KI is not confined to specialized fields such as Oriental medicine, but the whole oriental view of life is based on seeing all of life as ki.
When we consider the human being as a manifestation of ki we can distinguish several stages of ki energy on him
KEK KI (Kek stands for Ketsu or blood) It is our most fundamental ki because it constantly nourishes de body
SHIO-KE salt ki or ki of minerals
MIZU-JE that's the water ki or ki of liquids
DEN KI that literally means "ki of thunder" is the ki of the electricity that runs constantly through our bodies
JI KI that can be translated as the "gathering force" the "attracting power" or the "magnetism"
REI KI that's the ki of the spirit or "the invisible force of the soul"
All these stages of Ki come from SHIN KI or God-ki (the source).
Rei Ki (the ying yang) is born out of Shin Ki, and between ying and yang, Ji Ki (m agnetism) arises, and next appears the vibration in the form of electricity (Den Ki) is produced. Then atmosphere water and minerals are formed. We take all these different kinds of energy in the form of food, and transform them into Kek-ki or blood, that nourishes our body.
HOW WE RECEIVE KI ENERGY
Our bodies receive Ki from two different sources:
The Ying Ki Energy that comes from the outside world. These energies come from cosmic rays, sun rays, moon rays, humidity, temperature, sound waves, people radiations, etc.
Ying is the centrifugal and expanding force of the Universe. It attracts Yang and it repels Ying.
And the Yang Ki Energy that comes into our bodies from liquid and solid foods, which are then transformed into blood. The Yang ki feeds organs and tissues and determine their quality.
Yang is the centripetal force of the Universe. It attracts Ying and it repels Yang.
The interaction of these two energies enables our body to function. Both of them are continuously changing into each other: when Yang reaches its extreme, it changes into Ying and vice versa.
Ki is then the activity, the movement, the energy of vibration generated between the Ying and Yang poles.
YING KI ENERGY HARMONY
It activates and charges our organs. The intensity and quality of the Ying Ki that we receive depends on our Yang Ki.
If we do not move (yang) our body, our Yang Ki looses its yang properties and no longer attracts the Ying ki. Similarly if we constantly over eat, the Yang Ki becomes stagnant and we can't be charged actively by the Ying ki. We might have a good blood quality but over eating and not moving our organs will be charged with a minimal charge.
On the other hand, if we eat very yang food in small amounts we become so charged of Ying ki, that we start to act wild, we shout, we become ang er, etc.
As a symptomatic remedy, adjusting Ying Ki by the means of acupuncture can only work in the short term. But for a long term healing, the Yang ki must be normalized.
OUR FIRE NATURE
The Japanese word for "human being" is HITO. Hi means sun, and To means spirit or ghost. In other words for the Japanese we are "fire ghosts" because they consider that the human body is nothing else than very dense energy, that has the characteristic of continuously create a temperature that's different from its surroundings.
We know now that this "fire mass" is created by millions of cells that have seven main central heating furnaces named The Chakras. And this "fire mass" can only continue to exist if fuel is added from time to time, and our fuel is our food and drink, plus air.
At the moment of deciding what kind of fuel we will use we have several options.
To use quick burning fuel that creates a stronge r temperature for a short period or slow burning fuel as the polysaccharides. Slow burning fuel is superior is superior for many reasons and one of them is that one does not need to eat very frequently when consuming slow burning fuel.
We can choose a fuel that needs to be supplied in large amounts (like meat), or fuel that only needs to be supplied in small amounts
We can choose fuel that can be stored easily or which decays rapidly. In ancient times they didn't have a choice because as they didn't had refrigerators, they had to choose foods which tend to decay slowly when stored for large periods.
We can also choose fuel that leaves residues after being burned (like oil does), or the ones that burn cleanly and completely not producing residues
We must remember that we have seven chakras ant that each one of them needs a different kind of fuel, and if we consume refined foods we will only feed some of them.
And which are the wholesome foods which can be easily stored and which burn slowly, which are sufficient in small amounts, and burn without leaving many residues to give us the healing ki energy? The staple foods of the macrobiotic diet: whole grain, whole vegetables, whole beans and whole sea vegetables (which has being the diet of most of the human being through world history).
KI Energy & The Fire Nature of The Human Being
The Heart of the Country by Fay Weldon
For two thirds of its length, The Heart Of The Country by Fay Weldon is a brilliant, surprising, humorous, bitchy study of adopted and original rural life. Rural industries, agriculture, and yokel identity rub shoulders with antique dealers, long-distance commuters, owners of computer stores and benefit claimants. Pretty normal stuff, I hear you say. The book examines their interactions and relationships, especially how public virtue interacts with private vice.
Natalie, who was born with attributes of beauty and desirability, has suffered the confusion of many with her birthright. With the world available to her, she chose Harris, whose business acumen eventually matched his other skills. At the start of the book, he has just gone bust, but has not told his wife or family. He has also just run away with that bit of fluff he used to see when...
So Natalie, bestowed Natalie, is left penniless, mortgaged up to the hilt, carrying her husband's abandoned debt and still trying to provide for his children, whom, of course, he left behind. A pity, therefore, that the local nob she used to visit every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for a bit of light relief did not entertain an emulation of her husband's life change. There are limits to alliances, after all.
And then there's Sonia. Sonia has seen it all. She is living off the state. She is on the take, depending on your perspective. She is on family credit, the dole, the social, whatever. Natalie happens to splash her one day as she drives past on what petrol is left in the tank of the car her husband used to fund, just before the credit people appear to repossess it.
Sonia has analysis. She knows things. She can spot a person up to this, or doing that at a distance. Whether an antique dealer, a respected farmer, a man with a computer business, of even a man who drives an Audi with an eye for a floosie youn g thing flashing her thigh, she picks up the vibes, registers them, keeps them on file. She knows the ropes, and can spot where they have been tied. She feels she has been hung by each and every one of them several times. She's on the social and knows how to cook from tins. She runs the kind of household where she would experience surprise if introduced to the contents of her refrigerator. She's also a cynic, a closet psychopath with axes to grind.
If The Heart Of The Country had continued to explore these local, colourful and humorous rivalries, then the book would have been ultimately stronger. Unfortunately, Fay Weldon moves into other, broader, bigger issues, and has her local people voice their significance. She delves into agribusiness, diet and supermarkets. She examines economic and professional, rather than merely social integrity. She stops short of macrobiotic diets, but only just.
Eventually, the book becomes something of a m ishmash of ideas it could easily and profitably ignored. Its original thrust of human beings being as complicated as human beings are in order to create, effect and endure consequences would have been much more powerful.
The Heart of the Country by Fay Weldon
For two thirds of its length, The Heart Of The Country by Fay Weldon is a brilliant, surprising, humorous, bitchy study of adopted and original rural life. Natalie, who was born with attributes of beauty and desirability, has suffered the confusion of many with her birthright. With the world available to her, she chose Harris, whose business acumen eventually matched his other skills. And so he went bust. He also ran away with that bit of fluff he used to see when...
So Natalie, bestowed Natalie, is left penniless, mortgaged up to the hilt, carrying her husband's abandoned debt and still trying to provide for his children, whom, of course, he left behind. A pity, therefore, that the local nob she used to visit every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for a bit of light relief did not entertain an emulation of her husband's life change.
And then there's Sonia. Sonia has seen it all. On the state, on the take, on family credit, dole, s ocial, whatever. Natalie happens to splash her one day as she drives past on what petrol is left in the tank of the car her husband used to fund.
Sonia has analysis. She knows things. She can spot a person up to this, or doing that at a distance. Whether an antique dealer, a respected farmer, a man with a computer business, of even a man who drives an Audi with an eye for a flousie young thing flashing her thigh, she picks up the vibes, registers them, keeps them on file. He knows the ropes. She feels she has been hung by each and every one of them several times. She's on the social and knows how to cook from tins. She's also a cynic, a closet psychopath with aces to grind.
If the Heart Of The Country had continued to explore these local, colourful and humorous rivalries, then the book would have been ultimately stronger. Unfortunately, Fay Weldon moves into other, broader, bigger issues, and has her local people voice their significance . She delves into aribusiness, diets, supermarkets, economic and professional, rather than merely social integrity. She stops short of macrobiotic diets, but only just.
