Ayurveda - Untypical Types

Among ancient Eastern methods, which medicine and the beauty industry turns to more and more, Ayurveda is the leader. This isn't just fashion or exotic trends. In the five thousand years that Ayurveda has existed, it has proved to be a serious science, which can do such things that often, can not be done by official medicine.

There are whole tractates about Ayurveda, which are now available to the wide audience. Therefore, we will only go over some underlying aspects, which demonstrate the modernity and timeliness of Ayurvedic teachings. If we look at Ayurveda outside of the philosophical environment and very ancient context, it is simply teachings about the healthy way of life - "the science of life". Ayurveda tells us that the length and quality of life depends on the person; what he eats, how he behaves, and what efforts he takes on the way to perfection of body, mind, and spirit.

Ayurveda offers a whole set of methods, which can help successfully progress on this path. All the doctors - experts in the sphere of Ayurvedic knowledge say that their knowledge roots from the first teacher, Charaka Samhita, who wrote the guide to Ayurveda. After receiving this knowledge from sages, who have granted him the ability to give amrita (the nectar of immortality), Charaka gave them book format, and thus was the first author of Ayurvedic texts. The chain of teaching the next generations of doctors began with him.

Untypical Types

Any treatment is proscribed with the consideration of prakri (the patients constitution). According to Ayurveda, all people are divided into certain types. For example, muscular people with red hair, who are inclined to become irritated and even aggressive, belong to the category of pure Pitta people. The Kapha types are massive people with thick skin. They are slow and sleepy, and usually strive to collect material riches. Vatta, on the contrary, are thin people with dry hair. They have weak joints, and are usually inclined to be scared and to worry. There is a whole set of signs not only constitutional, but also inner and psychological signs, - which can determine which type a person belongs to. There are many formal methods; it is enough to fill in a form to find out which qualities a person possesses. However, this does not mean that Ayurveda strictly divides people into only three types.

There are combined, dual types, and besides that there are different amounts of righteousness, passion, and ignorance in each type. A certain diet, exercises, methods of cleaning and rejuvenating the organism, a special set of spices, herbs, and preparations are recommended for each type. The ability of Ayurvedic doctors depends on how well they can determine the methods of treatment and improving the health for each individual person. They also have to give recommendations about the way of life, advise herbs and spices, oils and types of massage, which harmonize the mind and emotions, colors and precious stones, yoga and meditation exercises for every patient. This is because what might be good for a Vatta, is not at all suitable for a Pitta or a Kapha.

Ayurveda Training

Ayurveda training is founded on the principles of preventing disease, treating disorders, and bringing the body into balance. Ayurveda schools educate students about ayurveda sciences, which are comprised of many alternative health sciences, but focus primarily on Ayurvedic techniques and practices. Curriculums include Ayurvedic perspectives of the human anatomy, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Chikitsa-treatment, Yoga, Mantra, sound therapy, aromatherapy, color therapy, gem therapy, and the use of medicinal herbs and herbal therapy.

Ayurveda school sciences actively promote toxin elimination from the body that increase immunity and bring about overall well-being. They teach students to balance the "dosha," one of the three biological humors or energies (kapha, pitta, vata) which combine in various proportions to determine individual constitution and mental and physical disorders. At Ayurveda school, students also learn methods to improve digestive functions, and enhance the body's immune system, and develop spiritual growth. Ayurveda schools instruct in therapeutically balanced diets, weight loss, exercise and meditation, and massage therapy.

Ayurveda school tuitions range between $1,000 and $2,000 per semester. Ayurveda school certification takes approximately one to two years to complete on a part-time basis. There are currently no licensing requirements for Ayurveda practitioners, however a group of practitioners and instructors are in discussions to create state and national professional associations focused on licensing and certification requirements of Ayurveda practices. Ayurveda school medical degrees are not recognized or regulated in the U.S. or Canada, but in India, Ayurveda practitioners receive state-recognized, institutionalized training that parallels an education in traditional medicine.

If you are interested in learning more about Ayurveda Schools and programs of study, search our site for more in-depth information and resources.

Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved Michael Bustamante, in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc. for SchoolsGalore.com

Ayurveda - Undestanding Our False Ego

All Ayurvedic methods are complex. For example, the very interesting method "Panchakarma" consists of five components: cleansing enemas, cleaning of the nose, using laxatives, urging vomiting and bleeding. Before Panchakarma, a week of manipulations is needed, including oil treatment inside and outside, taking a steam bath in special chambers.

It is necessary to meditate. Without meditation, the mental activity of a person will not go in the right direction. According to Ayurveda, most of our problems appear because our brain is too disordered and easily becomes dependant on the false ego. Our false ego creates a set of bad habits, for which we will be punished.

The doctor's objective is to tell the patient which habit or characteristic leads to a certain disease. If this is carried out to the person's consciousness successfully, and he starts working on his problems, then, the disease leaves him. Sometimes, complete general rejuvenation is also the result of this complex treatment.

The legends of Ayurveda tell us about, where people, who had achieved a certain enlightment, left the fussiness of the world, and came back completely rejuvenated: even their lost teeth and hair grew back again. They got married, had children. In this way, they demonstrated the real power of Ayurvedic knowledge.

Of course, it is hard to know for sure whether or not these legends are true, however, many miracle Ayurvedic methods are now very famous and accessible. Often, people come to India not to see the beauty of Taj-Mahal or to sunbathe on the beaches of Goa, but to get Ayurvedic knowledge in Keralla - the center of Ayurvedic medicine. This province of India is famous because of all the efforts it takes to educate the young generation. In school, children not only learn foreign languages, they also study the art of Ayurveda. A very organized cast of people live there, they carry out traditional knowledge to the world. The most famous experts of Ayurveda are from Keralla.

Ayurveda - Modern Adaptation

Ayurveda arises a question in many people: how suitable are the recipes that were created thousands of years ago in India, for the modern Western civilization?

A big scientific research is being conducted now. This research confirms the hypothesis of ancient doctors about the ageing processes in the organism, which lead to different diseases. Research is being conducted in the area of oncology and allergology, the methods of controlling allergic reactions and stimulating the immune system are being studied.

Study shows that ancient science, which was mostly led by intuitiveness, came to the same conclusions. Modern scientists with Western education use the knowledge of Ayurveda, after adapting it to the modern circumstances. For example, different herb preparations are created more efficiently by using herb extracts, instead of pure herbs.

Based on ancient knowledge, new technological methods for getting preparations and medicines are created. Therefore, no one can blame Ayurveda for being a stagnant and old science, which cannot be transformed in any way.

On the contrary, it is a live science, and the increasing number of doctors that use this knowledge practically means that they will develop and transform according to needs of modern civilization.

However, if you study Ayurveda attentively, it becomes obvious that most of its recommendations and recipes don't need any adaptation at all. For example, Ayurveda not only allows us, but even recommends us to use products that grow in our country. We don't have to eat only exotic food that only grows in India.

