The Lobotomist

A PBS program The Lobotomist reminds us that the “miracle cures" of yesteryear are today’s medical quackery. (It looks like anti-depressant drugs are already beginning to fall into that category.)

In the early decades of the 20th century, before the development of psychiatric medications, there were few effective treatments for mental illness. For most patients, the last stop in their anguished journey was an overcrowded state asylum. While Freudian psychoanalysis and "talk" therapy was gaining prominence as a potential cure, an ambitious young neurologist named Walter Freeman advocated a more radical approach -- brain surgery to reduce the severity of psychotic symptoms. Read more

Use Track Work to Jump Start Fat Loss

Andrew at Andrew's Fitness tells how to use track work to jump start fat loss. Before laying out the program, though, he reminds readers of the importance of diet.

Before I lay out the program, please realize that fat loss is about making your diet better. Make SURE that you are eating large servings of vegetables, and sufficient protein and fat. Do not try to undereat on this plan, it will only decrease your energy levels. Eat a lot of healthy food so that you have the energy to bang out hard workouts. (These guidelines are true generally, but especially when you are trying to lose fat.) Read more

Eye Yoga

Paul McCartney demonstrates eye yoga exercises that he learned in India.

5 Tips for Getting More out of Your Bodyweight Exercise Routine

There's a reason that the military primarily uses bodyweight exercises or calisthenics for physical training. They're a convenient way to quickly improve your strength and conditioning. Internationally known health advocate, author, and film consultant Kevin Gianni gives five tips for getting more out of your bodyweight exercise routine. (I vehemently disagree with his dietary recommendations though.)

Bodyweight exercises are what I use for strength training and toning. Using them 3-4 times a week along with some great cardio will give you all the benefits you’ll ever want to have with your fitness program. Throw in a primarily vegan or raw food diet and you can end up in the 99th percentile of optimum health!

There are five tips, that used consistently, can provide you with the best bodyweight exercise routine. Read more

A Very Advanced Push-Up Routine

Hit-Man does this very advanced push-ups routine after his workout. Can you even do the first exercise, let alone the entire routine?

Sunscreen Damages Coral Reefs

If vitamin D deficiency and cancer-causing chemicals aren't enough to persuade you quit using sunscreen, how about protecting the environment? It turns out that sunscreens also harm coral reefs.

Ingredients in sun care products may be bleaching coral reefs by promoting viral infections, say scientists at the University of the Marche, Italy.

Organic UV filters and preservatives used in sun care products could contribute to the bleaching of hard-coral if released into natural systems, say the researchers led by Roberto Danovaro. Read more

Reverse Hair Loss with Massage

If the scalp is very tight, blood circulation to the follicles is reduced and the hair “starves.” Massage is a great way to improve scalp circulation and boost healthy hair growth. To relieve tension in the scalp and to promote healthy hair, try this Indonesian massage technique:

Head-Rapping

• Stand with your feet apart and slowly breathe in and out.
• Gently lean forward from waist, curving your spine, until your head is just below waist level.
• Keeping your legs straight, gently rap your scalp all over with your knuckles for 30 seconds.
  
• Slowly raise your body and repeat the rapping in an upright position.

Neck Exercises

• Turn your head to the left 5 times
• Now turn your head to the right 5 times
• Lift the head up 5 times
• Move it down toward your chest 5 times
• Roll your head gently in a circle 5 times in each direction.

Scalp Exercise

• Bend your head forward.
• Grasp a hank of hair close to scalp.
• Tug hard, relax your grip, then tug again.
• Repeat the procedure three times.
• Repeat all over scalp, to stimulate new, thicker growth, concentrating on any thinning areas, such as the sides of the forehead or the crown.

If you want to stop and reverse hair loss, it's necessary to improve blood flow to the scalp. Massaging a few drops of vitamin E oil into the scalp is also recommended to strengthen fragile hair and help prevent dandruff.

For more information about inexpensive, natural programs to reverse hair loss, read my review of the two best programs I've found to reverse hair loss at my blog Reverse Hair Loss.

Exercise for Ejaculatory Control

Premature ejaculation can be defined as having an orgasm any time before you would like to. Since male orgasm originates in the prostate, ejaculation control starts with learning how to contract the prostate by contracting your pubococcygeus (PC) muscle. The PC muscle serves as a valve around the genitalia, which you have to learn how to open and contract. Your PC muscle is the same muscle that you use to stop the flow of urine. A Tantric exercise called fractional urination uses your ability to control your urinary flow to strengthen you PC muscle enough to control your ejaculation.