Eventually, the book becomes something of a mish-mash of ideas it could easily and profitably ignored. Its original thrust of human beings doing as complicatedly as human beings do in order to create, effect and endure consequences would have been much more powerful.
Why Brown Rice Syrup May Be the Best Sweetener For Your Health
We now know that on of the ways to start eating healthy and lose weight is to limit the amount of sucrose in the diet, as many sucrose-based products are highly refined and are best used in moderation. Enter Brown Rice syrup. Brown rice syrup (BRS) (and barley malt for that matter) is composed of maltose, has a mild taste and is about half as sweet as regular refined white sugar. It is great for diabetics and for macrobiotic diets and those looking for sweeteners that won't spike blood sugar levels the way white sugar can.
However in contrast with regular sugar, the glucose in Brown Rice Syrup is absorbed easily into our system, leaving less for fat accumulation which means faster weight loss. This happens because unlike simple sugars such as monosaccharide's and disaccharides, Brown Rice Syrup is a polysaccharide or a complex sugar that dissolves easily in the bloodstream. Moreover, the maltose and complex carbohydrates components of this kind of syrup takes longer to digest thus maintaining the energy flow for longer time periods. So, apart from possibilities of controlling the blood-sugar levels, organic Brown Rice Syrup may have a healthy effect on your cholesterol. Brown rice syrup is derived by culturing rice with enzymes and the final product is roughly 50% soluble complex carbohydrates, 45% maltose, and 3% glucose.
BRS can be used as a sweetening agent to sauces, cereals, and can be used in recipes for cooking or baking and is good as a topping for pancakes and waffles in place of pancake syrup. It is made by adding enzymes to cooked rice, either white or brown. It can be stored at room temperature or for longer storage in the refrigerator. It doesn't crystallize the way honey can but in very humid areas mold can grow on the surface, therefore for longer storage it can be kept in the refrigerator. Brown rice syrups can be used in place of white sugar in recipes. To substitute rice syrup for regular sugar in recipes, for every 1 cup of sugar use 1 1/4 cups of rice syrup and decrease the liquid by 1/4 cup. Enjoy!
Alternative Prostate Cancer Treatment part 2
Eat salmon, mackerel, sardines, or herring. Regular consumption of these sources of omega 3 fatty acids may lower the risk of prostate cancer. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. This hydrates the body, keeps the prostate working efficiently, and helps the risk to eliminate toxins from the body. Restrict your intake of dairy products. Moderate consumption of soured products such as low fat yogurt and kefir is acceptable. If you experience difficulty urinating or notice and increasing trend toward waking up to urinate during the night, consult your health care provider. This may indicate prostatic obstruction. Use cold pressed organic oils such as sesame, safflower, or olive oil to obtain essential fatty acids. Do not eat red meat. There is a definite correlation between high red meat consumption (five servings a week or more) and the development of prostate cancer. Eliminate from the diet alcoholic beverages, coffee, and all teas except for caffeine free h erbal teas. Strictly avoid the following foods; junk foods, processed refined foods, salt, saturated fats, polyunsaturated vegetables oils, sugar, and white flour. Instead of salt, use a kelp or potassium substitute. If necessary, a small amount of blackstrap molasses or pure maple syrup can be used as a natural sweetener in place of sugar. Use whole wheat or rye instead of white flour. Unless otherwise recommended in the table above, take vitamins and other supplements daily with meals, with the exception of vitamin E, which should be taken before meals. Try to avoid all known carcinogens. Eat only organic foods, if possible. Avoid tobacco smoke, polluted air, polluted water noxious chemicals, and food additives. Use only distilled water or reverse osmosis filtered water. Municipal and well water can contain chlorine, fluoride, and agricultural chemical residue. Try following a macrobiotic diet. Get regular physical activity. Active men maintain better health and have lower risk of developing prostate cancer. Enjoy regular sexual activity. Regular ejaculation activates the prostate gland, keeping it from getting stagnant and inflamed. Do not take any drugs except those that are prescribed by your physician. Always seek counsel and alternative opinions before deciding which treatments, if any, you will pursue.
One of our recommended Alternative Prostate Cancer Treatment aside from what we discuss above. "The one minute cure for all diseases" a powerful and Effective alternative therapy in treating Prostate Cancer and is highly recommended by almost 15,000 European doctors. Take the time to discover and study this one, we highly recommend this therapy the Alternative Prostate Cancer Treatment.
Just follow the link and watch the 5minute video presentation:
The Effects of Negative Emotiions on your Health
Our body reacts to stress by producing the hormone adrenaline. For every molecule of adrenaline produced, one molecule of vitamin C is needed. A depletion of vitamin C in the body will lead to cardiovascular problems.
Negative emotions are by far one of the 3 most important factors in illness with diet and environmental toxins.
Included under emotions are: stress, work, family, neighbours, transport, depression, bad news, death relatives/ friends, loss of job, divorce, moving house and any negative event that worries or depresses you.
It is not the event itself that is important but the way you process it.
Yes, the way we process an event is what does the damage. Not the event itself.
For example, one person loses her job and goes into severe depression because their whole life revolved around their work. They felt needed and the income was needed to pay the bills. This person has a greater chance of getting sick than the person who loses her job but hated it anyway and knows that they can get a better job easily.. or enjoy the extra time doing nothing.
A story to illustrate this point:
A customer came to me suffering from liver, oesophagus and lung cancer. His chances of survival with modern therapy were 0.1% at best. He followed a very strict Macrobiotic diet and recovered. Eventually, he went back to a normal diet and died quickly after receiving thermal chemotherapy in Germany (and eating hospital food). His cancer had been emotionally triggered by his wife having three miscarriages in a few years. This gentleman desperately wanted a child with the woman he loved and could not accept that he may never have one. This triggered his first cancer (oesophagus). It was not the event that triggered the cancer but the way he processed it.
What to do?
To be positive, it is very important to make plans for the future. Keep your dream (s) alive. Have a goal, have an ambition. It is OK to be happy. We are not meant to suffer. Many people who try to become spiritual think that being poor is the only way to be. This is not my understanding. Most successful spiritual teachers are well known and well off. Does this mean they are bad? Not at all.
They are successful because they believe in what they are doing. They live their dream. God, or whoever you believe in, never meant us to suffer and be poor. It is OK to enjoy life. Money is just a mean of exchange. You need some to be able to live your dream, help yourself and help others.
It is difficult when you have been diagnosed with a cancer or another serious condition to remain positive. Especially if your body is giving you pain signals. It is hard to imagine that you are getting better. The problem will compound itself, the pain will force your mind to concentrate on this part of the body, and the more you concentrate or it, the mor e you will feel (or imagine) the pain.
Affirmations such as "everyday in every way I am getting healthier and healthier" are good. Saying it however is not enough. You should also try to visualise your tumours or disease shrinking and disappearing. Constantly keeping this image and autosuggestion in your mind can greatly help your body to heal. The best time to repeat the words is last thing at night just before going to sleep or first thing in the morning when you wake up. This is the time when your mind is in alpha state and is most receptive to suggestions.
Good exercises are:
Visualise your tumours being eaten away. There are different ways of doing this. Use whichever way suits you best:
* For example a child may visualise his tumours eaten as in a PAC MAN game.
* An adult may prefer to visualise his tumours being soft rocks that are gradually eroded by the waves of the sea.
* Imagine that eac h in breath floods your body with a shoal of hungry Piranhas that are eating away your problems and cleansing your body.
Use whatever method is best for you. Make up your own. As long as your visualisation is strong, you believe in it and you do it frequently, it will help you.
The support
Emotional support and belief from your spouse, partner, friends or family is important. If this is not given, it is better to leave. A very negative home environment will keep the disease alive and spreading. I know that doing this is not easy at all, but you are worth it.
Ideally, the cooking associated with recovery should be from a healthy person with positive energy.
A Story - The power of the mind - From the New York Times, 13 October 1998:
"Many doctors know the story of
Chinese Medicine For Hair Loss
Chinese medicine consists of the following healing techniques: herbology, acupuncture, and acupressure.
