!”

Sometimes I am still in awe that I could ever have formed such
strong bonds with women I’ve never gone shopping with, to the
movies with, or just hung out with at their homes or mine. We
don’t borrow each other’s clothes or jewelry, or spend a Sunday
afternoon at the lake eating sandy sandwiches with our kids. Yet
in other ways, we share so much more.

The women I’ve gotten to know online have changed me in
extremely positive ways. They are strong, intelligent women and
in subtle and not so subtle means, they’ve been the driving
force behind my own growth. I am not the same person I was a
year ago, or five years ago when I first met some of them. I
have a newfound respect for myself, the likes of which I’d never
experienced before. I cared about myself enough to maintain, as
necessary, my little world over the years, and I paid lip
service to standing up for myself, but my life was a testament
to selling out. I was in an unhappy marriage, working as a
secretary since I’d had to give up college at the insistence of
his family who saw my education as a “luxury” we couldn’t
afford. My dreams of being an entrepreneur were just that:
dreams. They weren’t even close to being goals. I was making
unhealthy life choices and I was completely lost.

One day, early in the friendships, I was filled with emptiness
and was in the depths of a depression that seemed unending. The
anonymity of being online made it possible for me to reach out
and ask for the help I had never been able to ask of others in
my offline world. My so-called reaching out was tentative as old
fears that I wasn’t “good enough” swept in and so I pulled back.
Yet, one of my online girlfriends didn’t “let” me pull away. She
didn’t draw me out either (which is something I was grateful for
- when people try to draw me out, I find it has the reverse
effect and I quite nearly disappear). She did tell me that when
I was ready, she was there.

Slowly, I began to open up and became the woman I know and love
now, but was afraid would meet with rejection, then. I’m one of
those people who loves to talk and laugh, always has an opinion,
loves to listen and discover new perspectives, and thoroughly
enjoys learning about people and all the little nuances that
make their worlds work. At least, that was the girl I had been
and had the good fortune to rediscover and embrace.

I wasn’t rejected and once the amazement over that wore I off, I
learned that my authentic self is never something I should be
afraid of being. Paradoxically, I learned through the acceptance
I received that whether people accept me or not was no longer an
issue for me. Once I removed the fear from the friendship
equation, and I no longer worried about whether or not people
liked me, I was even freer to be myself and found my friendships
moved to entirely new and deeper levels. I no longer seek
anyone’s approval and the ironic thing is, the less I seek it,
the more I find it.

The women I’ve come to know are all so different. We range in
age from 18 to 65+ and our lifestyles are as varied as they
could possibly be, yet we found our common ground and a strong
connection. With the strength we bring to our relationships we
have learned we’re strong enough to live our lives the way we
choose, no matter what our demographic. We don’t tell each
other, “you can do it, you can do it,” on a constant basis, but
we do give encouragement when it’s needed. We don’t have to pump
one another up so we’re walking away with a false sense of
ourselves. As I have learned to do through our union, they too
state themselves with simplicity and clarity and I learn as much
about them as they do about me. Through conversations of
everyday life, spirituality, and sharing our understanding
behind why we do what we do, and what we know to be right for
ourselves, we grow. They have helped me more than they can ever
know.

Maybe because these friendships began online, behind a cloak of
seeming distance, it was easier for us to move past
superficialities. There was no cause for us to talk about the
weather, the price of lettuce or that lovely scarf that matches
your eyes. We revealed ourselves by reaching to the core without
typical social veneers, and so we more quickly and easily
recognized one another.

We don’t need to talk to each other every day - not even every
week - but the time we do spend together is definitely high
quality.

In my offline world, I listen to music that empowers me, I read
books on spirituality that fill me up, I am the best mom to my
son I know how to be, I try to be as kind to myself as I am to
others, I spend time with friends, I edit and I write. These
things are my life, and yet, they are the elements that make my
life better. I live on my terms now and that takes a lot more
courage than I ever had before I met my online girlfriends.

I take that tenacity into the world, making it a better place
for me and everyone I know at every opportunity. I truly can’t
thank them enough and I only hope I am giving as much as I’ve
received. I am grateful for the strength found in the company of
women.

If you’ve been curious about online friendships but feeling
wary, I encourage you to at least explore the possibility. Meet
women you can connect with in some way. If you love to cook,
sign up on a cooking or recipe exchange site. Talk to the people
you play against in Texas Hold ‘Em or Scrabble. Join a
photography group or a writing group, or even try keeping an
open journal on a blog site and meet like-minded women. If you
have an illness, or care for a loved one with an illness, find a
site where you can talk to others about the things you go
through. You won’t be fast friends with everyone, but you’ll
begin to find yourself drawn to talking to particular people,
and over time, those friendships will grow. Then one day, when
someone asks you if women can be as close online as off, your
eyes will widen, you’ll nod profusely and state with
conviction,”Yes!”