While green tea has been studied for its numerous health
benefits, there’s at least one area of interest that needs
more attention.

Can drinking green tea really enhance fertility?

Now that’s the one-hundred-thousand dollar question! There’s
a lot of conflicting opinions and research results
pertaining to that subject. We’ll try to be fair and present
both sides of the issue.

Any tea made from the Camellia sinensis bush contains
caffeine. On the bright side of the teapot, green tea has
only one-sixth to one-tenth of the amount of caffeine that a
similar amount of regular coffee contains.

For those of us who are trying to watch our caffeine intake,
that’s a good deal. If you need a caffeine fix though, green
tea isn’t going to give you what you’re looking for. Better
start looking for the nearest Starbucks.

How can drinking green tea increase fertility?

A study done by the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program
in Oakland, California revealed that the chances of
conceiving doubled for woman who daily drank more than one-
half cup of green tea containing caffeine (American Journal
of Public Health, 1998). Because this wasn’t the case for
the other tested caffeinated beverages, caffeine wasn’t
deemed the causing agent. Some credit was given to the
possibility that the polyphenols and hypoxanthine, compounds
found in tea, resulted in a greater number of viable
embryos, and increased maturation and fertilizability of
oocytes.

Another conclusion of this study was that the healthy
lifestyle of many green tea drinkers, such as regular
exercise and decreased smoking and fat intake, might also
play a role in the enhanced fertility levels of the test
subjects.

How can drinking green tea decrease fertility?

Tannic acids, an element found in green tea, have been shown
to cause fertility problems and greater chances at
miscarrying.

While not an “initial” fertility situation, rumor has it
that EGCG, the main disease-fighting antioxidant known as
catechins in green tea that have been found to impede the
growth of tumors, might also effect the blood vessel growth
of a developing embryo.

Another post-fertility issue related to an excessive intake
of green tea involves the increased rate of birth defects.

Past studies have concluded that coffee consumption
increases the risk of miscarriages and that caffeine intake
enhances the negative effects of alcohol intake on
fertility. While not directly related to green tea, caffeine
is the potential cause of such problems.

Should I or shouldn’t I drink green tea for fertility
issues?

The best advice that we can give you is something you’ve
heard before. Check with your doctor first. Do your
homework. Then and only then can you make a truly educated
and well-informed decision about a very delicate issue.
Whatever you decide, we wish you the best of luck in your
quest for that new addition to your family. Cheers…

REQUIREMENTS FOR REPRINT: You have permission to publish this article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter, ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if it remains unchanged and
you include the copyright and author information (Resource Box) at the end. You may not use this article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam)
Copyright: 2005 Vaughn Balchunas

*****************************************************************************
Vaughn Balchunas is a writer and publisher of health, and self-growth articles.
For more information about tea and health go to:
http://www.tea-guide.com
*****************************************************************************

Nose Surgery Information

Rhinoplasty is the medical terminology for what most people refer to as a nose job, nose plastic surgery, or nose cosmetic surgery.

In this procedure there are several goals that a patient may be trying to achieve. Some individuals may be seeking to correct and reshape the nose by targeting these frequent items:

Reducing or increasing size

Removing a hump

Adjusting or changing the shape of the tip

Adjusting or changing the shape of the bridge

Narrowing the span of the nostrils

Changing the angle between the nose and upper lip

Because the correction of the above items may assist in relieving breathing problems it is possible that Rhinoplasty may be covered by insurance.

Length and details of the Nose Surgery procedure

The length of operation usually runs 1 to 2 hours or more.

Patients are given a general or local anesthesia, with sedation.

Rhinoplasty procedures are routinely outpatient.

Risks and/or complications related to Nose Surgery

For most Nose surgery operations the patient will experiences potential side effects consisting of temporary swelling, bruising around eyes, nose and headaches. The patient may also experience some bleeding and stiffness.
In addition there are other associated risks with this procedure that include the risk of infection, burst blood vessels could cause permanent red spots, and incomplete results could require additional surgery.

For most patients the recovery time needed varies with the activity. Patients may return to work in approximatly1 to 2 weeks. Those involved in sports or other physical activities will be able to resume these activities in approximately 2 to 3 weeks. Individuals are advised to limit exposure to the sun for several weeks afterwards. The final results of the procedure may take up to a year to be fully realized in its appearance.

Long-term results of Nose Surgery

In this procedure the results typically are permanent.

How much does a Nose Surgery cost?

