Want Longer Thicker mink lashes?

Longer, thicker mink lashes are the dream of most women who feel that they need some extra weapon in their arsenal of items needed to snare their man.(Check out information about mink lashes wholesale on our site.) What man can say that he does not feel his heart skip a beat when a sexy woman, sexiness suitably enhanced by a set of beautiful eyes surrounded by long thick mink lashes, flutters her lashes at him provocatively and seductively? Gone is the resistance to temptation that he thought he had. Lost he is, willpower melted away as if it were butter being cut through by a hot knife.

Yet some women will feel that they have been unfairly treated by the creator, born as they are with poorly developed mink lashes, short lashes or sparse lashes. Worse still, some women have been born with no mink lashes at all. Of course, there are also those unfortunate few who lost their lashes due to disease or accident.

What can one do about these souls who are trichologically-challenged, to put it in a more politically correct way?

Fortunately all is not lost. There are many ways to help the unfortunate who have not enough mink lashes, or do not have enough good-quality mink lashes.(For more information about wholesale mink lashes visit our website [marykaylashes] today!)

1. Wear false mink lashes. There are very many false mink lashesof various shapes, sizes and styles. They can be very attractive and one can wear them as fashion accessories, to change styles when needed. Learn to wear them and ensure that they stay where they are placed, and do not allow them to fall into your drink, or worse still, to have one disappear and have the other hanging on unnoticed.

1. Use eyelash extensions. Useful only for those who actually have some mink lashes. This is because the extensions have to be bonded to the existing natural shorter lashes.

1. Get some transplants. The field of hair transplants is ever improving, with the original aim of transplanting hair onto a bald pate being expanded to transplanting hairs onto the chest, chin, eyebrows, and mink lashes. The source of these mink lashesis usually nostril hairs.

1. Grow them. It is claimed that regular applications of virgin olive oil or castor oil work wonders. However this has not been proven scientifically. The advantage of this technique is that it is cheap. The other, scientifically proven way is by using a new preparation of something called bimatoprost ophthalmic solution which goes by the brand name Latisse. This is a newly introduced preparation which is projected to whip up a furore, as it allows you to grow your own mink lasheswithin 2 months.

Interested in growing your own longer, thicker mink lashes?(For further information and advise please visit http://www.marykaylashes.com) Read more about this new technique here. Tony Wong is a medical practitioner.

Easy Tips For Beautiful mink lashes

It is not as difficult as you think to have beautiful mink lashes just like some of the most popular celebrities. (if you prefer more amazing makeup,why not to go for here mink lashes wholesale)

There are various ways to get them as well. These range from using cosmetics to eyelash growth products that will make your mink lashes appear longer as well as more full.

If you are looking for beautiful mink lashes for your eyes, you should take a look at what is out there and make your decision based upon your own needs as well as your budget.

Eyelash Growth Products

One way to get longer and fuller mink lashes is to use eyelash growth products. Products such as Revitalash will grow your mink lashes so that they get longer and thicker. These products do not work right away and usually take a few weeks before you start to see results. Some of these products are available with a prescription and some without a prescription. These products will enhance your natural lashes and give you a more natural look that you can wear all the time.

Eyelash Extensions

Another way to get longer lashes is to get eyelash extensions. Extensions are available for those who are looking for a way to get fuller mink lashes right away. These are done in a salon but can end up costing a bit of money. The down side to extensions when it comes to getting longer mink lashes is that they are not permanent and can be costly as well as time consuming. The up side to it is that they are evident right away.

False mink lashes

False mink lashes are inexpensive and can be applied right at home. They can give you instant longer lashes, but have to be removed at the end of the day. They cannot be used when you are sleeping or going in water as they will come off. Some women hesitate to us false mink lashes because they are afraid that the glue that is used to adhere the false lashes to the eye line will rip out their existing mink lashes. This is not true.(click the web : [larochelashes] to order best quality 3d mink lashes )

Mascara

There are many mascara products out there that boast of giving you beautiful mink lashes. These are relatively inexpensive and can be applied onto your regular mink lashes to make them fuller as well as darker and longer.

Mascara must be removed properly or it will cause mink lashes to fall out. In addition to being only a temporary fix, the down side to mascara is that it only adheres to existing mink lashes. Therefore, if your mink lashes are thin to begin with, you will not get them much thicker using mascara, no matter which brand you use.

There are many ways to get longer and fuller mink lashes to enhance your eyes. These range from using products that are made to naturally grow your regular mink lashes to those that are cosmetic and must be washed off or removed on a nightly basis. The choice you make when it comes to your mink lashes depends upon your specific needs as well as how much money you want to spend to have your mink lashes look more luxurious.

It is not difficult to get beautiful mink lashes with the products that are on the market today. (click the web : http://www.larochelashes.com  to order best quality 3d mink lashes )Revitalash is one such product that can help you grow your mink lashes naturally.

Ways To Improve The Look Of Your mink lashes

How many women who wear make up on a regular basis would even consider going out without putting at least their mascara on?(Check out information about mink lashes wholesale on our site.) Don't you just feel 'undressed' without it? If you are one of these people, then you may be interested in some of the newer eyelash products that are available on the market today, including those that will help you to grow thicker and longer mink lashes in just a few weeks.

If you are happy with your mink lashes but fed up with applying mascara, you can either get your mink lashes coloured or lash dipped. Both these processes will need to be renewed as your lashes naturally grow out. Using an eyelash dye will tint your own lashes but of course not thicken or lengthen them. It will however give the appearance of light weight mascara and can be done at home. You do need to be careful that you don't get the product in the eye though. Having your lashes dipped will give a better result and give some extra volume to the lashes. This process should not be undertaken at home. The dip binds to the lashes and will remain whether you go swimming or sweat. However, when your lashes start to grow out, you will need to return to the salon, have the existing product stripped away and new dip re-applied. Lash dip is a more expensive option than a lash dye.(For more information about wholesale mink lashes visit our website [lanvinlashes] today!)

To get longer and thicker mink lashes you can of course wear false mink lashes on the occasions you need to give your eyes a boost. You can also get lash extensions that are applied in a similar way to hair extensions or, for the more dedicated, lash implants which are just what the name suggests, implanted in a similar way to hair implants in the scalp. However, there are simpler options to getting longer mink lashes such as using eyelash growth serums.

Eyelash growth serums are applied along the lash line much like eyeliner, usually just once a day in the evening after removing makeup. After six to eight weeks, you will begin to notice that your mink lashes are becoming much thicker and will appear longer. Eyelash growers can be very effective and there are many on the market. It must be noted that a few people may find their eyes become irritated and of course such individuals should stop using the product immediately. Although it is unlikely to cause any permanent problems as all serums are tested and have to pass certain regulations to be able to be sold to the public, this is something you should be aware of. As your mink lashes grow naturally, to maintain the extra volume and length you must keep using the product. If you stop, the lashes will simply revert to their normal appearance. Although these serums may appear expensive (for the decent ones), most products will last two to three months. You can save more if you opt for a multi-buy offer as the unopened tubes will keep for around a year.

How you improve the look of your mink lashes depends on personal preference, you may of course be quite happy to just use your normal mascara or perhaps one of the latest super volume ones. There are many of these around today, and often at a reasonable cost. Add an eyelash curler and this may be all you need.

My personal preference is for the eyelash growth serums, but as I said, it's a matter of preference. You just need to think about what's best for you and if it's something new, why not just try it and see how you get on.(For further information and advise please visit http://www.lanvinlashes.com )

If you have decided to try one of the eyelash growth products and are searching for one of the best eyelash growers , read our reviews .

Make mink lashes Grow Longer

Having long mink lashes is something every woman dreams to have.(Check out information about mink lashes wholesale on our site.) However unluckily, not all women have long mink lashes that beatify their eyes to make them look more beautiful. To help them with this matter, there are some tips that can be followed to make mink lashes grow longer.

Some people have mink lashes that tend to grow in different directions. By bringing your mink lashes together, you make your eye lashes look thicker. Do this with a curler, which has to be brought close to the base of eyelids.

Tips for applying mascara

Keep squeezing and holding your mink lashes for about 4-8 seconds, after which you have to move the curler towards your mink lashes. Keep squeezing and holding your eye lashes for about 4-8 minutes. If you repeat this for both your eyes, you will shortly get long and thick mink lashes. If you have to apply mascara, make sure you curl your mink lashes before doing so.

