http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/health/medicine/effective-chemical-free-head-lice-treatment-using-melaleuca-oil.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/medicine/effective-chemical-free-head-lice-treatment-using-melaleuca-oil.html Sat, 03 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600 Suffice to say, if you have children in school, you've probably dealt with at least one infestation of head lice. A few years ago, the outbreaks were blamed on the less fortunate of the population, but we now know that head lice are equally at home in any environment. Long hair, short hair, curly, frizzy, clean, greasy, you name it, those pesky creatures are not at all fussy. In fact, if you have hair they're happy! The good news is they cannot fly, jump, swim, pole-vault or hop. So, it is fairly difficult to become infested. They can, however, walk pretty fast! This is probably why elementary school children are the most likely to pass on a louse or two, because young children are quite tactile when interacting with each other. And, that's all it takes!
One fertilized female head louse can lay up to ten eggs per day, which are literally glued to the hair shaft near to the scalp, incubating in the warmth of the child's head. The eggs (nits) take about seven to ten days to hatch into the first nymph stage. It takes another seven to ten days for the head lice to pass through two more nymph stages and become capable of laying eggs.3,4 Adult head lice have a life span of approximately four weeks, but can only live a few hours if they become separated from the host child. Unfortunately, by the time the head starts to really itch, the infestation has already taken hold. Both nymphs and adults feed every few hours on the host's blood, and it is their saliva, and possibly a reaction to their feces that causes the itching. In some cases, a rash may appear on the scalp and around the neck area. With constant scratching, it can become infected. Fortunately, head lice have not been known to carry any major diseases. They are only an irritation and not a threat to the host.5
It is ironic that the main threat to the infested child seems to be from the organophosphate poisons used on the child's head to control the infestation!6 Over-the-counter and prescription treatments containing organophosphates such as Lindane7,8,9 and Malathion10 are bioaccumulative, which means the organophosphates accumulate in the body. The initial treatment may not cause a problem. But a lice infestation can occur several times a year and a child may have many treatments during the course of their school days. Conversely, it has been known for a child to have a very nasty reaction from just one application.10a Children are at greater risk of neurological poisoning due to their small size and immature immune systems. Some schools operate a "no nit policy" and your child can be sent home from school until they are completely free of lice and nits. The stigma can drive a parent to use these toxic poisons in an effort to get their child back into school. Even the treatments classed as less toxic such as the pyrethroids (e.g. permethrin and pyrethrin) can cause problems for susceptible people.11,12,13 But, it is more likely that they poison the child rather than the head lice! There are an increasing number of cases where the head lice are becoming resistant to these poisons.14,15
With all this in mind, parents can't be blamed for turning to the more unconventional treatments, and there are quite a few around, from combing a commercial brand of mouthwash through your hair to spreading lard on your head and donning a bath cap for three days (not something a child will easily do!). Therefore, it must be a comfort to know that Melaleuca oil16,17 is becoming a much more accepted treatment for head lice as more clinical studies are carried out. Both tepinen-4-ol 18 and cineole 1,8,19 the two major constituents in Melaleuca oil, have shown to help eradicate head lice.20
And, because cases of scabies in schools are on the increase too2 it is good that Melaleuca oil is an effective eradication treatment for scabies as well.21
Before I finish this article I would like to give you some experiential, rather than anecdotal, information for clearing a head lice infestation. Last year, I treated my daughter's hair by saturating it with Naturals Melaleuca Oil Shampoo for twelve minutes. She was quite squeamish at the thought of having a head full of dead and dying creatures, so I combed them out with a nit comb. Melaleuca Oil Shampoo also conditions the hair, so it really is not an inconvenience.22 I actually repeated this at 5, 10, 15 and 20 days. On the 1st and 15th day, I added an extra three drops of < a href=”http://www.rmbarry.com/research/melaleuca_oil.html”>melaleuca oil to every tablespoon of shampoo (she uses quite a lot because she has long, thick curly hair). I have to stress here that when using Melaleuca oil it should initially be patch tested on a small area of skin to be sure your child does not have a reaction to it. I'm pleased to report that she has been free of head lice ever since. Knock on wood!
Editors Note: Since Naturals Melaleuca Oil Shampoo will gently and safely get rid of lice in many cases, wouldn't it make sense that hair washed with this shampoo might "repel" lice, and help your child avoid infestation in the first place? I suggest you regularly shampoo your child's hair with Melaleuca Oil Shampoo as a preventative.
For lice infestations that do not respond to the shampoo alone, there is an even more effective treatment using T36-C5® Melaleuca Oil and Melaleuca Oil Shampoo in the book, The Melaleuca Wellness Guide.