These modes of healing can be rooted back in the ancient Chinese system of treating diseases. Right now, a lot of medical practitioners are claiming that these healing techniques have some legitimate scientific basis to it.
Incidentally, hair loss is just one minor problem that Chinese medicine can easily address.There are different concoctions, herbs, and procedures to revert hair loss in a person. The traditional Chinese way of healing comprises the use of pressure points, chi, and energy flow into the body.
One good medicine for hair loss is Goto Kola.A very popular herb known to curb hair loss in men and also control male pattern baldness. Also known to help people with alopecea, this herb is available in its natural form and as a pill. It is also used for blood purification and increase memory power of a person, but must be tak en after Doctors consultation only.
Goto Kola is very effective for age-related hair loss and male pattern baldness. It is believed that Goto Kola is the well-kept secrets of Chinese centenarians who have gone past their 100th birthday still enjoy the full lock of their hair. But more than treating hair loss, Goto Kola is also effective for memory problems, anxiety, insomnia, edema, and high blood pressure.
It can also be used to enhance a persons cognitive processes, heal wounds, and promote blood circulation. Other than Goto Kola, ginseng is also a good treatment for hair loss. Who hasnt heard of this Chinese medicine, right? Well, Ginseng has been administered for decades now, to cure various ailments, one of which is hair loss. The Siberian Ginseng has strong medicinal powers that helps rejuvenate the scalp and increase blood flow.This herb must be the most popular one yet this decade.
Both Chinese medicine and the Indian Ayurvedic medicine had attested to its effectiveness. It addresses hair loss by directly inhibiting the production of 5 alpha reductase, which is the element that is believed to cause the problem. Ginseng can also inhibit cortisol and work as an adaptogen. Foti, also referred to as Shien Mien in Chinese medicine, is also a good herbal treatment for hair loss. Also known as He Shou Wu, this herb is commonly consumed as tea or as medication to help increase hair growth and reduce hair loss.In fact, it has been used as a hair-growing agent in the past few years already.
However, scientific evidences to prove its effectiveness are yet to surface.
But with the testimonials of the people who are using it, this herb is definitely worth a try.
But more than the use of Chinese medicine, it has been recently discovered that male pattern baldness can actually be triggered by the food that a person eats. A western diet consisting of dairy products, meat, and fast food items are conducive to hair loss, according to an epidemiological study conducted in Japan eight years ago. The study also concluded that a macrobiotic diet has a positive effect to hair growth. Such diet consists of grains, fish, and vegetables, including foods that are rich in the 3 fatty acids and 6 fatty acids.
Go Organic Via Online
The percentage of unidentified preservatives in the manufactured food products may cause an alarm to health junkies everywhere. Arguably, almost all canned foods are IV dosages waiting to be instilled onto the veins of consumers, inaudibly packed in dried packages. The absurdly quiet hazard to the well being of a health conscious community neatly covered in the small-printed labels of food packaging.
Many consumers fail to realize the importance of eating fresh produce as opposed to convenient store-bought packets of food. Sadly, even vegetables are canned as found in supermarkets that supply canned tomatoes, beans and asparagus. This action defeats the initial purpose of having vegetations in our diets, which fill our system with essential nutrients and iron.
Unless consumers restrict themselves to the same macrobiotic diet that Gwyneth Paltrow religiously pursued for a good three years, the only other rightful alternative is organic food. Conventional groce rs generally do not store organic product in the inventory list of items because the prices of organic product may prove too exorbitant for the average consumer. Ordering organic food online is the most viable option towards practicing a naturally healthy diet.
The most common organic food is made from seaweed and tofu. Generally, these foods are free from harmful preservatives and additional chemicals blindly approved by The Board of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals every year.
Seaweeds are high in iodine which is crucial in building an intelligent future generation. Iodine is the main nutrient in preventing mental retardation in children. Iodine is commonly found in seaweed and sea urchins. Tofu, on the other hand, is a lucent high source of protein that supplements the cell renewal process of the human body.
New mothers are concerned about feeding their infants with the proper formula, and also to begin spooning solid food to those over six months. Numerous baby food organizations have converted to the idea of going organic when it comes to nourishing babies. Albeit a little pricey in comparison with traditional baby formula, organic baby food is the only completely reliable method of ensuring the bouncing bundles of joy to continue bouncing higher and heavier healthily.
Ordering organic food online is easy with MasterCard, Visa, American Express or PayPal. Security policies are compulsorily applied into the payment methods. Credit card fraud occurrence is cut short with the use secret passwords and word captions insert.
How Lysine Helps With Herpes and Improves Your Collagen Production
Lysine is an essential alpha-amino acid, in that it cannot be biosynthesized by the human body, and therefore must be taken in your diet or as a supplement. It is synthesized in plants from aspartic acid, and metabolized in the body to produce acetyl-Coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA).
Before discussing its action on herpes, we shall first have look at how Lysine helps with the formation of collagen. Collagen is a protein that is produced in the body from lysine and proline, another amino acid. In fact the primary role of amino acids in your diet is as building blocks to form the much larger protein molecules.
Collagen is fibrous, and forms the connective tissue such as cartilage, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels and skin. Even the external parts of the ears. It literally holds our skeletons together, and wraps the whole body up in skin, so if we had no collagen we would literally fall apart! Collagen is also used by body cells to form the matrix that the b ody cells use to attach to each other and is one of the most important types of tissue in your body.
It is so ubiquitous that over 30% of the protein contained in your body is collagen, and it is designed for its structural strength as opposed to its ability to take part in chemical reactions as other proteins are. Lysine and Vitamin C are essential for the maintenance and formation of collagen.
There is not a lot of lysine in collagen - only about 4%, but it is very active in the cross-linking that forms the fibrils of collagen. Fibrils are the hair-like structures formed in a triple helix arrangement by three protein chains twisting round one another. The fibrils are bundled together in a straight line that has amazing tensile strength. The tensile strength of collagen is, weight for weight, stronger than steel!
In order for lysine to take part in this process effectively, some molecules have to be hydroxylated and others oxidized, fo rming aldehydes. Things can go wrong here, and deficiencies in the metabolic process can lead to some heritable conditions, or diseases of connective tissue. Among these are lathyrism, Cutis-Laxa and the Menkes kinky hair syndrome.
However, lysine is a very versatile amino acid, and not only is it necessary for the biosynthesis of all proteins, but is also heavily involved in the production of enzymes, hormones and antibodies. It is an important component of the calcium absorption process, and also, as previously stated, can be used in the treatment of herpes simplex.
This form of herpes is known commonly as 'cold sores', and is a result of the activity of the herpes virus. Viruses do not reproduce in order to ensure the 'continuation of the species', but replicate. In order to achieve this it requires the help of another amino acid, arginine. This is a common amino acid whose sources include grains, seeds, peanuts, raisins and chocolate.
Lysine and arginine competes for the absorption and entry of tissue cells, and reduces the strength of arginine, so preventing the growth of herpes. For this reason a supplement of lysine can be used to reduce the effects of the herpes simplex virus, and lessen the symptoms of the cold sore.
However, it is not only cold sores but other forms of herpes that lysine can help to relieve. Herpes zoster is a virus that causes shingles. This virus is generated by the reactivation of the dormant varicella-zoster virus left in the tissues after chickenpox. It is a recurrent condition, and lycine can help to reduce recurrences as well as its severity. Apart from being an effective defense against herpes, and forming collagen, the amino acid imparts several other benefits to the human body.
Among these is osteoporosis. L-lysine is involved in calcium absorption in the intestine, and also helps to reduce the loss of calcium in the urine. In osteoporosis we h ave to try to make every calcium molecule ingested in the diet to be incorporated in the bone structure. L-arginine can work with lysine to enhance the activity of the body cells that produce bone.
Canker sores are often mistaken for cold sores, but they are actually quite different. They are small sores inside the mouth, and appear in the form of very painful ulcers. The cause is unknown, but is believed to be a virus, and lysine appears to help the condition. Although there have been no proper clinical tests carried out on its use as a remedy for canker sores, lysine appears to help, and a supplement is recommended as a treatment by many doctors. It will do no harm, and anybody suffering from these tiny but painful sores will try anything.
