Indeed, exposure to sounds in the range of only 100 db can potentially result in permanent damage to a listener’s hearing and, in most instances, the exposure is not a person’s choice, but rather a result of their environment, whether it be work-related or recreational.

Such exposure to hazardous noise levels is not condoned by the Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration (OSHA) in the workplace even when the exposure may be of an employee’s own choice.(5) Rigorous standards for protection of workers’ hearing have been in place for more than two decades. However, in health clubs or spas where persons participate in aerobics and body-conditioning classes for the purposes of improving their health, the participants may be exposed consistently to intensity levels of music that can exceed 110 db for one or more hours.(3) A preliminary study conducted by this author revealed that participants in one high-impact aerobics class were exposed to levels of up to 124 db for more than 40 minutes.

Persons who expose themselves to these high levels of noise are doing so with the intent to improve their health, and most are unaware of the potential damage to their residual hearing.

These persons also include the instructors teaching the classes who may be exposed for several hours each day as a result of their instructional load.

It is unfortunate that the permanent hearing loss one sustains from exposure to high levels of sound, including music, is painless and insidious. If that were not the case, health clubs, night clubs, the transportation industry and others, may have taken greater steps to protect those who are exposed to hazardous noise levels.

In the first trimester when the “wiring” of the brain is not yet connected in the way it will be later on, we see the fetus simply bouncing in the amniotic sac. In the last trimester, we see activity in utero that is very much like the behavior of a newborn. Throughout pregnancy, we see various activities emerge as the fetus matures.

With the use of ultrasound, movements can be observed, not just felt by the mother. In research, movements are used to see how the fetus develops. In the clinical setting, fetal behavior is an important indicator of the health of the baby. Some research has shown that mothers feel only about half the movements that can be seen by ultrasound.

During your pregnancy, you may be told you need a biophysical profile. It is a test done using ultrasound that takes about 30 minutes. During the test, the doctor or sonographer looks to see if she can find specific fetal behaviors. Those are:
Movement — at least three over the 30 minutes

Tone — seeing the muscles extend and flex

Breathing — watching the movements of the chest during which amniotic fluid is moved in and out of the lungs as a warm-up for breathing after birth

Amniotic fluid — a pocket of fluid is measured to see if there is enough in the sac
The biophysical profile is often combined with fetal heart rate testing, which can take an additional 20 to 40 minutes. Doctors will request a biophysical profile if the baby isn’t growing as he should, if you have diabetes or high blood pressure, or if you’re still pregnant after your due date, to name a few common reasons.

Babies who are deprived of oxygen don’t move normally, so the test is a way to see if he’s getting enough oxygen. The normal sleep cycle for a fetus is 20 minutes, which is why we observe the baby for around 30 minutes, to make sure he’s not just asleep!

Dehydration may reduce the amount of amniotic fluid that you produce, another good reason to remember to drink six to eight glasses of water daily. If you haven’t eaten in a while and your blood sugar is low, that may reduce your baby’s activity and particularly his breathing during a biophysical profile exam.

Babies follow circadian rhythms, and as any pregnant woman knows, are more active at night.

Babies make a lot of sucking movements in utero, but I’ve never seen one actually suck her thumb. But that’s not surprising as it takes a while after birth for babies to learn that behavior.

The most important thing for you to know is your baby’s pattern of behavior. Some are active in the morning, others at night. As you get into the third trimester it is a good idea to pay attention to your baby’s movements every day. Any drop-off, especially if you don’t feel movement over a half hour of really paying attention free of distractions, should be reported to your doctor or midwife immediately.

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Often, the equity is leveraged with debt. Until the last 12 to18 months, equity could attract total debt of four times a company’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).

However, debt markets tightened during the last year, so the ratio of debt to EBITDA was reduced at one point to 2.5 to2.75. Now, it is growing again, up to between three tofour times EBITDA.

However, most of the lending organizations have focused on much larger deals, leaving the healthclub industry with few interestedlenders.

The private equity firms had, therefore, been sitting on the sidelines for some of these 18 months. This means that there has been money raised, but not deployed. Although many firms continue to look at the healthclub industry, few new players have committed. It is hoped thatby 2011, this situation will loosen up.