Tantric Fractional Urination Exercise

1) When your bladder is full, stand up.
2) Take a deep breath.
3) Exhale slowly, pushing the urine out while contracting your PC muscle.
4) Inhale and contract your PC muscle in order to stop the flow of urine.
5) Pause long enough so that the urine flow stops completely.
6) Exhale and let it flow again.

Repeat steps 2-6 for 7 to 21 times. When your PC muscle is stronger you may stop the urinary flow up to 70 times. If your PC muscle is strong, it will be easy for you to stop the flow of urine from the beginning. If it's difficult, it means that your PC muscle needs to be strengthened and trained. If the PC muscle becomes sore, you have to keep on practicing, because this is an indication that it is not trained yet.

During sex, as you approach orgasm, you should notice several contractions that signal the beginning of ejaculation in the base of your penis or even deeper inside your pelvis. When these contractions begin, or preferably just before (but still during the orgasm), stop thrusting and squeeze the PC muscle tight. You'll probably feel yourself trying to ejaculate, but hold it back. Squeezing your PC muscle effectively shuts off your ejaculation.

f you were unable to keep from ejaculating the first time, either your PC muscle isn't strong enough yet, or you squeezed it at the wrong time. If you begin squeezing too late after the ejaculatory contractions have already begun, it is nearly impossible to stop the process completely. With practice, you will learn the timing.

If you are not happy with the size of your penis, I highly recommend you check out PenisAdvantage. PenisAdvantage provides unique natural penis enlargement exercises that you can try at home to enlarge your penis by 1 to 4 inches naturally without the need for any medication or drugs.

Metabolic Syndrome Is Linked to Diet Soda

Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods, accounting for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Now researchers have documented yet another danger this artificial sweetener poses.

Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome — the collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and elevated blood pressure. Read more

A Natural Aid to Better Erections

Can a man aid his erection without expensive and potentially dangerous medications, such as Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra? The answer is yes. There has been such a natural way to increase the quality and quantity of erections in the Mediterranean area since before recorded history.

The pistachio is full of micronutrients, many of which are responsible for the male sexual response. When mixed with honey, the nutritional value of pistachios produces a highly enriched food that will show its benefit to overall good health and circulatory benefits demonstrated by rock-hard erections. The pistachio - honey elixir recipe below produces enhanced erections and an abundance of semen.

Add about one cup full of dry roasted pistachios to an equal amount of natural organic honey. Place the mixture into a glass jar, and expose to the sun for one week. After one week's exposure, the mixture is ready.

Take one tablespoon of the pistachio - honey elixir every morning and one tablespoon when sexual activity is anticipated. It also may be eaten alone, mixed with natural, unflavored yogurt, or poured onto fruit. Over time, the result will be rock-hard erections and a healthy sex drive.

If you are not happy with the size of your penis, I highly recommend you check out PenisAdvantage. PenisAdvantage provides unique natural penis enlargement exercises that you can try at home to enlarge your penis by 1 to 4 inches naturally without the need for any medication or drugs.

Breathing to Fall Asleep Easily

Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which a person experiences poor sleep or has trouble sleeping. Poor sleep for any length of time can lead to mood disturbances, lack of motivation, decreased attention span, trouble with concentration, low levels of energy, and increased fatigue. If you're troubled by difficulty falling asleep, practice this breathing exercise when you go to bed at night. It's simple, but highly effective.

Lie down and relax your body as best as you can. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Each time you breathe in imagine the air gently flowing into your lungs and stomach. Then visualize the air flowing out smoothly and easily as you exhale.

With each outgoing breath, imagine that you are relaxing your body more and more, that that you're going deeper within yourself. See and feel all your stresses and tensions easily dissolving and going away with each outgoing breath. Do this five times.

Next, breathe in slowly to the count of four. Once your lungs are comfortably full, hold your breath for one second. Breathe out slowly to the count of eight. Feel yourself relaxing more deeply each time you breathe out.

Repeat this process ten times. At the end of it, you'll find yourself in a deep state of relaxation physically and mentally. You will notice the effects immediately. You will feel much calmer and any constriction in your chest and head will likely have dissolved.

Make this breathing exercise a part of your bedtime routine. You will soon associate this exercise with falling asleep, and you will indeed fall asleep more easily.

To get FREE access to the exclusive series "What Are the 7 Biggest Mistakes Most Insomniacs Make?" click here. To read my review of the two best resources for better sleep you can choose, go to my blog Better Sleep.

Heath Ledger's Death: Tied to Diet Coke Aspartame?

I'm not normally interested in celebrity news. However, Heath Ledger's untimely death may wind up having some positive effect if the media makes the connection between his use of aspartame in Diet Coke and his death.

