Why is Propecia an effective pill for male pattern hair loss?
Most men with premature hair loss are genetically predisposed to androgenetic alopecia – a condition that is commonly known as male pattern baldness. Male pattern baldness occurs because of the effects of testosterone-the primary male sex hormone- on your hair follicles. This hormone is present in high amounts in your body after puberty, and is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) because of the action of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. DHT works on he hormone receptors present in your hair follicles and slows the production of scalp hair. This results into hair which is shorter and weaker than normal, and sometimes your hair will stop growing completely. This gradual process will eventually results into total or partial baldness.
Stages of male patten hair loss
The onset of androgenetic alopecia usually begins at the end of puberty and is usually determined by your genetic inheritance.
Most men start experiencing hair loss during their late 20s or early 30s. Hair loss initially occurs as a receding hairline and gradually progresses to thinning hair at the top of the head. Finally both areas will converge to form a U shape around the sides and back of the head. The remaining hair, if any, becomes finer in texture and the growth rate slows down. Moderate hair loss that occurs due to hormonal causes affects most men by age 50. This hormonal condition can be hereditary in nature.
What is Propecia?
Propecia (active ingredient finasteride) is a popular prescription pill used in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. This clinically tested medication has been proven to prevent further hair loss and to promote hair growth in about 80% cases. Propecia is quite suitable for long term treatment in most cases of androgenetic alopecia. Finasteride, the active ingredient present in Propecia, helps in the reduction of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in the scalps of genetically predisposed men.
How does Propecia work?
As testosterone is converted to DHT because of the action of 5-alpha reductase, finasteride blocks the action of this enzyme and lowers DHT levels in the scalp. This reduces the negative effect of DHT on the hair follicles and prevents or even reverses hair loss. Finasteride has been reported to reduce DHT levels by about 60%. Treatment with Propecia must be continued for about 3-6 months for optimum benefits.
Possible side effects of Propecia
Like other drugs, Propecia too can produce side effects your body, which might include sexual problems such as temporary impotence and low libido. But most of these side effects are temporary in nature and usually disappear without treatment. Pregnant women, in particular, need to avoid any kind of contact with finasteride, as it is known to cause birth defects in an the male foetus. It is advisable to follow your doctor’s instructions while taking this hair loss medication. Propecia has been specifically formulated to treat the symptoms of pattern baldness in men. It cannot be taken by women with female pattern baldness, nor can it be prescribed for men who experience hair loss because of cancer or chemotherapy.
Sexy costume ? ooh la la!
To add spice to a relationship there is nothing more exciting than a sexy costume. Maybe it is the anniversary of the first meeting or just the need to have fun to dress up in the sexy costume of a Greek or Roman Goddess, a flirty French maid or Police woman or maybe even sexy costume lingerie. Scented candles, dimmed lights, soft music, Voila! a perfect setting for a romantic evening.
Halloween brings with it the endless planning of parties in its wake. Pride of place goes to the sexy costume. The hottie nurse, the playful sailor girl, the cute Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, the seductive gangster is all favorites. College students could have fun with the cheerleader sexy costume done in college colors. Halloween is not the only season to dress up in a sexy costume. Easter time costume parties can bring out the cute and sexy costume of the Easter bunny. Christmas parties brings along the sexy costume of the Christmas Elf
The sexy costume comes in a variety of groups. From the world of nursery rhymes come Little bo Peep and Red Riding Hood. Fairy Tales have their version of the sexy costume with Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire cat, The Queen of Hearts, Tinkerbelle, Goldilocks. If the dark side excites, there’s the sexy costume of the Red Devil or maybe The Wicked Witch of the West.
There is also the light up sexy costume to add to the fun. The Devil’s costume will have the horns or the tips of the pitch fork lighting up, Tinkerbelle’s wings will be lit up or maybe it will be the skeleton of the skeleton costume.
To make the sexy costume complete the proper accessories should be worn too. All costumes should be worn with the corresponding hat. In addition there are bracelets, chains, boas of feather and face and eye paste on jewels. Hair and make up are as important to finish off the look.