It is enough to understand the meaning of recommendations about preferred products and ways of cooking them (the ingredients, temperature, time of eating and so on) to get results from treatment. Food has to be medicine, and medicine has to be food. And if our north climate makes us spend a lot of calories, to keep the organism active, then our food has to have more calories than food in warm countries. We can Ayurveda, and be right, in any climate, social and other circumstances.

Ayurveda - Eating and Cleaning

Ayurveda gives great importance to these two factors, considering them the most important things in achieving a healthy way of life. As a result of inappropriate food, "ama" - toxins build up in our organism. They are food for bacteria and viruses, they cause allergies and depression.

It is enough to reconsider the way we look at food to decrease the level of ama, and thus, lessen the risk of illnesses. Still, no matter how hard we try, it is very hard to achieve perfection, therefore, from time to time, we need to completely clean our organism.

Every Ayurvedic program contains enemas, cleaning procedures with boiled in water, butter, and milk healing herbs. Herbs are chosen individually. Our local herbs, like milfoil, chamomile, and nettle can be used.

For example, in Western clinics it is widespread practice to use local herbs, which were grown in ecologically clean areas. Although such clinics is not strictly Ayurvedic, the cleansing and rejuvenating methods we use agree with Ayurveda's main principle.

As an addition to cleaning preparations, Ayurveda recommends natural stimulants and special mixtures - jams, such as Chayavanprash, which are made from more than 100 minerals, herbs, and metals that have a very strong stimulating effect. They stimulate mental activity, clean the skin, normalize the peristaltic of the intestines, and the work of the inner organs.

Now, it is easy to buy such preparations - they are licensed and are prepared well on quality equipment. They are now also available in Western countries. These countries have been using healing herb recipes of Ayurveda for a long time.

For example, Germany, which is sensitive to money and will not pay too much for some mystification, has been the biggest client of Ayurvedic productions in Europe since the 70s. There are many German sites and special courses for those, who want to study Ayurvedic science.

Softening Cracked Heels through Herbal Ayurveda Remedies

According to ayurveda the cracked heel is caused by vitiation of Vata. Due to vitiation of vata the skin becomes dry, rough and fissured.

Walking bare foot for long distances vitiates vata causing cracked heels.

Dry and cold weather increases vata in body and may cause cracks on the heels. The same weather conditions worsen the already present cracks or fissures on heels.

Usually the process of sweating keeps our skin moist and soft. Absence of or inactive sweat glands cause dryness of skin. Vitiated vata dries up sweat glands.

People who have dry skin tend to develop cracked heels easily.

Continued pressure on feet causes cracking of skin on heels. This may be due to prolonged standing or over weight.

Thin soled shoes, Open backed shoes, heel spurs, Surgery of lower extremities, flat feet, high arched feet and diseases like psoriasis, eczema etc also cause fissured heels.

Self care for cracked heels

Avoid thin soled shoes or footwear and open backed shoes.

Use pumice stone bars to remove thick, dead skin of heels.

Apply medicated herbal balm which keeps the skin of heels soft and closes fissures.

Liberal application of herbal moisturizing lotion keeps your feet soft and attractive.

The skin of feet lacks oil glands. Hence apply herbal moisturizing lotion before going to bed and put on cotton socks. This tip helps to maintain the softness of skin of heels.

Reduce body weight and do not stand for a long time.

Never cut hard edges of fissures with blade, scissors or razor.

Diabetic patients should immediately consult their physician if the fissures persist for a long time and show color changes.

A regular foot bath and foot massage helps to keep the skin on heals healthy and soft.

Natural remedies and Home remedies for Dark Circles Under Eyes

Dark circles under eyes are a common beauty problem. These under eye dark circles give us an appearance of tiredness or illness. They make us to feel worse and are rather detrimental to our self esteem.

What are dark circles under eyes?

The skin below our eyes is very thin and is sparsely dotted with oil glands unlike the skin on rest of the body. Due to various reasons the skin under the eyes becomes thin and dry. Veins below eyes appear prominently when the under eye skin becomes dry and thin. This lends the area a dark appearance. What causes dark circles under eyes?

There are various reasons which cause dark circles. Few of them have been listed below.

Heredity:

If others in your family have dark circles then there are fair chances of you getting dark circles under eyes. The thinness of under eye skin is a hereditary character. The thin under eye skin reveals dark veins underneath and appears as dark circles under eyes.

If you are more prone to allergies like itching of skin which is inherited then dark circles under eyes may be caused due to rubbing and inflammation of under eye skin.

Lack of Sleep and Fatigue:

Partying all night, lack of sleep, fatigue, sinus infections, pregnancy all these may cause paleness of skin. Pale skin makes blood vessels to appear prominently and give an appearance of dark circles.

Structure of Bone

Eyes set deep in skull bones may develop ark shadow under them.

Exposure to Sunlight

Exposure to sun light increases the level of pigmentation and cause tanning. Same thing applies well for the skin under eyes. When skin under eyes gets exposed to sun it tans and appears dark.

Medications:

Medications which cause dilation of blood vessels cause dark circles under eyes. Dilated blood vessels allow more blood to flow through them and these blood vessels look prominent through under eye skin which is very thin.

Nutrition

Poor nutrition leads to paleness of skin under eyes. Lack of essential nutrients in diet or poor diet causes discoloration of under eye skin.

Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal Imbalance during pregnancy, menstruation, menopause etc cause paleness of skin and this leads to appearance of dark circles under eyes.

Age:

As we grow old the skin under eyes become more dry and wrinkled. The wrinkled skin below eyes appears as dark circles around eyes.

Tips for Dark eye Circles

How to get rid of dark circle under eyes is the question that arises in your mind when you are suffering from under eye dark circles. Here are solutions for under eye dark circles

1.Concealing the dark circles around eyes through make up techniques.

2.Avoiding use of bleach or peels to make the dark circles around eyes light.

3.Treat the cause of illness mentioned above.

4.Sleep for sufficiently long hours to prevent formation of dark circles under eyes. 5.Do not scratch the under eye skin.

6.Diet, which is rich in nutrients helps to remove dark circles around eyes.

7.Lightly tap the under eye skin with one or two fingers to

8.Increase the blood circulation.

Ayurveda treatment for dark circles under eyes

Accumulation of toxins in body cause dark circles.The ayurveda treatment for dark circle consists of two steps.

1.Body detoxification.

2.Skin rejuvenation .

Top Ten Home remedies for Dark circles under eye

1.Grate cucumber and squeeze fresh juice out of gratings. Dip two cotton balls in it and keep these cotton balls on eyes. This relaxes eyes and relieves tiredness of eyes. Considered as the best remedy for under eye dark circles.

2.The above process has been found to be effective when done using potato.

3.Apply a paste of lemon juice, tomato puree, orange lentil flour (masoor dal ) and turmeric powder (if you are not allergic to it) on under eye dark circles. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash it off.

4.Drink plenty of water (more than 15 glasses)

5.Eat fresh fruits, green vegetables which are rich in fiber.

6.Sleep well at least for 7-8 hrs daily.

7.Reduce stress levels by practicing yoga and meditation. Pranayama reduces dark circles and increases glow of skin.

8.Avoid sweets and chocolates.