Although lysine deficiency is rare, it can occur, particularly amongst those observing a vegetarian macrobiotic diet, and also in athletes who frequently undertake vigorous exercise, especially with too little r ecovery time. The effects of a deficiency are fatigue, nausea, appetite loss, anemia, slow growth and kidney stones. The latter is likely due to a failure to absorb calcium, that L-lysine promotes, and the formation of calcium oxalate and other insoluble salts in the kidney.
Dietary sources include beans and other legumes, and although it should be available in cereals, baked foods and doughnuts, for example, the carmelization of sugars binds the lysine to the sugar, and so reducing its bioavailability. However, you can also get it in cheese, eggs, tofu and red meats.
If you are taking an arginine supplement, you should consult your physician prior to taking lysine. The reason for this is that lysine and arginine share biochemical pathways, and arginine can reduce the effective concentration of lysine.
However, it has not been tested by the FDA, nor approved, and any use is at your own risk. This risk appears to be very small, although its manufacture is not regulated. However, do not let this bother you: the proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say.
Many have found lysine to be effective with collagen or herpes problems, and a supplement of between 3,000 and 9,000 mg per day is recommended for those with herpes viral infections. It is not recommended for children under two years old. Lysine is available at your local or internet health food store at discount prices. Look for name brands to ensure purity and quality of the product you purchase.
Book Writing: How to Choose a Hot Book Topic in the Self-Help Book Market
These days more people are flocking to purchase self-help books. Self-help books are leaping off shelves at brick and mortar book stores and online stores. People want to feel that if they read a self-help book, they have the power to change their lives. Whether or not this is true is arguable.
Changing your life, soul searching, and helping thyself, are all great book topics.
As much as ever before, people want to know how to find peace with their pasts, how to be creative or spiritual in a consuming society, and how to find true love. There is no end to how-to books you could create in the category of self-help, or life enrichment. Here are a few more ideas:
* How to marry for life
* How to unbreak your heart
* How to stay sane in a crazy world
* How to meditate
Health is a concern to anyone who is growing old, ill, or faced illness with a loved one or wants more energy or, basically, everybody. Health books are a good investment for you to make. Doctors don't have to be the authors. Anyone with any credentials, or no crendetials at all, can write books on health. Just make sure you don't claim to be a doctor if you're not one.
Use any of these health topics and guarantee yourself immediate interest, readership, and book sales!
1. DISEASE PREVENTION AND CURE. As our baby boomer population ages, health concerns will afflict them, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, or some other malady. Give these people some hope. Create a book on how to cope, how to find the best practitioners, how to avoid disease triggers, or cures that American doctors are unaware of.
2. NATURAL REMEDIES. People are curious about alternatives to standard medicine, and are anxious to try herbal, natural, or holistic treatments. Create a book on any disease that covers alternative cures. For example, "How to Treat Lymphoma, Naturally." Or, you could address natural supplements in general, "The best natural remedies for common ailments," or "Holistic health."
3. DIET. What we eat is always a hot topic. Dozens, if not hundreds, of diet fads exist. Pick any one of them for a book. Then there's obesity, general health, and also diet supplements like vitamins. Think "How to equip your kitchen for macrobiotic dieting." Or, "Eat to cure cancer."
4. HOW TO SURVIVE ANY PHASE OF LIFE. People face numerous demons and battles as they live their lives. For many, when they're in need, they reach out to others for help. Support groups, private therapy, being with friends, starting over - these are all solid topics for a book. You could also reach out to certain people needing emotional assistance, such as:
* How to get through the terrible two's,
* How to cope with a cancer diagnosis,
* Living with your own shortcomings,
* How to live with someone who is dying,
* Surviving high school.
Any of these book topics will do.
Choose Brown Rice
There is a difference in appearance, taste and nutritional content between brown rice and white rice. In light of these differences and studies showing the health benefits of brown rice and rice bran in the diet; there are more and more people making the switch. Brown rice is made up of numerous layers even after the simplest of processes that removes just the hull from the brown rice. If brown rice is processed further to the extent that the rice bran and parts of the germ layer are removed you have white rice. To add insult to injury; after all nutrients are removed from the brown rice; the FDA requires that the process must reverse itself to "enrich" the white rice with only a portion of the lost nutrients.
Magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, copper, thiamin, niacin, fiber, iron and vitamin B-6 are just a few of the vital components in the make up of whole brown rice. Unfortunately white rice in its "enriched" state still cannot compare to its former self; bro wn rice. Essentially brown rice and white rice are the same in relation to amounts of their calories, carbs, fat, and protein. However, major differences between brown rice and white rice from processing the brown rice result from not being able to add back all the great parts of the bran to the brown rice. There is a significant loss of magnesium in addition to fiber and fatty acids including bran oil from having been removed from brown rice.
In lieu of recent studies of the effects of brown rice and rice bran in a healthy diet; we do ourselves a great disservice in eating a processed brown rice in the "polished" white form. Studies show the rice bran oil may assist in lowering the bad cholesterol known as LDL. It also indicates that women who eat more whole grains like brown rice weigh less and gain less weight over time than women who eat processed foods. Magnesium is a work horse in converting protein and carbs to energy. The fiber in brown rice assists our digestive processes and help to treat constipation. In addition; the fiber in brown rice coupled with amounts of selenium also found in brown rice aid in the fight against colon cancer.
Individuals living on a vegetarian or macrobiotic diet have long understood the benefits of brown rice and rice bran in their diets. Under processed foods like brown rice lend themselves to a healthier diet and lifestyle. We eat all around better foods for our bodies; what is brown rice without a few good steamed vegetables. We exercise with the extra energy we have from a food like brown rice. It's that wonderful merry-go-round; if you eat better, you live better; if you live better, you eat better. So hop aboard now before it's time to get off.
Healthy Grains: Brown Rice and Rice Bran
When thinking of healthy foods does brown rice or rice bran come to mind? It is common for us to have a list of favored healthy foods; our favorite fruits and vegetables; skinless white meat chicken; yogurt and low fat cheese.
Then there is that list of foods that brown rice may be on. The list of foods one knows is healthy like brown rice or rice bran and maybe they'll try it one day; or not. Healthy grains like brown rice or rice bran are usually on this list.
Consciously, the choice is made for white rice instead of brown rice; processed baked goods instead of something with perhaps a healthy grain like rice bran on the ingredient list.
We opt out of the chewy texture and nutty flavor of a natural whole grain item like brown rice; or the unexpected sweetness of a rice bran product? If you had a choice and were ordering take out, would you look on the menu for brown rice? Would you go out of your way to inquire if brown rice were av ailable at your local Asian restaurant?
I'm not talking about the fried rice that just happens to be brown from the cooking and seasoning process; I'm talking about unadulterated brown rice.
Hopefully we haven't lost something in the low-carb revolution; the part of the message about needing grains like brown rice in our diets to aid in digestion; fight constipation; control blood pressure; and perhaps lower LDL cholesterol in the fight against heart disease.
In addition brown rice provides our bodies with healthy nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, copper, thiamin, niacin, fiber, iron and vitamin B-6. Brown rice is a staple with other healthy grains in vegetarian and macrobiotic diets for these nutrients. It also has three quarters more dietary fiber than white rice.
The benefits of whole grains may not mean that every individual on the planet needs to follow the recommended guidelines.
Individuals seeking m edical attention for diabetes or allergies may receive special nutritional advice from professionals regarding their diet. However adding the right mix of vegetables and healthy grains to your diet is smart eating.
No doubt your taste buds will need some time to adjust. Make your brown rice selection with care. Check labels to ensure a freshness packing date. Since brown rice hasn't been through the same processes as white rice the expiration date may not be as lengthy. Stale brown rice will taste rancid and shouldn't be eaten.
Make the transition of adding brown rice or rice bran to your diet a slow process. Gradually swap out processed foods for a smart food like brown rice and rice bran. Read ingredient labels; find whole grain breads that list rice bran in the first few ingredients.
Ask your favorite Asian restaurant if they serve brown rice in place of white rice. Mix it with white rice in a favorite recipe like stuffed peppers unt il you're used to the nutty whole grain goodness of the brown rice on its own. In no time your taste buds will be thanking you.
