No way around it, modern life causes stress, and teenagers are maybe the most affected. Personally, my own teenagers (all 8, yes, 8 of them) have taught me much more than I ever wanted to know!

Life is not simple anymore for teenagers, and stress can make it even more difficult. There are pressures from every side, some positive and some negative. Parents are the lightning rods of the family and it is our obligation to know how to show unconditional love.

Some days are blissful and full of sharing and good times, other days you wonder where your sanity went. It is our hope that you can benefit from the experience of others, as we have. It takes a village to raise a child!

A great and very inexpensive way to learn how to manage your personal stress can be found in my ebook, “Stress Secrets.” It is full of useful, personal insight on dealing with difficult people. You will learn how to grow as a healthy person in the midst of life’s many obstacles. Find out more here.

Health Related Topics

• Acne- Here is a comparison of 4 of the leading acne treatments
• Depression and Teens- see the list below
• School stress

Acne, stress and the hormones involved can have a huge impact on anyone, especially teenagers. What teenager hasn’t been bothered by the unsightly blemishes of acne?

In fact, studies have shown that 20% of adults suffer from acne related problems, and 25% of adults have permanent scars from skin problems.

Even though acne does not pose a serious health threat, there is no doubt that it affects our self-image and esteem. The good news is that there are numerous steps you can take to improve your skin condition. 

Acne, stress and hormones are all connected.

A study done at Stanford University showed that stress plays an important role in controlling acne. It was learned that as stress levels increased during final exams, so did the incidence of acne. This actually came as no surprise, because it is well known that stress increases body oils.

Hormones are involved because they are the mechanism by which the body controls the oil level in the skin. Often people have hormonal imbalances that cause the body to produce excess oils, thus increasing the likelihood of acne.

Clearly, any steps you can take to reduce stress will have an immediate impact on your skin, as well as your general sense of well-being. Proactiv® Solution – The Answer for Acne.

What are some acne myths?

• Acne is not caused by diet. This is false. The scientific community is re-examining it’s earlier position due to new studies. Also, many people have observed the direct and immediate impact of certain foods. In particular, junk foods and sweets are commonly reported to produce skin problems. In any case, it is always a good idea to eat well! Diet is not the primary cause, but common sense shows that it contributes.

• You must scrub your face. False. Vigorous scrubbing of the face may actually increase acne. This is because the pores may be opened and bacteria can enter in, which is the primary cause in the first place! It is recommended to use gentle washing, pat drying and the application of a high quality acne solution. Many people have had great results from using an acne medication: Proactiv® Solution

• There is nothing you can do. False! Good hygiene, healthy diet, adequate exercise, plenty of fresh water, and adequate rest will certainly help. The addition of a skin care program is highly advised. Nutritional supplements, taken in a well planned program designed for skin health, is highly advisable. There are several wonderful acne solutions on the market that will make a difference in your life.

What can you do? What should you do?

It is clear that good hygiene, a healthy diet, adequate exercise, plenty of fresh water and adequate rest are most important in controlling acne. Personally, I don’t really know many teenagers who meet all of the above requirements! Do you?

My own teenaged daughter is a prime example: basically, she goes until she drops. On or off. She has lovely skin though, and one of the major reasons is that she discovered a very effective skin care program called Proactiv. I actually remember when she first got it. She was breaking out all over, not big pimples, but many tiny ones all over her face and back.

Click here for the Proactiv® 30–Day Trial System

It was truly amazed at the quick results she got. Probably within a week or two there was a noticable difference, and it has remained to this day. I would highly recommend it to anyone with a concern for acne.

Look your best for this school year and save nearly 50% by purchasing Proactiv® Solution!

The connection between an irregular period and menopause can be rather confusing. This is because a woman’s body does not always send a completely clear signal; it just isn’t black and white.

Having an irregular menstrual period is quite common, and often increases during perimenopause. Some women have periods like clockwork for years and suddenly miss a month . Others have irregular menstrual periods and suddenly have periods like clockwork. It is recommended for younger women to see their doctor if they experience more than two irregular periods a year. You can learn more here.