9.Dip two cotton balls in rose water and place them on your eyes, covering dark circles.

10.Keep thin cold cucumber slices on eyes when your eyes are too tiered.

Keywords: dark circles under eyes, under eye dark circles,home remedies for under eye dark circles,

Medical Tourism: The Next Big Thing In Indian Healthcare Industry

Medical tourism is the act of touring different countries or nations around the world to receive medications like dental, neurosurgery or surgical care and various other forms of specialized treatments. Medical tourism or healthcare facilitation is very cost effective and has grown to become very popular with time. Due to much technological advancement and improvement, standards of care and the affordability of international travel have become the primary factors leading to the popularity of medical tourism.

In the past few years, the costs of medical treatment or health care have soared high in industrialized nations and developed countries. And with this rise in health care costs, people from USA, Europe, Canada and Australia are seeking alternatives to reduce their expenses and build financial savings. This has prompted the people of developed countries serve as medical tourists.

Among all the nations where people are going for low cost medical treatments, India has emerged as a significantly favorable destination or a top hot spot. India is, now, one of the leading countries promoting medical tourism. With an increasing number of outside patients flocking to India for low cost medical treatments, Indias medical tourism industry is doing pretty fine.

The focal attraction for the medical tourists is the price factor or medical costs. Medical tourists believe that, in India, the cost of surgery or other treatments is one tenth of what it is in European countries or in developed nations. The concept of medical tourism is new to many people and it is up to them whether or not they will find the desired medical treatment at a minimum cost. Medical technology has improved drastically in Indian hospitals and their standards have increased too, being at par with American and European countries.

Among all the various treatments that are done in India, the commonest are heart surgery, Lasik eye surgery, cosmetic surgery, neurosurgery and dental care. India has some of the best hospitals and treatment centers in the world with the best facilities. Infrastructure, technology advancement, outstanding doctors and medical staffs, world-class hospitals, all these have made India the prime location or the top choice for medical tourists seeking overseas health care.

The highlights of medical tourism in India are as follows:

- India has world-class medical facilities, with excellent staff in all areas of medical care
- Consultation with leading doctors or specialists
- Indian hospitals are equipped with the latest electronic and medical diagnostic equipments
- Low cost medical treatment or health checkups
- Luxurious rooms within affordable ranges
- Accommodation for attendants or accompanying family members are provided
- Ayurveda Therapy and Spa resorts available for relaxing and refreshing
- Exclusive Indian cuisines, Indian movies, Indian music and Indian dance
- Diversified cultural heritage in the different states
- Some top tourist destination spots like Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Qutab Minar etc.
- Holidaying, family reunions, festive occasions and medical checkupsall in one tour to India

Although there are many countries giving world-class medical assistance to the medical tourists who are seeking overseas healthcare or low cost healthcare, India attracts the most. Since it offers a beautiful holiday destination, apart from having a wide variety of low cost medical treatments, good hospitals and medical staffs, it is the foremost choice among people. Medical tourism India or health tourism India is an emerging concept whereby people from all over the world visit India for their medical and relaxation needs.""

India-Where smart treatment and exotic tourism come together.
More and more people from the industrialized and developed countries of the world are seeking out for places where they can enjoy a vacation as well as have their medical treatment done at an affordable price. Medical Tourists all round the globe are increasing day by day and India is their hotspot. Most patients come from USA and UK for treatment because India offers most efficient treatment options at cheapest possible price along with the opportunities to spend a luxurious holiday. The doctors in India are as good as doctors from any other advanced countries and the language also does not pose a problem for them as most of them speak good English.
Why India?
Medical procedures that are very popular subjects for medical tourists in India are Ayurveda, Orthopaedics, Cardiothoracic, Cosmetic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery and the exotic spas for relaxation. The health care system in India has also developed a lot. In the 80's the Government run hospitals were the main health care providers in India. However, over the last decade Indian medical system has undergone sea of change with increasing participation from the corporate and the private sectors. Today, the private owned hospitals, nursing homes and clinics are the main stay of Indian health care system. The major reason for the growth of medical tourism in India is the low cost of treatments. Because of these low costs, medical tours to India provides an easy alternative for people to avail quality treatment in a timely manner, avoiding the long waiting list, that is a common problem in western countries. Medical Tourism in India allows people to undergo cost-effective medical procedures that they otherwise could not afford.
Quality of Care and Indian Doctors
Medical Practitioners in India are well trained and many of them have enhanced their skills with training from medical schools in USA and Europe. Organizations that specialize in medical tourism only take the best of the best doctors. Indian clinics, hospitals and nursing homes have state-of-the-art infrastructure and technological sophistication to treat their patients. Indian pharmaceutical companies also meet the rigid requirements of various USs and Europe's Drug Administration Associations.
Various medical tourism agencies like RecoverDiscover are taking care of the needs of these international patients willing to come to India. Most of these medical treatments would require the patient to stay in India. These medical tourism agencies make arrangements for these patients for nice stays in reasonable hotels and arrange for sightseeing. It gives the opportunity to the patients to have a nice vacation after their treatment.
Medical tourism is THE Solution
The industry of medical tourism in India has evolved as one of the pioneers and trendsetters worldwide. It is evident that medical tourism is a developing economic sector that India can profit from if interested parties make the necessary investments. The healthcare industry is planning to take effective measures to draw more and more medical tourists every year and provide them the best treatment at inexpensive rates.

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Introduction to Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word, derived from two roots - ayur (which means life) and veda (knowledge). Knowledge arranged systematically with logic becomes science. During the due course of time, Ayurveda became the science of life and now called so. It has its root in ancient vedic literature and encompasses our entire life, the body, mind and spirit.
Another longer definition of ayurveda goes: ayurhitahitamvyadhe nidaanamshamanam thathaa vidyate yatra vidhwadhihi tatra ayurveda uchyate. This verse takes us to a deeper level to understand what ayurveda is.
Manifestation of Creation:
From the essence of satva the five senses are created:- Ears to hear, skin to perceive touch, eyes to see, the tongue to taste, and the nose, to smell. The essence of rajas is manifested as the five motor organs: speech, hands, feet, genitals and the organs of excretion. The mind is derived from satva, while rajas is manifested as prana, the life force. The tamasic quality is also responsible for the creation of tan matra, the subtle elements, and from whom the five basic elements are manifested. They are space, air, fire, water and earth.
Space: Expansion of consciousness is space and space is all enclosive. We need space to live, and our bodily cells contain spaces.
Air: Its representative in the body is the biological air, responsible for movement of afferent and efferent, sensory and motor-neuron impulses.
Fire: Where there is movement, there is friction, which creates heat, so the third manifestation of consciousness is fire, the principal of heat.
Water: Because of the heat of the fire, consciousness melts into water.
Earth: The next manifestation of consciousness is the earth element. Because of the heat of the fire and water, there is crystallization. According to Ayurveda, earth molecules are nothing but crystallization of consciousness.
The Three Doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha
The structural aspect of the body is made up of five elements, but the functional aspect of the body is governed by three biological humors. Ether and air together constitute vata; fire and water, pitta; and water and earth, kapha. Vata, pitta and kapha are the three biological humors that are the three biological components of the organism. They govern psycho-biological changes in the body and physio-pathological changes too. Vata-pitta-kapha are present in every cell, tissue and organ. In every person they differ in permutations and combinations.
According to Ayurveda, there are seven body types: mono-types (vata, pitta or kapha predominant), dual types (vata-pitta, pitta-kapha or, kapha-vata), and equal types, (vata, pitta and kapha in equal proportions). Every individual has a unique combination of these three doshas. To understand individuality is the foundation of healing according to Ayurveda, "The Science of Life" - http://www.ayurvedichealth.4t.com

India-Where smart treatment and exotic tourism come together.