“Well, I ain’t never seen no sea creature eat a human before,” smiles Clay.

“Me, neither,” says Jan. “How about we eliminate everyone but Helen so she wins immunity so she stays on this island longer so maybe we can watch her get eaten.”

Penny thinks about this, “Ok, but I need to make sure all of you realize that Jake and I are not in an alliance. Yes, I know that I should’ve done this before now because surely everyone will see this as a desperate but completely insincere plea to somehow manipulate everyone to think that I am honest and trustworthy.”

Jake giggles, “Hey, that sure is a good idea, Penny. No one will be at all bothered that you decided to throw me out to the lions only after you realize you have no other choice.”

Jake giggles again and thinks, “I may get to stay here longer than I originally thought.”

And this is just what happened during the “snuff the torch” challenge. Penny went straight for Jake’s jugular and every time someone got a correct answer, they snuffed everyone’s torch but Helen’s.

The big stumbling block to the lawful sale of herbal remedies as drugs is the cost of generating “proof of efficacy.” Only those “new chemical entities” that meet rigorous standards are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as drugs. Companies that would market herbal supplements as drugs are bound by these same standards, regardless of how long the botanical substance has been in medical use. Figures vary, but many pharmaceutical companies estimate the cost of obtaining proof of efficacy to be as high as $500 million per drug. Recovering such an expense would be unfeasible in the case of an unpatentable herbal remedy.

But there is a sound way to improve the utility of herbal remedies to American consumers: The FDA could arrange for a review of the findings of Germany’s Commission E. Commission E is an independent panel of experts that, for more than 15 years, under the aegis of the German equivalent of the FDA, investigated some 300 herbs in terms of safety and efficacy. Then, independent FDA-convened American experts could review the conclusions of Commission E regarding the 200 herbs it ultimately approved and determine which conclusions are applicable to American conditions. The cost of such a review would be small.

I do not know whether public pressure will induce such an event in the next 10 to 20 years, but I certainly hope it will.

In just eight months, World Gym built a membership base of 1,500 through a diverse marketing program that allowed the club to saturate its market with relatively little cash outlay. Promotions included door-hanger passes distributed to select neighborhoods, free trial memberships to Chamber of Commerce members, lead boxes in area businesses, a direct-mail campaign to physicians, lawyers, accountants and other professionals, brochures distributed to the local college, health/fitness presentations to civic groups, a “two-weeks-free” open house, press releases and public service announcements, health and fitness expos, school assembly programs, and appearances on local radio and television fitness segments.

The total cost of the promotions was $5,500, with more than $44,000 being generated in membership sales from the open house alone. According to Bryan Briddell, director of sales and marketing, the key to keeping promotional costs low is being innovative enough to garner free publicity. “It’s surprising how many facilities fail to take advantage of [the news media],” says Briddell, who is also one of the club’s four owners. “It’s simple to capture publicity for your club if your material is interesting and newsworthy … the opportunities for free publicity are limited only by an owner’s creativity and imagination.”

Press releases sent to the media resulted in print and broadcast publicity for the club’s exercise program for the disabled, its powerlifting team, free bodybuilding show and a celebrity visit by former powerlifter/actor Lou Ferrigno.

While World Gym is not opposed to “giving away” temporary memberships, Briddell says “discounted memberships” are one promotion you won’t find at the facility. “Philosophically, we’re against discounting memberships because we strongly believe that this marketing ploy cheapens your product and eventually undermines existing member loyalty,” he says.

* SKIN- As skin becomes less elastic, it also thins and droops with wrinkles.
* ENERGY – Stamina and vigor are lost.
* SKELETAL SYSTEM – In addition to loss of bone strength, osteoporosis may also cause damage.
* SEXUAL PERFORMANCE – Loss of libido and sex drive.
* MUSCLE – A common occurrence is the muscle mass slackening, along with the loss of strength.
* FAT – Tissues of fat gather.
* MEMORY – There is a loss of memory.
* HEART – It is common for the muscles of the heart to become slack.
* KIDNEY – There is a deterioration of the functions of the kidney.
* IMMUNE SYSTEM – There is an increase in the time it takes to heal, with a lowering of immunity.
* HAIR – The hue of the hair fades, while the hair thins.
* CHOLESTEROL- There is an increase in the level of cholesterol.