The Benefits of Eating Brown Rice
When view of wholesome foods does chocolate rice or rice cellulose come to opinion? It is mutual for us to have a file of favored healthful foods; our beloved fruits and vegetables; skinless fair meat chicken; yogurt and low fat cheese.
Then there is that roll of foods that brunette rice may be on. The directory of foods one knows is strong like auburn rice or rice grain and perhaps they'll try it one day; or not. Healthy grains like coffee rice or rice integrity are mostly on this file.
Consciously, the span is made for colorless rice instead of coffee rice; processed baked cargo instead of something with perhaps a well grain like rice fiber on the ingredient file.
We opt out of the leathery touch and cracked savor of an inherent total grain piece like auburn rice; or the unexpected harmony of a rice bran effect? If you had a choice and were ordering take out, would you look on the menu for bronzed rice? Would you go out of your way to request if bronzed rice were offered at your resident Asian restaurant?
I'm not chatting about the fried rice that just happens to be auburn from the cooking and color treat; I'm chatting about unadulterated tanned rice.
Hopefully we sanctuary't forlorn something in the low-carb revolution; the part of the letter about needing grains like chocolate rice in our diets to aid in digestion; contest constipation; rule blood make; and perhaps inferior LDL cholesterol in the contest against sympathy disease.
In addition bronzed rice provides our bodies with vigorous nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, copper, thiamin, niacin, fiber, iron and vitamin B-6. Brown rice is a tack with other healthful grains in vegetarian and macrobiotic diets for these nutrients. It also has three quarters more food fiber than fair rice.
The repayment of unbroken grains may not mean that every individual on the earth wants to follow the recommended guide lines.
Individuals seeking health attention for diabetes or allergies may collect elite nutritional opinion from professionals about their diet. However adding the right mix of vegetables and healthy grains to your diet is smart ingestion.
No query your style buds will indigence sometime to adjust. Make your bronzed rice choice with precision. Check labels to ensure airiness packing time. Since brunette rice hasn't been through the same processes as colorless rice the expiration date may not be as lengthy. Stale russet rice will class stale and shouldn't be eaten.
Make the transition of adding russet rice or rice bran to your diet a gradual treat. Gradually swap out processed foods for a smart food like brown rice and rice bran. Read ingredient labels; find unbroken grain breads that list rice bran in the first few ingredients.
Ask your darling Asian restaurant if they wait brown rice in place of colorless rice. Mix it with ash en rice in a beloved recipe like stuffed peppers pending you're used to the nutty complete grain goodness of the brown rice on its own. In no time your feel buds will be thanking you.
Alternative Breast Cancer Treatments
A wide variety of alternative breast cancer treatments exist today. While "alternative" treatments are defined as practices that replace traditional treatments, most breast cancer patients use them in combination with conventional medicine. Generally, alternative treatments are not acknowledged by the medical community as standard medical practices and therefore, many patients do not inform their doctors when using these therapies. Examples of alternative treatments include acupuncture, massage, megavitamins, herbal supplements, nutrition, and magnetic therapy, to name a few.
Practiced for thousands of years, acupuncture involves the stimulation of specific points on the body using a hair-thin needle, or other method, to restore the body's internal balance and energy flow. Acupuncture may be used for pain relief and to control side effects from chemotherapy.
Massage involves manual manipulation of muscles and soft tissue. It is believed that massage enhances the function of those muscles and tissues involved, while promoting relaxation. It is often used together with other therapies. Available scientific evidence does not support claims that massage slows or reverses the growth or spread of cancer.
Megavitamin treatments usually involve very high doses of vitamins A, C and E. While the body requires these and other vitamins for optimal health, too much of a single vitamin may be harmful and even interfere with other treatments. A healthy diet, one that offers lots of fruits and vegetables, eliminates the need for vitamin supplements. More is not always better.
Good nutrition is always important, but for anyone fighting breast cancer, or any cancer, it's crucial. Though there are many, one alternative nutrition treatment is the macrobiotic diet. This diet is strictly vegetarian and includes whole grains, vegetables, beans, seaweed and soups. This diet is promoted for both cancer prevention and treatment, though there is no proof that is has any affect on either. In general, a healthy diet—one that includes fruits, vegetables and protein—provides the reserves of nutrients needed to maintain a strong immune system and cope with the adverse side of effects of treatments.
Herbal supplements are plant extracts and have long been used for a variety of health purposes. While they may be labeled as "natural," it doesn't mean that they are safe or even good for the body. The fact is that herbal supplements can act like a drug and may be harmful when taken in large amounts. There are few regulations in place to control the quality and safety of these products. In 2007, the FDA did initiate new regulations to help improve this, but many are not effective until 2010. Cancer experts often recommend that patients avoid dietary supplements altogether.
These are just a few of the many alte rnative breast cancer treatments available. When facing a life threatening illness, such as breast cancer, a feeling of desperation may be experienced while searching for treatments. As a result, the patient may develop an "I'll try anything" mentality. While it's important to keep an open mind about new treatment options, it's more important to approach alternative treatments with caution. Be upfront and honest with everyone involved in treating your disease before starting any alternative therapies. Many of these may be safe, but there may also be risks involved when combining alternative and traditional medicine. Ultimately, the decision for any treatment is up to the patient. Choosing one treatment over another should be based on knowledge, not fear. Remember, knowledge is power.
How to Select a Great Topic for Your Book or Ebook Part 4 of 5
For part four of this discussion, we'll be taking a look at some specific topics you may wish to explore...
Looking young
Perhaps sixteen year old girls don't want to look younger, but from that point on, and for most of the population in Western society, looking young is a common desire. Everybody wants to find the fountain of youth, whether it be in a pill bottle, a special diet, surgery, or an eBook.
An eBook about staying or appearing young in the face of growing old will have a solid future. Here are some title ideas, and I'm sure you can come up with a truckload more.
- "Drop ten years and ten pounds in ten days"
- "How to look 28 forever"
- "100 ways to look younger"
- "Grocery store products that will help you look younger"
- "Look 30 again without surgery"
- "How to live to be 100"
This topic is red hot. Botox, surgery, chemical peels, lasers, diets, acupuncture, electronic pulses, mega vitamin s, prescription teas, thigh cream, and teeth whiteners are being purchased by baby boomers, the elderly, and even women as young as 20 ! No one wants to look a day older than they have to.
Health
Health is a concern to anyone who is growing old or ill or faced illness with a loved one or wants more energy or, basically, everybody. Health eBooks are a good investment for you to make. And doctors don't have to be the authors. Anyone with any credentials, or no credentials at all, can write books on health. Just be sure you don't claim to be a doctor if you're not one.
Here are some health topics you can hit at this moment in time and be almost guaranteed immediate interest, readership, and sales!
Disease prevention and cure. As our baby boomer population ages, most will be afflicted with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, or some other malady. Give these people some hope. Create an eBook on how to cope, how to find the best practitioners, ho w to avoid disease triggers, or cures American doctors are unaware of.
Natural remedies. People are curious about alternatives to standard medicine, and are anxious to try herbal, natural, or holistic treatments. Create a book on any disease that covers alternative cures. For example, "How to Treat Lymphoma, Naturally." Or, you could just address natural supplements in general, "The best natural remedies for common ailments," or "Holistic health."
Diet. What we eat is always a hot topic. There are literally dozens if not hundreds of diet fads currently out there. Pick any one of them for an eBook. Then there's obesity, general health, and also diet supplements like vitamins. Think "How to equip your kitchen for macrobiotic dieting." Or, "Eat to cure cancer."
Another great topic along the lines of health would be a book exposing the scam of whole life insurance (yes I said scam) which most insurance agents push on their clients since they make more commis sions selling a whole life policy than a term life insurance policy . If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the deal: If you're currently paying for whole life, and you're still relatively young, get term life insurance instead and put the extra money into a real investment instead of giving it to your insurance agent.
Travel
Never has so much travel been available to so many. People today want to get in touch with the people they love. They want to experience different parts of the world. See exotic things. Be entertained. Also, because, especially in America, adults sometimes work well more than 40 hours a week, people need really good vacations. They're doing their research to make sure that they will really enjoy their precious few weeks off each year.