More and more people from the industrialized and developed countries of the world are seeking out for places where they can enjoy a vacation as well as have their medical treatment done at an affordable price. Medical Tourists all round the globe are increasing day by day and India is their hotspot. Most patients come from USA and UK for treatment because India offers most efficient treatment options at cheapest possible price along with the opportunities to spend a luxurious holiday. The doctors in India are as good as doctors from any other advanced countries and the language also does not pose a problem for them as most of them speak good English.

Why India?

Medical procedures that are very popular subjects for medical tourists in India are Ayurveda, Orthopaedics, Cardiothoracic, Cosmetic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery and the exotic spas for relaxation. The health care system in India has also developed a lot. In the 80's the Government run hospitals were the main health care providers in India. However, over the last decade Indian medical system has undergone sea of change with increasing participation from the corporate and the private sectors. Today, the private owned hospitals, nursing homes and clinics are the main stay of Indian health care system. The major reason for the growth of medical tourism in India is the low cost of treatments. Because of these low costs, medical tours to India provides an easy alternative for people to avail quality treatment in a timely manner, avoiding the long waiting list, that is a common problem in western countries. Medical Tourism in India allows people to undergo cost-effective medical procedures that they otherwise could not afford.

Quality of Care and Indian Doctors

Medical Practitioners in India are well trained and many of them have enhanced their skills with training from medical schools in USA and Europe. Organizations that specialize in medical tourism only take the best of the best doctors. Indian clinics, hospitals and nursing homes have state-of-the-art infrastructure and technological sophistication to treat their patients. Indian pharmaceutical companies also meet the rigid requirements of various USs and Europe's Drug Administration Associations.

Various medical tourism agencies like RecoverDiscover are taking care of the needs of these international patients willing to come to India. Most of these medical treatments would require the patient to stay in India. These medical tourism agencies make arrangements for these patients for nice stays in reasonable hotels and arrange for sightseeing. It gives the opportunity to the patients to have a nice vacation after their treatment.

Medical tourism is THE Solution

The industry of medical tourism in India has evolved as one of the pioneers and trendsetters worldwide. It is evident that medical tourism is a developing economic sector that India can profit from if interested parties make the necessary investments. The healthcare industry is planning to take effective measures to draw more and more medical tourists every year and provide them the best treatment at inexpensive rates.

India-Where smart treatment and exotic tourism come together.

More and more people from the industrialized and developed countries of the world are seeking out for places where they can enjoy a vacation as well as have their medical treatment done at an affordable price. Medical Tourists all round the globe are increasing day by day and India is their hotspot. Most patients come from USA and UK for treatment because India offers most efficient treatment options at cheapest possible price along with the opportunities to spend a luxurious holiday. The doctors in India are as good as doctors from any other advanced countries and the language also does not pose a problem for them as most of them speak good English.

Why India?

Medical procedures that are very popular subjects for medical tourists in India are Ayurveda, Orthopaedics, Cardiothoracic, Cosmetic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery and the exotic spas for relaxation. The health care system in India has also developed a lot. In the 80's the Government run hospitals were the main health care providers in India. However, over the last decade Indian medical system has undergone sea of change with increasing participation from the corporate and the private sectors. Today, the private owned hospitals, nursing homes and clinics are the main stay of Indian health care system. The major reason for the growth of medical tourism in India is the low cost of treatments. Because of these low costs, medical tours to India provides an easy alternative for people to avail quality treatment in a timely manner, avoiding the long waiting list, that is a common problem in western countries. Medical Tourism in India allows people to undergo cost-effective medical procedures that they otherwise could not afford.

Quality of Care and Indian Doctors

Medical Practitioners in India are well trained and many of them have enhanced their skills with training from medical schools in USA and Europe. Organizations that specialize in medical tourism only take the best of the best doctors. Indian clinics, hospitals and nursing homes have state-of-the-art infrastructure and technological sophistication to treat their patients. Indian pharmaceutical companies also meet the rigid requirements of various USs and Europe's Drug Administration Associations.

Various medical tourism agencies like RecoverDiscover are taking care of the needs of these international patients willing to come to India. Most of these medical treatments would require the patient to stay in India. These medical tourism agencies make arrangements for these patients for nice stays in reasonable hotels and arrange for sightseeing. It gives the opportunity to the patients to have a nice vacation after their treatment.

Medical tourism is THE Solution

The industry of medical tourism in India has evolved as one of the pioneers and trendsetters worldwide. It is evident that medical tourism is a developing economic sector that India can profit from if interested parties make the necessary investments. The healthcare industry is planning to take effective measures to draw more and more medical tourists every year and provide them the best treatment at inexpensive rates.

Hair Loss Prevention through Ayurveda

Hair loss is experienced by all of us at one or the other time. To know the causes of hair fall, it is very essential to know the structure of hair and its normal growth cycle.

Structure of hair

The hair on our scalp can be divided into two parts, the root and shaft. The root part of hair is in the skin (epidermis) of scalp. The hair root is surrounded by a pouch like structure called follicle. The base of hair root is in the shape of a bulb. This bulb is indented by capillaries and nerve fibers. The cells in the center of bulb divide. The newly divided hair cells push the previous cells up. The cells which move upwards die slowly forming hard hair shaft.

The hair shaft has three layers the cuticle, medulla and cortex.

Cuticle is the outer layers and protects the inner layers. It is transparent. Healthy cuticle gives a shiny appearance for hair and unhealthy cuticle gives lifeless look

Medulla is the innermost layer composed of large cells.

Cortex is the layer between cuticle and medulla. This contains pigment and keratin. Cortex determines the bulk and strength of hair.

The hair follicle contains oil secreting glands which make the hair shiny .Stress and illness diminish secretion of oil and pigments causing graying of hair.

According to Ayurveda the hair is considered as a tissue which uses the same nutrients of bone and considered as a tissue which is formed as bi-product of bone tissue.

Normal cycle of hair growth.

About 10 % of the hair on the scalp is in a resting phase at any given time. The resting hair falls after 2 to 3 months and new hair starts growing in its place. The growing phase continues for 2.25 to 6 yrs. During this phase each hair grows approximately 1 cm per month. At any given time about 90% of the hair on scalp will be in growing phase.

Few strands of hair fall as the part of normal hair growth cycle. But some people may experience excessive hair fall which is more than normal cycle. Excessive hair loss can affect men, women and children.

