Neck pain

Neck pain (or cervicalgia) is a common problem, with two-thirds of the population having neck pain at some point in their lives.[1] It is increasing in both intensity, frequency and severity of episodes.[citation needed] As people are increasingly sedentary, live fast-paced and hectic lives, they place more stress and strain on the upper back and neck regions of their spines.

Neck pain, although felt in the neck, can be caused by numerous other spinal issues. Neck pain may arise due to muscular tightness in both the neck and upper back. Joint disruption in the neck creates pain, as does joint disruption in the upper back.

The head is supported by the lower neck and upper back, and it is these areas that commonly cause neck pain. The top three joints in the neck allow for most movement of your neck and head. The lower joints in the neck and those of the upper back create a supportive structure for your head to sit on. If this support system is affected adversly, then the muscles in the area will tighten, leading to neck pain.

Neck pain may also arise from many other physical and emotional health issues.

Neck pain can be due to improper habits in our daily routine or improper posture which cause pressure on the neck. Following measure can be take to avoid neck pain :

1. Proper posture while sitting - keep your head up straight and rest your back on the chair.
2. Avoid continuously sitting for a long time, walk about in between.
3. While lifting heavy things do not bend your back. Sit down with your knees bend, keep the heavy object close to your body while lifting.
4. Sleeping on a hard bed and lying on your back is good for the neck and back. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
5. When you have neck pain avoid pillows while lying on the bed.
6. When there is swelling or pain in the neck applying heat on the neck helps.
7. Relax. Tension causes pressure on the neck muscles which leads to pain.

Neck Pain Causes

Reasons for neck pain can be complex. Major and severe causes of neck pain include:

* Spondylosis - degenerative arthritis and osteophytes
* Spinal stenosis – a narrowing of the spinal canal
* Spinal disc herniation – protruding or bulging discs, or if severe prolapse.
* Severe degeneration – usually as a result of past injuries or whiplash accidents.

The more common and lesser neck pain causes include:

* Stress – physical and emotional stresses
* Prolonged postures – many people fall asleep on sofas and chairs and wake with sore necks
* Minor injuries and falls – car accidents, sporting events and day to day minor injuries
* Referred pain – mostly from upper back problems
* Over-use – muscular strain is one of the most common causes

Although the causes are numerous, most are easily recitified by either professional help or using self help advice and techniques.

Star Wars according to a 3 year old

Balakrishna Movie Trailer

Red Eye Removal Using Photoshop

1. Open your image ----- Open the image that you want to repair. Try zooming in so you can easily see the red eyes that need to be fixed. Then, select the Color Replacement tool (located in the toolbox with the Healing Brush and Patch tool).

2. Choose a brush tip ----- Choose a brush tip from the options bar. The brush tip should be smaller than the red area of the eye to make correcting the red-eye easier.


3. Set options for the Color Replacement tool ----- In the options bar, you can choose settings that help you fix red-eye. For Mode, make sure that Color is selected. For the Sampling option, choose Once to erase only areas containing the color that you target. For the Limits option, select Discontiguous to replace the sampled color wherever it occurs under the brush. Drag the Tolerance slider to a low value (around 30 percent) to replace only the few colors very similar to the pixels you click.

4. Choose a color to replace the red ----- Typically, black is a good choice, but you could try other colors to more closely resemble a person's eye color. To choose a color, click the foreground color swatch in the toolbox. In the color picker, choose a color that looks good, and then click OK.

5. Repair your photo ----- Click once on the color you want to replace in the image. Drag over the red with black to repair the image. If all the red isn't removed, try increasing the Tolerance level in the options bar to correct more shades of red.
Once you're happy with the correction, save your image. Red-eye will never present a problem again!

Recipe for friendship

Got this lovely card from a friend of mine. It has a lovely message and I thought of sharing it with you.








Card was sent from Blue Mountain Cards.
www.bluemountain.com

Happy Valentines Day

Love comes through the eyes that see
And through the ears that hear,
For people are quite beautiful,
And words make feelings clear.

Love comes through the hands that touch
With unabashed affection,
For only skin-to-skin can love
Maintain its true direction.

Love comes through the tastes and smells
Of fresh and well-cooked food,
For in the gift of nourishment
Is much else that is good.

But though love comes through senses five,
Love comes from the heart,
For there resides the greater love
Of which ours is a part.

Poem courtesy: Nicolas Gordon
poemsforfree.com/loveco.html