Mcninch

The medical term for toenail fungus is "onychomycosis," pronounced on * EE * ko * my * ko * sis. Despite the commonly used term "fungal toenails", onychomycosis describes both fungus and yeast infections in the nail. The prevalence in America is about 2-3%, but some have reported it as high as 13%. Even at a low estimate of 2%, this accounts for 6 million Americans with toenail fungus. Toenail fungus affects men twice as often as it affects women.

The prevalence among elderly individuals and diabetics is 25%. In the 1800s, fungal toenails were very rare. The increased prevalence is linked to the increased exposure to fungus through the use of showering facilities in gyms, the use of hot tubs, saunas and public pool areas. There is an increase in occlusive footwear, an increase in sporting activities, an increase in diabetes and increase in age of the general population.

The risk factors for developing toenail fungus are increasing age, male gender, nail trauma, sweaty feet, poor circulation, poor hygeine, foot fungus and a compromised immune system.

Athlete's tend to have a higher rate of fungus infection than non-athletes. The moisture in the shoe combined with repeated nail trauma increases the chance of infection. Hikers, runners, backpackers, soccer, basketball and tennis players, athletes wearing loose fitting shoes that allow jamming of the nails against the shoe and any individual wearing shoes that toe tight are at risk for developing toenail fungus.

There are a number of treatments for onychomycosis. The most aggressive and effective way to treat the fungus is with oral anti-fungal medications. The most common oral anti-fungal medications are Itraconazole (Sporonox ) and Terbinafine (Lamisil ). Both medications can be quite expensive as they need to be taken once daily for 3 months. The effectiveness of the medications ranges from 60 to 80%, with a recurrence rate of 15%. Lamisil appears to be more effective and has fewer drug interactions than Sporonox.

With both medications there is a long list of benign side effects including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rash, headache, taste disturbances and dizziness. Serious adverse events are very rare, less than 0.5%, but do include hepatitis and acute hepatic necrosis.

There are many other options besides oral anti-fungal medications. Unfortunately, they are not very effective. The most effective topical medication is Ciclopirox (Penlac ) lacquer. Some studies have shown cure rates up to 60%, but in my experience the effectiveness is about 10-15%. Side effects occur in less than 2% of patients and include burning and redness around the nail.

This medication is only available by prescription and is also quite expensive. A few other prescription medications that help decrease the thickness of the fungal nails are Carmol 40 and Keralac Nail Gel. I would not expect to see complete cures with these products, but they can decrease the thickness and discoloration of the nail in some cases.

There are many home remedies and over the counter products that you can purchase. Some home remedies that can be used include bleach, tea tree oil, grapeseed extract, and Vics VapoRub. With any home remedy or non-prescription topical, you must understand that the effectiveness of the treatment is fairly low, less than 10%. If you do try one of these therapies make sure to use it every day. Roughen up the nail surface with a file and apply the medication with a q-tip. Bleach can cause skin irritation and some individuals have had skin reactions to the Vics VapoRub. In general these treatments are considered very safe.

Combination therapy can help increase the effectiveness of the treatment. If you choose to take an oral medication, make sure you use a topical anti-fungal agent as well. Nail removal is also an option. Once the nail is removed, the topicals can reach the nail bed and they become more effective. The nail will grow back in over a period of 8-10 months. Permanent nail removal is reserved for those with chronic ingrown nails, ulceration under the nails or pain from the fungal nails.

The best form of treatment is prevention and preventing the fungus from spreading to other toenails may be the best treatment option. I recommend choosing a topical that you feel comfortable with and use it once a week. No matter which treatment option you choose, you should take the following steps to avoid re-infection.

1. Make sure you rotate your shoes often and keep them in a cool dry place.

2. Change your insoles frequently, and make sure they dry out between use.

3. Place an anti-fungal powder or spray in the shoes to help fight off the fungus.

4. Bleach out the shower on a weekly basis and wash your shower mat regularly in hot water.

5. Make sure your athletic shoes fit well to prevent jamming at the toes. Jamming at the toes leads to microtrauma at the nails and increases the chance for fungal infection.