The procedure typically runs in-between $3,000.00 to $8,000.00

Will my insurance cover a Nose Surgery procedure?

Because a Nose Surgery is considered an elective procedure, insurance usually will not cover the operation. Because the correction of the above items may assist in relieving breathing problems it is possible that Rhinoplasty may be covered by insurance.

Read more about Nose Surgery - Rhinoplasty and its benefits.
Alan Hood is a contributing writer at http://www.houstonmedcenter.com.

Did you know that if you automate your payments you could be spending Sunday nights
at the cinema with the children rather than sitting at the kitchen table with
your calculator trying to balance your cheque book? Well, if you didn’t,
the following are three great (free!) ways in which to automate your payments
and make your life so much easier:
The Standing Order
All creditors now allow you to make a monthly standing order payment to repay
their debt. In fact, most creditors prefer this method as they’re fairly
sure they’ll get their money on time (although it is not a guaranteed form
of payment - standing orders, like cheques, can “bounce”).
The upsides of a standing order repayment scheme are: (i) you know the payment
will be made on time (thereby avoiding any late payment fees); (ii) the monthly
amount is fixed, so its easy to budget for; (iii) after a while you don’t
notice the money going out of your account, so when you’ve finished repaying
the debt, just transfer the standing order to your savings account.
Although payments via standing order doesn’t mean that you reduce the number
of creditors that you have, your bank should let you set up as many standing orders
as you want (provided you have the money to pay for them). Doing this will make
the day-to-day running of your account(s) so much easier.
The Direct Debit
The direct debit is the payment method of choice for creditors. As with the standing
order, the direct debit is an automated payment from your bank account. However,
unlike the standing order, a direct debit is not really for a fixed amount each
month (although, in most cases, practically speaking, the amount is fixed at the
same sum). Instead, a direct debt mandate (the authorisation you give to your
creditor to take money out of your account) says that the creditor can take as
much as they want. For this reason, you should be careful before giving a creditor
a direct debit mandate - make sure both of you (i) know the day the money
is going to come out of your account; and (ii) as much as possible, know the amount
to come out of your account.
Not really ideal for all payments, the direct debit is, however, really useful
for utilities bills. Just keep in mind that with the standing order you are the
one sending the money to your creditor, whereas with the direct debit your creditor
is asking your bank to pay them (so it’s a little like giving someone a blank
cheque!).
Online Banking
Becoming very popular is to open an account with a bank that lets you do all your
banking and bill payments via the internet. Internet banking is a great way to
stay ahead of your bill payments and finances without having to leave the comfort
of your home or office. Having said that, do make sure that you check to see if
your bank is going to charge you for processing transactions via the Internet
- as some do - before going ahead and doing it.
And finally…
As you can see, if you give some thought to automating your finances you could
find that you have lots of spare time to spend doing more enjoyable things -
like a night out with the family!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sara Dowling is the owner of GuruSoup.com and
Travel Information and Advice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nowadays, there are plenty of shower screens out there to be had for pocket change. At the same time, at the top end of the market, you can pay hundreds for something truly luxurious. So what, exactly, is the difference?

Let’s look first at the very cheapest shower screens available. They are nearly all made in China with low-quality parts, and they can have all sorts of problems. The glass will often be flimsy and easy to break, and the frame may quickly start to have trouble sliding. You might even find that it moves on its own!

At the higher end of the market, you will see ingenious solutions to every problem a shower screen could have. The glass will be toughened and could be as thick as half a centimetre. The guides for the Shower screen will be silent and easy to move.

As well as these technical features, pricier shower screens will also be much better looking than their cheaper counterparts: the manufacturers will have put some time into coming up with designs that are pleasing to the eye. After all, you have to see the shower screen in your bathroom every day, even if you’re not using it.

However, expensive shower screens can also come with features you don’t need. They are often more adaptable to different styles of shower, which saves you finding out which one you need, but also means that you’re paying for adaptability that you might never use. Also, in practice, there is little difference between 5mm toughened glass, for example, and 2mm toughened glass, apart from a huge increase in cost.

So what should you do? Overall, it is worthwhile spending a little extra to get away from the cheapest end of the market, unless you want to replace your shower screen once a year or even more - you’ll save more than what you spend over the long run by getting something good-quality. However, as you get into the higher price ranges you need to spend much more to get more. So buy cheap… but not too cheap.