Causes of hair loss

1. Hormonal imbalance in men and women: In men high concentration of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in hair follicles causes hair fall. In women hormonal imbalances during pregnancy and after delivery cause hair fall.

2. High amount of sebum in scalp clogs pores of scalp and prevent nutrition to hair follicle.

3. Inadequate nutrition causes hair fall.

4. Stress, worry, lack of sleep, worry and anxiety cause hair fall

5. Long standing diseases like typhoid, viral infections, anemia, surgery etc cause general debility which lead to hair fall

6. Some medicines used for gout, chemo therapy of cancer , birth control pills , antidepressants etc cause hair fall

7. Diseases like lupus, diabetes cause hair fall.

8. Tying hair tightly pulls the hair from follicles and cause traction alopecia.

9. Heredity also causes hair fall.

10. Dandruff or Fungal infection of scalp.

11. Accumulation of dirt on scalp causes blocking of pores and weakens hair roots. This leads to hair fall.

According to ayurveda the causes of hair loss are described as follows

1. Too much exposure to dust, sunlight, water and other pollutants.

2. Too much of sweating.

3. Irregular sleeping pattern.

4. Anxiety, depression, insomnia.

5. Unhygienic way of living

6. Diseases

7. Alcohol consumption.

Hair loss Remedies

1. Liberal intake of vitamins.

2. High protein and iron rich diet.

3. Consumption of raw vegetables, fresh fruits, salads, green leafy vegetables regularly.

4. Washing hair regularly ( twice weekly ) with suitable shampoo.

5. Using relaxing techniques to overcome stress, anxiety and sleeplessness.

6. Preventing fungal infections of scalp.

7. Preventing hairstyles which pull hair.

Due to these causes the tridoshas get vitiated and cause hair loss. The vitiated doshas affect the scalp skin and cause hair fall occurs. Medicated oil with the herbs Bhringaraja ( Eclipta Alba ), Amalaki ( Embelica officinalis ), Haritaki ( Terminalia chebula ) and Vibhitaki ( Terminalia bellirica ) is a best remedy for hair fall.

Copyright Dr. SavithaSuri, Ayurvedic Physician

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Medical Tourism: The Next Big Thing In Indian Healthcare Industry

Medical tourism is the act of touring different countries or nations around the world to receive medications like dental, neurosurgery or surgical care and various other forms of specialized treatments. Medical tourism or healthcare facilitation is very cost effective and has grown to become very popular with time. Due to much technological advancement and improvement, standards of care and the affordability of international travel have become the primary factors leading to the popularity of medical tourism.

In the past few years, the costs of medical treatment or health care have soared high in industrialized nations and developed countries. And with this rise in health care costs, people from USA, Europe, Canada and Australia are seeking alternatives to reduce their expenses and build financial savings. This has prompted the people of developed countries serve as medical tourists.

Among all the nations where people are going for low cost medical treatments, India has emerged as a significantly favorable destination or a top hot spot. India is, now, one of the leading countries promoting medical tourism. With an increasing number of outside patients flocking to India for low cost medical treatments, Indias medical tourism industry is doing pretty fine.

The focal attraction for the medical tourists is the price factor or medical costs. Medical tourists believe that, in India, the cost of surgery or other treatments is one tenth of what it is in European countries or in developed nations. The concept of medical tourism is new to many people and it is up to them whether or not they will find the desired medical treatment at a minimum cost. Medical technology has improved drastically in Indian hospitals and their standards have increased too, being at par with American and European countries.

Among all the various treatments that are done in India, the commonest are heart surgery, Lasik eye surgery, cosmetic surgery, neurosurgery and dental care. India has some of the best hospitals and treatment centers in the world with the best facilities. Infrastructure, technology advancement, outstanding doctors and medical staffs, world-class hospitals, all these have made India the prime location or the top choice for medical tourists seeking overseas health care.

The highlights of medical tourism in India are as follows:

- India has world-class medical facilities, with excellent staff in all areas of medical care
- Consultation with leading doctors or specialists
- Indian hospitals are equipped with the latest electronic and medical diagnostic equipments
- Low cost medical treatment or health checkups
- Luxurious rooms within affordable ranges
- Accommodation for attendants or accompanying family members are provided
- Ayurveda Therapy and Spa resorts available for relaxing and refreshing
- Exclusive Indian cuisines, Indian movies, Indian music and Indian dance
- Diversified cultural heritage in the different states
- Some top tourist destination spots like Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Qutab Minar etc.
- Holidaying, family reunions, festive occasions and medical checkupsall in one tour to India

Although there are many countries giving world-class medical assistance to the medical tourists who are seeking overseas healthcare or low cost healthcare, India attracts the most. Since it offers a beautiful holiday destination, apart from having a wide variety of low cost medical treatments, good hospitals and medical staffs, it is the foremost choice among people. Medical tourism India or health tourism India is an emerging concept whereby people from all over the world visit India for their medical and relaxation needs.""

Pay Per Click Advertising For Home Business Owners

The biggest stumbling block for most home business owners is marketing their business. Most will start at free to post FFA pages and safelists. Most free advertising will never be seen by anyone and as a result business owners get discouraged and quit.

Pay Per Click search engines are one of the most effective tools you can use to bring quick targeted traffic to your site. With pay-per-click search engines, you pay every time a visitor clicks on your link, anything from a few cents to a few dollars. Lets say you have a site that sells camping gear and you want to rank in the top ten in the search engines for the term camping gear. To be ranked in one of the top ten spots in the free search engines, you'd probably be looking at several months’ minimum, if ever. But in the pay-per-click search engine you can grab a top ten spot anytime you want. That's because all you have to do is see how much the person who has the position you want is paying per click, and simply outbid them by paying one penny more. Then when your potential customer searches for the term camping gear your link will show up as one of the top 10 listings on the search results page. Each time someone clicks on your link, you'll pay however much you have bid for that position.

The advantages of bidding on keywords with pay per-clicks are that you get highly targeted advertising, because you only pay when someone actually clicks through to your site. Your listing get posted quickly and you can start profiting from increased traffic almost immediately. In order to be in one of the top ten positions, all you have to do is outbid your competitors, which is only a matter of a penny more per click.

Done right, pay-per-click advertising can be very profitable and to help you ensure your campaigns are profitable avoid keywords that are too general. General keywords will attract a lot of traffic but drive up the cost of your pay per click campaign and convert very few visitors to sales because general search terms aren't specific enough or in very high demand. Try using keyword phrases, two or three words that pertain to your business. Use any search term suggestion tool and put in your keyword. The results will show your term, how many times it has been searched and also show many different variations. Try to pick one that is more specific to what you’re trying to advertise using two or three words. That will lower you’re cost and be more targeted. The money you save by doing this will enable you to bid on more keywords and you can still get the same exposure without competing for the expensive terms.

Kevin O'Hara

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Pay Per Performance Advertising : What is it?

Pay Per Performance Advertising is when the advertiser pays a fee based on an action which a visitor to his website takes.

Pay Per Performance Advertising could cover several things, such as pay per click advertising,

This type of Pay Per Performance Advertising means that, you list your website in a pay per click search engine, and when someone types in your term and clicks on your website listing, you are charged a fee for that click.