Applying mascara to your mink lashes work at making them look longer. Use a straight brush to apply mascara horizontally. With dark colored mascara you can easily make your mink lashes look longer and thicker. There is a cheaper means of making your eye lashes look longer with mascara.

You need clear and black mascara to do this. You have to first apply two coats of the white or clear mascara, and then the black one, while letting each dry for a few minutes, in between applications.(For more information about wholesale mink lashes visit our website [bossskinlashes] today!)

Powdering mink lashes make them look fuller

Once you let mascara dry and thicken, it makes your mink lashes look thicker with the next coat of mascara. To give a perfect look to your mink lashes, you have to curl your mink lashes before you apply any mascara. You could also add brown or any other shade of mascara to your eyelash tips. This is great in creating an image of much longer mink lashes.

Another tip to follow to make your mink lashes look longer is to apply powder to your mink lashes. By applying any basic powder to your mink lashes, they look much thicker. Even applying Vaseline to your mink lashes help them look thicker.

Some basic care tips to remember for your mink lashes is to avoid rubbing them when you clean your face. It is also found that applying petroleum jelly before you sleep, and removing it in the morning helps in nourishing your mink lashes.

False mink lashes as an easy option for long and thick mink lashes

Nowadays, many people find wearing false mink lashes a much easier and comfortable option to use for getting long and thicker looking mink lashes. These false mink lashes are easily available for you to wear and remove them easily, whenever you want to.

Besides all this, you could also use some eyelash conditioner like ultracil to improve the length and thickness of mink lashes. Though there are various brands of eye lash conditioners to use for thickening your mink lashes, Ultracil is a brand of eyelash conditioners worth investing in.(For further information and advise please visit http://www.bossskinlashes.com ) its natural extracts help provide support to your mink lashes to give it increased length and thickness.

What Are The Benefits Of Semi Permanent Eyelash Extensions?

mink lashes extensions are hugely popular nowadays, (if you prefer more amazing makeup,why not to go for here mink lashes wholesale) with these now being considered almost essential for getting dressed up for a night out, or even to add a touch of glamour to the everyday. With so much choice on the market too, false eyelashes can be as subtle or as dramatic as the individual in question wants and prefers.

For those that love their mink lashes extensions, there are new and cutting-edge semi permanent techniques now becoming popular.

The reason for this is that these kind of long-lasting beauty treatments have a number of advantages for those that choose to get them - and are surprisingly affordable. Here are some of the main benefits of semi permanent mink lashes extensions as compared with more temporary options.

Firstly, semi permanent mink lashes extensions - such as those applied by an experienced and qualified specialist beauty therapist have the bonus of being expertly fixed to your natural lashes with the use of expert techniques and products.(click the web : [etudelashes] to order best quality 3d mink lashes )

Many beauty therapists carrying out mink lashes extensions are now using very high quality medical-grade glue to fix lashes individually, meaning that they blend in perfectly with what is already there with a glue that ensures that no irritation occurs and that everything stays in exactly the right place.

Secondly, mink lashes extensions from a beauty therapist can be of much higher quality than store bought products, and for not a huge difference in price either. Many top specialists will use faux mink or luxurious silk in their treatments, leading to incredible results that cannot be matched by standard items bought in your local store.

Silk lashes are fantastic for creating a thick and full look, whereas faux mink or real mink is exceptional for a lighter look and a more natural appearance. Your beauty therapist of choice should be able to give you more detailed advice on how to achieve the look that you are aiming for.

A third advantage to semi permanent lash extensions is that they can often be easily tailored to the tastes and requirements of the individual who is undergoing the treatment. Whereas shop bought products generally come in standard sizes, lengths and thicknesses, a beauty therapist will be able to apply lashes individually to create a completely custom look.

This can make a huge difference in the final results that are achievable. Even if you are not going for a natural look and prefer something more dramatic and theatrical, getting mink lashes extensions from a beauty therapist that knows specifically how to accent your unique eyes will lead to the best results.

One thing that people worry about when it comes to getting semi permanent lash extensions is that they may be significantly more costly than buying false lashes at the local beauty store and applying them themselves, yet this couldn't be further from the truth.

Many top specialists in this kind of beauty treatment have prices starting from as little as £25 for a more natural look, rising to only around £55 for a full set of the thickest lashes and highest quality extensions available. When you consider that the results will be nothing short of spectacular and can last for weeks, the cost doesn't seem so steep after all.

In all cases, opt for a beauty therapist that is skilled and qualified in what they do, and can show you a portfolio of work that they have already completed for their clients; this will help you find a technician who is capable of giving you the mink lashes look that you want.

The London Face is a team of skilled and certified eyelash technicians that believe thick,(click the web : http://www.etudelashes.com to order best quality 3d mink lashes ) long and luscious eyelashes are worth specializing in! The company offers two semi-permanent treatments - Semi Permanent Eyelashes by Lash Perfect, and LVL Enhance Lash Lift by Nouveau Lashes - for those that haven't been naturally blessed with long, thick and curly lashes. In addition to natural lash enhancing treatments and silk and faux mink lashes, The London Face is also able to offer lash tinting. The entire team at The London Face is passionate about the work that they do, and their lash treatments have appeared in both Cosmopolitan and the Huffington Post. Based in Ashington, The London Face also offers a mobile service throughout West Sussex. Find out more at:

Article on Bridal Makeup

It is your wedding day! Most brides will only have one thing on their minds! How do I look? A wedding day is most likely to be one of the most treasured days in a brides life. Consequently, brides expect to look and feel their best. It is what a bride be worthy of. That is where a makeup artist can enter with the wand and add to the dazzle and stylishness of the wedding day.

Every bride should wear mink lashes. Even as a bride to be mostly wearing no make-up - on her wedding day, a small must be worn!

Wedding makeup needn't dramatically change the look of a bride or thick application. Wedding makeup should simply improve the natural beauty of a woman and still look like the person once they have had the wedding makeup applied.

Bridal hair and makeup should be simple, yet elegant. It is important t remember that the hair and makeup should not compete with the bride's dress; rather the hair and makeup should complement the dress.

A bride is ought to look like herself and feel contented with the wedding make up she has on and not cause wheeze from the parishioners or groom when a totally different looking girl emerges through the door and down the aisle!

Today's bridal makeup and hair is soft and restrained. The effect is sexier, less harsh. Hair can be worn down, flowing with loose curls and waves. The updo that once conquered the bridal hair scene has a much softer look as well. Today's updo style is not sprayed, pinned, and tucked to hide every loose hair. The look is pinned and tousled, leaving it soft and stylish. The bridal hair is romantic.

Bridal makeup trends are soft and romantic to set off the hair and latest trends in bridal gowns and bridal hair. No longer do the lips have to be lined heavily and matte foundation with loose powder applied. While this is traditional, today's bridal makeup is more radiant and natural. Today's brides want to glow with elegance.

Sometimes the most simple the wedding make up the better! Wear a flawless foundation as a basis. This is so important, so you get the picture perfect in your wedding photos to look. It gives you a good foundation and even color. You can choose from liquid foundations or cream-based compacts. Even mineral powder makeup is great for wedding make-up because it take all day!

A bride must have a natural shine! Have you heard the saying Blushing Bride. Make sure you have a beautiful blush on the apples of your cheeks. You do not want to look pale. Pink or apricot blush color will suit most skin tones.

Eyes also need to look beautiful. Use false eyelashes as part of your wedding makeup look. This will be your lashes so they look nice and long! They are easy to apply, or your make-up artist does them or you!

Give your lips a hint of shine or light color for a pretty pout! Kissing lips will naturally lead to breathtaking beauty for your wedding makeup!

Finally, wedding makeup to last all day! Here's a tip - Brush a light translucent powder on areas of the face susceptible to shine. Today's bride wants to show her beauty in a natural, sensual way. The makeup artist can provide the bride with confidence and easy elegance that will be reminisced often.

Facial Beauty is a renowned makeup artist Brisbane, wedding makeup Australia, beauty services gold coast with an individual approach that enhances natural beauty. Call 0418 378 920.

What the Abusive Health Care Reform Name-Calling Can Teach Us About Our Personal Relationships

Last week, amidst the health care reform debate and vote, a segment of protesters, having felt betrayed by their government, filled with rage, resentments, and distrust, verbally assaulted a number of government officials with abusive name-calling.