John Gibb is the owner of shower screens guide, For more information on shower screens please check out www.showerscreens-resources.info

Baby shower gift baskets can be one of the easiest ways for you as the gift giver to be creative, and show the person your giving it to just how much you care about them. Instead of one big gift, you get to give out a plethora of trinkets, toys, and other fun items, wrapped together in a beautiful package which, in itself, can be a gorgeous thing to receive.

A popular thing to do when buying a baby shower gift basket is to let the company who makes it fashion the wicker baby shower gift basket as a bassinet, within which are all the things you want to bestow upon the new child, making your gift all the more thoughtful and appropriate. Better yet, there are so many companies out there that are experts at making these sorts of things, so even if you’re not exactly Martha Stewart yourself, you can let an anonymous craftsperson make it seem like you should have your own cable show.

Within the baby shower gift basket, you’ll want to include the basics, those simple bare necessities. This means, teddy bears and or dolls are a given, as any parent will know a young child can never have enough teddy bears. If you want to be gender specific, you can go for the standard pink or blue color palettes to appease notions of femininity and masculinity, but many people nowadays are shying away from such black and white notions of sex, so your best bet is probably to stay as neutral as possible.

This also means that you can go nuts and include just about anything in the toy department that you want to give the new baby. No longer do Tonka trucks mean ‘it’s a boy’ nor do Raggedy Ann dolls indicate the infant is a girl, so take advantage of this freedom in creating a truly unique and baby shower gift basket. Baby oil or baby wipes can be the new parent’s dream as well, since they’ll surely be running through plenty of both, so don’t be afraid to include the practical as well as the sentimental.

Baby Shower
Gift Baskets - Providing information on ways to create
gorgeous baby shower gift baskets, baby gifts, baby shower decorations,and invitations. Enjoy the many baby shower ideas.

Nonetheless it’s a popular term used by personal injury solicitors. There are advertisements all over the place, online and offline by solicitors and claim management companies. “If you lose, we won’t charge you a penny” and many of the likes. But do you understand what it means…

A solicitor will mention he or she will work on a no win no fee basis. In an instant you’ll think, ‘if the solicitor loses, I don’t pay anything’, which is correct. But what happens if the solicitor wins?

That’s right, there’s a fee to pay. Not many people grasp this… they only think if they lose they don’t need to pay. Majority of people think it’s a free service. It’s true… to a certain extent.

If the solicitor wins and you receive your final settlement, have they ever happen to mention, ‘by the way I’ve won your case, my fees are £XXXX!’ They’ve won, haven’t they and you’ve received your cheque, but what about the fees?

What happens behind the scenes…

This is what happens but I must point out it doesn’t apply to all solicitor firms. It all in the paperwork, some refer to it as the ’small print’. When a client wins, the fees are received from the 3rd party, who you are claiming against. But there are conditional clauses where you might even have to pay for their fees additionally if they are not recovered. Solicitors don’t work for free, they also have a family to feed and a legal firm to run.

So what’s the catch?

Solicitors have a CFA (conditional fee agreement), which states obligations to be carried out by both yourself and the solicitor. There are also other agreements such as insurance policies, medical consent forms, authority forms and loan agreements.

Your final settlement cheque depends on what forms you sign. So before you go ahead and start signing papers with any solicitor firm, ask them specific questions.

• Will I get 100% of my compensation?

• Will you charge me any fees, if so, why and how?

• What’s a Conditional Fee Agreement for?

• Why is there an insurance policy for my claim and will it be deducted from my settlement cheque?

• Why do I need sign a loan agreement?

These are ‘power’ questions you need to ask to be on the safe side rather than questions like:

• How much will I get in compensation?

• How long will my case take?

• Is there any way to speed up the process so that I can get the settlement cheque quicker?

These are NOT questions in terms of the solicitor helping you. These are money related questions and not really helpful in the initial stages of a personal injury case. It’s true that the final result is about the money, but not at this moment.

By asking ‘power’ questions, it won’t have a burden on you once your claim is settled. Communicating with the ‘right’ no win no fee solicitor helps tremendously especially if you want the maximum final results. They are working with you, not against you. So get these issues out of the way before you sign any papers or you could end up in shock!

It’s easy to claim compensation without receiving any final moments of ’shock’. It’s a new era in no win no fee claims; ask power questions and you’ll be laughing to the bank.

A credit report is more than just a snapshot of your financial picture; it can assist credit grantors in determining your overall risk factor. Additionally, lenders, credit grantors, and even human resource departments often use it as a tool to determine a person’s character.