Another type of Pay Per Performance Advertising could be pay per subscriber. What this means is that you will pay a fee for every subscriber that is sent to you through a subscription form.

There are many types of Pay Per Performance Advertising but the ones above are the most common, especially pay per click.

Pay per search is another one. This was done by askjeeves.com a few years ago, I'm not sure if they still do it though. What basically happened was you would put an askjeeves search box on your website, and whenever someone searched askjeeves through your website, you were paid a small amount each time.

Not recommended for small websites with little traffic. The return just wont be worth it.

Pay per impression is another one. This is quite rare though, or at least it should be. I don't think many, if any websites do pay per impression any more, it's so expensive and easy to make fraudulent impressions. However, in some places CPM is quite popular. This means cost per thousand impressions. So say the CPM was $5, this would mean that for every thousand people that saw your advertisement you would pay $5.

Out of all of the above, I would much prefer paying for every action taken. This way I get what I want, and there is less chance of fraud happening, which is just a waste of my time and money. Sure it costs more, but I think the results are well worth it.

If you are looking for a PPC search engine, then I would definitely recommend overture. They will display your website in several different search engines, making sure you get maximum exposure.

If you want to do a subscriber deal by paying for each subscriber that is sent to you. This is best set up yourself and joint venture with another website. This means you can customize it yourself. Or you could leave it open to everyone and have many people sending you subscribers. I don't know of any websites that provide software for this, so you may have to get a programmer to do it for you.

Please be careful though. You CAN have anyone and everyone promote your newsletter and generate you subscribers, however if you allow this, it will be easier and easier to lose track of genuine and fraudulent subscriptions, making it hard to distinguish between them.

Make sure you have a good email handling solution.

I would recommend that you don't automate this process unless you are feeling brave.

Verify each request personally and manually.

Or you could go out looking yourself.

This is probably the best way to go, it gives you total control and allows you to pick and choose exactly who you want and who you don't want.

However, if you are feeling brave, or you have a good email handling solution then go ahead and spread the word about your newsletter subscription box. Let everyone promote it. This means more subscribers for you, which means more people to sell to.

In conclusion, if you want to advertise in this way, make sure you keep a tight grip on your budget. Put some restrictions on how much you can spend so you don't go overboard.

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More than Just Money: Barter

By definition, barter is the when parties swap services or resources. But in business terms, it’s an exchange that ends usually with everyone a winner. All parties involved in bartering hold onto their cold hard cash and don’t lose a cent. There’s no worries about getting ripped off as a buyer or seller, so it’s an exchange that’s high on trust, low on tension. And finally, the government doesn’t get its hands on any of the proceeds. Bartering is such a great system, it’s no wonder it’s been around nearly forever.

Historians and archeologists reckon that bartering is a human business practice for the ages. It goes back as far as written history, and perhaps even further into mankind’s (and womankind’s) history of business practices.

Between humans, the actual business practice of money came long before money was invented. In written history, as far back as 9,000 BC, shepherds used cattle as a means of exchange—from sheep to cows, camels to goats. Then when farmers came along during the course of the next couple thousands of years, grains and plants became the hot commodity in the world of bartering.

Bartering may have dissipated over the years, but it by no means went away. That’s the amazing thing about bartering. It still is, to this day, the ideal method of business exchange for some business folk, including companies with millions in assets. But it’s especially helpful for small businesses looking to get a leg up on their competition.

Listen to people talking in today’s business world, and you’ll hear stories such as the programmer who helped to code an interactive Web page for a startup graphic-design company, in exchange for a logo design for his own startup surf-board design shop. Then there’s the story of the new Internet advertising firm rolling out an ad campaign for a restaurant. Later that year, the restaurant hosted a “free” party and dinner for that ad firm’s clients.

Examples in today’s business world abound for bartering. The reason is that bartering still has many advantages to it in this modern business world.

For instance, for companies that are just starting to build up their assets, bartering is an opportunity to save their hard-earned cash. Even established companies love the chance to keep their money in the bank. With bartering, a company can get what it needs, while providing a service that the other company needs.

And because there is no money passed between pockets, the taxman does not even need to know about it. That saves you, and your accountant, the trouble of figuring out one more piece of business income or expense.

Lastly, deals involving money may whip up the old Scrooge mentality—a combination of greed and mistrust. With money deals, you may always be left wondering if you got the short end of the stick. Not so with bartering. With bartering, you get exactly what you need. And in return, you give a fair share of goods or services.

There’s no need to be a Scrooge here. Instead, the whole transaction is one of trust and understanding. Generally speaking, bartering for goods and services feels more worthwhile than paying money, whether you’re bartering for a dinner party for your clients, Internet advertising space, or whatever it is that you and your bartering partner agree to. Perhaps it’s because you can actually feel the value of your own goods and services. Or it may be just because you don’t have to open your wallet.

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Stuck With A Zero Marketing Budget For Client Gifts?

Would you really dare to give each client a gift of $500 this Christmas? What about something worth $2000? Or maybe $5000?

You think I’m joking right? I mean, here you are struggling with your 50 cent marketing budget and I’m giving you the key to your bankruptcy. At Christmas time, too!

Step up to the roller coaster and you’ll find out how Marie beat the system with some simple, yet smart marketing tactics and how you can too. Yeah, just like that…

Marie Ain’t No Santa Claus!

Nope! She’s just like you and me.

She can do the Ho! Ho! Ho bit, until she’s faced with the prospect of expensive client gifts. Oh sure she wants to revel in the spirit of giving, but her bank balance is screaming for some mouth to mouth resuscitation. And that’s something she can’t ignore.

What’s Worse Is Marie’s Clients Probably Won’t Even Like The Gifts!

Look at yourself. Did you really like that burgundy sweater you got last year? Or that gift basket full of calorie-ridden chocolates that made you wish you hadn’t seen them at all.

Let’s face it. Murphy’s Law, kicks in bigger and bolder at this time of the year than any other. On average (and often because you’re buying gifts in bulk) you’re giving your client a gift that’s so far off the mark that you might as well throw it in your own trash can and save him the trouble.

How Can Marie Play Scrooge And Santa Simultaneously?

There’s one simple concept every business ignores. It’s called Spare Capacity. Hotels are never totally booked, flights are never quite packed to the gills, and by golly, most businesses like yours and mine (no matter how busy) always have some free space and time.

Marie could use this factor to her advantage. If she approached my business, these are the steps she would logically follow.

1-2-3, Cha, Cha, Cha (Here Are The Steps!)

Step 1: It’s all in the way Marie puts it. If she simply asked me to speak to her clients, I might decline, but if she made it extremely tantalizing, I’d be only too willing.

“How would you like to meet with 20 new clients, that would be very keen to do business with you?”

That kind of question would get my curiosity wound up pretty quickly. She can then explain how she would be introducing me to 20 of her top clients. All I had to do was offer each of them an hour of my time. If I did a good job, I would get a whole bunch of new clients that would be quite eager to meet me.