Here are some topics for you: how to trade frequent flyer miles, how to keep airport security off your back, how to travel on a dime and get change, and how to keep your children happy on lo ng car trips.
Beyond the how-to's, there is plenty of room for books like, the best amusement parks for your money, top 100 campgrounds, things you must see and do in Utah before you die, and free things to do when visiting Washington, D.C.
Get the idea? The good thing about creating travel eBooks is that you may already know a lot about a place that other people may be interested in visiting. Makes it easy!
Money
Money makes the world go around (well that and the earth's axis and planetary forces), and so it would make sense that eBooks would abound on the topic of money. They do, but the market is nowhere near saturated. There's always room for more. From getting rich to just saving money day-to-day, people are always interested in how-to books related to money. Ideas below:
- "How to feed your family on less than $40 a week"
- "How to get free stuff"
- "How to pay almost no taxes"
- "How to buy a retirement home for no money down"
- "How to be richer than your parents"
- "How to buy cars and jewelry at auction"
- "How to start a financial management business"
Life enrichment
In these days, although fewer and fewer are attending churches, more and more are flocking to purchase self-help books. Self-help books are leaping off shelves at brick and mortar bookstores. People want to feel that if they read a self-help book, they have all the power to change their lives. Whether or not this is true is moot. Changing your life, soul searching, and helping thyself, are all great eBook topics.
As much as ever before, people want to know how to find peace with their pasts, how to be creative or spiritual in a consuming society, and how to find true love. There is no end to how-to books you could create in the category of self-help, or life enrichment. Here are a few more ideas here:
- How to marry for life
- How to unreal your heart
- How to stay sane in a crazy world
- How to meditate
I hope you have gleaned a few ideas from this brainstorming session. We'll explore some more hot topics in the final installment of this article series.
Ebook Creation: How to Select a Great Topic for Your Ebook
It couldn't be easier to select a topic for an ebook. People are hungry for information, and people are looking to the Internet to feed their hunger. After you've read this chapter, you will feel confident enough to choose your own topic, or you can literally pull your ebook topic directly from this ebook and use it! How's that for a deal?
Observe what's going on around you.
If you're smart enough to read this book, you're smart enough to look around you and determine what interests you and those around you. Think of what problems you've recently solved, and what kinds of problems others have had and solved. Any problem that has been solved in your world could easily be the subject of your next book. People love to read how other have solved a problem that they currently have.
So, brainstorm a list of problems in your life and in the lives of those around you. Your friend Bob lost his job? Your sister's child had chicken pox? How did they cope or find solutions? While you're at it, start another list of unsolved problems evident in your corner of the world. Write down problems you wish you had solved. Aha! These are subjects that people will really be interested in! How to lose the last ten pounds. The truth about UFOs. The straightest path to becoming a millionaire. From your personal corner, your step-granddaughter is pregnant at age 14? Your grocery bill is double what it used to be? Your roof leaks? These are problems waiting for ebook solutions!
These unsolved problems would also be great ebook topics. Remember, you don't have to know the solution, just the topic. You're going to get someone else to do the research and write the book for you. You will not actually be writing one word.
Spend a few minutes Googling
The Internet is a great way to find out what people are looking for at any given moment. You can search for almost anything. Google™ i s a popular search engine you can use, or you can try any of the others like Yahoo!® or Mamma.com. Type in phrases like "top concerns of Americans," "best-selling nonfiction topics," or "popular how-to manuals." Common worries of 2005.
And while you're on the Internet...
Find out the most popular nonfiction books from the New York Times bestseller list, Amazon, and a Google search for ebooks. Your findings will tell you exactly what book subjects people are buying right now.
Try this. Go to www.amazon.com. From the tabbed menu running along the top of the Amazon home page, click "Top Sellers."
I did this one day in September 2005 and found a Harry Potter book, several other fiction books, and titles such as Natural cures "they" won't tell you about, How what you wear can change your life, How to profit from the demise of the dollar, and The official SAT study guide. I've paraphrased to some degree, but you ge t the idea.
Here's what I learned just from spending a few minutes on Amazon that day. People are reading good fiction from already-best selling authors (Da Vinci Code, the Harry Potter series, and others). Secondly, Amazon buyers, buying over the Internet, are interested in nonfiction topics such as improving their lives and making more money. For these books, just about any author will do, even virtual unknowns or people who went to prison for lying to the American public.
And that quick visit only confirmed that the straightest route to ebook profits is in the nonfiction ebook market. This is for a number of reasons. Fiction readers tend to like to curl up in a chair with an actual book. Some of them attend book clubs where the physical books are brought around someone's kitchen table with wine and cheese. Fiction readers tend to purchase from authors they're already familiar with. Fiction can be more difficult to write and deliver well. Also, ma ny of the classics in fiction are available as free ebooks. A reader interested in fiction could just download those. So stick with nonfiction unless you're feeling particularly bold and experimental.
Here is some more good news, and if you didn't already know this then you are going to be smiling big. Drum roll please... ideas are not copyrighted, therefore any idea you see, hear, or read anywhere anytime, is yours to use for an ebook! You can create books around the same ideas that are covered in the Amazon best seller list, and turnaround and create an ebook on the exact same subject!
Now, copyright law does protect the way ideas are expressed, so you want to make sure your hired author does not plagiarize or copy book text outright. And you cannot use the title word for word either. But there's nothing stopping you from creating another book or ebook that covers the same subject with a different voice. It's all as completely legal and guilt-free as nonfat Haagen Dazs. This is why looking at bestseller lists is a great way to get topic ideas.
Digging a little deeper
There are groups of people who are willing to buy nonfiction ebooks: hobbyists. At any given time, these people are looking for ways to spend their money on their hobbies. Their passion is your financial gain.
What avid hobbyists want will always make great ebook material. Note that I did not say what hobbyists need. You may have certain opinions on what exactly certain people should need or should read. But those are not necessarily good topics for immediate ebook profit. Those topics may be areas for you to dabble in at your leisure. However, if you want to make money at this, find out what niche groups want, and hit those groups with your ebook.
Find hobbyists and niche groups by searching the web for "popular hobbies," "enthusiasts," or "what America is buying." Or, you can search spec ifically for forums and discussion groups for hobbyists. In the forums, people talk with each other to share ideas with one another. Often, they will exchange testimonials for equipment, upcoming events, and books.
One popular site where hobbyists go to talk to one another online is Yahoo!. Check it out. Go to www.yahoo.com. Click "groups." On the groups page you'll see a list of categories such as Business & finance, and Religion. For demonstration purposes, click on "Games."
On the games screen, game subcategories are listed followed by numbers. The numbers indicate how many discussion forums are available for that subcategory. These numbers reveal a lot. Notice how "role playing games," and "video & computer games" have factors of ten or in some cases factors of 100 more forums than other subcategories. "Wargaming" and "paintball" don't even come close, although those categories are much more discussion-laden than "horseshoe pitching."
For fun, one day I continued selecting subcategories until I arrived at a list of over a thousand (yes a thousand) discussion groups on Yahoo having to do with vampire role playing. Here's how I got there: Games>>Role Playing Games>>Live Action>> World of Darkness>>Vampire: The Masquerade.
Some of the forums are open to new members, and you can join to read what everyone's discussing. Once in the forum, you can review discussion threads from today, yesterday, or a year ago. Don't go back too far if you want to find out the hottest possible ebook topics. You can participate in discussions if you like. FYI, do not drop into a discussion group just to market an ebook; hobbyists consider this spam and will drop you from the group.
When you read and/or participate, you'll find out what this group is buying. All you have to do is skim to find out what questions they are asking each other about products or traveling or information. What they are intere sted in buying is a key piece of information because passionate consumers love to research before they buy. This is an immediate ebook market. Create a book on how to select the best this or that on the market, related to the current wants of the enthusiasts.
Enthusiasts come in all shapes and sizes. Think brides-to-be, golfers, whitewater rafters, people who collect vintage baseball cards, wine connoisseurs, gardeners, frequent vacationers, video gamers, and parents who put their children into private tutoring, ballet, and violin lessons before age 3.