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Karen MacKenzie is a recognized authority on melaleuca, having researched this amazing oil for over 12 years and written two books on the subject, in addition to various other books on complementary health. In 1996, she founded the Tea Tree Oil Information Service in Great Britain to help spread the word and assist medical professionals as well as the general public in using this valuable natural gift.
Karen also works for various medical organizations as a researcher. She has a special interest in alternative health issues and currently writes and researches the Research Report for RM Barry Publications a popular information source for wellness companies offering melaleuca products.





Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/health/lifestyle/five-reasons-you-were-rejected-for-the-job-you-thought-you-had.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/lifestyle/five-reasons-you-were-rejected-for-the-job-you-thought-you-had.html Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Losing a job or contract you thought you had is a real blow to your self-esteem. All sorts of reasons start to race through your mind. Was your agency up to something? Did one of your references put in a bad word for you? You just can’t believe it or understand it.

Having been on both sides of this situation, here are some of the reasons that it might have happened:

1. Better Candidate

By far the most likely thing to have happened is that somebody walked in later that afternoon, or the next morning, for an interview who was a better fit perfect for the position than you. As an employer it used to happen to me fairly regularly that I would interview someone I felt happy with and would have been glad to take on. But then somebody else would come along later who was exactly who we wanted, even more so than the previous candidate.

2. Agency Hocus Pocus

Although reason number one is by far the most likely, there is the possibility that the agent sent two candidates along for a contract position, and the client likes both of you. In that situation the agent may steer the client towards the candidate the agency can make the most money from.

3. Someone Recognized You

It’s always possible that someone you worked with previously recognized you as you walked in for the interview. Maybe they knew you got into trouble at the other place, thought you were incompetent, or just plain didn't like you. And they passed that information on after you left the building.

There’s also the possibility that person is protecting himself or herself. Maybe they were sacked from the previous company and didn't want someone knowing that starting at his or her new place of employment. I once lost a job I thought was a sure thing. I found out later I lost out because of a bad recommendation from someone I'd worked with previously. The guy had been escorted off the premises by the security guards where I worked with him before.

4. Jumped the Gun

It happens fairly regularly that Project Managers interview for positions they haven't received a budget for yet. It was only wishful thinking on their part. They either never get budget permission or they have to wait longer than expected, by which time you're already at a different job. If you were interviewing for a contract position, perhaps HR was still hoping to hire a permanent employee and didn’t want to commit to a contractor.

5. Bad Reference

There’s also the possibility that the company got a bad reference on you. This could have come from your previous employer, client or even a co-worker.

Hiring agents have told me that often the best sources to ask will be other contractors or co-workers. They may have somebody at a site where you used to work, and the agent will simply call them to ask what you were like. If you are unlucky they connected with someone with whom you didn’t get along.

However, by far the most likely occurrence, in my experience, is that someone else came along for an interview after you did that the company simply liked better. This is what happens in 9 cases out of 10, and possibly 99 cases out of 100.

Where do you go from here? If you lost out to someone else, you could try to find out what distinguished that person from you. It may mean you getting more training in job skills to match or exceed that other candidate. If you had equal skills and experience, maybe that other person presented himself or herself better. You might consider getting interview training so you don’t lose jobs again.