Let’s say I charge $500 for a consultation. Marie could qualify her clients well, and give them each a voucher to meet up with me. In this consultation, they would have the opportunity to throw me any of their marketing issues and I would have the chance to wow them with my fancy footwork.

Step 2: Once we’re in agreement, she would create a voucher that she can give to her clients. This voucher offers them the specified time at my convenience (I only need to meet them in my free time). This voucher would offer them the benefit of some radical, unusual marketing either via the net, phone or in person. To make the deal sweeter, Marie could offer me 20 hours of her time to meet my clients.

Step 3: We give these vouchers to our respective clients for Christmas. We tell them that we’ve bought them a gift that will help them tremendously in their business and that the gift is worth $500 or $2000, as the case may be.

Any one of those solutions would be worth anything from $200 to $20,000, depending on what the client did with the idea.

How does that compare with your $20 gift right now?

Where Do You Start Looking?

There are no rules. Just because you sell product, it doesn’t mean you have to do this Christmas swap with products.

If you sell products like beds, start looking at chiropractors, massage therapists, interior designers. If you look around you, you will find dozens of businesses that will be more than willing to play Christmas gift if there is something in it for them.

If you sell services…ditto. Look for services as well as products. Every one has spare capacity. Services are most highly valued because they’re abstract and based on the person themselves, but you can find products that are sitting in someone’s warehouse and they’d be glad for you to take them off their hands, in return for access to your top clients.

Best of all, this solves the problem of the suitability of the gift. Wouldn’t a business be more excited by a highly prized service than another daily planner?

Why This Concept May Not Work For You

Marie, has got to make sure that I give solid information in the consulting session to her clients. Sales pitches are a no-no. Your swap must be a REAL gift, not some shoddily disguised sales pitch.

Pick your Christmas Partners carefully. A lot could go wrong here if all they’re seeing is dollar signs.

The second reason why this may not work for you is sheer laziness. You might find it easier to step into a gift shop and blow $1000 on gifts for your clients. It’s easy and it beats having to knock on doors and trudge through snow or sun (depending on where you live on the planet).

Hopefully You’re Not That ‘Duh!’

When you give your gift, all you’re doing is trying to make your current client happy (and that’s great!). With Marie’s concept, you’re actually getting a chance to meet another 20 new clients.

Say that quietly to yourself: Twenty new clients without you having to do any selling. You don’t even have to spend any advertising or marketing moolah to get them in the door. Best of all, they will actually be grateful to have you over.

Does that send a chill down your spine? What if you could do this deal with three people just like Marie? Would 80 appointments be good enough for you?

Are You Going To Have a great NEW YEAR Or What?

No one ever told you about Santa Scrooge did they? Well, now that you know, what are you going to do about it? This rocks, my friend. Now go there and create a New Year that’s really worth big bucks in your balance sheet.

If you do, the next time your banker hears Ho! Ho! Ho, he knows it’s not Santa!

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Online Advertising For The Perplexed

One of the more frightening realities of business is that in order to make money, you often have to spend it first. For independent software developers, the costs of doing business are usually very low. There are often no expensive offices to purchase or lease, a limited amount of hardware to buy and maintain, and for most, no stock to tie-up precious capital.

For many developers, the first and most obvious option for productive spending is advertising. And for the online business, there is no shortage of options to choose from.

Most websites offer some form of graphic or text advertising, and there is a bewildering variety of mailing lists, newsletters, and regular mailings. And that's before you even begin to consider the printed media.

However, before you even start to think about where you want to advertise, you need to consider why you're advertising in the first place.

For many companies, the aim of an advert will simply be to increase sales and make more money. Other legitimate reasons for wanting to advertise can include raising the profile of your company or product, increasing brand awareness, and testing new pricing strategies or new markets.

>From the outset, it's important that you are clear about exactly what it is that you want to achieve. From there, you'll be able to choose where to advertise.

When selecting a venue, an important factor will be how targeted the audience is, as this will have a major bearing on the price that you should be prepared to pay for the ad. In general, the less targeted the audience, the less money you should part with. And even though it's not always the case, you might want to consider spending a little bit extra for a highly targeted advert.

The next obvious factor is the price.

First of all you need to know how much you will be paying, and whether this is a flat fee, a cost per click, paying per exposure, or some arrangement.

You also need to consider the costs involved in preparation. If you're using artwork, you may wish to use a professional designer to create it, and don't overlook that the graphic might have to be in a specific format. More importantly, you have to take into account the amount of time that you will have spend on arranging this.

You also need to consider the time period that you're hoping your advert will cover. If the ad will be on a website, then you'll probably be looking at days, weeks or even longer. If so, then you should find out whether you can change the content of the ads as you go. If this is what you want to do, all the ads should be prepared well in advance, and the total costs of these should also be factored into the budget.

A good starting point in finding a suitable place to advertise is to learn from the experiences of others. As an ASP member, you have access to the private newsgroups, where other members will often be considerably more open, detailed and revealing than they might in public.

When you think you've found the right venue, read through whatever information you can find on their website or in their publications, and only then contact the person who handles these matters.

Present them with a general introduction to yourself, your products and your needs, and don't be afraid to ask questions right from the start. Ask about their terms, payment terms, conditions, and whether they offer any form of guarantee or minimum response levels. A little bit of optimism never did any harm!

You'll also want to find out if there are any deadlines or timescales to consider, and whether they will publish your ad "as is", or reserve the right to edit it to suit their content.

Bear in mind that whoever you contact is likely to know their audience very well, so make sure that you ask for any guidance, tips or pointers that they can offer. Find out who will see the ads, what behavioural patterns you might expect, what outcome or response rate you might get, and whether they can offer any helpful suggestions.

Also find out who else has advertised with them in recent months, and ask if you can have their contact details. Make sure that you chase these up, and ask them outright about their experiences.

Leave nothing to chance, and find out whether there will be a contract to sign, and any commitments that may be involved throughout and beyond the advertising period. It's also a good idea to find out how flexible they may be. For example, if the ad will run for a number of days or longer, can you change the content of the ads with little or no notice?

At this point, it's very important to keep in mind that you are the customer. Don't be afraid to ask questions, don't be worried about bargaining, and make very sure that you're getting all the information and answers that you need. If not, move on. There are many other places to advertise.

Assuming that their answers meet your satisfaction, you are then in a good position to negotiate. The web is full of advertising, but even the more popular websites and newsletters often find it difficult to sell all their advertising space nowadays.

You might also want to ask them whether some form of trial period may be possible. If they're very confident of a high click and success rate, then they shouldn't object to an ad going out to a smaller test group, or perhaps a normal ad running for a number of hours.

When it comes to the actual payment basis, the ideal scenario would be a vendor offering high-quality, targeted advertising, with payment based solely on a commission basis, with no sign-up fee or base rate.

This is, however, a little on the unlikely side. A more realistic option will be advertising that is based on a flat fee, most (or all) of which will be paid for in advance.

When the terms, price and payment conditions have been dealt with, you're then ready for the content of the ad itself.