HGH can help combat the signs of aging even in patients who have very low hormone levels and have experienced quite a bit of damage due to aging. The typical effects that were noticed by human growth hormone users are discussed below.

Here are the levels of improvement you can expect: * Sixty-seven percent improvement in emotional stability * Seventy-five percent improvement in sexual potency * Eighty-eight percent improvement in muscle strength when participating in a workout program * Eighty-four percent improvement in level of energy * Sixty-one percent improvement in the appearance of wrinkles * Eighty-two percent improvement in the effectiveness of weight loss programs.

What are the expectations of the benefits of HGH?

Results that are good are shown at the six month mark of therapy with HGH.

An improvement monthly can be viewed as follows
I. First Month: A boost in your energy and vitality levels, improved sleep and positive outlook.
II. Second Month: The growth of nails is improved, along with the tone of the skin, better digestion with loss of weight, and muscle tone is strengthened.
III. Third Month: In the third month, you can expect to experience greater flexibility and an increase in muscle size as well as an increase in sexual desire and ability. Your mental acuity should also increase.
IV. Fourth Month: Effects from the initial 3-month period accumulate.
V. Fifth Month: In the fifth month, you can expect a good reduction in your weight and inches due to an increase in muscle tissue and a decrease in fat, or the adipose tissue. Your wrinkles should be reduced, and your skin should be thicker and more flexible. Your hair will also look better, as the hair appears healthier.
VI. Month 6: Much less cellulite, better eyesight, improved emotional stability, enhanced immune system with better ability to resist colds and flu, less joint pain and soreness, greater tolerance for exercise, improved cholesterol (LDL) and triglyceride levels, and improved heart rate.

The outcome will vary according to the individual, regardless of food intake and habits.

But not every senior needs that kind of help. Statistics further show that, overall, the aging population is in pretty good shape.

“We find that the older people get, even if they are in fine shape, the less-inclined they are to leave the house,” explained David Howe, LCSW and director of the Older Adults Mental Health Program at Connecticut’s Bridgeport Hospital, part of its REACH Program (Resources for Adult and Child Mental Health) “Especially men who have lost their spouses. We see a big problem with alcoholism among older men who are isolated and depressed and have nothing but time on their hands.”

Hospitals across the country have myriad services for seniors, including adult day care, counseling services, support groups and companion services.

“The REACH program is really geared to provide a community for seniors, but also a link to other services that they might need,” said Howe.

While the aging population is forcing the door of new options to be opened, those in the various professions providing those options agree that doing your homework early, before crisis hits, is the best way to go.

“What is so hard for the public is that their first exposure to the system is when there is a crisis in the family. It seems no one has planned for it, and all of a sudden, they enter this new world, and are forced to get a crash course,” Fatone said.

Christine Correnti is moving to a condo this month in the town next door to the city she’s lived in all her life. She takes leaving the home that she and her husband maintained for 61 years in stride, just as she has taken much of her 86 years of life in stride.

“My children have been pushing me to go to the condo, and I know they’re right,” said the Bridgeport, Conn., native. “I’m here alone, and I don’t like to bother them. It’ll be a big change, but I’m not a complainer. It’ll be all right once I get used to it. I hope so, anyway.”

For 55-year old Ron Correnti, one of Christine Correnti’s three children, the decision was the best one to make for his independent mother, following his father’s rapid decline battling Alzheimer’s, which forced them to put him in a nursing home.

“It got to be too much for her, to travel to the nursing home every day, living alone in that big house which has always been a lot of work to keep up,” he said.

The Correntis are not alone. As America continues to gray, decisions about how to care for parents and aging relatives, and eventually ourselves, begin to inch their way forward on the priority list of life. “As we look at the demographics, the elderly population is like a tidal wave ready to crash,” said Toni Fatone, executive vice president of the Connecticut Association of Healthcare Facilities (CAHF), which represents 160 of the 250 nursing homes in the state. The association is also an affiliate of the American Health Care Association, which represents 11,000 of the approximate 19,000 nursing homes nationwide. “The average age of a nursing home resident is 85,” Fatone added.