When applying for a mortgage, your lender will request a credit report from one or all three consumer credit agencies. While credit repositories do not divulge exactly how the scoring model calculates the numerical score, the score determines your credit standing and worthiness. This score is based on several factors including types of credit, amount of credit and your payment history. For instance, if a score is 679 with a 12-month mortgage reporting 30 days late; or a 620 score with no mortgage lates and a credit card under half the credit limit - who would you lend to? When refinancing or purchasing a home, the accuracy of this information could literally mean thousands of dollars either saved or lost.

Vital information is constantly streaming into your credit report, both accurate and erroneous. Due to the level of erroneous reporting, there has been pressure on Congress to make the credit repositories more accountable for the accuracy of the information AND to divulge what goes into the scoring models. However, do not leave it to Congress to straighten out the pitfalls of errors on your personal credit report. You should check your report annually to insure that all the data is accurate.

Why is this important? The lending industry is moving toward “risk-based” pricing. In other words, the higher one’s credit scores, the less paper they will have to provide to prove that they are creditworthy AND the interest rate and/or fees a borrower pays will be based on the level of their scores. The higher the score, the lower the rate, payment and many times the down payment. Does this mean that people with challenged credit should not apply? Not at all. No different than one of us lending a co-worker or family member a couple hundred bucks until payday, the lender simply wants to make sure they are protected. A loan may still be granted in this scenario by perhaps requiring more money towards the down payment or a slightly higher interest rate.

The truth is, it’s a great reward for those who maintain impeccable credit and a goal for others. With this in mind everyone can take advantage of low interest rates.

Le’Andra Martin, Branch Manager with American Mortgage Specialists can be reached at 866-824-9549. She is dedicated to helping homeowners and investors maximize the investment in their homes.

Not only can you decorate your leather item, leather itself can be the decoration. Book binding is a great example, which has recently enjoyed renewed popularity. The way you look at this project depends on the condition of the book.

You may need to repair the spine and actual page bindings in order to install a new cover. In any case, this first step would be to remove the old cover. http://www.philobiblon.com is a site that has very detailed instructions to walk you through this. Half of the fun of leather book binding is learning about it. http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/don/dt/dt0412.html has information about book binding past, present, and future.

Their information is accurate and interesting! You can start from scratch with a hide, or order leather book binding supplies from a reputable supplier such as http://www.hewit.com

There is more to book binding than slapping a cover on. If you want a rich, professional appearance, you’ll find numerous books at your local library or in-depth information on the Internet on the process of book binding. Hand-bound books are considered rare, unusual, and in some cases priceless. Therefore, it would be worth your time and money to do it right and enjoy the results. (or profits if you are doing it professionally)

*** Hey! Want To Make Something Out Of Leather? ***
Discover How To Make Leather Crafts for Fun and Profit
Click Here ==> Leather Craft

Carpal tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is one of many musculoskeletal injuries listed under the broader terms of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) or Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD). A number of other injuries listed under these terms, but that are not exclusively caused by a repetitive strain injury or cumulative trauma disorder include Guyon’s Syndrome, Tendonitis, Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, Medial and Lateral Epicondylitis and Trigger Finger.

Carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain injuries are caused by excessive overuse of a muscle or group of muscles in a unidirectional movement pattern. Examples would include typing, wringing a washcloth and using a computer mouse. All of the movement patterns involve motion against resistance in one direction - flexion. This one-way motion does not actually have to involve “repetitive” movements as the term “repetitive strain injury” implies, as it is just as common for an individual to become afflicted with a repetitive strain injury while performing activities that involve no movement of the hands at all. Examples of this would include holding onto a steering wheel, gripping a pen or a tool such as a hammer all day. With these types of activities, no repetitive type motion is involved at all, but instead, “static flexion” is utilized, which involves the overuse of these muscles, but in a manner that is stationary.

Since Repetitive strain injuries are most often caused by unidirectional patterns, the best way to counteract each specific overused motion is the implementation of an exercise program that involves the implementation of resistance exercises to the opposing muscle or group of muscles that is being overused. An example training program for carpal tunnel syndrome would include resistance exercises for the muscles that open (extension) the hands in order to counteract the overuse of the muscles that close the hands (flexion). This principal of “balancing” muscles groups so that there is a more natural equality of strength between muscles that surround a specific joint, whether it is the wrist, elbow, shoulder or neck, is basic common sense and integrated into training programs by the top practitioners and therapists in the industry today. Here are a few examples of practitioner responses regarding the implementation of restoring balance between muscle groups in order to prevent and rehabilitate repetitive strain injuries including Carpal tunnel syndrome.

