Starting January 1, 2006 people with severe acne who need Accutane (isotretinoin), must enroll in the FDA’s new iPLEDGE program through a physician who is also enrolled.

In an effort to reduce the number of birth defects caused by isotretinoin, these new rules require anyone involved in the use or distribution of Accutane to be registered in iPLEDGE and to abide by its reporting requirements.

Specifically, users of Accutane (or any other drug containing isotretinoin) must do the following:

Everyone:

* must be registered in iPLEDGE by your doctor, who must also be registered.

* must understand that severe birth defects can occur with use of isotretinoin by a female who could become pregnant.

* must receive and read educational materials with safety information about isotretinoin and about iPLEDGE program requirements.

* must sign an Informed Consent form that contains warnings about the risks of isotretinoin.

* must fill your prescription for isotretinoin within 7 days of your doctor visit.

* must agree to see your doctor every month during treatment for a progress check-up and to get a new prescription for isotretinoin.

Women of childbearing age, in addition:

* must not be pregnant or breast-feeding.

* must have 2 negative pregnancy tests before starting isotretinoin, a negative pregnancy test every month during treatment, and a negative pregnancy test 1 month after treatment has ended.

* must use 2 different forms of birth control at all times unless you agree not to have heterosexual intercourse for 1 month before isotretinoin treatment, during treatment, and for 1 month after treatment has ended.

* must sign a second Informed Consent form with warnings about the risks of birth defects if pregnancy occurs before or during isotretinoin treatment.

* must access the iPLEDGE program on the Internet or by telephone before starting isotretinoin, once a month during treatment, and 1 month after ending treatment to answer questions about program requirements and to enter the 2 forms of birth control you have chosen.

The above is not a complete listing of program requirements.

For more IPLEDGE info, visit www.ipledgeprogram.com or telephone 1-866-495-0654.

Visit Ron’s website http://www.latest-acne-solutions.com to learn more about the latest research into acne relief.

Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Hundreds of medications, treatments, cleansers and cosmetics are available for people with acne, but the most important elements of an acne-fighting program won’t cost you a cent.

1. Nourish your skin by eating a healthy and balanced diet.

Most health care specialists agree that a healthy diet will benefit your skin. Cut down on caffeine, sugar and refined carbohydrates, all of which can activate the hormones that tell your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Add more fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, juices and other healthy treats to your daily diet, and you’ll see in improvement in your skin.

2. Drink lots of water to maintain the skin’s elasticity.

Plenty of water is essential to the health of your skin. One of the main activities of the body’s self-healing system is to filter the blood, a job performed mostly by the kidneys, with help from the skin in the form of perspiration. This self-healing system removes the toxic wastes of metabolizing food and of other harmful substances that get into our bodies one way or another.

This purification system operates efficiently only if the volume of water flowing through it is sufficient to carry away the wastes. 6 to 8 glasses (64 fluid ounces) of water a day is the recommendation. To reach your quota, carry bottled water with you in your car, your purse, your briefcase-wherever you go.

Get the water habit, and your skin will thank you for it.

3. Exercise regularly for good circulation.

Get into a regular routine of exercise. Do it for at least half an hour, five days a week. Exercise improves your blood circulation, helping your body clear toxins from your system, including your skin. Better circulation also increases the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your skin. Exercise also relieves stress, which is a common cause of acne flare-ups. Last but not least, exercise releases endorphins, the “feel good” substance in your brain that puts a smile on your face-the best beauty secret of all.

4. Cleanse your face-then tone, moisturize, and exfoliate.

At night
* First remove your makeup with an oil-free makeup remover and a cotton ball.
* Then wash your face with lukewarm water and an oil-free, non-comedogenic (doesn’t block pores) cleanser.
* Pat (don’t rub) it dry with a soft towel.
* And apply an oil-free moisturizer.

In the morning
* Wash your face as directed above, then use an alcohol-free toner.
* Next apply moisturizer.
* Then apply makeup-all oil-free and non-comedogenic.

Once or twice a week use an exfoliator with alpha hydroxy acid or glycolic acid. This will aid in the shedding of dead skin cells, the “food” for the bacteria that cause pimples.

If you exercise during the day, you’ll need to wash your face a third time, immediately afterward.

5. Protect your skin from the sun and harsh weather.

One popular myth about acne is that tanning will clear it. It may seem so at first, but soon you will notice that your tanned skin becomes less pliable, making it less able to shed oil and dead skin cells, which clog your pores. Your acne will become worse, not better.

Always wear sun block with at least an SPF-15 UVA & UVB rating. If you’ll be outside in the sun for long, wear a wide-brimmed hat.

