Tag Archive for 'skin cancer'

Using Tanning Booths

Published
by
Owen Jones
on November 30, 2009
in self improvement
. 0 Comments

It is a well-known fact of life that a lot of people want to get a great celebrity tan just as if they had been soaking up the sun on a private beach in California. You would be able to get an all over tan with no clothing or strings to restrict the tanning process on your private beach. But private beaches do not come cheap, do they? Buying a tanning booth is one the several different ways that you can make use of to get the all over tan that you require.

These tanning booths are quite similar in design to the tanning booths which are very popular in commercial tanning enterprises. As with tanning beds, there are many brands of tanning booths on the market for both commercial and domestic tanning bed equipment. So, you will have to look into these diverse tanning booth systems meticulously in order to find one that suits you and your budget. There are nevertheless a few notes of concern that you should bear in mind when selecting your tanning booth.

When you are using tanning booths, you will discern that these booths use very high temperature ultra violet bulbs to rapidly bring about the alterations your skin will have to go through in a tanning session in order to become bronzed. Just as when using tanning beds, you will need to use some protective eye glasses when inside the tanning booths. These goggles will shield your eyes from getting hurt by the powerful, but injurious ultra violet rays.

On the other hand, if these ultra violet rays are quite so dangerous, why do individuals desire to subject themselves to such lengthy periods in tanning booths? Well, the response is really fairly plain, it is just because of the fact that people want to have a beautiful, golden coloured skin. Another fact is that, since there is so much dreadful news published about the hazards of sun tanning, it is easy to see why some people decide to try the sunless tanning route instead.

Which is where tanning booths, among other products, come into their own. However, having mentioned a few details and hazards, if you are still thinking about acquiring a sunless tan then you might be interested in reading the benefits of using a tanning booth. The first benefit is that you can get a tan whenever you like. The second benefit is that the tanning booths take up less room than tanning beds as they stand in a vertical position.

However, before you go out to pay money for a tanning booth, it is a good idea if you read what a range of people have had to say about the items. If you still feel that tanning booths hold the answer to your wishes, then there is a wide selection of tanning booths for you to look at.

Once you get your tanning booth installed in a spare room, you will never look back. The ease of use and being able to fit your tanning sessions in whatever time of the day or night you like is of immense benefit.

Do you want to find out more about Sunstar Tanning Beds? If you do, just go over to our web site on Tanning Bed Bulbs

Medical Spa Click Fraud!

Published
by
Kylie J. Peterson
on October 18, 2009
in Internet Marketing
. 0 Comments

Is click fraud costing your medical spa? If you’re one of the tens of thousands of cosmetic medical practices, medical spas and laser clinics advertising online with Google Adwords or Yahoo, don’t be surprised to find that at least some of the money you’re paying every month is sucked out of your marketing fund by click fraud.

This practice, known as “click fraud,” began in the early days of the Internet’s mainstream popularity with programs that automatically surfed Web sites to increase traffic figures. This led companies to develop policing technologies touted as antidotes to the problem. But some marketing executives estimate that up to 20 percent of fees in certain advertising categories continue to be based on nonexistent consumers in today’s search industry.

Don’t think it’s already happening to your skin clinic, med spa or laser clinic? It is. Here’s a quote from Michael Caruso, CEO of click fraud services vendor ClickFacts in an interview:

In particularly fraud prone verticals such as finance, class action lawsuits and medical, we see click fraud rates in the 30%-45% range. These are all categories that see high keyword pricing in the auction model. That makes them particularly tasty for click fraud artists. “If you can make more money from the dark side than the light side of search, there are plenty of people who will take advantage. Plus, it’s not even technically illegal yet.”

There are two ways that your skin clinics and medical spas marketing budget is losing to click fraud:

First: competitors who see your ad simply click on it, draining your advertising dollars. Second; click fraudsters set up ‘affiliate’ sites are set up that run your ads where they are clicked on by bots or employees. These sites are the most damaging since you’re paying for every click without any return. Click fraud around skin clinics, med spas or laser clinics can be very lucrative since dermatology or plastic surgery clinics are becoming such a competitive market and the payment per click can be as high as $4-5.

Unfortunately, to keep your budget safe you have very few tools. Google just gave advertisers $90 million to compensate for click fraud as the result of a class action suit but you can bet they’re not that Google’s not interested in your individual account. Especially since they’re making money from click fraud when your ads are clicked on.

Start by limiting your skin clinics exposure. If your dermatology or plastic surgery clinic is still running an Adwords or Yahoo campaign, they allow you to limit the maximum amount you spend in a day. Take advantage of this feature by limiting your maximum cost to what you can afford to spend. You can also look for the tracks of click fraud by examining the reports you might have available to you. Multiple clicks coming from the same IP address are a sure sign of fraud.

(Malaysia has become such a haven for click fraud ’sweat-shops’ that clicks generated there are completely discounted and Malaysian accounts for Adwords or Overture are not granted.)

If you’re going to run ppc ads, protect your skin clinic, med spa or laser clinic. You can be sure that you’re the only one trying to.

Medical Spa MD is a physician community of Plastic Surgeons, Cosmetic Dermatologists, and Physicians with more than 4,000 physician members. Medical Spa MD hosts IPL & cosmetic laser reviews and provides patient and physician information on non-surgical cosmetic medical technologies and treatments.

Birch Polypore Extract Used for Intestinal Parasites during Stone Ages

Published
by
Dr. Markho Rafael
on September 8, 2009
in self improvement
. 0 Comments

Birch Polypore, as the name suggests, grows on dead or dying birch trees. It can be found in birch forests around the world.