“Muscle balance must be restored with specific exercises. Otherwise, the already strong and overused muscles get stronger, and the weak and underused muscles remain weak. Individuals get good at using the overused muscles and must be trained specifically to recruit and strengthen the weak underused muscles.” Philip E. Higgs, M.D. and Susan E. Mackinnon, M.D. Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. Annu. Rev. Med. 1995. 46:1-16

“If certain muscle groups are underused, opposing muscle groups will be overused. Muscles in either a lengthened or shortened position will be at a mechanical disadvantage and weak. The overused group will hypertrophy, and the underused group will continue to be weak. This combination produces a self perpetuating condition that maintains the abnormal posture and muscle imbalance.” Philip E. Higgs, M.D. and Susan E. Mackinnon, M.D. Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. Annu. Rev. Med. 1995. 46:1-16

A strong example of how important it is to properly balance muscle groups is seen in the following statement regarding the balancing of the in the hands and forearms.

“All of the extrinsic hand muscles become involved in a power grip, in proportion to the strength of the grip.”…….. “Strong agonist-antagonist interactions are needed between the flexors and extensors of the hand and fingers to produce forceful hand-grip. Powerful flexion of the distal phalanges requires strong activity also of the finger extensors.” Janet G. Travell, M.D. and David G. Simons, M.D. Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction-The Trigger Point Manual. Volume1 Upper Extremities, Ch:35, pg. 501. Copyright 1983.

Performing corrective exercises in order to prevent and rehabilitate carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injuries is of the utmost importance. In 95% of most cases, there is no need for invasive techniques like cortisone injections or surgery in order to eliminate carpal tunnel or other repetitive strain injuries. It is one thing if you have an actual structural anomaly that needs to be corrected, but since most cases of carpal tunnel and repetitive strain injury occur in later years, it is quite obvious that a physical anomaly does not exist as this would be experienced by the individual in their younger years. Instead a structural or joint imbalance exists that has developed due to long-term overuse, or sudden trauma due to overuse, and is a result of overly strong muscles pulling one direction while the opposing weak muscles try unsuccessfully to counteract and pull the other direction.

Muscle imbalances can be corrected with simple exercises. By performing a sensible, active stretch / exercise program that focuses on keeping muscles balanced, individuals can stay healthy and symptom-free!

NOTE: Be sure to be aware of any pain that is experienced ‘while’ performing stretches or exercises. If pain is experienced while performing any particular motion, stop immediately. Post exercise soreness is normal. Always be sure to consult a physician before beginning any stretch / exercise program.

Jeff P. Anliker, LMT, is a Therapist, Inventor of Therapeutic Exercise Products that are utilized by Corporations, Consumers and Medical Facilities around the world for treating muscle imbalances affecting the upper extremity. Balance Systems, Inc.

Nobody enjoys wasting time on “Envelope Stuffing” programs (or any other work at home programs) that turn out to be scams.

Whether you’re a “work at home mom”, “retired”, “a business tycoon” or just “someone looking for a job”, home business opportunities are a great way to increase your income without significantly increasing your work load.

Working smarter not harder is where we all want to go!

Working smarter isn’t all that easy when trying to get through all the hype that most advertisers use. The reality that you will have to pay a non-refundable registration fee and then find out that there isn’t anything available “in your area” or “now you have to invest more money” etc. is not very enjoyable. Isn’t there a better way?

I simply believe that there are programs that do work well and will work no matter where you live. They have to be legal. They may not be “get rich quick schemes”! (I have always been suspect of that phrase!) They may even take some time and effort to develop, but they have to be out there.

In my life I have discovered that anyone willing to expand how they think about things, and to change what they do about it, is on their way to success!

Why would anyone be willing to “learn the hard way” when someone else has already done the investigating for them. In fact I saw a manual that teaches you how to start your own “envelope stuffing” business and learn quickly how to make lots of money. Unlike some other programs that pay you per envelope stuffed (which is only a small portion of the profits made) this manual teaches you how to start your own business and get All The Profits.

On top of that wouldn’t it be great to have someone giving you the right information to help you keep your business venture moving smoothly? Yes, of course!

There are people who do just that! In fact that is the niche that I have found for me.

Fred has spent many years looking for better ways to do things. He has created a web site offering “Work at Home” programs that realy work. Check it out at http://www.workathomeop.com/