Fearing for their mink lashes future, feeling powerless to influence the process in the direction they desired, they converted their anger and frustration into hateful personal attacks that had nothing to do with the issues at hand.

Rather than stick to the issues and address their concerns in a manner appropriate to a democracy and a civilized society, rather than putting their passion into rational protest that reflected their legitimate concerns, they lashed out viciously, like an angry mob of ignorant neanderthals.

Certainly, it is very gratifying to the ego, in the moment, to rant and rave, giving full expression to our rage, displaying our personal power in all its glory.

Unfortunately, it's a false sense of power being displayed because it serves no constructive purpose.

If shooting themselves and their cause in the foot was their desire, then, by shouting their hate and venom, they were extremely successful.

But if what they really wanted was to get those people to change their minds and represent them and their interests, then, by calling them horrible names (which tends to polarize positions and make people intractable), they failed miserably.

Their actions served not only to degrade themselves and devalue their collective voice in regard to the issue at hand, they also fueled long-term consequences, in terms of generating a tremendous amount of hostility towards themselves and their causes in general.

It makes it a lot harder for there to be unity and healing in the long run, which is in everyone's best interests, insofar as the United States needs to remain united.

Now let's use the above scenario as an analogy to personal relationships which are on rocky terrain.

Oftentimes, when partners are angry with each other, rather than address the issues in a civilized manner, sticking to facts, reason, and fair, appropriate discourse, they tend to attack each other, calling each other horrible names, assaulting and abusing each other relentlessly.

This is destructive and counterproductive. It prevents true communication and any hope for true harmony. All of the name-calling causes more resentments, more anger, more distrust, and it doesn't generate a desire for cooperation. It doesn't foster understanding. It doesn't change the other person's mind.

If anything, it makes the other person more defensive and intractable. Additionally, after that particular squabble has ended, the couple, still a couple committed to their union, now have enduring emotional scars from all the hostility, aggression, and personal attacks, which act as barriers to true healing, the restoration of trust, and a strengthened union.

When we are angry with our loved ones, it is best that we stick to the issues, we stick to the facts, we don't resort to personal attacks, and we respect the person even if we disagree. It's best that we remember that our goal is not about winning the battle, so to speak, but about winning the war.

With open-mindedness, compassion, and acceptance, despite strong feelings of hurt, fear, and disapproval of our partner's attitudes or actions, and by refraining from unnecessary personal attacks on their character, we increase the potential of helping our partner change and grow, and the relationship along with it.

Walter E Jacobson, MD

Psychiatrist, Speaker & Author

Spiritual Solutions & Cognitive Tools for Well-Being & Material Success

Check out my blog at the above website for practical ways to achieve happiness and success.

What If My Husband Doesn't Love Me Anymore? What Should I Do? Insights That May Help

I recently received an email in which a wife confided to me that she was afraid that her husband didn't love her anymore - at least not in the way that he used to and in the way that he should. She asked what she was going to do if her suspicions were true. She could not imagine her life without her husband. The mere thought of this caused all sorts of anxiety and fear in her. She wanted to take immediate and dramatic action, but I knew from experience that this might do more than good to the situation. To begin, we had to get some clarity and calm and then we could begin to determine what was really going on and how best to proceed. I will discuss this more in the following article.

Fearing The Worst: Worrying That He No Longer Loves You In The Way That A Husband Should Love A Wife: I started by asking the wife why she felt that her husband had fallen out of love with her. She mink lashes responded that she was basing these beliefs on the way that her husband had been acting, on the fact that he stayed away from home more, and based on her observation that he was no longer showing her the affection that she craved. In short, it was pretty easy, she said, to see that things had changed between them - and not for the better.

I asked her if it was possible that her husband was projecting other issues or disappointments in his life or work onto the marriage. Sometimes, people will lash out at those who are closest to them simply because it's you who is there. The wife just didn't buy this. She could not help but notice that he no longer initiated intimacy or closeness and she could feel him slipping away more all of the time.

She wanted to confront him very directly and simply ask him if he still loved her. I understood this need, but I also knew that this will often go very badly. Often the husband will be taken aback and will not give you the response that you'd hoped for. This in turn will contribute to your becoming even more upset and fearful and so the cycle ends up getting worse rather than getting better. This is not what you want.

One of your goals must be to place begin to put an end to the negative cycle and the fear. Yes, very often it's advisable to face a roadblock head on. But often, it's not clear or cut and dry how either of you feel when closeness and intimacy are lessening. He may well still love you, but not love the way that the relationship is going, but may also be unable to articulate this. So, you're much better off worrying about closing the gaps in the relationship rather than focusing all of your attention on semantics.

Focusing On The Things That You Can Control: Here's something that might be very hard to accept, but doing so is necessary so that you can place your attention where it needs to be. You're not going to have complete control over his feelings. You can't reach inside his head and "make" him love you. However, you likely have more control than you may realize. You can control your end of the behaviors and actions in your relationship. You can do your best to ensure that the person he sees across the table from him is pleasant, receptive, and as close to the person he fell in love with as is possible. You can try to make the environment in your home as calm, upbeat, and as conducive to positive feelings as you possibly can.

You can address any outstanding issues in a positive and proactive way, but with that said, you really don't want to place your focus solely on problems and sticky issues until the two of you are close and bonded again. It really is quite important to first focus on lessening the tension and restoring the feelings before you try to tackle the really big issues. All this does is forces you to deal with several tough issues at once. If he's not feeling all that connected to you, you're likely to get much less cooperation and efforts than you might if the two of you were connecting on a different level.

So make sure that you're always acting with the knowledge that improving your interactions is absolute goal number one. With that said, you need to do this in the most genuine way possible. Don't take actions that aren't or can't be genuine. Your husband will know the difference and this will read as insincere and false. You want to still be yourself. You wan to be honest and genuine, but you want to do all of these things by showing the best version of yourself. You can't do this if you feel fearful and stuck. Take care of yourself right now. Conduct yourself with self respect and integrity. Not only is this just the right thing to do, but it will make you appear much more attractive to your husband as well. Someone who puts themselves dead last does not project the kind of self confidence and self care that is often necessary to project the confident and capable woman that first intrigued him.

The truth is, you can't possible know exactly what your husband is feeling right now, even if he attempts to share this with you. What you can do is to focus on the positive and to try to interact, and to improve things in positive ways which focus on what brings you together rather than fearful ways which drives you apart.

There was a time that I thought my marriage was truly at it's end. My husband seemed to have no interest whatsoever in saving our marriage, but I knew that I wasn't ready to give up for good. Thankfully, I decided to try one last thing, to give a little more, and to approach it from another angle (by focusing on my own time and efforts) and this eventually worked. You can read a very personal story on my blog

Tips on How to Promote Eyelash Growth

There are lots of things to be learnt about eyelash growth. Eyelashes are like every other hair of your body and have a particular growth cycle. Their growth ceases after attaining a specific length and they replace themselves every few years with new hair. Though some people have longer eyelashes than other, it is impossible to find eyelashes that would cover one's eyes.

If you pluck out your eyelash or it falls down, it will definitely grow back. It takes about four to eight weeks for an eyelash to get fully replaced. But if a large cluster of eyelashes is lost, it will take more time for the replacements to come in completely. The good news for people with thin eyelashes is that it is possible to stimulate eyelash growth. Some are under the misconception that like hair, if you cut the tip of the eyelash it will continue to grow. This is totally a false notion.

Though eyelash growth products are available in plenty, Lilash Purified Eyelash Stimulator is considered to be faster acting, easier to use and non-irritating. It contains a powerful enhancing factor and strengthening botanicals which are capable of protecting and stimulating the growth of eyelashes. By using this product you can make your eyelashes appear longer naturally and get rid of caked mascaras. It can be applied similar to eyeliner along the base of the lashes. You should allow the product to dry for several minutes after the application. It can be used either morning or night as per your convenience. The advantage of the product is that it does not interfere with your regular mascara. As in the case of any other product, it is important to read the instructions before application. You can notice the changes within two weeks of application. Lilash is a product which can be trusted as it contains a clinically tested active ingredient.