There are some hobbies that seem to continually attract enthusiasts, like playing golf, watching football, restoring old cars, and listening to music. These are classics. Then there are some hobbies that seem to come and go in waves, such as Red Hat Societies participation, snow boarding, or line dancing. Pick either a classic hobby or a fluctuating hobby in its peak season for your best odds.
< br /> A big market on the Internet is the 20-30 set. Here's what they are doing right now, according to one survey. They're snowboarding, wakeboarding, traveling, camping, listening to music, taking photographs. They're drinking gourmet coffee, rock climbing, playing guitar, camping, dancing, looking for online love, shopping for computers and other electronics, attending sports events, studying the Bible, exercising, trying to find jobs, and watching movies. Any one of these subjects would make a great ebook with a buying market standing by.
How-to's and hot topics
There is almost no limit whatsoever on the marketability of how-to books. Everyone wants an instruction manual, advice, and encouragement that they can do anything they read a how-to book for. Anything you know how to do, anything you've ever wanted to learn, or anything that's teachable at all, can become a how-to ebook.
How-to books for hobbyists are a good w ay to go, and this overlaps with the discussion above. A hobby how-to ebook could be anything from how to build a home from hay bales to how to play Texas Hold 'Em to how to understand Shakespeare.
One book publisher knows how hungry we are for how-to information, and has created a whole series of "Dummies" books around the market. Further, there are other similar book series', and all of them are doing quite well! "The Everything" series, "Idiot's Guide" series and others are all cashing in on the how-to phenomenon.
You could cash in by creating ebooks on any or all subjects covered in any of those series'. Go to www.dummies.com, and check out their list of titles. Pick one you like, and move full speed ahead!
Remember that even though the books have "Dummies" in the title, that the books are as popular as they are because the readers are not treated like dummies at all. The authors cater to a person who wants to find out the easiest w ay to do something without too much tangential discussion. When you have your ebook written and when you choose a title, make sure you are appealing to a reader's smarts! If you use words like stupid, dumb, or hopeless in the title, make sure that it is clear that the meaning would not extend to insulting the individual reader.
Ebooks, because of their brevity and because they are marketed primarily on the Internet can target smaller audiences. You don't have to write a universal book like How to use a computer (which may not be interesting enough to sell anyway in this decade). Ebooks can cover more specific territory. Knowing this, you can 1) create your ebook in a specific way for a specific niche readership, and 2) create additional ebooks for different facets of the same subject, and sell each one separately!
Say you've decided to write an ebook on fishing. (FYI, this is one of those hobbies where enthusiasts are willing to spend money!). You c ould create "How to Catch Freshwater Trout," "How to Tie Your Own Flies," or "How to Plan a Successful Deep Sea Fishing Trip." Almost anything related to the hobby can become a separate ebook depending on how much detail you include. Clearly, "How to put on waders," probably wouldn't be a great choice (though some would say it's impossible to underestimate today's consumer), because you would have to strain to fill up 60 to 100 pages on such a simple topic. You get the idea. The topic would need to be, in most cases, book worthy. Use good judgment.
Then, life itself requires instructions, as we know from "Life's Little Instruction Book." So, life also qualifies as a good how-to book topic. There are numerous subtopics, and you'll never run out of ideas. Here are a few examples:
· "How to ensure your child gets an A+ in math"
· "How to have a successful garage sale"
· "How to organize your home office"
And while we're on the subject of how-to books, I'd like to make one quick point. The titles of these ebooks do not need to be incredibly clever. Be sure the words "How to" are the first part of the title, and the rest should tell exactly what the ebook is about.
For example, which of these three titles would be best?
1. "How to have a successful garage sale."
2. "One weekend away from a cleaner house"
3. "How to sell your old shoes for a profit"
Although numbers 2 and 3 are clever, a little punchy, and correspond with the ebook content, I would still recommend using title number 1. "How to have a successful garage sale" sums it up pretty well and will catch the eye of an Internet surfer who is interested in putting together a garage sale and needs a how-to manual.
Anyway, back to the point. Any phase of life, way of coping with life, or large or small thing about life can be the subject of a how-to book.
Looking young
Perhaps sixteen year old girls don't want to look younger, but from that point on, and for most of the population in Western society, looking young is a common desire. Everybody wants to find the fountain of youth, whether it be in a pill bottle, a special diet, surgery, or an ebook.
An ebook about staying or appearing young in the face of growing old will have a solid future. Here are some title ideas, and I'm sure you can come up with a truckload more.
· "Drop ten years and ten pounds in ten days"
· "How to look 28 forever"
· "100 ways to look younger"
· "Grocery store products that will help you look younger"
· "Look 30 again without surgery"
· "How to live to be 100"
This topic is red hot. Botox, surgery, chemical peels, lasers, diets, acupuncture, electronic pulses , mega vitamins, prescription teas, thigh cream, and teeth whiteners are being purchased by baby boomers, the elderly, and even women as young as 20 ! No one wants to look a day older than they have to.
Health
Health is a concern to anyone who is growing old or ill or faced illness with a loved one or wants more energy or, basically, everybody. Health ebooks are a good investment for you to make. And doctors don't have to be the authors. Anyone with any credentials, or no crendetials at all, can write books on health. Just be sure you don't claim to be a doctor if you're not one.
Here are some health topics you can hit at this moment in time and be almost guaranteed immediate interest, readership, and sales!
Disease prevention and cure.As our baby boomer population ages, most will be afflicted with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, or some other malady. Give these people some hope. Create an ebook on how to cope, how to find the best practitioners, how to avoid disease triggers, or cures American doctors are unaware of.
Natural remedies. People are curious about alternatives to standard medicine, and are anxious to try herbal, natural, or holistic treatments. Create a book on any disease that covers alternative cures. For example, "How to Treat Lymphoma, Naturally." Or, you could just address natural supplements in general, "The best natural remedies for common ailments," or "Holistic health."
Diet. What we eat is always a hot topic. There are literally dozens if not hundreds of diet fads currently out there. Pick any one of them for an ebook. Then there's obesity, general health, and also diet supplements like vitamins. Think "How to equip your kitchen for macrobiotic dieting." Or, "Eat to cure cancer."
Travel
Never has so much travel been available to so many. People today want to get in touch with the people they l ove. They want to experience different parts of the world. See exotic things. Be entertained. Also, because, especially in America, adults sometimes work well more than 40 hours a week, people need really good vacations. They're doing their research to make sure that they will really enjoy their precious few weeks off each year.
Here are some topics for you: how to trade frequent flyer miles, how to keep airport security off your back, how to travel on a dime and get change, and how to keep your children happy on long car trips.
Beyond the how-to's, there is plenty of room for books like, the best amusement parks for your money, top 100 campgrounds, things you must see and do in Utah before you die, and free things to do when visiting Washington, D.C.
Get the idea? The good thing about creating travel ebooks is that you may already know a lot about a place that other people may be interested in visiting. Makes it easy!
Money
Money makes the world go around (well that and the earth's axis and planetary forces), and so it would make sense that ebooks would abound on the topic of money. They do, but the market is nowhere near saturated. There's always room for more. From getting rich to just saving money day-to-day, people are always interested in how-to books related to money. Ideas below:
· "How to feed your family on less than $40 a week"
· "How to get free stuff"
· "How to pay almost no taxes"
· "How to buy a retirement home for no money down"
· "How to be richer than your parents"
· "How to buy cars at auction"
· "How to start a financial management business"
Life enrichment
In these days, although fewer and fewer are attending churches, more and more are flocking to purchase self-help books. Self-help books are leaping off sh elves at brick and mortar bookstores. People want to feel that if they read a self-help book, they have all the power to change their lives. Whether or not this is true is moot. Changing your life, soul searching, and helping thyself, are all great ebook topics.
As much as ever before, people want to know how to find peace with their pasts, how to be creative or spiritual in a consuming society, and how to find true love. There is no end to how-to books you could create in the category of self-help, or life enrichment. Here are a few more ideas here:
· How to marry for life
· How to unbreak your heart
· How to stay sane in a crazy world
· How to meditate
A few more topics bound to explode
These are fiery hot topics that are sure to be on the rise. You can pull any one of these to use for your first ebook. Then come back and pull another topic for your next ebook.