6. If you belong to a gym or health club, wear sandals in the locker room and don't walk around barefoot.

7. Don't keep your shoes in the gym locker where they cannot dry out.

8. If your feet sweat excessively, try using an antiperspirant spray on your feet before your workout.

9. Cut your toenails straight across. Don't cut too short and cause breaks in the skin. This will increase the chance for fungal infection. Don't let the toenails grow too long or they will jam against the shoe and cause bleeding under the nail, again increasing the chance for fungal infection.

The bottom line is that treating onychomycosis is very difficult. If you have fungal toenails that cause pressure, pain or infection, consider talking to your doctor about prescription medications or nail removal. Make sure you take precautions to prevent re-infection and take multiple approaches to eradicate the problem. If your fungal toenails are only unsightly and don't cause any discomfort, try a weekly application of an over the counter topical along with methods to prevent re-infection.

I am not a die-hard sports enthusiast, but confess I enjoyed watching the winter Olympics held in Turino Italy. It was nice to watch something positive and motivational for a change and to delight in some truly amazing and generous acts. I find the wide variety of sports showcased fascinating, proving there is a lot one can do in cold climates of winter!

Consider the spectrum of sports. There are the many varieties of skiing. The downhill event has skiers reaching speeds of 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph), you get speeding tickets for going that fast in a car! Imagine what it takes to be a ski jumper as you attempt to imitate flight and defy gravity the longest once you are airborne. Picture the freestyle skiers who twist and turn in the air so fast I don't know how the commentators can describe their incredible aerial feats. The cross-country skiers have tremendous endurance, and some stop to shoot rifles while trying to manage their beating hearts and gasping lungs.

We were witness to a newer Olympic event that debuted in Nagano in 1998, snowboarding. I think the snowboarders had the most fun creating their lexicon when they speak of a McTwist, Fakie, Duckfoot, an Ollie or a Nollie! Didn't it just used to be Narly ... or was that suffer speak and I've just dated myself?

There are those flashy speed skaters in their skin-tight outfits who fly around an oval ice surface at up to 60 km per hour (37 mph) battling G forces in the turns. The figure skaters entertained us with their dance routines and inspiring jumps. They also showed tremendous grit when Zhang Dan a Chinese pairs figure skater had a spectacular fall which made anyone watching cringe. To our disbelief, this 20 year old got up, completed the routine, and won the silver medal. Awesome.

We can't forget the curlers. A sport many find strange, but appreciate the accuracy involved in curling your rock down a 44 meter (49 yard) ice surface and trying to hit a bulls eye with two sweepers helping control speed and direction of a heavy stone, while you opponent is attempting to block you or knock you on every throw. Lots of yelling and physics accompany this sport! Imagine four Newfoundlanders winning the gold - talk about a party when they get home!

There is the luge where, depending on the event, one or two people lie on their backs on a sled going down a tight twisty run ... feet first. You might think that is scary enough until you see those in the skeleton event, maybe appropriately named. These athletes go down a steep ice track, on a sled, that has no brakes, headfirst. Hmmm ... where do they find people to do this?

Then there is ice hockey. Grown men and women strap on boots with blades on the bottom, use curved sticks to shoot a hard rubber disk in the opponents net. This happens as they skate at up to 50 km per hour (30 mph) and shoot the puck at over 150 km per hour (95 mph) while maneuvering around on ice. A shame both the NHL laden U.S.A. and Canadian teams didn't even make it to the semi-finals. Perhaps too much talent, not enough "team".

Over the 17-day period, 2,500 athletes from 85 nations competed for 84 medals in seven sports. We shared the pride of those on the podium as they smiled or cried as their national anthem played before the world. Two single acts at this twentieth Olympic Games stand out in my mind and will for many years.

I applaud gold medalist Joey Cheek, the USA speed skater for donating his $25,000 bonus to Right to Play, an organization of former Olympic, Paralympic and professional athletes worldwide who support using sport for development, health and peace. Good for you Joey, you are an inspiration to many.