If you want to know more about eyelash growth products then feel free to visit lilash

Patterns of Self-Betrayal

MODE of Cosmic Therapy E-Mail O-Gram Invitation

The subversive patterns of our lives elude us! We look directly at them and miss the contingency of their blatant meaning and form. We seek everywhere for answers, interpretations, resolutions and recourse. Anyplace, other than where we currently reside. We stumble, we fret, we worry, we complain. We imagine all sorts of things in the meantime, never once paying subservient attention to the obvious clues staring us 'smack dab in the face.' Why? Because we don't want to see what's there. We don't want to resolve the so-called problems that make up our cherished dilemmas. Why? Because we don't really want anything to change. We have grown so accustomed to our self-inflicted misery and delusional projected pain; we don't' want to turn it loose.

Try as we might, we can not talk mink lashes long enough or bitch loud enough to convince ourselves that we are being treated unfairly. No matter what elaborate lengths we will go to in the process of our defense, when the 'mule comes back to the barn', not one little crumb of our life is disturbed. We berate the other with belittling sarcastic remarks; cause all sorts of chaos and confusion simply because we don't know what we want to do with ourselves. We don't have a single hint of who we are, much less what we are saying. We blame the one facing us for our own deluge of despondent despair.

It's a desperate degrading pit to be swallowed up in and most especially for the unsuspecting partner. The belligerent attitude, the uncomely character, the unforgiving mouth merely sets the stage for the onslaught of guilt and regret to envelope our minds. We don't know how to be still. Get Quiet. Stop yelling long enough to see: "there's nothing really wrong." Everything is perfect for the moment. But, we don't want to hear those words! Our minds are filled with enough accusations and slander to fill the Grand Canyon and then some. We need to give it a rest. That old horse has been ridden one too many times and put away wet to the point of cruelty.

The trouble lies in the fact we can't resolve our own vagrantly misguided feelings. We say we want one thing and before the order can be delivered we have changed our minds. We are constantly 'on guard' looking for reasons to lash out. Our moods abruptly shift , and without warning, we decide on another store to shop or restaurant to eat. We say we want undivided attention and yet we turn around and declare "we're being suffocated." We're bored to death and expect our partners to entertain us! What's the deal?

Bottom line: our soul is clearly speaking to us through all of the mal-aligned falsely interpreted signs. We are genuinely content in our state of affairs. "Nothing could be any different than what it is. We are exactly where we are supposed to be for reasons we can't see." Not only is there no place to run and hide; there's no reason to try. This is as good as it gets. The best show in town is playing at our house and we're the producer, director and star. Not one single soul is doing us wrong, cheating, lying, abandoning or rejecting us. {In fact, no one ever has.} We'd like to think that because we want to believe we're so 'special.' But, whoever told us we were special, was grossly misinformed.

Being special entails a life separate from the one we have. We envision another time, place, partner and circumstance where we are the rulers of our kingdoms with no problems, anxieties or complications. No obstacles, no heartaches, no waiting, misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and the like. No such place on earth. WE are simply ordinary people living an extraordinary life with all its many undiscovered flavored surprises and unresolved avenues of expression.

Unearthed talent cries out in the wilderness (the chaos and confusion we create) for more recognized room in our lives. We're far too busy and tired of disinterested projects we continue to fulfill. (We're committed to things that don't interest us in the least, anymore.) We invest ourselves in anything that will keep us permanently distracted from our deepest yearnings to 'just be content." An indelibly marked pattern of our most fruitful and productive creative sublimely sacred sexual artistic lives, screams for verification in a relentless "still small voice."

We can see; we have eyes. We can hear; we have ears. We can smell; we have noses. We can walk: we have legs. We can write, paint, draw; we have hands. WE can sing; we have voices. We can LOVE; we have hearts. WE can think; we have brains. We can make love; we are equipped. We can create for ourselves whatever lives we envision because we are a facsimile of the divine. So what are we truly groaning about? Maybe, because we have TOO much and in need of dispersing some of the excess? (Time, knowledge, energy, money, carry-over baggage, old wounds, rubbish memories, unused talent, sexual frustration, unfulfilled desires, and worn out gossip)

No place like where we stand to embrace the day! We'll start by redefining our joy in the unexpected events. We will not look for a 'lust of result'; we will simply enjoy the process no matter how difficult, unseemly and uncomfortable it appears in its unfoldment. We will not let our eyes betray us. We will hold firm to that which sustains and exalts us from within.

I have a BS in Communication with a MA in Art Education currently pursuing a Ph.D in Educational Psychology. I am an Executive Cosmic Therapist, artist, entertainer, singer/songwriter, musician, composer, playwright, perfumer, professional astrologer, tarot consultant, Numerologist, author, teacher, speaker, poet and self-taught chef.

I am also the creator/ host of the entertainingly popular MODE Of Cosmic Therapy Hour television show. [Currently on air in Raleigh and Asheville North Carolina] In addition, I am the Founder/Director/C.E.O. of M.O.D.E International School of Esoteric Arts and Sciences.

Freedom From Fear, Freedom to Be Happy

The only true freedom is freedom from fear but how does one become free of fear?

This is a world made in, and based on fear, of which there are many kinds and mink lashes called by many names. In the larger picture it is fear that rules the world.

At the top of the list is fear of God, followed closely by fear of and denial of death. An army with its weapons of killing and destruction is fear on a large scale. Governments are organized as people's response to fear. Police forces, criminals and prisons dance the dance of fear. One nation's violence against another is based in fear. Insurance companies grow fat on peoples' fear of accident, sickness, aging and death.

On a personal level, all negative behaviour and thinking arises out of fear. The person lashing out in verbal and/or physical anger is acting out of fear and their acting out is a call for help; however inappropriate. They are expressing anger as a way of blaming another for how they feel. Guilt, shame and the errors we have labelled 'sin' are the personal demons that every individual wrestles with and must learn to overcome on the road to reality and truth.

The first step in overcoming fear and finding freedom is to see and accept the fact that nothing in the world can give us lasting security and safety. To put fear in its place as 'False Evidence Appearing Real' is to realize that nothing in the world has any real value. The wealthy person has no more real value than the beggar on the corner. It is, of course, possible to have great wealth and be free of fear. The difference is that is that the fearless person knows that his wealth does not make him a better person and knows he would be just as worthwhile if he lost all his wealth. In his relationships there is a love that accepts and respects the other person without needing friend, lover or any 'other' to fix or complete him or her. He has come to realize that the more you extend love, the more you have. That the secret to finding peace and freedom in this world is to know that love is the only thing of value in our experience of life and to extend it to all we meet.

The obverse is true in that the wealthy person, who believes his wealth means safety and security and defines him, lives in constant fear of loss. Jesus said as much in the parable of the rich man who had such a great harvest that his barns and granaries were overflowing. The man thought only of himself and did not try to share his good fortune. He thought instead that he would build more granaries. One might say it was his choice to do so but Jesus, in the parable, went on to show that there is no such thing as security because God said 'Fool, this night your soul will be required of you.' Today we might say that to die a billionaire is still to be dead. On the other hand a fortune used for the good of all is a tool well and wisely used.

The only thing that has value in this world, and is worth every effort to obtain, is anything that is eternal. For something to have true value is must be something you can take with you when you die. We are eternal; nothing in this world is.

The wise person learns to be in this world but not 'of' the world. He or she knows that love is our only reality. That love is who we really are.

As children of the Creator, we are extensions of His love, which is the essence of Who and What God is. Nothing else is real and therefore has no lasting value.

In living and expressing love in this way we come to experience true peace, love, joy and yes, freedom. This is our only true wealth, which grows the more we give it away.

How we do this is not complex but it is difficult. We must die to self. In other words, die to the small 's' self that is bound up in the ego and the ego's world of fear.

To do this one has only to sincerely ask God to express himself in and through us. Only know that letting go and letting God guide you is a process that will go on throughout life and be patient with yourself. Know that you cannot lose now that you have asked God to be a partner in your living and learning. Putting God first in everything is to be free of fear.

Welcome to freedom

Bartholomew

Bartholomew Craig is living in Costa Rica, having moved there from British Columbia, Canada. Bartholomew is a Reiki Master, Toastmaster and Thrapist who has practiced various forms of therapy including Reality Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Family Systems Therapy and is a Thought Field Therapist at the diagnostic level. He has worked in jails as counsellor and staff trainer, and has authored a program that has helped many street kids to leave the street life. Currently writing a book of meditations that is being made ready for publication. He has an email audience called 'Group with Spirit' in Canada, the US and in Costa Rica. He can be reached at bartholomew6@gmail.com and welcomes all sincere communication. His program is not a religious one but promotes spiritual growth leading to peace, love, joy and freedom in his friends whom he refers to as his extended family.