6. Get plenty of good-quality rest.

Your immune system requires energy to do its work, including the work of protecting your skin from acne. The deep sleep the brain needs for “recharging” comes several hours into the sleep cycle. That’s why a few hours here and there won’t do. Most people need at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Consider it beauty sleep.

If you make these 6 items part of your daily routine, you’ll look better, feel better, and have less need of expensive acne treatments and cosmetics.

Visit Ron’s website http://www.latest-acne-solutions.com to learn more about the lastest research into acne relief.

Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.

Popularity: 4% [?]

One of the main reasons many of us get into investing is to become financially independent. Who isn’t trying to amass a portfolio with enough income to ensure that we don’t have to work when we should be playing golf or traveling the world. While there are several strategies to invest, is active trading one of the ways to become a millionaire?

For those investors who want to achieve that million dollar portfolio, you may want to read The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko. While it wont help you identify great stock picks (but investorandtrader.com can help), it will help you to establish the difference between those who dream of having a million dollar net worth, and those who do it. You may be surprised at the answers.

While I won’t give away all the secrets, I will share one of the surprising findings which impact investors over the long term.

95% owned stocks

9% of investors held for less than 1 year

1% held for a few days

1% held for a few weeks

7% held for a few months

Less than 10%, less than 1 in 10 people with net worth of $1 millionaire or more actively trade their portfolios. Most definitions of active traders would mean that 1 in 100 are active traders. 99% of millionaires do not actively trade their positions. They hold for long periods of time. They find good companies and let the companies make them money.

The biggest problem with active trading is the commission, and the taxes. Your brokerage gets paid whether you make money or not. Making the presumption that you’re trading with a discount broker, you’re paying $20 ($10 to buy, $10 to sell) each time you trade. If you do make money, you’re paying taxes on that gain. At the end of the year, you get to keep a portion. Make 2 trades per week, and you will spend over $2000 a year in commission. If you lost money, add $2000 to your losses. If you made money, subtract tax, and then subtract $2000 more.

It takes a lot of successful trades to make money. While it can happen, sometimes, just finding a good quality stock and sticking to them, might just be your key to a million dollar portfolio.

That’s just one guys opinion.

bio = Trading Penny Stocks | investment strategies for penny stocks
1source4stocks.com provides penny stock traders with online trading and investment tips, online trading strategies and penny stock picks.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Are you getting results from your business blog? Is it getting harder for you to spend time on your blog because you’re just not seeing how it is going to pay off? If so, you’re not alone. Hundreds of blogs are started each day and many of them are abandoned after several months because it takes time and energy to keep a good business blog going.

Make no mistake, blogs are a great tool for building community, interacting with potential clients, and marketing your services. And, it’s not enough to set one up and post occasionally. You have to use it effectively to drive traffic and gain readership.

We’ve discovered several common mistakes professionals make with their blogs. Mostly, they aren’t using some the features available to them with their blogging software, because it hasn’t been sufficiently explained. Eyes glaze over with the mention of RSS, pinging, trackbacks and permalinks. Professionals may be ignoring these things, hoping they don’t really need to know. But they do if they want results from their business blog.

Here’s a list of what we found on a recent trip around the professional business blogosphere:

Content:

1. Not posting frequently enough. (Recommended: 2-3 times a week.)

2. Content is not focused, and the target audience is not clearly defined.

3. Posting articles that are too long, instead of using extended post features.

4. Not linking profusely (because the professional isn’t researching their field on the internet).

5. Poor spelling, bad grammar and typos.

Design

6. No name of author in tag line or on side bar.

7. No author photo.

8. No signature or name in the footer; no way to tell who wrote post on a multi-author site.

9. No subscription form; no way to get blog updates through RSS or email.

10. No way for readers to leave comments and use trackbacks.

11. Too many categories or none at all.

12. No information about their business services and products.

13. Calendars for no reason at all (what is the point of those calendars anyway?).

Marketing

14. Blog isn’t submitted to blog directories.

15. Not pinging each time a new post is published.

16. Not using trackbacks referring or linking to other blogs.

17. No blogroll or list of favorite blogs or websites.

If you’re considering using a blog to build your business, optimize it by taking time to learn the features and steps that will ensure success. A blog is like any other marketing tool – you’ve got to use it correctly to get positive results.

Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Get an ebook and take the time to learn about your blog software or hosting provider.

2. Hire a professional blog expert to coach you on how to rev up your blog.

Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman are two blog experts who have teamed up to form The Blog Squad (http://www.fixmyblog.com). They provide advanced training and coaching for professionals who want to beef up their blog for marketing optimization. Each month a blog is selected as Blog of the Month and undergoes a rigorous makeover. At the end of the month, the blog must pass the Blog Squad Seal of Approval to be certified a success. Patsi and Denise also publish a popular blog at http://www.buildabetterblog.com

Popularity: 5% [?]