Using the latest electronics. We are a society obsessed with having the latest and greatest technology. Do an ebook on iPods, email/camera cell phones, wireless Internet, digital TV, or any combination of these items.
Home improvement. There's so much of a craze in this area that do-it-yourself (DIY) stores are on every corner of major cities. If you haven't been to a Home Depot or Lowe's lately, then you are one of the few. Sure, apartment dwellers and young students aren't in this market, but people with homes and money to afford them are in this market. In fact, some cable TV services offer entire channels dedicated to home improvement.
Especially of current interest are in-home automation systems. DIY home improvers are eager to learn about and buy things that will make their home lives more relaxing, high-tech, or fun. Create a book to teach them how to make their lights come on for them before they get home from their jobs, or how to press a button to adjust window blinds, music, or temperature. Or how Bill Gates' house works. Or how to add automation to an existing home, or how to build-in automation when a house is constructed.
Identity theft prevention. Especially because ebooks are marketed on the Internet, this is a great topic. This is because people who purchase over the Internet are concerned that their credit card numbers will not be seen by others or misused in any way. Even away from the computer though, consumers are on-edge about identity theft. Today, people are shredding their receipts, removing their personal information from the face of their checks, and cautiously covering themselves when they type in passwords at public terminals or ATMs. Microchips are being installed on ID cards. People are worried. Tap into this with an ebook!
Safety. Along the same lines as worrying about identity theft, people are worried about their safety from other things like crime, chemical warfare attack, and natural disasters. Watch the evening news tonight, and you will be able to list at least twenty things that people are afraid of. When you talk about safety, you are speaking their language. Titles along the lines of be prepared for any natural disaster would go over well, as would those like never be a crime victim again, how to defend yourself in a parking lot, or prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
How-to manuals for any new product recently on the market. This harks back to the Dummies series but takes it one step further. Target your ebook to people who want to buy the most current commercially available item. How to use the new model John Deere tractor. You will be sure that no one else has a book like yours, and you can say so in your sales pitch.
How to survive any phase of life. People face numerous demons and battles as they live their lives. For many, when they're in need, they'll be reaching out for help. Support groups, private therapy, being with friends, starting over - these are all solid topics for an ebook. You could also reach out specifically to certain people needing emotional assistance. How to get through the terrible two's. How to cope with a cancer diagnosis. Living with your own shortcomings. How to live with someone who is dying. Surviving high school. Any of these will do.
Anything to do with pets. People are pampering their pets more than ever before. Some pets are treated better than people. It's the people who spend small fortunes on their pets that will also be willing to pay good money for an ebook that gives them ideas on how to treat their animals even more royally than they already do.
Write books on how to pamper your parakeet, homemade meals for picky dogs, where the pet spas are, how to train your kids to be cat-friendly, million dollar homes for mutts, which animals make the best pets, or pet psychology.
Traveling mixed with the subjects above. Not only are people traveling like crazy, but they want to customize their itineraries and their methods of travel with their hobbies and lifestyles. Try a few of these on for size: where to dine around the globe and still stay on a low-carb diet plan. Hotels with the best exercise facilities. How to travel exquisitely with large dogs. Crime-proof your campsite. Be creative. There's a market here.
Using the Internet to meet people. As I said, the craze is upon us. Everyone's online, and sometimes folks spend more time chatting with Internet buddies than they do talking face to face with actual friends. I know I've been guilty of this one myself. Anyway, along with the advent of the World Wide Web, came people who need a little help figuring out how to get where they want to get. They want to find like-minded people, find a date, find love, find support.
There's a huge ebook market for hooking people up wit h people online. Here are just a few things that could be covered: speed dating online, virtual music jams, taking online classes, hooking up with people who share your hobby, and finding online support groups. Any of these and more are of interest to people who wish to get maximum benefit from their ability, thanks to the Internet, to network with people in the farthest reaches of the world. In fact one of the appeals with online communing is that distance does not matter. Help these people in foreign lands find each other with an ebook.
Topics of special interest to women. The facts don't lie. Women dominate the Internet, and they spend or influence spending of 80 cents for every dollar changing hands. What women want has never been so important to business owners and authors.
Certain topics appeal particularly to the female set. These include beauty, health, decorating, emotional support, and life enrichment. Women do a few things, generally, tha t men don't. They play bunko, wear make-up, and talk for hours to their girlfriends on the phone. They send more greeting cards, prepare more casseroles, and vacuum more often than men. They eat more salads and go shopping more often for clothes. They get more pedicures and love to dance more than the average man.
There are two things to keep in mind with regards to women and ebooks. If you want to attract a female market, you need to write about a topic that women like to read about, and you want to make the title friendly towards women.
Here's a female-oriented subject and title: Where to find great shopping bargains in Taos. And here's a male subject: Where to catch the most fish in Taos.
Here's a female-friendly title (same as above): Where to find great shopping bargains in Taos. And here's a male-friendly title on the same subject: Keep your money in your pocket in Taos. See the difference? Know your market, and if you need to cho ose between one or the other, you're safe going with the women's title.
Sex. People don't need to sneak out of bookstores with erotic books in their hands anymore, and they know it. They are looking on the Internet for sex materials, toys, and books. The Internet is private, individuals can take their sweet time, and indeed they can surf with or without a lover sharing their chair. There's been a recent ebook success entitled Orgasms for two. There is room for more similar ebooks. On the subject of sex, this is one case where a fiction book may also do the trick. You could create erotic short stories or a how-to-have-great-sex ebook. Either ebook would entice adults interested in this category (and incidentally, most adults are indeed interested in this category).
Get more interesting articles on Internet Marketing at my blog: http://mfuzi.com
Optimising Your Fitness Plan
The health and fitness market is one of the biggest growing branches of commercialism in the world today.
Not a day goes by without being able to open up a multitude of newspapers to be told things like don't eat too many carbohydrates, sugars or fats. We are to drink gallons of water every day, vary our diets with a plethora of fruit and vegetables and if we haven't got all day to be chewing, just juice them.
There's the grapefruit diet, the cabbage soup diet, the chocolate lovers diet, the macrobiotic diet and a wide choice of detox diets. Personally, I'm in favour of the see food diet. See food and eat it.
Sometimes we get told the best way to stay healthy is to eat little and often, another time to eat three square meals a day.
There are foods to lower blood pressure, increase blood pressure, calm our moods, liven our moods, foods to gain weight and lose weight, combat tiredness or help us sleep more. The list is neve r ending and if we listened to it all we'd have no time in a day to do anything but work out what mood we were in, what our bodies were capable of that particular day and what we were going to eat next.
If we listened to all the scare stories of foods that cause cancer, senile dementia or hyperactivity we would be feeding our children and ourselves nothing but meal replacement powders.
With all this information at our fingertips, it would seem people are still unable to moderate their own eating habits when you consider the rising incidents of obesity and the burgeoning diet clubs. Drive past any gym in the next few weeks and see advertising boards offering us special deals to sign up for the New Year and lose those Christmas pounds.
We can make our New Year's resolutions, work out a regime for the gym promising ourselves we'll be rigidly attending every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for a two hour session and get the body we want. We t urn up, sweat like crazy, stick it out for a few weeks and then feel dis-heartened because we can't see any difference.
A personal trainer is a good idea because they can work out a personal plan depending on your current fitness level but they are still restricted by the information you give them.
One of the most useful tools for health and fitness on the market today is personal heart rate monitors. Worn on the wrist like a watch, they will constantly assess things like blood pressure and heart rate. These things are affected on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, by numerous influences such as health, diet, temperature, hormones and emotions.
If you pay attention to your heart rate monitor then every work out, whether it be at the gym or your weekly shopping trip, will be geared towards optimum performance. If your heart rate is particularly high one day, there is no point in pushing your body over the limit at the gym. It will put exce ss strain on your organs and your body will put all its resources into maintenance for those organs instead of the areas you are trying to work on.
Your heart rate monitor can also give you an indication of just how relaxed you are. If your stress levels are high, and sometimes we are not aware of this, then we can take practical steps to reduce it. Working your body to its optimum will have more far reaching effects than just starving and pushing it. It will also be more time efficient and cost effective. There will be no need for costly diets, just a balanced diet and an occasional check on your heart rate monitor.