The Old Soul

If you're an old soul you will undoubtedly be giving, caring loving and compassionate - all wonderful attributes that we are taught are the signs of a developed person who cares for others, and the actions that we take that may affect others.

The key signs of an old soul  mink lashes

• Giving and caring often putting others first

• Had a difficult romantic life often with much pain and disappointment

• More than likely had a soulmate relationship

• Things just seem to happen to you and around you, often becoming very dramatic through the seemingly extreme reactions of others

• Events repeat themselves

• Have trouble connecting with your family

• Somehow know you're different

• Have some psychic intuition and 'just knowing' things

• Find that you have deeper emotions and passions than most people

• People have extreme reactions to you - some just adore you and some seem to really dislike you yet you behave the same to everyone

• Have an inner creative passion

• Suffer lots of jealousy

• Often perceived wrongly

• Feel your don't have much free will, like your life is being controlled by some outside force

• Often feel 'stuck' like events just keep on happening to you time after time

All of us can relate to some of these characteristics and events at some time in our lives however the 'old souls' amongst us will shout "Yes that's me !"

and immediately understand and relate.

In contrast, we have all met the 'young souls' the ones who profess to be giving and caring and often seem to seek us out, but who never really give, just take, and who then commit the most insensitive and often cruel acts but seem to have no understanding of what they've done or any sign of remorse whatsoever. In fact they can often go to such extremes to get very aggressive when we point out their actions and the effect that they've had on us..

Soul Age

The terms 'old soul' and 'young soul' aren't just descriptions of personality types but do give us a meaningful clue to why we find ourselves in this life cycle...

The journey of the soul through many lives is one of growth and learning from the earliest manifestation of that soul in human form - where it's focused on material things, power, ego and the "now", eventually through to the higher levels of compassion, truth, destiny, caring and fairness in later lives as old souls.

The soul is required to visit human form many times in order to learn these lessons. It is through interaction with others on the three dimensional plane that the soul accrues karma, the results of its actions on others and paying the price of those actions ( first rule of karma "what goes around comes around" - or what I often refer to as the 'karmic boomerang') that develops, hones, and tunes the spirit into the higher levels, eventually becoming attuned to the highest level of as 'old soul' in later lives.

Part of that developing process is to become infinitely more empathic, attuned to the universe and destiny, and for our intuition to develop more towards psychic powers. At this stage we sense that destiny plays a greater part in our lives that we could previously have imagined as we 'peek behind the scenes' of the universal mechanisms through our developing intuition.

This itself is also a challenge as we watch those less enlightened who are still contained in the "I know best" mode, mess up their lives going wandering down the wrong path. Typical of this is the soulmate where we are tasked to watch them wander off knowing somehow that the tests they will face will ultimately bring them back around, older, wiser and more spiritually aware.

It's important to understand that each time our soul revisits the earthly plane, that we play 'catch-up', developing through our earthly actions and learning experiences quickly to regain that level of spiritual awareness we attained when leaving the previous life. In other words, in entering this life we are initially unconscious of the fact that we are required to have a very testing life to 'fast track' us to the spiritual level we are meant to be at in this one.

So the older the soul, the harder and more testing the early events in order to make us reach inside and spiritually open to regain previously achieved levels of spirituality and to further develop..

'Soul age' with Soulmates

I've already mentioned that we have all had to deal with the 'young souls', the ones who seem sent to test us and can often leave us feeling dazed and confused and hurt.

At this point I have to highlight something that's particularly important and relevant to soulmates. Your soulmate is unlikely to be a young soul even though their actions to-date may fit what we've described as a young soul.

We get terribly confused when we sense they are loving and caring and deep and spiritually enlightened yet they frequently behave in the totally opposite way

The important difference between a soulmate and a young soul is that the universe does not connect young souls with old souls in soulmate connections. What your soulmate is most likely going through is the life tests on that "fast track" , i.e learning fast and developing to their real soul age through meeting all the tough tests and making all the mistakes, acting in that earthly controlled, ego based, "I know best" way.

Hence the duality of their existence and the confusion they cause within our lives. What you are sensing is that destiny. It's the butterfly sensing another butterfly but seeing a caterpillar....

This is the main reason soulmates have to part, in order that the less developed one catches up with their earthly experiences in order to fully awaken spiritually and be ready to reconnect with their real soul age from the past life and to reconnect with you to continue the journey at the same spiritual level...

Energy Vampires and Attack

Old souls will also be no strangers to people who try to cling to, or take or attack our energy. Often the more we give to people the more abuse we take. It's an extreme example of the "no good deed goes unpunished" rule.

Energy vampires are those who somehow spiritually sense our power and energy to come into our lives to using us as a crutch, often draining us through their need to explain their problems and us be the solution.

Frequently they will use our caring, giving nature to assist them with their lives, often becoming too close and draining and we don't seem to be able to find a way to tell them that this is something we aren't comfortable with and so we allow it to continue to an abusive level.

Most times the person clinging to us won't be aware of why they are doing this they just sense, feel that we have something they need that causes them to be drawn closer and closer.

This is because their spirit, their energy senses a more powerful energy. It's not on an ego awareness plane, we're not talking 'mind' stuff here we're talking spiritual energy which all of us sense even if we aren't realizing it. It's on the "there's something about him/her" level.

Some will migrate to that energy for healing and comfort, the 'karmic vampire', others will fall for the energy in a romantic way and become instantly attached, with others seeking us out as a focus for blame and negative attention ( karmic dumping ). When confronted with their actions, even in the most caring and compassionate of ways, aggression and blame are often the responses they visit upon us as they lash out...

Jealous bosses or co-workers, unwanted sexual attention, being 'picked out', blamed, the focus of attention when we don't want to be - all of these are classic symptoms.. Yes anyone will experience some of this in their daily lives but what we are talking here is something that happens to the old soul again and again at a frequency and intensity far above anything that can statistically be considered average..

Now you may think the word attack is rather strong and negativity and conflict are a common phenomenon of everyday human interaction, however any old soul will point out the frequency and veracity of their experiences- often amazing others when they hear the stories.

At this point I remember lots of incidents in my own life but the most profound moment was when I was confronted by someone who spat anger and bile at me proclaiming I'd done this and that and the other with dark motives.

The total shock was something I won't forget. Actually I hadn't done any of these things in fact I wasn't even in the country when they happened. However that didn't mean anything to this man - he set himself up as judge, jury and executioner and that utterly stunned me. It was only one of lots of incidences but is typical of an 'attack'.

On an energy level, this guy, to my definite first hand knowledge, cheated on his wife, was unfair in business, had a huge ego and had controlled and manipulated several people to his own ends. Nevertheless I had never taken it as my task to judge any of this, I just treated him like I treated anyone else. That was what caused the utter disbelief the astonishment that his 'reality' was 180 degrees from actual events.

Attacks from young souls who misinterpret our actions based upon their own narrow understandings are commonplace. In the example above, this guy had judged me based not upon his perception of me, my morals and motives - but from his own. He projected people's actions as having the same intent as his own and not realizing what he had done, had given me an insight into his own dark world by the veracity and ferociousness of his attack.

He could not perceive any of my actions as being honest, decent and caring and putting others first because he wasn't capable of acting from that place within himself. In addition, whatever anger, frustration and emotions this caused necessitated him exaggerating these false claims to a level so ludicrous that it lost all connection with reality.

In the end a quick chat with his lawyer resolved the problem because the lawyer simply told me the case was so ludicrous he couldn't take it seriously. However it was still very painful for me and really illustrates that in addition to giving love and light and understanding, we need to be prepared to defend ourselves against attach from a darker or afflicted soul - 'karmic dumping' as I call it.

This again is one of the spiritual karmic tests that every old soul has to face.

I always say that an old soul can walk into a room full of people and without even saying a word, three others will adore them and three hate them instantaneously.

All of the above cannot be avoided and are not as a result of our actions but of who we are on a spiritual level.

The importance of power.

As we grow and learn, parents' teachers, mentors, the media, religious teachings and other influences in our lives all teach us that being giving and kind and caring and turning the other cheek are vital to being a good human being. True of course..

So why do we more caring, more giving, more compassionate old souls often feel walked over by life ??