Perhaps the defining moment of the Games was when Sara Renner, a Canadian broke her ski pole in a cross-country team sprint event. A Norwegian coach gave her a pole to finish the race. She and teammate Beckie Scott went on to win the silver medal. To me this unselfish act defines sportsmanship and is hard evidence the true Olympic spirit lives on. See you in Vancouver in 2010.

Wayne Gretzky has been drawn into a gambling controversy because his wife Janet Gretzky has been alleged to have made non-hockey related bets in a gambling ring.

Many members of the media are trying to link Wayne Gretzky to the scandal and have called for him to resign as head of Canada's Olympic hockey program.

This is completely insane. Wayne Gretzky has not been named in the scandal and he has denied any involvement in the gambling ring.

We will take Mr. Gretzky at his word and give him the benefit of the doubt. During his hockey career, fellow teammates knew Gretzky as a model human being and hockey player. Players have said that Gretzky didn't even play cards.

Mr. Gretzky has been an ambassador to the game of hockey. I believe that he represents everything that is good about sports. Until I see credible and irrefutable evidence that he was involved in any wrongdoing, he will receive my support.

Wayne Gretzky has raised millions of dollars in the United States and Canada for various charities. Gretzky has represented the game of hockey with class and dignity.

I believe Gretzky brought credibility to his sport and deserves our support. Gretzky has been kind to the media and this is how they repay his kindness. It's shameful but not surprising that the media has acted like a bunch of thugs and goons.

Mr. Gretzky should accompany team Canada to the Olympics in Turin. Hopefully his team will bring home the gold. We salute Mr. Gretzky and everything he stands for.

The National Hockey League needs to do more to encourage better coverage of the hockey games. With so many other sports realizing national coverage, the NHL is sometimes forgotten. However, this year, there's a race for the Stanley Cup, and only one is set to win it. But which team will that be?

Right now, bookmakers are showing that, while the Philadelphia Flyers were on top only days ago, the odds are now swinging back and forth with the Flyers and other potential contenders such as the Ottawa Senators, as the teams to watch in the sprint for the Stanley Cup this year. Of course, all of the NHL information and stats change daily, but the odds are the best current indicator of which team is certainly a contender for the Stanley Cup of 2006.

However, the race for the 2006 Cup didn't simply begin with the end of the 2005 playing season and the winning of the Stanley Cup for the year. It began over 100 years ago in 1892, at a dinner of the Ottawa Amateur Athletic Association. A speech was delivered that indicated that a challenge cup would be a good idea and that this contest should be held from year to year for the teams in the Dominion of Canada. At the time, that was a grand total of three major teams. You might be accurate in an assumption that the National Hockey League has seen tremendous growth since then.

Lord Stanley purchased a silver cup which by todays standards would only have a value of only about $50 and appointed Sheriff John Sweetland and Philip D. Ross as trustees of the cup. This Stanley Cup is the same cup that the two men were trustees over all of those years ago.

The winners of each year's Stanley Cup are tasked to hold the Cup and to return it in good condition to the trustees at year's end so that it may be given to the winner of the next Cup. The Cup is never to become the exclusive property of a single team regardless of how many times that team may win the trophy but each year the winning team's club name and the year are engraved on the silver ring fitted on the Cup.

That very first year, the Stanley Cup was taken by the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) hockey club as the winners for 1894. Unfortunately, Lord Stanley was never to witness a championship game or even the presentation of the trophy he had purchased because he returned to England, his homeland, in mid-1893.

The popularity of hockey grew so quickly that in 1895 almost every town in Canada had a team which thrived on hockey. No longer were Ontario, Quebec and Winnipeg the only teams that were ready to take the Stanley Cup. Instead numerous teams came out and all of the teams were strong contenders for the Stanley Cup. In 1896, the Victorias of Montreal versus the Victorias of Winnipeg placed with the Winnipeg team taking the Cup 2 to 0. Less than a year later, a rematch was to occur.