There are several reasons for this irregularity. In menopause, an irregular period is to be expected. Your body is not going to just suddenly change. Gradually, as the cycle changes and the hormones find a new balance, the periods stop. Generally, when a woman has not had a period for one year, she is in menopause.

Often poor diet, poor sleeping habits, and stress can contribute to an irregular period. It is recommended that you support your health with a high quality multi-vitamin and mineral program. One very effective program has been developed by the doctors at the Women To Women Clinic.

Many women been helped by using these supplements and find that their transition into menopause is much easier than before. If you want to find out more about this Personal Program, the first step is to take the free online Personal Profile. It is completely free and the results are mailed to you confidentially.

Take the free, online Personal Profile now and find out about your irregular period and menopause.

Religion and stress might seem like an unlikely connection, but the two are very closely related. On the one hand, religion can greatly help to reduce emotional stress on your family. On the other hand, religion can become one of the major causes of stress.

The healing and inspirational power of religion can quickly become an oppressive, deadening force in your family. It is, unfortunately, a part of human nature to force our beliefs on others.

Religion and depression

All too often believers suffer from depression as a result of the stress they experience in their religious life. There can be many reasons for this depression, such as hormonal imbalances, but many times it is the direct result of a misunderstood life of faith.

Obviously, children need moral guidance and to learn to be rooted and grounded in a personal belief system. It is primarily the responsibility of parents to teach this, by example first, and words second. Religion and stress on children can easily turn into depression or other problems.

Don’t let religion and stress become a problem in your family

Your children need a moral base to stand on. They need a belief system to help them navigate through the murky waters of modern society. Without an inner voice guiding them to make sound, healthy decisions, they can easily be led down a path they later greatly regret.

It requires time and patience to instill moral beliefs into a child. They are incredibly observant and aware of hypocrisy and deceit. Children learn primarily by your example, not only in the early years, but possibly more so as they grow older and understand more. Those beliefs will remain, even in the midst of teenage turmoil, though it might not appear to be so at the time!

Talk to them, listen to them, spend time together and point out everyday examples of right and wrong. They don’t need to be preached at, just shared with. Never allow religion and stress to become part of your moral guidance. Use the time in the car, at the table, on a walk. Before you know it, they will be grown and on their own.

The Stress Secrets Book

After teaching Sunday school for at least 20 years, leading countless youth groups and raising my own children, I wrote down the secrets I had discovered. It will surprise you, but the secrets have everything to do with your inner life and very little to do with technique or programs. Take some time to digest it, try the secrets out in your own life; I promise you, you will get results! You can find out more here.

Why is the preacher’s kid so bad?

Very often, those people who wish to have model children end up with a disaster. Preacher’s kids are often some of the most rebellious. Just talk to one of them and it quickly becomes evident what happened. All the demands for great behavior, service to the church, and the constant drumming of instruction had the reverse effect of driving them away.

Religion and stress can quickly become associated together, especially when our intentions are so good! Sometimes parents try too hard to make something good grow. This is often a root cause of religion and depression.

In Norway I once saw a statue of a famous Viking ruler who Christianized the country by the sword and broad-axe, so I was told. Either you converted or got your head chopped off. Talk about religion and stress! There just has to be a better way in our families!

Children are not our guinea pigs, where we try out our programs and experiment with the latest new idea. Religion and stress can disrupt their normal development and cause them to suffer for years. They deserve our respect and true care. Give them the space they need, trust them, let them make mistakes and learn.

You can’t just leave them to their own devices either, unless you want to reap a whirlwind later on. Find a balance, each child is unique and special. Plus, they are only children once. Make spirituality a part of their lives by making it important in yours. Then you can enjoy the journey together and learn and grow together. This bond is unbreakable because it is born out of life.

How can religion help your family?

The restorative power of a living religion to reduce emotional and physical stress is amazing. Reading, praying, and meditating all can greatly help reduce stress in your family.