As in all things there is a duality. Look at nature - there's no cold without hot, no up without down, no dark without light. The yin and the yang, the interplay of opposing forces seeking balance.

Although conventional teaching is to keep pouring love and light and openness and giving into situations there is a point where we become depleted. There is a point where our love and compassion can cause us to give more than is healthy, to accept more than is our lot, and when we run out of cheeks to turn.

Herein lies one of the most important karmic lessons in that, we must seek balance. We must maintain our own personal power and not allow love, compassion and "thinking the best of people" to become voluntary abuse when that person or persons repays us with negativity.

Allowing this to happen encourages lowering self-esteem, feelings of abandonment, and a sense that destiny has left us behind when people are responding to us in a very negative way. For many of us this is a lesson that takes many years to learn.

Most of use will have experienced abuse of our energy in different situations from work, family and relatives, within friendships and especially in personal relationships.

We often give too much because we are giving people, and through that action diminish our personal power. Give love and light YES, pray for people YES, BUT I believe that it is essential for all of us to sometimes have to fight to protect the incredible value of our energy to realize it is a rare thing and to value it even when others don't.

In achieving balance we understand that giving love and light and having compassion and caring and understanding of people, especially those that are afflicted and confused by negativity is essential but is only one half of that balance. Love and light won't get your elephant off the tracks so sometimes we need to use our power in an assertive way.

The old soul experience comes with many such tests. This is not about giving less or giving to receive, it is to balance our giving and loving and caring with a total respect for the gold that is our own energy...In all things balance...

"To thine own self be true", William Shakespeare

 Stages of Emotional Pain - Part 3 - Adult Pain

This being part 3 of my articles on emotional pain, let me quickly restate the 3 stages to bring the reader up to date.

• Childhood pain-emotional wounding that happens from childhood experiences

• Adolescent pain-emotional wounding that mink lashes builds upon childhood pain, accruing additional pain through more life experiences

• Adult pain-emotional wounding that is rooted in childhood and adolescent pain, and is carried throughout our adult life

Let me state here that all of our adult pain comes from some form of childhood pain that grew in adolescence and has now become a part of our emotional being as adults. Events and experiences from childhood caused us to respond in certain ways that in turn caused us to believe certain things to be true.

For example, a young 4-year-old girl comes out of her room, proud that she dressed herself, but having mix-matched her attire, her mother responds, not with confirming pride for her daughter's initiative or independence, but stating, "Oh, honey, you need to change. Let's go put that cute little white dress on. You look so pretty in it." Well, many wounds and false beliefs could come from this one example, but for just one, let me say that this little girl could have interpreted her mother saying, "You are not pretty." Now her mother did not say that, but what the little girl heard was, "I am not pretty the way I am. I have to change." Can you see how words can cause wounds, even when not intended to?

Obviously there are millions of ways wounding can occur in our lives as children, but these little lies like, "I'm not pretty," could be what drives a teenage girl to look for a guy who tells her she is pretty, no matter what she might have to do to get that out of him. It could also be what drives the same girl to become bulimic, be obsessed with the right clothes and makeup, or is driven to have every hair in place, even as an adult. She may turn into the woman who never sees herself as pretty no matter what her husband might say.

So what do we do with all this adult pain we have? It comes spilling out of our "pain tank" all the time. We can be so filled up and overflowing with so much pain that whenever someone happens to bump us, we lash our pain onto that person. But thank God, there is help.

Fountains of Life does prayer ministry over the phone and in our office that allows God's love to be poured in and the lies and pain released. If a person is willing to face the wounding and pain of their past we can help them find freedom in their future. Robert Hartzell is director of Fountains of Life a ministry of the Father's Love. We hold conferences all over the world and see restoration of relationship in all our events.

I has a Masters Degree in Christian Counseling. I am certified in Elijah House 1 & 2, by John Sanford. I spent years traveling with Jack Frost around the world being trained in Father's Love. I have training in Ed Smith's Theophostic Ministry and Arthur Burk's Ministering to the Spirit. Cyndi, Robert's wife, is also an Ordained Pastor. Se habla Espanol.

I do Christian Counseling from my office, through Skype and over the phone. Each method has proved very successful.

Positive Aging - Healthy Anti-Aging

We've been told aging is natural, so why do so many people dread it? What do you think of when you hear the words 'getting older' or 'old age pensioner'? Is aging, as we perceive it inevitable? It needn't be so.

No one has found a magic potion as yet, over the centuries so much energy and research has gone into the pursuit of the 'fountain of youth' but in recent years much light has been shed on the subject. Thanks to all this effort we now know there is so much we can do to slow down the aging process. The lifestyle you choose can have a profound effect on enhancing or accelerating the degenerative process.

Off-course mink lashes aging is inevitable but is so much suffering inevitable? Around 85 per cent of diseases are degenerative illnesses, the other 15 per cent are genetic, infectious or trauma. So what causes our body to fall into rapid decline? It never fails to make me wonder why we look after our cars better than we look after ourselves. Yet we can go out anytime and buy a new one when we've out lived the old one. It's not quite as easy for us to trade-in our old bodies for a new one. I can hear you saying "there are bits we can have replaced", yes there are, such as a new hip joint, new heart or just the valves, new liver or new blood from a transfusion, and so much more.

Going back to our car, we don't generally wait for our car to break down, we have it serviced regularly making sure it has very thing it needs to perform its daily task well. 'Well' being the operative word, not 'just spluttering a long'. We should treat ourselves with the same respect, giving our bodies everything it needs to perform its daily task well. Most people will wait until their body breaks down.

So back to the point, why do our bodies fall into decline? Researchers have several theories such as the Hayflick Limit Theory - each cell contains a program that limits the number of divisions a cell may divide before it dies. Another theory is the Waste Accumulation Theory - our cells simply produce more waste than they are capable of eliminating, all helped along by our typical diets and life-styles. As waste and toxins builds up in the cell, it accumulates and eventually the cell drowns in its own toxic waste.

The other main theory is the free-radical theory, first developed as much as 50 or more years ago, offering an explanation that helps us to understand degenerative disease, accelerated aging, and prevention or at the very least slowing down its onset for much later in life. Free-radicals roam about trying to break up stable pairs of molecules by stealing their partners. A little like a bachelor breaking up stable married couples. Once the free-radical manages to steal a partner, the other molecule is now unpaired, unstable and is now a free-radical on the hunt, a bachelor now themselves. This reaction is a little like the domino effect setting off a chain reaction of a cell-damaging viscous circle.

The most attention is focused on the oxygen-based free-radicals called oxy-radicals. It is these tiny molecules that are responsible for the free-radical damage we know as oxidative stress that contribute to degenerative diseases much in the same way they rust metal. We slow down this process by coating the metal with a protective covering, helping to prevent oxygen and moisture from doing its worst, by applying a primer and then a coat of paint we effectively extend the life of the metal. By protecting the metal from free-radials we can extend the life of the metal by many years.

There are things we can do to protect and slow down our own deterioration. We can slow down our own rusting process, however most people choose a lifestyle that speeds up this process.

Having said all of this not all free-radicals are all bad, we do some free-radical activity to help fight infections from bacteria and viruses. These free-radical bachelors are also involved in the production of vital substances such as prostaglandins, hormone-like substances vital to many processes of the body. Our bodies also release free-radicals during energy production like periods of strenuous exercise, during prolonged periods of stress, excitement, anger or during an infection.

However, the vast majority of our oxidative damage in our body comes mostly from excess free-radicals found in our environment and the food we choose rather than those produced within our bodies as a natural by-product of our own metabolism. Air pollution, tobacco smoke, toxic waste, herbicides, pesticides, chemicals in cosmetics or cleaning products, preservatives, additives in processed foods and processed oils all form free-radicals. Then add these factors to too many negative thoughts you have a recipe for accelerated aging and damage. So what can we do to protect yourself from this destruction? What can we do to equip our bodies with the right tools to cope with all this destruction?

Most of us have now heard of anti-oxidants, they prevent or slow down the damage caused by free-radicals. These days our environment places a tremendous strain on our bodies over which we have little choice and often no control. However, we do have a choice over whether to consume anti-oxidants or free-radicals, directly speeding up or slowing down our aging process. Antioxidants act a bit like Kamikaze pilots they sacrifice themselves by donating one of their own electrons. Certain vitamins and minerals, plant compounds are very effective anti-oxidants protecting us from rusting so to speak. Researchers are telling us over and over again how the lack of antioxidants are contributing to degenerative diseases like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, eye problems, pain and needless suffering as we age.