Presented as the greatest sports ever in Winnipeg history, even in the economy of 1896, tickets were scalped for as much as $12 each. Everyone wanted to see this Stanley Cup playoff game. Montreal won this match up 6 to 5 after being down 2 to 0 at halftime. It was documented as the finest match ever played in Canada.

While the early Stanley Cup games differed greatly from today's game, the popularity has continued to rise over the many years. Originally, there were seven men on the ice for each team rather than the six we know today. Sideboards were non-existent and players used very little sports equipment. Injuries were quite common and much more serious than what players of today have to deal with in their hockey games and practices.

The Stanley Cup is considered to be the most famous trophy in the sporting world. It is certainly the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes, having logged more than 400,000 miles in travel during only the past five seasons. Traditionally, each winning player and team management staff member gets to take the Cup home for one day to share with their friends and family.

No matter how the lines move between now and the final play for this year's Stanley Cup, you simply will not want to miss keeping track as the big day draws closer. This game is the Super Bowl of hockey and it pales in comparison to many other sports as far as national coverage is concerned. The Stanley Cup will be watched by millions, some of whom are not traditionally hockey fans and many who do not know the history behind Lord Stanleys great purchase. And for a sporting event to be worthy of a trophy which travels over 400,000 miles to note the worthy accomplishments of one lone team, its an event that no one should miss especially those behind the major networks! Incidentally, in the humble opinion of many fans, the only true contender this year for the Stanley Cup is the Philadelphia Flyers. What do you think?

Purpose

Let's start off with a little analogy. Everyone has seen Lincoln's face on a shiny new penny. What happens to his face on that penny over time if it is not taken care of? That's right, that bright copper exterior slowly fades into a dull brown color. How could we keep that from happening? We could lock it in a vacuum, but then it would never be able to fulfill its destiny of traveling from store to store. Or instead, we could keep it clean by giving it a little polish each day. Now, which penny face do you think Lincoln would be more proud to have? You see where we are headed? Basically it all comes down to taking care of yourself and looking your best. Most of the time your face is exposed to the elements: sun, wind, rain (big ole fat rain and itty bitty stingy rain), pollution, etc. Over time these things can take their toll, but if you take measures to follow a healthy daily regimen you can keep your face looking like a shiny new penny!

Men generally have 15-20% oilier skin than women and significantly larger pores, which makes guy's faces a playground for dirt and irritants. The purpose of cleansing the skin is to remove all those toxins, pollutants, oils, and other impurities that collect on the surface. It also cleans away the thousands of dead cells you shed everyday. When those cells collect on the surface they leave the skin looking dull. Removing the dead skin exposes the new skin underneath and stimulates new growth. Cleaning the skin also removes nasty bacteria that like to get down in pores and cause red bumps... AKA zits.

Cleansers and scrubs

For your daily regimen you should keep both a daily cleanser and a facial scrub. The difference between a cleanser and a scrub is like the difference between the two sides of that dish sponge you have in the kitchen. One is nice and smooth and the other is rough and tough.

A mild face cleanser or wash is what you want to have for day-to-day use. It will gently remove all the grime without being overly abrasive. Use it once in the morning when you get up to help you get the day started right and once in the evening to remove the day's dirt before hitting the sack.

A face scrub contains small particles or beads that help exfoliate the skin and deep clean pores of dirt and bacteria. Many daily regimens call for daily exfoliation. However, when men shave this process acts to exfoliate the skin. Therefore, we only recommend using the face scrub a few times a week, in place of your daily face cleanser, to prevent over-irritation. Also, never use a scrub right before or after you shave because it could lead to sensitivity.

Avoid like the plague

Stay away from product that contains sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. These inexpensive harsh detergents are found in many soaps because they increase the foaming quality of the product, allowing for better distribution while washing. When rinsed off, the product will have cleaned the area but will have taken moisture from the top layers of skin. This will leave the skin dry and can cause flare-ups of skin conditions or may worsen existing conditions.