And statistics released by the Administration on Aging in Washington, D.C., indicate that the fastest growing age bracket is exactly that age: 85 years and up.

“What happens is that people don’t really think about it until there is a crisis,” Fatone said. “Maybe mother or father is in the hospital and needs to be discharged to a nursing home. All of a sudden they have to find a nursing home, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll get into their first, second or even third choice.”

Across the country, nursing homes compile waiting lists for patients in varying degrees of need. In Connecticut, for instance, the occupancy rate is at 98 percent, in part because of a 1991 legislature-imposed moratorium on the development of new nursing homes aimed at stemming burgeoning Medicaid costs. While nursing homes are almost at full capacity, assisted living facilities are also seeing an increase in demand nationwide.

“It’s an excellent option. The average age of our typical resident is 83,” said Bill White, president of The Bridges, which owns, runs and operates three assisted living facilities — or 340 units — in Connecticut. Nationwide, there are about 1.5 million units. “We provide an independent environment in an apartment situation. Food, linen, housekeeping and even a social life is provided.”

The difference between the two types of facilities has to do with the level of care needed, or the health status of the resident: Nursing homes are traditionally for much more acute care and assistance with the tasks of daily living, while assisted living facilities have a focus on residential living and are not considered healthcare institutions.

“Typically, assisted living is about 50 to 60 percent the cost of a nursing home,” said White, who is also the New England representative to the National Center for Assisted Living. “In Connecticut, that would translate into $3,000 versus $6,000.”

Unlike nursing homes, however, assisted living facilities are not covered by Medicare or Medicaid. Many of the facilities, even if they have onsite healthcare, which is required in Connecticut and other states, have arrangements with home care agencies to provide needed support and assistance. While there are more than 30,000 profit and nonprofit home care agencies nationwide, they are facing some problems of their own: a national nursing shortage, changes in Medicare reimbursement and a tight labor pool.

The use of herbs for treating one’s ailments has predated current medical beliefs for over two millennia. It has withstood the test of time. Most “scientific” data accumulated on the use of herbs has been through observation, until the past 20 or so years, when scientists have been looking at how natural treatments affect diseases (Murray, 1996). Science has been the underlying strength behind medical treatments for over 100 years; physicians today practice medicine with science in mind, treating diseases. Natural health practitioners have, for well over 1,000 years, treated the whole person (mind, body, and spirit), not their disease.

The idea of “Alternative Medicine” leaves people feeling they have to make a choice-between natural care and medical care. This doesn’t have to be the case. There is a time and place for everything. Without medical care, many people would die today. There are times medicine is warranted, and surgery. There are times when seeing our medical physician is the only thing we can do, for we have exhausted everything else and are not healing. But, do remember that there is a place for natural health too. If there were a way to prevent your having to have back surgery, would you seek that option first? If you could prevent your child from having to take antibiotics again for an ear infection, would you not pursue this course of action? If you could decrease the risk of heart disease by over 50%, wouldn’t you want to know about it?

The care of your health is your responsibility. It is up to you to seek out the knowledge to manage your health. At some point in our history, we began to believe that the medical doctor had all the knowledge, knew all the rules, and knew what was best for us.

That belief has been handed down over the generations, to where we are now, seeking a physician’s care for any ailment. It doesn’t have to be that way. So many of our ailments today can be relieved by lifestyle changes: diet, exercise, adequate sleep, drinking good water, and decreasing the stress in our lives. Taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement can prevent many illnesses.

Medical doctors of today may not promote natural health, but they need to see the impact it makes on their patients. Our physicians need to be told about the supplements you take, and the natural practitioners you see. Your natural health practitioners also need to know the medications you are taking and the treatments you receive from you physician. Not only will it promote safety, it will also create an awareness. There can be an integration of natural care with medical care, but first knowledge must be gained, and acceptance must occur. All changes begin with the actions of just one individual. Add your voice, and make change occur.