One of the greatest healing powers of religion lies in gratitude. Making a habit of being thankful will greatly reduce the stress in any relationship, especially in a family.

It is amazing how a little quiet time can help to manage stress. Whether you find your quiet time alone in your house, walking down a garden path, hiking in the woods, or sitting in a church, the power of a peaceful, quiet time is enormous.

Meditative reading not only calms your mind, but gives inspirational motivation to strive for the best you can become. There is so much wonderful reading material available, the key is to have it close at hand and to use it. Don’t let it be like the decaying vegetable in many refrigerator drawers; it was bought with good intentions, but never eaten!

Prayer give you peace and clarity of mind. When children observe you praying, not just for deliverance from the latest crisis, but as a part of your life, they will naturally be drawn to it. There is no need to be formal and use big words to try and sound spiritual, it is far better to be real.

In this way, religion and stress becomes a useful tool to improve our lives, as well as give our children a life-long example to live by.

What about organized religion and stress?

Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and a dozen other major and minor religions exist throughout the world. Religious intolerance is responsible for so many of the world’s problems. Oddly enough, most, if not all, teach tolerance for the beliefs of others. Somehow, that is just forgotten and overlooked.

It can happen that your children will choose a different religion that yours. Often, this is more of a search for meaning and truth than a rebellion. The truth should be able to withstand the closest scrutiny, so it is a good thing to search and seek. In this way, they will draw their own conclusions and be authentic.

There is a fine line between being a responsible parent and forcing your will on your child. When it concerns religion, extra sensitivity is required to guide them. Religion and stress should be part of our healing and growing, not our arguing and strife!

Religion is about life! Make sure it is just that, and not only a formal going-through-the-motions experience. Something done just because you are supposed to do it. Your involvement and enthusiasm will be contagious, far more than forcing your will.

In menopause, a hot flash is a symptom in which your body is trying to get your attention! Help! I need something, I need your care!

Women are often told that hot flashes are the result of decreasing estrogen production from the ovaries during menopause.  Fortunately, that is wrong! If that was the case, women would have hot flashes and night sweats for the rest of their lives- because when the estrogen level declines, it never recovers.

What is the cause of hot flashes?

Night sweats and hot flashes are caused by a hormonal inbalance. The demands that cause this imbalance are greatest during menopause and the time leading up to it, perimenopause. It is these symptoms that you body uses to ask for help.

Your body naturally wants to maintain a hormonal balance. Balancing female hormones is more important today than ever, due to the many stresses of modern life.  Happily, there is help with stress and menopause available.

Some things you can do on your own

The main thing is to take care of yourself. Good, healthy eating, adequate rest and exercise are all the first line of defense. You can also get immediate relief by using herbal remedies for hot flashes. One very old and still popular remedy is to use black cohosh for hot flashes.  It is easy to take and many women find immediate relief from the symptoms of menopause.

Another popular remedy is to use a combination of herbs, mixed into tablets or capsules. One great product is called Hot Flash. This is a great way to help your body have the necessary tools it is crying for to balancing female hormones. Because the herbs are mixed by a herbalogist, you have them in proper amounts and proportions. This can make it much easier because you don’t need to do it yourself, piecemeal.

A different approach, which is also very effective and poplular, is to use a cream that helps in balancing female hormones. Most creams today use Wild Yams as a base and alter it so the body has the hormones to balance itself. The hot flashes disappear and other symptoms of menopause go away as well.

You can take control of night sweats and hot flashes

For many women, menopause and sex drive are total opposites. During menopause, balancing female hormones can be a delicate task, and the sex drive is often one of the most affected areas.

Most couples would love to increase the libido and sex drive, but how? You can’t just wish your way into something like that! There is help with stress and menopause, namely for menopause and the sex drive.

Vitamin E and the sex drive is a common remedy. Vitamin E is very helpful for vaginal dryness, which is often caused by using hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, it would be much better to have a holistic approach; one that took into account the entire health aspect of the woman.