The goal is to look at health care as a method of promoting wellness rather than treating illness, this is two completely different things. Prevention is easier and less expensive than waiting to treat a disease. People often say to me in our clinic when discussing lifestyle changes, 'I don't want to live to 110'. I am not saying for one minute that making lifestyle changes will make you live for a very long time. It's the quality of life that is so important and we owe it to ourselves to be as happy and as healthy as possible. Be positive and play an active role in your own health.

What does prevention mean to you? In conversations I have with people about their health, they tell me they are really healthy. So how does one define healthy? Is healthy merely an absence of a named disease? In other words your Doctor has not given you a label, angina or diabetes, a named disease, so therefore you must be healthy. I hear things like - I have my annual check-ups and various tests every year and I am told I am 100% okay. What does this mean 100% okay?

I observe people - they eat and drink all sorts of unhealthy foods and drinks, are not active, are often over weight and put up with many physical annoyances. Annoyances like aches and pains, headaches, migraines, blocked nose, painful digestive problems, asthma, insomnia, fatigue, various skin conditions like eczema, hypoglycaemia, and more. But would definitely consider themselves' healthy. Many people I know consider taking conventional tests as their 'preventative' measure/medicine.

To me this is like 'Russian roulette' you are pulling the trigger until one day, bang! The tests, then one day suddenly, out of the blue come up with some 'negative result'- you've taken the bullet! Just like that. Suddenly you have heart disease or diabetes or suddenly you have a thyroid that has stopped working properly. So why should you worry if the tests keep showing you are in the clear this time, the barrel was empty this time? In truth you don't just wake up one day with a thyroid problem or a heart disease problem. It has taken many, many years to develop. Few tests give you any indication of things in their very early stages, for instance a thyroid that is struggling. The tests will keep showing your thyroid is absolutely fine. Then when 'broken' so to speak you are told your thyroid is under-active and you need medication, what happened in the interim, the time leading up to this problem? Off-course there are always exceptions, where a thyroid could have a problem overnight - for instance in a case of a car accident, where whip lash can dramatically affect the thyroid function.

It is true some cancers can be detected in their early stages of development, and that is wonderful. However, most research shows time and time again that a really healthy lifestyle can cut down our chances of suffering cancer in the first place. And that a typical lifestyle encourages the on-set of cancer. Here is one example - you may decide to take 'hormone replacement estrogens' and as a 'preventative measure' so to speak take an annual mammogram, because artificial oestrogen is known to increase your chances of breast cancer.

Many people consider these mammograms, as their preventative measure, wait and see.

To me prevention is not even considering taking something that would encourage cancer in the first place but to find herbs, supplements and a change in lifestyle to minimise the natural transition and generally make you healthier in the long run improving your quality of life.

Bearing in mind the menopause is natural even though the medical profession have declared it a disease. Eat, drink and be merry, after all the tests keep telling you that you are 100%.

Or maybe you think you are one of those rare people who can cheat that lifestyle of yours and not pay the consequences eventually. Many of the common diseases we are suffering in the developed Western world are preventable in a truly preventable sense, with changes in lifestyles. Change your lifestyle now don't wait until it is serious (a negative test result), before you change things. Get healthy now.

This is where alternative medicine differs from conventional medicine. We see things differently health is not just the absence of a disease, but a real state of wellbeing and vitality. We see all symptoms and signs as significant (no matter how small) as they all add up to reveal a picture about your state - which organs and systems are struggling, what deficiencies, and imbalance you might have.

I would like to make it clear it is important to have tests, but just because your tests reveal everything is okay, don't be complacent remember chronic conditions take years to develop most often undetected until it is well advanced.

Scientific evidence backs up the idea that the type of diet we choose has a very deep and fundamental impact on the way we age, this has far deeper more reaching consequences than the genes we have inherited. We can't choose our genes but we can choose our lifestyles. What does this mean? People tell me they have several close family members who are diabetic. So they have the idea that they have no say in their own destiny, that they too will eventually be diabetic. Yet I see them eat loads of refined carbohydrates - dough-nut, cookies, bread, pancakes, pasta, chocolate, sugary foods, sodas, coffees, with next to no fresh food what so ever. Their diet is so very lacking in enough vital nutrients, but full of foods that will speed up aging and encourage much more suffering. Though this diet will not guarantee diabetes, it will certainly increase your chances of getting diabetes, regardless of our close family members.

However, with close family members with diabetes and that lifestyle the chances are very high. A self-fulfilling prophesy. You inherit genes but you also inherit habits. Born in Japan you might have acquired a taste for raw fish, born in America you might have acquired a taste for doughnuts. That is not genes but acquired taste and habits.

When we think of aging, we think of it involving some degree of physical and mental decline, however there are many people who maintain comparatively full physical and mental health throughout a very long life. A healthy life depends on many aspects, a person's constitution, their family or society, their past lifestyle, whether they are lonely or fulfilled. Whether they smoke or drink too much. Diet plays a huge part of our physical and mental well-being, but it is not the only aspect we need to consider. Too much research has been done to ignore the facts - aging can be a very pleasant experience. They can be the best years of your life. There is a huge amount to look forward to.

I recently came across a 55 year old man in our clinic with mild diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor digestion, heartburn, overweight, but for him the biggest worry was that he had been refused further medical insurance (he was from the US) due to his state of health, the amount of surgery he'd already had and the large amounts of medication he was taking. The condition this man was in is pretty typical in our Western society.

On the other hand there is a 64 year old who visits the clinic for acupuncture as part of his maintenance program, has none of these problems is taking no medication what so ever, is not over weight and is extremely fit, still riding a bike for many miles up and down the mountains around here. I don't except you to buy a mountain bike for one moment, I am just pointing out that anything is possible you can choose your path, way to go, so to speak. The first man has all the conditions that have been proven to be self inflicted by the life-style he chose, and that these conditions can improve or even reverse with the right choices.

Incidentally, the first man has made vast improvements in many areas since treatment, lifestyles changes and supplements. His recent blood tests have revealed - bad cholesterol down, triglycerides down, blood pressure down and weight down, medication down. He is a different man.

We are all at great risk of not getting adequate nutrients due to refining and processing of food but even more so as we get older, due to the decline in our digestive function. As fewer calories are needed due to a reduction in general activity, and for some appetite declines, which may be in part due to changes in taste and smell. As we get older we can often lose our sense of thirst, so dehydration is more likely. Our digestive system starts to cause us a problem, having been so abused for years. The stomach slows down its production of digestive juices and enzymes this in turn affects absorption of B12, iron and calcium to name just a few. There is a reduction in lactase production, which causes milk intolerance.

Constipation is often a problem as we get older, as more fibre is needed compared to our younger days. Medication can change the way food tastes, cause nausea or the way the bowel works. For some of us just having to eat alone can put us off bothering to cook and eat well. Smoking robes the body of large amounts of vital nutrients. Nutrients that are needed to repair joint 'wear and tear' or maintain healthy bones or even teeth, the list is endless. Try not to drink too much, more than a small amount of alcohol can have a negative effect on your general health and well being. Are your tests showing - high blood pressure and high levels of cholesterol, are the scales screaming out "you are overweight" but you knew this before you got on the scales, because your 'lower front' was causing your 'lower back' a problem! They are telling you that you are now prone to diabetes. That the menopause is a disease! What does that make puberty? That osteoporosis is only a matter of time. Prostate cancer, no man gets away with it! That incontinence pads are for life! And soon you will be battling with false teeth!

In our culture we hear of people after a certain age (but now happening at a younger age than before) suffering diabetes or stroke or arthritis or heart disease and hardly batter an eye lid. Yet if we lived in a more traditional society these diseases would be rare at any age, but very rare at as young an age as we are now suffering these now, they would be quite a talking point. For instance, women who eat a traditional diet in Japan hardly ever suffer osteoporosis and few menopause symptoms. Yet the modern Japan woman who lives on a typical western diet suffers osteoporosis and the usual symptoms of menopause! This is not genes.

We need to look at the facts - a speedy decline is not inevitable. There is so much research that proves things can be different, that your life can be different. That your life can be so much better, you can be healthier, happier, slimmer, and more active late into your life. Do not be brain-washed by the advertising companies, by the lure of the addictive ingredients sitting on the supermarket shelves that are aging you.