Follow-up

Immediately following a cleansing you should apply a good toner. Toners remove excess oils along with tightening your pores, making it more difficult for dirt and pollutants to take their toll, which will reduce the likelihood of clogged pores and blackheads.

Follow the toner with some moisturizer. It replaces lost oils, nutrients, and provides a protective layer against dirt and pollution. Moisturizer is a very important part of your daily regimen that will work to keep your skin looking young and healthy. A little will go a long way, so apply a small amount to the palm of your hand (about the size of a nickel) and massage it gently into your face.

Do a body good

Lastly, don't make the rest of your body jealous of all the attention your face is getting. Keep some body lotion near the shower and apply some after you get out and dry off. This will keep the rest of your skin just as happy. Grab one with a nice manly scent that will keep you moisturized AND smelling good, unless you tend to have sensitivity to fragrance (in which case you should seek out an unscented lotion).

Most can agree that ballet is a beautiful variety of dance, but it is also a delicate art form. The performers are often times telling a story with their movement, and the costumes, or clothing they wear play an integral part in the unfolding of the story. During practice, the ballet dance wear is usually less delicate and more practical, however, during recitals, and performances, dancers can go on stage in anything from an all black body suit, to very complicated skirts, tops, and leggings! The type of dance known as En Pointe, is unique to ballet and has very specific shoes that resemble classic ballet slippers until you see the toe. There it is flattened and very sturdy so that a dancer can stand literally on their tip toes. Dance wear has certainly come a long way and there are several varieties offered to fit any needs.

Rehearsal or practice for ballet doesn't usually require full on costuming unless it is a dress rehearsal. Common attire for dancers in class is for girls; a leotard, tights, and your slippers. For guys it can be the same with the addition of shorts as well. Leotards are a one piece body suit that can resemble a bathing suit with or without sleeves. Students attending standard or beginner ballet class will also wear their ballet slippers to dance in. However, En Pointe classes require a dancer to own and wear point shoes. It takes a lot of practice and breaking in to get used to point shoes. Performers often will go through a period of time where their toes are extremely blistered and sore from learning to dance on point.

When it comes to recitals and performances the possibilities are endless and it truly depends on the story being told. It's common to see a flowing or exaggerated skirt on women because it helps to signify their feminine qualities, and can often give the illusion of flying. Costuming is important because ballet is a very movement oriented dance, and the clothing has to be conducive to running, jumping, and it just needs to be flexible.

The vast array of ballet dance wear is available all over the world and on the internet. Whether it's for a performance, practice, or class, there is no doubt when it comes to the shoes that they need to be of quality. Ballet shoes are one of the single most important elements to one's wardrobe. If the shoes are poor quality, then there is a good chance for the dancer to injure themselves or someone else.

In Soccer, control of the ball is of great importance skills to every level and any type of player. The ability to control an awkward bouncing ball quickly and effectively gives the player with the ball the immediate advantage. This called "First touch" and is often the critical difference between success and failure in most situations during the match.

As players get older, the game gets faster, and demands more speed. At this level, there is a greater need for first-time passes and a precise first touch on the ball. Often, players cannot always play a first-time ball; therefore, they must trap the ball, or may have to dribble if no teammates are in position to receive a first-time pass. Time and space go hand-in-hand in soccer. The less time a player takes to do something, the more time they will have to take advantage of it. Typically when controlling a ball, a player will do one of three things after controlling the ball: shield the ball by putting their body between the ball and the opponent, pass (or shoot) the ball; or they will dribble the ball. The space and time they have to do these things will depend on how good the players first touch is when receiving the ball.

Players MUST develop a feel for the ball. it's means touch, and a fine touch requires a player to be comfortable touching the ball with all parts of the foot. Players must practice controlling balls on the ground as well as balls out of the air. Remember, that good control is the ability to take the ball with one touch in such a way that you can play the ball with your next movement without having to chase or reach for it. The ability to control the ball with the feet is a basic element of soccer. A good touch is very instinctive to some players, but harder for others.

To learn more about playing football please visit http://soccerboots.blogspot.com. You can find more about football training and playing tips.