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photo credit: The BrassPotato

Post Ironing Stress Disorder or PISD was first diagnosed back in the 1950’s by general practitioners who were seeing more and more housewives across Europe and America complaining of symptoms of tiredness and exhaustion while managing large families.

Let’s face it, no one enjoys ironing especially when you have to fold all of the clothes afterwards. The term PISD quickly became slang ‘pissed’, and hence the origin of the term ‘Pissed Off’.

Hey, I’m taking the Mickey, but I bet I was beginning to take you in.

Truthfully I do not like ironing and folding clothes myself, so about a year ago I found a wonderful solution. I only iron when I need something to wear, and as for folding clothes, towels, etc, I made myself a speed clothes folder so all my items were folded quickly and uniformly usually within five seconds for each item.

Here are photographs of what it does (folds clothes quickly within five seconds), and what it is made from, (an egg box from a supermarket). The item of clothing is not ironed in these photographs, however if it was the resulting uniform neat pile of clothes would resemble a shop shelf.

The measurements of the pieces are:

1 x 33cm x 72cm (base)
2 x 25cm x 72cm (sides)
1 x 25cm x 36cm (flipper)
The flipper is aligned centrally on the base on the bottom edge.

It’s possible you may not have come across this idea before, but it is actually a well known idea that has been around for many years. There are plenty of similar examples across the internet. It will save you a lot of personal stress with laundry.

Tags: pissed, pissed off, clothes folding, folding clothes, clothes folder



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photo credit: Ed Yourdon

The causes of menopause are either physiological or pathological. The physiological cause simply means that for a woman that her body is starting to go through the process of menopause for a natural reason which is quite normal. On the other hand a pathological cause means that a woman is starting to go through the process of menopause due to a medical condition which has led to a loss of ovarian function.

This loss of ovarian function prematurely pushes a woman’s body into menopause as hormonal support is gradually withdrawn from the body. Hormones control the initial development and release of the egg as well as initiating changes in the uterus to support a pregnancy such as building up a supply of blood. Additionally hormones aid in keeping collagen and elastin present in the skin as well as supporting physical and physiological processes which happen each month.

Pathological factors which can prematurely hasten menopause are conditions such as, extreme emotional stress, malnutrition, debilitation, reproductive tract tumours, a surgical procedure such as hysterectomy, radiation treatment and chemotherapy, or any other surgical procedure that can cause a loss of blood supply to the ovaries.

Once the ovarian function declines and the woman’s body reduces the natural functions surrounding ovulation then she is thrown first into peri menopausal, or pre menopause symptoms and then into menopause itself.

In normal physiological menopause the decline in function with the ovaries and symptoms of menopause are usually due to age. As the hormonal levels decrease the woman finds out her menstrual cycles become unpredictable, may last longer or shorter, and may be lighter or heavier than usual. These are menopause symptoms and the first signs of the start of approaching menopause.

Naturally these menopausal symptoms can bring an onset of depression, so if you are suffering from the above symptoms and some associated depression you may find menopause relief psychological support from a group of people suffering the same symptoms, helpful.

The first stage as I previously mentioned is peri menopause. There are actually three stages and the process is gradual and permanent. Peri menopause is the stage when you experience hot flushes and your menstrual cycle goes a bit pear shaped. The stage lasts for several years until the ovaries actually stop releasing eggs. During the last couple of years of the process there is a sudden decrease in estrogen.

In the second stage, which is actually menopause itself, is when a woman has her final menstrual period. Once this has happened for 12 consecutive months the normal diagnosis is menopause.

The latter stage is called post menopause. These are at the years following the diagnosis of menopause. By this time the hot flushes and depression should be well past, however they are are risks for women associated with the loss of estrogen during these years and they should seek regular medical consultation with their general practitioners. One condition which seems to affect women more than men is osteoporosis.

One word of warning though for a woman who starts to experience the symptoms of premature menopause before they are 39. If this applies to you be sure to be fully evaluated by your physician, in case there are any potential medical conditions that are causing the early onset of symptoms.

For further information and help with menopause symptoms click here.


Tags: menopause, pre menopause, premature menopause, peri menopause, post menopause, menopause symptoms, menopausal symptoms, pre menopause symptoms, early menopause symptoms, early signs of menopause, premature menopause symptoms, signs of menopause, symptoms of menopause, peri menopausal symptoms



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by Christopher McCombs

It is just a matter of fact that if you want to lose weight and eat healthier, you are going to have to find a way to cut down on calories and reduce the amount of sugar and Saturated fat that you eat. But old habits are to break, and the transition into eating healthier can be extremely challenging.

If you are trying to change your diet for the better, keep these tips in mind in order to vastly increase your odds of success.

Cut Down on Preparation Time - The main reason most people subsist primarily on fatty and high calorie food is that it is just so abundant and easy to make. Things like pizza can take minutes to microwave, and no matter where you drive or walk, you are bound to bump into a fast food restaurant. These can all be tempting options in increasingly time-constrained times.
You should counter this by buying food that is simultaneously healthy and easy to prepare. You might buy a premade fruit salad that you can just pull out of the refrigerators when you want a snack. Or you can have whole-wheat tortillas and shredded chicken in zip lock bags so you can make yourself a healthy burrito any time you’d like. It is also idea to keep an array of canned soups in your kitchen. These are typically very low calorie and can be heated up in just a couple minutes.\

Try to Eliminate Liquid Calories – Liquid calories, meaning calories from drinks such as milk, alcohol, and soda, can wreck havoc on a good diet. This is because even though these drinks can add a lot of calories to you daily intake, they don’t help you feel full. So even after consuming these calories, you still fell hungry, and therefore probably seek out more food.

Make Your Diet Flexible - The surest way to diet failure is by making your diet so inflexible that you don’t give yourself any room to occasionally eat foods your really enjoy. It’s a fallacy to think that the best way to get fit is by being incredibly strict with your diet. In fact, the stricter that you make your diet, the more likely you will relapse and start binging on bad foods.
Many find it easier to have a “cheat meal” once a week, where they give themselves permission to eat whatever they please, no matter how sweet or greasy it is. This takes some of the pressure off from dieting, and helps you stick to it better during the rest of the week.

Find Healthy Ways to Deal with Stress- Another major reason why diets fail is that people have difficulty dealing with the stress of everyday life, so they decide to turn to food. If you feel that stress from your job or other places in weighing you down, try to take some time off for yourself. Pursing something that you enjoy every day will help you feel more balanced, and less likely to turn to food in times of high stress.

Christopher W. McCombs is a personal trainer in Newport Beach California. Chris teaches a radically different approach to losing fat to local Newport Beach residents. Chris is also a Marketing expert and helps fitness trainers all over the globe to triple their income while cutting their work hours in half.

Tags: healthy eating, eating healthy, eating well