Think positively, as it is never too early or too late to start an anti-aging program.

I have been a Naturopath, Nutritional Therapist and Reflexologist for 20 years. A published author of three books and owner of Spa and Health Clinic.

Bullying - Twenty Basic Traits of the Subtle and Not-So-Subtle Serial Forms of It

Much information on bullying is available today on the Internet websites. Still, even though current school systems, work places, and major organizations have done a lot to prevent and control bullying, many people still do not know what bullying really is, nor do they recognize the subtle forms of it when they see it. To recognize all kinds of bullying better, here are 20 of its basic characteristics found in several articles and studies.  

1. Predatory. Serial mink lashes bullying is predatory and sociopathic. This kind of bulling generally has a dysfunctional, mean-spirited, psychiatric, cowardly component in its psychic.  

1. Incurable. One in 30 people is a serial bully (1% of the population). Most are incurable.  

1. Dangerous. Truly dangerous serial bullying generally occurs in two phases:

First. A target is controlled and subjugated abusively through isolation, manipulation, down-mouthing, backstabbing, criticisms, demeaning rumors, and direct or indirect pressures.

Second. The target is confronted, injured, destroyed, or eliminated in some way, often socially. This phase often comes about because the bully has knowingly gone too far with his or her behavior, and feels a need to cover it up as much as possible.

1. Effects not always recognizable by others. Among adults, many people do not recognize the highly subtle or indirect bullying as it happens. For example, an adult might see a friend or colleague become quiet and withdrawn, but does not realize the friend or colleague is being abused by some kind of bullying somewhere.

1. Cautious types. In some cases, the targets themselves do not know for a long time they are being bullied because the bullying acts are done slowly and carefully behind their backs in the form of preconceived judgments and stereotyping. That is, the so-called target or "frog" is slowly boiled so it will not jump out of the hot water before it is too late. This kind of bullying can be highly organized if several bully types collaborate on a target. In fact, this kind could be called systematic bullying if it is meant to harm the target.

1. Bullying versus harassment. Bullying and harassment are similar, but not exactly the same. Bullying refers to the behavior itself at any age. It can be long-term and destructive to the target. Harassment can also be destructive. However, harassment is often a one-time incident, depending on the tolerance level of the target in question. Harassment pertains to the civil and legal rights of the targets involved.  

1. Loses one, finds another. When a serial bully loses a target or victim, he or she will find a new one within two weeks. Serial bullies need a target, scapegoat, or whipping person full-time.  

1. Can be male or female. Male and female bullies exist near a 50/50 percentage. Yet, women are bullied more often according to testimonials. Men might not admit to them.  

1. Male or female traits. Male bullies can be loud, directly forceful, foot-stomping, overbearing, and intimidating. Females can be quietly subtle, indirectly forceful or coercive, and intimidating. Still other bullies can be mousy, sneaky, and sniveling, often feigning their own victimization to exert power over their targets.  

1. Lowbrow. Certain bullies might not like things of the higher order. In particular, they might not like enlightenment, confidence, faith, courage, mutuality, integrity, true cooperation or teamwork, honesty, innovation, accurate thinking, capabilities and talents, competition, or the rights of others.  

1. Selective. Bullies do not bully everyone. They will bully only their selected targets for their own selective reasons. That trait makes the smart bullies hard to spot and to control because they behave normally among most people and in the public. Spouse bullying at the home falls into this category.

1. Kid types. Young (child) bullies select their targets differently than adult-bullies do. For example, a child bully might lash out at someone for the mere emotional attention alone, or for momentary dominance. Adults might bully competitively for status, salary, and authority.  

1. Criminally convicted. Kid-bullies who have been habitual for a relatively lone time will have a criminal conviction by the time they are 30-years-old.  

1. Craves mental and emotional control. Bullies often focus on controlling or owning their target mentally and emotionally through fear and other tactics. They might dwell on a single ability or vulnerability of a target. For example, a bully might target someone simply out of jealously over their good looks, social skills, or talents, especially if the targets have difficulty standing up for themselves.

1. Inner needs projected. Bullies have distinct inner traits. For example, they tend to project their unsatisfied inner needs onto others, or, in a similar manner, to take them out on others.  

1. Multiple faced and clever. Clever bullies can demonstrate multiple-faced chameleon-like personalities, capable of playing issues both ways, playing several ends against the middle, and changing their stories often. They also know how to exploit the darker, fearful side of the sideline watchers to enlist their help for bullying purposes.  

1. Braggarts. Bullies tend to brag. They claim successes, deals, relationships, and ownerships that do not exist, and probably never did.  

1. Great job resumes. Within the adult workforce, bullies often have glowing resumes, which is the only way their previous employers could get rid of them.  

1. Disruptive. Bullies disrupt organizations by creating ill will, bad feelings, and misunderstandings. They can instigate layers of tangled webs through deceit and false pretenses, which will eventually lead to unethical or criminal activity through their organizations. Businesses have been ruined by being unable to do anything about a key bully. In one case, a guitar manufacturer had to watch his business go bankrupt and out-of-business before the owner could regain control of it. This owner was lucky to get it going again.

1. Not dim-witted. Habitual or serial bullies are not dim-witted. They simply have a difficult time understanding their actions are unethical or illegal, or knowing their mean self-aggrandizing actions are not appreciated or respected by others. These kinds of bullies think it is normal behavior to take whatever they want from whomever they want (who was carefully selected first) at anytime they want without having to face any consequences for doing so.

To learn more about bullies and bullying, see the following websites.

1. No Bully -- Anti-Bullying Programs for Schools

1. Bully OnLine -- World's largest resource on workplace bullying and related issues

Mature Dating - Is Your Partner Cheating on You?

Have you been wondering if your partner is cheating on you? If there is any truth to your fears, how should you handle the situation? Obviously, we all want to be involved in mature dating relationships, but how do we get there and what should you do if you break up with your partner because he or she is cheating on you?

If you have been mink lashes getting the feeling that your partner is cheating on you, how should you handle this situation? One important rule you should abide by is to keep the lines of communication open between you and your partner. The last thing you want to do is to accuse your partner of something that he or she has not done. This false accusation can destroy your relationship. If you do have grounds to accuse your partner that he or she is cheating on you, then you need to follow some ground rules in order to work through this crisis situation.

Another important rule you should abide by is to remain calm while you speak to your partner about this issue and if you do find out that your partner has been cheating on you, then you need to continue in that calm attitude. It will be hard to remain calm because you will feel betrayed and in pain and will want to lash out, but you must do your best to be at peace during this crises so that you can come out of it a better person rather than a bitter person. Being consistent in this behavior is paramount to having a mature dating relationship.

If you still don't know yet if your partner is cheating on you, it's best to move delicately in this situation. You want to make sure that you have the proof that you need to confront your partner. Make sure that you are certain that your feelings are guiding you down this path and then follow your instincts as it takes you down the road to discover all the facts. Make sure that your investigative techniques are always polite and don't trample all over your partner.

If you want to be involved in a mature dating relationship, ask your partner if he or she can discuss this issue with you and stress that you really need to have a civil conversation about it and get to the facts. Remain calm and share with your partner that you have some fears that he or she is cheating on you and whatever the facts are that you found out, now is the time that you can share them. Try not to be judgmental or harsh and be open minded to what your partner has to say. Don't be accusatory and allow your partner to explain him or herself.

If you did catch your partner cheating on you, your discussion of the issue will be significantly different than if you don't have facts about the unfaithfulness and only have an inclination that your partner has been cheating on you. If the former is the case, then you should still be calm and respectful of your partner, but you can be more direct in coming to the point that you did find your partner in unfaithfulness and need to discuss that issue and where you will be taking your relationship from here. If you're trying to be in a mature dating relationship, it is very necessary that you evaluate for yourself if you can still be involved in a relationship with your partner or if you need to end the relationship. Of course, you and your partner need to discuss the future of your relationship, but if you stay together, or even if you do break up, you will need to make it a priority to forgive your partner so you can move forward with your life and not become bitter.

Allen Tane is an experienced writer on the professional singles market and mature dating industry. He has been writing for quite a while and has had countless articles published. Some of Allen's most favorite topics to write on include single professionals over 30, mature dating professional singles, relationships, and matchmaking. Allen's articles are well written and memorable. They are especially great for anyone looking to start dating and still keep up with their daily activities.