Heath Ledger was a Diet Coke drinker, according to reports. He also suffered from a bipolar symptoms. He was on Ambien CR and anti-depressants (SSRIs) and even illegal drugs.

Aspartame marketed as NutraSweet, E951 or 951, Equal, Canderel, etc. is a psycho drug that changes brain chemistry. Ralph G. Walton, MD, Medical Director, Safe Harbor Behavioral Health Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine says:

"The dipeptide component of the molecule can alter brain chemistry, significantly changing the ratio of catecholamines to indolamines, with resultant lowering of seizure threshold, production of carbohydrate craving and in vulnerable individuals leading to panic, depressive and cognitive symptoms." Read more

If you don't think that aspartame can have serious, acute side effects, read how aspartame chewing gum poisoned New Zealand woman.

Exercise for Bigger Erections

Exercising is by far the best method to enlarge your penis. Exercises help you build both thickness and length in slow increments over a longer period of time, and the results last forever. Jelqing is a method designed to enlarge the penis by increasing the blood pressure in the penis, with the goal of permanently increasing the maximum erect size of the penis.

This technique involves wrapping the thumb and index finger around your semi-erect penis and repeatedly drawing them away from the body to force blood into the glans and into the corpora cavernosa and associated tissues. The excess blood allows the area to be stretched further and further. The workout breaks down erectile tissue, which grows back up bigger than before. Jelqing can help you gain thickness in your penis, which is more important than length, or just as important.

The basic jelq exercise is quite simple. First, apply a generous amount of Vaseline, baby oil, or other lubricant to your penis and rub it evenly all over. Massage yourself to almost a full erection, but not quite. Now, massage a small amount of lubricant into your palms. Take your left hand and make an "OK" symbol with your thumb and forefinger. Take your thumb and forefinger and grip tightly around the base of your penis. Keeping a tight grip, slide your hand down to the head of your penis, pulling as you go.

You should see the head of your penis expanding as you slide your hand down. Repeat with your right hand. Now continue this act over and over, one hand, then the other in a sort of "milking" action. Be sure to keep a tight grip around your penis with your thumb and forefinger as you milk down to your head. See your head expand with blood as you repeat, one hand and then the other, over and over again at a medium to brisk pace.

Do not ejaculate while jelqing. If you feel the urge to ejaculate, pause for a few moments and wait for the urge to subside. Holding back is an exercise in restraint, which will instill a sense of self-control. Jelqing stimulates circulation in the genitals, and the increased blood supply is temporarily trapped in your penis. Remember to keep your penis in a semi-erect state. If it's completely flaccid while you jelq, you will not see any results. You MUST have a partial erection while doing this exercise.

For the first week or so, only jelq for about 10 minutes per day or 100-200 repetitions. After two weeks or so, try to work up to 20 minutes every day. After another two weeks, increase the length of your jelq sessions to 30 minutes. After you have done a 30-minute jelq session, your penis should feel warm, larger than normal, and tingly. This is the feeling that you want because it shows that you have broken down and fatigued the erectile tissue in your penis, and it will grow back bigger and stronger - similar to bodybuilding.

After your jelq session, perform a "hot wrap" with a wash cloth to stimulate your penis and keep blood held within. Soak a wash cloth under a hot faucet and wrap around your penis and testicles. Do this three times, and finish by drying with a towel. If you cannot achieve an erection for several hours after a vigorous jelqing session, do not worry because this is quite normal. Your erectile tissue is just extremely tired, but will recover shortly.

After several months of jelqing, your penis will begin grow much thicker as well as longer. You will probably notice a change after the first few sessions. After about 3-4 months of daily practice, results will become permanent, but you should continue jelq sessions to keep your penis in prime condition.

This exercise is perhaps the most effective penis enlargement technique known to man. It not only makes your penis longer and thicker, but harder and healthier as well.

If you are not happy with the size of your penis, I highly recommend you check out PenisAdvantage. PenisAdvantage provides unique natural penis enlargement exercises that you can try at home to enlarge your penis by 1 to 4 inches naturally without the need for any medication or drugs.

The Bodyweight 100 Workout

For a change in your regular bodyweight exercise routine, try the Bodyweight 100 challenge. These compound exercises will burn a lot of fat and calories and will keep your metabolism increased for hours after your workout.

The Bodyweight 100 challenge was featured in Men's Health magazine in January 2008. This workout is the initial stage in a much longer and more challenging program called the Bodyweight 500. But that's getting ahead of ourselves.

First, let's take a look at the Bodyweight 100 workout. Do your regular workouts on Monday and Wednesday, and then try the 100 workout on a Friday or Saturday. Read more