Birch Polypore’s main claim to fame is that it was found among the possessions of Oetzi, the mummified Stone Age man from 5,300 years ago whose remains were found in 1991 in a glacial ice cave on the border of Italy and Austria.

The general consensus is that Oetzi the Iceman used the Birch Polypore against an infection of the intestinal parasite Trichuris trichuria, of which eggs were found among his remains. [190]

Folk lore from Europe tells of Birch Polypore being used in this fashion, as a remedy against parasites. It has also been used as a general antibiotic, and to stop bleeding. [25]

Studies from 1997 also reported that compounds isolated from Birch Polypore helped reduce chronic skin inflammation [191] as well as inflammation in general. [192]

In terms of its antibiotic properties, Birch Polypore extract has been found effective against Bacillus megateterium. [194] One antibiotic compound that has been isolated from Birch Polypore is known as Piptamine. [193] Medicinal mushroom expert Paul Stamets proposes that Birch Polypore extract be tested for its effectiveness against anthrax Bacillus anthracis. [134]

Another important compound of Birch Polypore extract is Betulinic Acid, a compound from birch that gets extracted and concentrated by the Birch Polypore. A melanoma study conducted in 1995 showed that Betulinic Acid was toxic to malignant melanoma cells without affecting healthy cells. [195] A possible mechanism behind the anti-tumor property of Birch Polypore extract was suggested in 2002 when it was demonstrated to inhibit enzyme activity involved in tumor development. [196]

A 2001 study of Betulinic Acid derivatives from Birch Polypore also reported anti-viral properties. In a study on HIV, these compounds were found to block the reproduction of HIV. [197]

A U.S. patent on a Birch Polypore extract was filed in 2004 by world leading medicinal mushroom expert Paul Stamets, after research at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease (USAMRIID) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) concluded that his proprietary Birch Polypore extract was effective against vaccinia virus and cowpox, and non-toxic to human tissues. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any herb (or mushroom) except as advised by a licensed medical practitioner.

Dr. Rafael has been in the natural health field since Chiropractic College in the mid-90’s. He now specializes in research and writing about medicinal mushrooms, specifically working with the MycoMedicinals of Paul Stamets, whose Birch Polypore extract is part of the synergistic blend Paul Stamets Host Defense. For scientific references to this article, go to the Piptoporus betulinus research page.

Shiitake Extract Used in Asia as Cancer Medication

Published
by
Dr. Markho Rafael
on August 21, 2009
in self improvement
. 1 Comment
by Dr. Markho Rafael

Tell Americans that a dish contains “mushrooms” and their minds automatically jump to button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), which have been grown commercially in the West since the 1600’s. In contrast, individuals from Far East Asia are far more likely to jump to Shiitake as the most logical ingredient. Shiitake, which has only recently become a common household name in the West, has a long history of commercial cultivation in Asia.

Also known as Chinese Mushroom or Black Mushroom, wild Shiitake is strictly an Asian species. It derives its name from one of its hosts, the Shii Tree, but can also be found growing on Asian oaks and beeches. Cultivating Shiitake is a tradition that stretches back approximately 1000 years in China.

Although most westerners are now familiar with Shiitake as a food mushroom, few know that it’s also the most researched medicinal mushroom in Asia. As with other medicinal mushrooms, the research has largely focused on applications against cancer, [94] but also on its anti-viral properties. [93]

When it comes to medicinal use of Shiitake, the preferred part to use is the mycelium (the “roots”) not the fruit body (”mushroom”). The mycelium contains a higher concentration of medicinal compounds, some of which may not be found at all in the fruit body.

In fact, the most commonly researched Shiitake extract is known as Lentinula Edodes Mycelia extract, or LEM for short. (Lentinula edodes is the Latin name for Shiitake.) LEM has been reported in various research papers as being anti-bacterial, [98, 99] boosting the immune system, [95, 96, 97] and being anti-tumoral. [100] A study on melanoma found that it killed the mutated melanoma cells but caused no harm to cells that were healthy. [101]

Another active compound of Shiitake extract that has been much studied is Lentinan; a protein-free polysaccharide, so named after Lentinula, the Latin genus name for Shiitake. Lentinan does not directly kill tumors but has been shown to stimulate the tumor fighting mechanisms in the body of test subjects, [102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110] and is in fact in use in Asia as an injected cancer medication.

Arabinoxylanes of Shiitake extract derived from rice cultivated mycelium have been shown to have powerful anti-viral properties. [111, 112, 113]

Two viruses in particular that have been studied with promising results are herpes simplex type 1 [114] and HIV [115, 116, 117]. It should be mentioned, however, that the previously mentioned Lentinan as an isolated compound does not appear to affect HIV replication. [25]

Additional studies have reported positive results with Shiitake extract in conditions of chronic fatigue syndrome [119] and Candida [118], as well as for septic shock prevention. [120]

And last but not least, in his book Mycelium Running, foremost U.S. medicinal mushroom expert Paul Stamets also lists the following areas where Shiitake has been reported as having a therapeutic effect: Blood sugar; blood pressure; kidney support; cholesterol; liver health; stress; sexual dysfunction; breast cancer; prostate cancer; liver cancer. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any medicinal mushroom or herb without prior approval by medical doctor.

Credit to Paul Stamets for research and source material.

About the Author:
Dr. Markho Rafael has worked in the natural health field since finishing Chiropractic College in the mid-90’s. He currently specializes in to research and write about medicinal fungi, including Shiitake extract. For scientific references to this article, go to the extract of Shiitake mushroom page and click on any number indicating a reference.
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