One note of caution is that those in adult sexy costume should be aware of children being around. They may not be yet ready to understand what the sexy costume is all about!
Taliban Using Child Suicide Bombers
Canadian support for the mission in Afghanistan is down. A recent Canadian Press-Decima survey found that 67% of respondents believe the number of Canadian casualties is unacceptable. Only 25% of those interviewed said they believed the casualty figures were acceptable.
More Canadians believe that this is a war that can’t be won. Little wonder, when you consider the tactics that the Taliban have been employing of late. Canadian forces abide by international law and make the effort to conduct themselves accordingly, however the same can’t be said of their adversaries.
The Taliban owe most of their successes against the Canadian military to bombs planted on the nations dusty highways. When a passing armored vehicle is hit, the Taliban notch it up as a victory. This tactic may add to their kill rate, but it certainly doesn’t add to their prestige as a fighting force, or to their image as heroic fighters.
It seems there is no limit to how far they are prepared to go in taking on American and NATO forces.
A recent tactic has been to use children to carry out suicide missions.
Taliban ‘recruiters’ have been showing up in madrassas in Pakistan and educating children in the arts of terrorism. This includes showing the children videos of suicide attacks and teaching them how to drive cars and motorcycles.
Recently they gave a fourteen year old boy named Rafiqullah a mission. He was selected to go to Afghanistan and stage a suicide attack with an Afghan governor as his target.
The boy crossed the border and made it to the Afghan city of Khost, were he linked up with his handler, one Abdul Aziz. When Aziz fitted Rafiqullah with a special vest rigged with explosives, it all became a little too real for the boy and he balked.
He told Aziz that he was afraid and couldn’t carry out the order. Aziz then threatened the boy with death and pointed a gun at him. Fortunately the police got wind of what was going on and took Rafiqullah into custody. Shortly afterwards he was released on the orders of President Hamid Karzai, who described him as an “innocent pawn”.
This isn’t a one-off case. Last month the Taliban used a six year old child in Ghazni province in an attempt to stage a suicide attack on the Americans. The boy asked for help from Afghan soldiers who discovered that he had been rigged with a suicide vest.
In April a video was released that showed Taliban militants instructing a 12 year old boy as he beheaded an alleged traitor. The boy was taped holding aloft the severed head while his Taliban audience looked on with approval.
The Taliban claim to be representatives of sharia law – a law they regard as morally superior to anything the West has to offer, and yet their treatment of children is an offense to the teachings of the Qu’ran and to fundamental human decency. It seems they place no moral limit on what they are prepared to do in order to achieve their objectives.
Next month, Canada’s famed Royal 22nd Regiment, the Van Doos, will take over the battle group in Kandahar. Many Canadians are dubious though that the nation’s confidence level can be restored.
PM Harper has been feeling the heat and has backed off his “no cut-and-run” rhetoric. Depending upon the will of Parliament, he may consider ending Canada’s combat role when the current mission expires in February 2009.
Free Diabetes Testing Meter
It is possible for you to get a free diabetes testing meter from a variety of sources.
You can try getting one from:
- Your local pharmacist
- Your doctor or specialist physician
- Health websites
Glucose Meter Size
One of the main factors to keep in mind when you are selecting a diabetes meter is the size of it. Do you prefer a small or larger meter? Most glucometers these days are about 3 or 4 inches long and about the same width. They are also very light, usually not weighing more than 5 ounces. Most people will carry their glucometer in their bag or purse, so having a small device can be convenient.
The only down side to a smaller meter is that it may be harder to read the display screen for people with bad eyesight, although thankfully even the smallest devices now come with extremely clear displays so this will not be a major issue for most people.
Keeping Track of Your Results
There are 2 easy ways that a diabetes test meter can help you to track past results:
1.
By storing it in the device’s own memory
2. By letting you easily download the results to your computer
You should take advantage of both of these features as most glucometers now come with them as standard. It will also assist your doctor in maintaining accurate records of your health so that he can look back on past results and find any patterns that may assist in helping to manage your diabetes even better.