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Gerry McLaughlin has fulfilled every role in Software Development from Trainee Programmer through Systems and Business Analysis, Project Leader and Manager, Systems Manager and Chief
Information Officer with a department of 80 people. Tens of thousands of IT Contractors visit www.ITContractor.com each month to keep themselves in touch with the market.
Gerry McLaughlin has fulfilled every role in Software Development from Trainee Programmer
through Systems and Business Analysis, Project Leader and Manager, Systems Manager and Chief
Information Officer with a department of 80 people. Tens of thousands of IT Contractors visit
www.ITContractor.com each month to keep themselves in touch with the market.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/internet/seo/spotting-a-phony-search-engine-marketing-company-within-three-minutes.html http://www.articletrader.com/internet/seo/spotting-a-phony-search-engine-marketing-company-within-three-minutes.html Sun, 27 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500 companies use “blackhat” tactics that can get you kicked off the search engines. These tactics would include hidden text, doorways pages that the public can’t see, link farms, and a variety of other strategies.
Often blackhat search engine marketing (SEM for short) companies use deceptive sales practices and prey on business owners who know they should be doing search engine
optimization (SEO) but don’t know much about it. Luckily, these companies have some similarities in their deceit. Here are five ways to spot a phony search engine marketing
company as well as three great ways to find a quality SEM company.
They Make Promises of Front Page Placement in a Short Period
A phony SEM company will promise to put you on the front page on three of your key phrases in at least three of the top 10 search engines. Remember, the big three search engines — Google, Yahoo! and MSN—account for approximately 90 percent of the
searches done on the Internet. So the bottom seven search engines divvy up the last 10 percent They’ll let you pick the top 10 key phrases and then work to get you on the lower ranked search engines that have a miniscule percentage of the searches. So the
phony SEO company delivers on their promises but it doesn’t result in a great increase in website traffic.
Their Site isn’t Highly Ranked or is Blacklisted
Do they register highly in the search engine? Are they blacklisted? You can tell their blacklisted by going to Google or one of the other search engines and typing in “site:www.theirdomainname”. If there are no results then most likely they have been blacklisted or are brand new. One of my clients signed a contract with a company this past year. I showed him that both of the company’s web sites were blacklisted, most likely for using deceptive practices. Do you want your website and business marketed using deceptive practices? Do you want to get blacklisted by Google?
They’re Vague About What They Do
A phony SEM firm will give you vague ideas on what they will do, as well as not tell you the nefarious things they will do. Be wary when a company talks too little in specifics and too much in vagaries. With my proposals I give specifics without giving away my
trade secrets. If they don’t give at least some specifics then they are probably trying to hide something.
They Bully You When You Question Them or Say “No”
One of my clients talked to a search marketing company about pay per click advertising and wanted me to check them out. The company wanted $10,000 in advance and
promised traffic at a good cost per click. But it would have taken three years to spend that kind of budget with the number of searches on his phrases. Thanks, but no thanks. So the
black hat started in with rhetorical questions that presumed I would be an idiot if I didn’t use their services. I calmly said “no” again, and he started up again, so I just hung up.
Don’t waste your time on a bully.

They Contact You
If they are so good at search engine optimization, then you should be contacting them.
They will have high rankings on the search engines themselves on terms that people are searching for. There are some legitimate companies that do initiate calls, so ask for references from clients who are seeing success.
Three Great Ways to Find a Quality Search Engine Marketing Company.
If you’re going to do SEM I would recommend:
1. Talk with colleagues or friends that are seeing success with other companies. They should be able to give you an idea of specific results they are seeing and how well they
are being treated by their SEO company.
2. Use the search engines to find local companies that are doing well on the search engines. If you live in Dallas, type in “Dallas search engine optimization firms”.
Assuming that the people on the front page are local, you can meet with them to find out more about how they work, what they charge, and what results you might expect.
3. Listen for the Big Three Fundamentals of SEM. A genuine SEO company will talk about finding the best phrases to market, getting more content on your site, and getting incoming links to your site. There might be some ancillary techniques they’d recommend,
too, but the three tactics mentioned above should be the foundation of their work.
So, in three minutes you could look up their site, ask them for specifics, and request references. If any of these three are questionable, politely say you’re not interested and hang up. And then start looking for a company who is reputable with an acquaintance,
shows up well on the search engines, and is using good fundamentals. By doing this you will save yourself time, money and headaches.


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Dave Carlson is a Google Registered Adwords Professional and owns Green Chair Marketing Group, an Internet marketing firm specializing in driving visitors to web sites by search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, and web site design/redesign.


Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>