Stress, overwork, years of dieting, all these take their toll on balancing female hormones. What is requried is a comprehensive, holistic approach to restoring the hormonal balance to the way it should be. This in itself will usually help with menopause and the sex drive.

An excellent way to begin is to take the free online profile offered by the Women To Women Clinic. The “test” takes only a few minutes and the results are mailed to you privately.

You can also find immediate help from using an ancient remedy, maca. Maca is a plant grown in Peru and has been used for centuries to treat all kinds of health related issues. One thing it certainly does help is to increase your energy level and your libido.

It is safe, natural, and not at all expensive. Plus, it is gentle on the body; it isn’t some kind of harsh, aphrodesiac, but rather it helps balance your hormones by giving the body the tools it need to heal itself.

Menopause and the sex drive can certainly go together! They do not need to be opposites!

Balancing female hormones is more important than ever.  Now that the use of artificial hormones in hormone replacement therapy has been associated with cancer and other major problems, many women want a natural treatment  program.

Stress management for women is so important for the family and should make balancing female hormones a high priority.  Female hormones are complicated and easily affected by the day to day stress of modern life.

If you want stress relief for the women in your life, an excellent place to begin is by educating yourself about the various symptoms and treatments available. We have provided some excellent resources to help your search.

Birth control pills, stress, smoking, lack of adequate rest, childbirth, and the relentless demands placed on women’s bodies all contribute to produce a hormonal imbalance in the body.

The results of this are all too common:

• Hot flashes
• Insomnia
• Weight gain or loss
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Irritability

Take a free, online test to see if you have a hormonal imbalance

The Women To Women Clinic has developed a very useful, free profile to help determine if you have an imbalance, and if so, to what degree. The test is free and confidential. The results are mailed to you.

They have developed a wonderful program, based on many years of exclusively treating women. By actually listening to women and treating their health in a holistic manner, the results are very impressive.

Find out how to get your free profile here. You can also find out about their supplement program, designed for balancing female hormones. You can work together with your current doctor as well as the physicians at the Women To Women clinic.

Here is a recommended reading list

• Menopause
• Hot flashes
• PMS
• Anxiety
• Hair Loss
• Insomnia

Once the body is supplied with the tools it needs to repair itself, you will discover new energy, vigor and health. Your mood will improve, and your outlook on life will return to the way it was meant to be.

Finding help with stress and menopause is not as difficult as it might seem. Thousands of women suffer needlessly because they do not know what to do about their symptoms of menopause. The night sweats, lack of sex-drive, vaginal dryness, and mood swings are enough to make anyone unsure of what to do!

As a woman’s body matures, there are tremendous hormonal changes taking place. Add that to the fact that the demands on women are so great and relentless and it is understandable that many women suffer. How can you do the things you want to and should do, both for yourself and your family when your hormones are like a stormy sea?

Around 20 years ago a group of physicians in Maine opened a women’s clinic. Over time this clinic, The Women To Women Clinic, has gained a reputation second to none in helping with stress and meonpause. This is largely due to the fact that the doctor’s are women and they have learned to listen. Women know their bodies and instinctively understand when something is not in balance.

They have developed a very useful tool to help you find out if you have a hormonal imbalance. It is a free, online profile that takes only a few minutes to complete. Take the free test now and the results will be confidentially mailed to you.

The Women To Women Clinic also has a great deal of free educational material. You can read about nearly anything you want connected to women’s health, especially menopause. You can learn about balancing female hormones, the symptoms of menopause, helping your sex-drive and much more. Best of all, it’s entirely free!

They have also developed a holistic suuplement program to help you with your hormonal balance. You can consult with the Women To Women Clinic and pick the program that best fits your needs. In all honesty, I truly wish my mother had been able to benefit from this help. She was so affected by her hormonal imbalance that she was actually handicapped.

Life is too short and our relationships too precious to ignore the symptoms of menopause. Take the time to educate yourself in the privacy of your own home.