The following article will look at the importance of knowing your target audience, what to include in the ad, and how to know when to call in the professionals. We'll also be looking at the importance of implementing a good tracking system, and how to follow up an advertising campaign to gain from your experiences. In short, we'll be looking at everything else you need to help make your ad campaign a successful one. Until then, be seen, be sold.

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Pay-Per-Click Advertising & Search Engine Optimization

There are pro's & con's to both Pay-Per-Click advertising and optimizing for natural search engine traffic.

PPC advertising has many great benefits. First of all, you get your traffic going quickly. I have used this advantage many times. I test new products and even new websites through PPC advertising before making a decision to promote or scrap my new website or product idea.

I am a firm believer in testing new products before throwing large amounts of money into advertising. PPC advertising is a great way to do this. For example, with Google's Adwords program, you can post your ad, pay a $5 sign-up fee and have highly targeted traffic to your website within an hour. How is that for efficiency?

Also, you can moniter your click charges and stop them before they get too expensive. By the time you have spent your budget on clicks, you should have a pretty good idea of how successful your product is going to be.

I think of PPC advertising as being the most useful when starting a new business or product. WIth PPC advertising, you can quickly and efficiently find out which keywords you need to target and which products are the most popular.

Once that testing period is over, however, it's time to look into Search Engine Optimization. PPC advertising can be very expensive, costing hundreds, even thousands a month in advertising costs. Once you know what keywords to target, it's time to put together a plan on how you are going to optimize your website. The drawbacks to search engine optimization is that it requires a lengthy amount of time to get your site to rank high with your keywords. That is why I suggest using this method after the testing period is over, when you already know your business will be profitable.

Search Engine Optimization is definately a slow way to get your website traffic if you plan on not using PPC traffic. It could be a long, expensive road before you even begin selling your product. Search engines can take months, even years to start pulling up high with the search engines. But, natural search engine traffic is definately the best long term way to get the majority of your traffic.

When getting your site to start pulling up in SE natural listings there are 2 main things that need to be done:

1. Add Content
2. Add Backlinks

Search engine traffic requires you to submit your site to many different search engines and wait, maybe even months for them to spider your website.

I have had much better luck with another route. You can pay a fee to have your website listed in a very high ranking directory like www.dmoz.com (free), www.yahoo.com's directory ($299), sbd.bcentral.com (only $50), or another website where your link is on a page that has a page ranking of 4,5,6 or higher. The sites I mentioned above have rankings of 8 or 9. When you have your link on a site with that high of a ranking, the search engines are spidering those sites constantly and will find your website and spider it very quickly. Not only will they find it quickly but because you are linked to a high ranking site, you will also rank higher with the SE.

When looking for backlinks, focus on sites with content related to yours and high page rankings of 4 or higher.

As for content on your site, try to include about 200-500 words of content or text on most of the pages of your site. Text makes your site bulkier. Make sure to integrate all of the keywords you want to target within the content of your site. Don't worry about cramming the same keywords in over and over. Search engines may possibly even blacklist your site for keyword stuffing, if you try to do that.

There is a lot to know about Search Engine Optimization but, those are the 2 main factors when getting started.

In summary, when starting out, I suggest using PPC advertising for testing products and keywords. Spend time optimizing your site for search engine traffic after you have tested your products and keywords.

Carrie Reeder has been a web marketer for 3 years and has various websites where she sells a variety of products from software to clothing accessories.

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Seven Ways to Waste Your Money on Yellow Pages Advertising

Each year there is a Yellow Pages arms race where competitors in each category are encouraged to out spend each other. There is only one winner in this arms race, and it is not you! Too many advertisers waste their money on Yellow Pages advertising without first considering their marketing strategy. Here are seven ways you can waste your money.

1. Attempting to outspend your competitor
As soon as Yellow Pages has convinced you to increase the prominence of your ad, they get your competitors to match or outbid you. This becomes an annual auction, with some categories containing pages of half and full page ads. A buyer can be overwhelmed with choice and may make their decision before they even get to your ad. Priority in listing is given to those who have advertised the longest in a category for a given ad size. You can only get closer to the front by upsizing your ad or if someone else closer to the front ceases advertising.

2. Putting all your eggs in the Yellow Pages basket
An advertising decision is something you should only make after you have developed a marketing strategy. Many businesses rush into advertising in the Yellow Pages, just because that’s what everyone else does. You don’t become a leader by following the herd. You need to consider your payback for your investment in this marketing channel. Ask your Yellow Pages consultant how many leads a particular size ad generates in your category. Then ask yourself how many of these leads will you convert into sales, and then decide whether this is a good investment.

3. Engaging in destructive Head to Head Competition
When you advertise in the Yellow Pages, not only can potential customers see your ad and your offer, so can your competitors. This can result in price competition that can turn your product or service into a commodity. Yellow Pages make comparison shopping easy for buyers and market research easy for competitors.

4. Spending too much on prominence
When spending on a Yellow Pages ad, you can invest in size and colour. Size is important, but what you put in the ad, your copy, is far more important. It is better to go down a size and spend the money you save on a copywriter. Good copy can generate up to 20 times the response as poor copy. Colour is also important, but not as important as size, so go up a size rather than go to colour, which is expensive for its return. If your category is cluttered with large ads, investing in your copy is essential.

5. Relying on Yellow Pages free design service
Ad design is important. Yellow Pages do offer a free design service, but its worth what you pay. The typical design is done in 15 minutes. As they are designing tens of thousands of ads you can’t really expect any special attention- especially as there is no charge for the service! When they design your ad, they will appeal to your vanity rather than to your customers. So they will put “Joe’s Plumbing” in the headline. But buyers don’t care who Joe is, and are far more interested in why they should use Joe. This requires some marketing analysis of your points of difference and ultimate service benefits, which won’t happen in 15 minutes!

6. Putting your ad in the wrong category
If you are a plumber, the decision of where to place your ad is easy. But if your business is in a fairly specialised market such as oil refinery plumbing, there probably isn’t a good category for you. In fact, for many B2B businesses Yellow Pages is a poor marketing tool. Ask yourself the question, where would a buyer look to find out about your business- it might not even be in the Yellow Pages.

7. Depending on old technology advertising
Every year internet advertising increases, with less being spent on print advertising. Yellow Pages is now available online and for certain businesses this is a better option, particularly with a link to their website. When being sold paper Yellow Pages ads, you may be offered complimentary online advertising. However, unless your ad is near the front, you will be invisible to buyers who rarely will browse further than three pages. It is also worth paying for a link to your website.


The Yellow Pages consultants are on commission to sell you advertising. They only interested in getting you to spend as much as possible, not on providing the best marketing solution for your business. Advertising is not the same as marketing! Good marketing advice on whether and how you should advertise is money well spent. Not only can this increase sales, but it can save you thousands of dollars in advertising.

Before making a decision on Yellow Pages advertising, you should consider all your marketing channels, and make decisions on how much you invest in each dependent on their ability to attract leads. Having determined how much you will invest in Yellow Pages, do some market analysis and invest in your ad copy. This is particularly important for larger ad sizes. Yellow Pages advertising can be rewarding, but should only be considered as just one part of your overall marketing strategy.

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